Smoking

[meredith_]

I quit smoking March 17, 2014. Then I took it up again mid-June. *slaps self*

Stupid cigarettes.

Today is the first of the month. DOING THIS AGAIN. Got my nicotine patches all ready. Honestly I'm very hesitant, but I've seen people make lists why they want to quit. I'll do that now, perhaps it'll help with motivation?

WHY MER SHOULD QUIT SMOKING

Comments

[avawatson]

Sense of smell and taste also suffer when you're smoking. Food just tastes better and more like itself when you're not smoking.

I have a good friend who has quit numerous times over the years. Of course, he always played it close to the vest and I never really knew about his attempts to quit until very recently -- so when I got married a couple years ago and he was my man of honor, I got him an engraved zippo lighter. Dumb Caroline, but oh well, it's a memento the way that it was always meant to be really. And he's been cigarette free for months now, maybe a year, and he'd been smoking since he was a teenager (so something like 15 years). It's hard, but it IS kickable, and you have all the right reasons. It gets easier with time, I think. My friend's main problem was that smoking was just such a part of his life -- get some work done, go downstairs, grab a cigarette while scrolling through stuff on his phone; smoke on the walk to the ATM; smoke after dinner; smoke after lunch; smoke after meetings. It was regular, like he timed his days with it, and beyond the nicotine, it felt like there was something missing in his life when he wasn't headed somewhere to grab a quick cigarette or reaching to get one out when he had his hands free for a moment. So when he found ways to train himself out of that, it became easier to quit the actual smoking. The nicotine patches helped too though; cold turkey was always the worst (for everyone involved really). Good luck though. It's a rough spot you're in, but there are lots of rewards for getting over and through it.

[meredith_]

That's a very helpful story. The whole habitual part of it is really the biggest thing, now that you mention it. It's summertime and I love to sit outside in the backyard in nice weather, sometimes grab a drink, light up a smoke. Take the dogs out, light up a smoke. Wake up in the morning, coffee and smoke. Bored, smoke. Frustrated with whatever I'm working on, take a break with a smoke.

I have very few responsibilities right now because it's summer break from classes and I did have a job but I quit that because I was getting harassed by a couple of young dudes barely in their 20s, management wouldn't do shit, also wouldn't train me on like anything (which in some ways I ended up training myself) and kept putting me on "bussing duty" so wtf...I was just hoping a summer job would help me with keeping busy and having a little extra money. Keeping busy does help with staying off the smokes, though. I'm thinking maybe a bit of volunteer work and seeing the free employment counsellors at my parents' church. I don't want anymore jobs at the age of 27 where I get hit on by barely legal boys fresh out of high school. Apparently I look pretty young cause they often think I'm their age, so bleh. (Also they probably want alcohol). So. (Sorry for the long story, I get rambly sometimes).