Still At It
on 08/07/2012 at 05:44 PM
Sounds like you kicking two habits in one fell swoop dude,hang in there,and tell that dude inside your head to fuck-off.
My 2+ pack-a-day cigarette addiction magically & painlessly “went away” after hip replacement surgery 5 years ago. I think it was the 2-3 weeks of MAJOR painkillers that got me past the “hurting” part of withdrawal.
Then I proceeded to blimp out +60 lbs. Dieting was futile.
I recently decided I’d rather die of the smokes much later (if I live long enough) than the fat-related diseases now.
I’m dropping weight like a leaky bucket. Too fast, really. But - in for a penny, in for a pound.
Good luck, Drew. Nicotine is perhaps the worst addiction to break in the world....
Good luck Drew - and ooGcM - I too quit for 7 years after a disastrous trip to an incompetent dentist - pain covers up a multitude of minor symptoms. The weight is up there too - but I can’t afford to go back to smoking. Pretty soon the mandatory starvation from not being able to afford food, will take care of that problem.
It’s been easy to cut back on the Internet too - it’s all lies and bs and when all you do is hang around the house cleaning and eating - there isn’t much to comment on.
And I certainly don’t want to comment on how crappy I was treated at the last job application I went to - 300+ positions - probably 1500 plus turned out on day one. Every stratus of society from people who looked homeless to men in suits & ties. We arrived about 30 mins before the doors opened (9:30AM) - the line stayed down the length of the parking lot the entire time. Daughter and I went in, turned in apps - she got an immediate 2 second interview (we watched the woman, not a single person got more than that from her) and I got an interview, he told me, he liked that I knew gluten free - passed me on and we sat and waited and waited. Finally I went up to ask what was going on, after much ado - found my app, he’d filled the position and couldn’t be bothered to let me know, just buried the app. Gidget #1 felt bad about us sitting around, so she turned me over to Gidget #2 (I have jeans that are older than either of these 12 year olds) - and she said, she didn’t think I had ‘enough’ to deal with their fast paced environment. BITE ME - It was now 2PM - I’d not eaten or drunk (we did bring water for the line - great idea since it 90 degrees at 9AM) nor been to the rest room - I was fighting food poisoning (which part of me wished had been e coli just so this bunch of ungreatfully employed snots would also feel as crappy as I did) and when we walked out - the line was STILL down the length of the parking lot. I can’t imagine what the second day was like!
If they didn’t have the largest section of gluten free in the area and didn’t sell Clemmy’s ice cream (sugar free without all the fake ‘sugar’ substitutes - that actually tastes good), vast foreign sections - and of course their wild food (elk, camel, etc) I wouldn’t even consider shopping there again. Oh and they do, hands down, have the best cheese danish.
Well any much longer in the unemployed arena - and I won’t have to worry about their selection - we won’t be able to afford it and will be living on beans and rice and water. and what fruits I can scrounge from our trees.
"oogcM” - what are you doing to lose the weight so fast? Atkins? Starvation? Uncontrolled diabetes??
Because that’s addiction #3 on my list ... 100 pounds to get me down to my skinny boy high school weight. 80 would get me back in fine fettle. 10 would be a nice start!!!
Drew, don’t be afraid to use the patch, or the gum, or an electronic cigarette. Breaking the automatic, programmed urge to reach for a smoke is important. The nicotine is bad but the other crap in the smoke, the tars, the toxins are worse. Staving off the the nicotine jones until you no longer think about the act of smoking is a good way to go. It worked for me anyway. Once the ritual of lighting up is beaten, getting off the nicotine is pretty painless. I chewed gum and other stuff for almost two years before I finally walked away from it all. The upside is this; I haven’t lapsed. Haven’t been tempted to smoke and it’s been 9 years. I still get an occasional craving, but it only lasts a second or two. The goal is to not smoke. How you get there isn’t that important, and no two smokers quit the same way or in the same time frame. You will get there if you keep the goal in mind. Even if you back slide a little, try again and don’t beat yourself up about it. I know you will make it. If you can do this blog you can do anything.
Great work on the smokes Drew!
I quit in ‘86 and to this day, I still get a “wasn’t that tasty” message when I see the old brand. It’s so much easier to say no as time passes. Keep it going.
Hang in there Drew, it will be worth the torture.
Drew - the smokes kill my overactive appetite. I suspect that part of the cig withdrawal is the body substituting one addiction - smoking - for another - feeding my effing piehole!
I am also staying physically busy (helping a business associate to open a gun shop!), which will burn it off if you’re not eating much.
Believe me, I contemplated long and hard (even reviewed my pre-quit personal journal of 5-years past to remind me of why I hated smokes so much) as to whether this was a wise course. I’m delighted so far. Except they still taste like shit.
08/08/2012 at 12:53 PM
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