So as of right now, I have decided to blog once a day with a simple explanation of how things are going. It gives me a little bit of a chance to really jot down the things I'm feeling, both physical and mental - and give me an out to cope with this, so here we go:
DAY 1 of 84 days
(84 days or 12 weeks is the "standard" time frame needed for one to fully push the poison out of their body, and if they pass this marker, then their chances of staying quit nearly double)
This will be my 15th attempt at quitting. I'm the kind of person who LIKES to smoke, and doesn't do it just because I'm addicted to it.
But this time I have a better weapon in my hands. I have tried the NYS Quitline products with NO success. I can tell you that their products for quitting are FAR inferior to the items for quitting that you buy in the store. How do I know this? 1/2 of all the pieces of nicotine gum that I was given by the NYS Quitline did NOTHING for me in calming my cravings! 1/2! The patches that they give you don't stay on and fall right off. You practically have to scour your skin with rubbing alcohol to make sure it sticks for at least 4 hours...
However, this RiteAid 2mg piece handled the light craving, and when I had a big craving that was driving me nuts, this RiteAid 4mg piece just about knocked me on my a$$....
So, before making the decision to quit, I had already started really cutting down during the weekdays, as I don't (and am not allowed to) smoke in the house. Usually took it outside when the Missus was home, and when she wasn't and I had the BPC in her crib sleeping, I would step to the hallway.
From others who have quit (I tried to stay away from the "informative websites" and asked those who have been through it), here is what I can expect during the next 12 weeks of my commitment:
Cravings to smoke; Irritability, crankiness; Insomnia; Fatigue; Inability to Concentrate; Headache; Cough; Sore throat; Constipation, gas, stomach pain; Dry mouth; Sore tongue and/or gums; Postnasal drip; Tightness in the chest, Terrible halitosis (very bad breath, for the mouth is one area where the body is pushing the ick out, soooooo there you have it.)
Right now at this very moment, at this very point that you are reading it's 2:33 pm, and I can say that I have already experienced 1/4 of these.... Headache, Sore throat, tightness and fatigue. Just not having nicotine for 2 and a half hours gives me this? But then again, maybe it's my mind playing me, as this is a psychological battle as well as a physical withdrawal battle.
To take a saying from a very good friend of mine - one needs G.O.D. in order to "not light up." Ben has never told me to quit smoking. He has just asked me to not light up. And G.O.D. is not religious by any means. It stands for Good Orderly Direction. Here is a person who has taken a tip from a cigarello and stuffed it with crushed peppermint and a small piece of moist cotton ball. It gave him the feeling of "smoking" to help him alleviate the hand/mouth thing, and eventually he didn't really need it anymore!
So, in addition, to wrap up, I invite anyone out there who has been a smoker and is either quit or in the process to please feel free to contribute. I say just those who have been through it, for honestly, I feel that non-smokers who have not had to deal with stopping smoking themselves don't really know what we, as smokers go through. I firmly believe that it's not just nicotine that we are addicted to as smokers, for if that was the case, then I believe that many, many more people would be able to quit faster and easier with a nicotine replacement system.
And to my wife and BPC - Even though I like to smoke, the health of my family and myself is more important to me than a temporary fix of a cigarette. It's gonna be a long road, but with your help, I can do it. 143
