This is not an anti-smoking post. Everyone has the right to do whatever they want with their own body.
This is a post about me, and how I'm trying to quit smoking.
I have been a very random off-and-on smoker for 30+ years. I had my first cigarette at 13 or 14, but other than trying to be a cool teenager for about 2 days, I was never a regular smoker. My parents both smoked. Mom quit smoking when her dad died from complications of emphysema when she was 38. She quit cold turkey. My dad quit smoking in his later years too.
I would have a cigarette maybe a few times a year up until about 2 years ago. Then I started smoking more regularly. I really don't know why. Stress? Empty nest-to-be syndrome? Boredom? I have no answers. For the last year I've averaged around 3/4 of a pack a day - some days a bit more, some days a bit less.
When a friend of mine had a mild heart attack on November 9, I decided if I was going to kick this habit, I needed to do it now. I haven't felt ANY crushing desire to have a cigarette. For me, it's the habit, not the nicotine fix. I miss it when I'm driving to and from work. I miss taking a couple of short breaks in my work day to puff on one. But I don't miss the smell on my clothes, or the smell on my hair.
I can't swear I won't ever have another cigarette. If I could go back to that "couple of times a year" thing, I'd be okay with that. But, I don't anticipate smoking again anytime soon.
When I told my daughter last week that I was on day 2 of no smoking, she made a comment that indicated she didn't have much confidence in me. I'd really like to prove her wrong.
This is a post about me, and how I'm trying to quit smoking.
I have been a very random off-and-on smoker for 30+ years. I had my first cigarette at 13 or 14, but other than trying to be a cool teenager for about 2 days, I was never a regular smoker. My parents both smoked. Mom quit smoking when her dad died from complications of emphysema when she was 38. She quit cold turkey. My dad quit smoking in his later years too.
I would have a cigarette maybe a few times a year up until about 2 years ago. Then I started smoking more regularly. I really don't know why. Stress? Empty nest-to-be syndrome? Boredom? I have no answers. For the last year I've averaged around 3/4 of a pack a day - some days a bit more, some days a bit less.
When a friend of mine had a mild heart attack on November 9, I decided if I was going to kick this habit, I needed to do it now. I haven't felt ANY crushing desire to have a cigarette. For me, it's the habit, not the nicotine fix. I miss it when I'm driving to and from work. I miss taking a couple of short breaks in my work day to puff on one. But I don't miss the smell on my clothes, or the smell on my hair.
I can't swear I won't ever have another cigarette. If I could go back to that "couple of times a year" thing, I'd be okay with that. But, I don't anticipate smoking again anytime soon.
When I told my daughter last week that I was on day 2 of no smoking, she made a comment that indicated she didn't have much confidence in me. I'd really like to prove her wrong.
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Rhonda