smoking/not smoking
There are three cigarettes left of the pack I showed yesterday, three, including the one burning now. I drove my routes this morning without any cigarettes. This is a big change. Sometimes I’ve smoked most of a pack during the five or six hours the routes take.
Since K* gave me permission to smoke up my cigars, I took some Rum Runner cigarillos with me. Cigarillos are small, cigarette sized cigars, and I have a box of fifty with about 20 left. (I like cigar boxes) I smoked four of them on the routes. I passed all sorts of places where I usually light up without sparking one.
This is very interesting.
Even though I was running very late this morning ( I got to Tri-Met, the bus company, almost an hour later than usual and they were waiting for me, lol) I finished only 15 minutes behind the usual time.
My brother told me that he is "on the patch". He’s not smoking either. That’s kinda neat- over a thousand miles apart but we are doing something similar! Congruence or what?
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Someone asked if I inhale cigar smoke too. NO. The tobacco smoke in cigars is much more acrid than it is in cigs, and inhaling cigar smoke is done only once or twice and then you never do. I suppose the nicotine in them transmits through the mouth, thus cigarettes are more "satisfying" to the smoker. Cigars are made of nothing but tobacco so they go out if you don’t keep smoking them; thus a cigar can last for a long time- smoke some, put it down, pick it up later and re-light it.
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On the one hand, still smoking cigars is kind of like not quitting, but on the other hand, not smoking cigarettes is the goal- no need to "suffer" too much. It’s near the end of the paycheck and patches and gums for not smoking are Expensive! I wanna see if I can tough it out, but smoking the odd cigar is not so much toughing it out as it is easing into non-smoking.
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So the big deal right now is that I opened this pack of cigs yesterday and it’s not gone yet- a huge cut in smoking.
One step at a time.
At least I have a measure of choice in this- it would sorta suck if I was like, totally cut off.
Baby steps.
The last two cigarettes will burn up today, sometime, and this is a big deal.
Later I will go over to A and J’s home to drop off my xmas present, a 350 minute phone card which I got for a very good price. They smoke but are making "I wanna quit" noises too. Maybe I can be the leader here….
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On an entirely different subject, I’ve been running the cable internet connection through one of the USB ports on the back of the computer, so my data stream is not running as fast as possible. When the external hard drive didn’t work out, I took it back to Walmart and got my money back but I also bought a 10/100 Network Interface Card (ethernet) that will replace the phone modem I no longer use and it will run much much faster than the USB ports do. I have to open up the computer case to switch cards, and while it’s something I have done a few times before, not having a smoke before and after successful computer operations is/will be new.
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It makes sense to me to phase out your smoking with cigars. You’ll cut down and eventually the cigar habit will be easier to quit and you’ll have the job done. Being too strict with big changes is a sure way to fail and then feel really bad about that. Congrats on a drastic reduction in smoking already! Have you noticed any physical effects yet?
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hmmmmm….maybe next time I try to quit, I will use cigars! I never smoke anywhere but home, so no one’ll see me puffing away on one anyhow. Cuz you’re right; the patch and nicotine gums and things of that sort are very costly!! GOOD LUCK. hugs, Weesprite
Warning Comment
Identifying trigger moments that make you light up is half the battle. Mine was always sitting in front of the computer–I’d always chain smoke. Having hard candy right on my computer desk (and of course the nicotine gum) helped me out. Cool!! Get a handle on the cigarettes, and worry about the cigars later (if you even want to quit those as well). Come on down and cruise the Blvd!! 😀
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good luck to you. no words of wisdom, just loads of support and an intellectual appreciation of how difficult this will be. (remember #5 on my list of things you didn’t know about me?)
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well, my dear Cat, it is a hard thing to do, but I trust you will do it if you really want to…and yes, cigars will help, since you are correct in saying you really don’t smoke them like cigs anyway. The patches and drugs for non-smoking are expensive for a reason…not that the tobacco industry has anything to do with it, or the fact that most insurance companies will NOT pay for drug coverage
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of said items. Reason? Cost…but there is more. God forbid this country would want to see a healthier, smoke free population…who knows..it might also encourage us to pick up even more healthy habits…yeah, I know, rambling like a pharmacy person would here. You have my support in your success. ~the feline~ 😉
Warning Comment
you can do it, and it’s awesome you are doing this for yourself. in my experience, on any commitment challenge, I find the first few days easy-ish and optimistic, then it gets miserable and I feel doubtful and angry and bitter. then I feel like, ok, I can get through this but it’s miserable, but I made a commitment, so I’ll do it. Then I notice it’s not so hard now, it’s gotten slowly easier.
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Have a wonderful Christmas!!
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Good luck with quitting smoking. I quit many times until it finally stuck this last July. I’ve gone about a half year now without a cigarette and 99% of the cravings are now gone. Have a good holiday.
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i’ve dropped in via a couple of my faves… and i’m glad you’re open to new readers.
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