Crossing a rickety non- smoking bridge
May 29, 2006 by Christina Jones
Filed under About Me, Beauty, Beauty Don'ts, Quit Smoking, Save Money
I am now 22 days into this non smoking thing (lets just call a kettle what it is, ok?) and I feel like I have crossed some sort of a bridge – rickety as it may be – and I am a little ready to get back to some sort of normalcy around here. My husband was home this weekend for the first time in 2 weeks, and I could tell, really, how bitchy I was. I sort of feel like that ol’ laid back gal I once was is not coming back, and she is being replaced with this somewhat argumentative and “half-empty” person, which I truly am not (I hope). I catch myself doing it and can stop myself sometimes and laugh, but geesh. I don’t think I am being irrational, but if I disagree with you, I will most likely tell you now, even if it is a small thing. God forbid you really make me mad. I desperately hope to get back to myself soon, cause I don’t care for Miss Type-A. And I don’t think Marshall is overly into her either, even though he loves to argue. Ha.
I am sure you have no doubt noticed that I have been scraping by this last few weeks – doing the best I can, but nothing spectacular (I don’t ever get “too” spectacular anyway, but you know what I mean, I hope – LOL). This has held true with all parts of life – my house is just clean enough, the laundry is just done enough, my kids last couple of weeks of school were really unprepared (thank God they are out now) and I have generally just had a hard time planning things and doing the mundane every day routine (not that I love that and am great at that anyway). Did I mention when I quit smoking one time – my most successful time prior to this one – that I had to go on Prozac after about a month, as I sat around boo-hooing and just generally being miserable constantly. Like I really HAD lost my best friend. Ridiculous. I refuse to go there this time. That worked when I was 25 or so, but it isn’t going to fly at 37 with kids and responsibilities. Can you believe I have been trying to quit that long?
Anyway, if you have been thinking about quitting, I hope that at the very least you are still thinking about it – and if you are quitting too, please feel free to talk about it, it is a bit of a lonely thing to do, especially if, as most smokers are, all of your friends are smokers and you just can’t hang out with them right now. I understand, I really do.
hello Christina. i know how you feel. i cannot count the many times i tried to quit smoking but i was never successful. except for the time that i was pregnant annd breastfeeding…the longest time that I was nicotine-free was 4 months. I bloated like a balloon because i ate too much. Quitting is always at the back of my mind, and until now, I haven’t gotten to it once more.
Good – then I will keep talking about how it is going with me, and maybe you will get motivated to quit too.
And yeah, even though I am currently getting more exercise than I ever do (30 min a day to try to get my metabolism going), I am gaining a steady 1/2 pound a day. Not fun. And yes, that means I am on 11 pounds and counting. This is the worst part for me. But, I am going to kick it this time, I really am, and I will worry about the pounds when I can. Think about joining me, Gloria!
I know what you are going through. I quit in 1997. It was soooo difficult! But I have been smoke free for 9 years! I’m not saying its been easy, because sometimes the temptation is still there for those darn cancer stix, but I am pretty darn proud of myself.
You can do it Christina! I’ll cheer you on!
It takes 21 days to make a new habit/break an old one. You’ve now made non-smoking your new habit. Way to go!!!!
christina…i quit for the last time about 16 years ago. let me tell you, i’ve missed smoking at least once a day (for several years, it was many times a day). even now, particularly stressful times are smoking/tempting, let me tell you. for a long time, it was sad driving by the ’smoke stores’ and i heard every Bic being flicked for 5 or 6 years. one of the hardest habits was not pushing in the cigarette lighter every time i got in the car. stay with it, and all the luck in the world. BTW, love your blog.
Thanks for the pats on the back ladies, it really helps. It is amazing to me all of the people that smoke, or used to smoke. I am so proud of you all for being able to quit and stay quit. I am going to stay quit this time, but it is no doubt going to be a battle forever. I had a client for years – she was in her 70’s and had quit smoking like 30 years prior. She used to love to sit with me while I smoked – she never ever quit loving the smell and never quit wanting to smoke – and she always kept a pack of cigs in her freezer “just in case” but never, ever smoked them. I miss her, she was quite a neat lady.
I think you’ll be “quitting” forever, just like I’ll be “not overeating” forever (except for vacation week, when I did). But you stay with it, and I’ll get back on it, and we can be some healthier old broads decades from now commenting back and forth.
BTW-Just clean enough and just done enough are the M.O. around here. God help us if we ever get too far behind. Someone might have to send a search party for us in our own house! Poor Cory, I did this to him.
LOL I hope we will be healthier, Kerri – and hope you and Cory had a marvelous trip!!
hi – luv your site.
Just wanted to chime in and wish you continued success. I quit six years ago. It took a lot of attempts to finally stick. You’ve got a major accomplishment under your belt already in that you are no longer physically addicted to the nicotine. The next step is getting over that psychological hurdle, which takes awhile.
After I had been smoke free for a week, I used hypnosis to get my mind around the fact that I was now a non-smoker and cigarettes were so gross as to be completely nauseating. I went to someone who was very professional and spent a long time pre-session talking to me about smoking and my attitudes about it, etc. After that we had another two hours of hypnosis “therapy,” and I walked out of there feeling much stronger in my determination to stay smoke free. For years after, I couldn’t stand to look at cigarettes, smell them, or walk by people smoking. Today, I have absolutely no desire to light up, and no longer feel that sad nostalgia I used to when I would see people on tv casually taking a drag, or having a smoke with a cocktail.
I don’t know if it’s for everyone. But it totally worked for me, maybe I’m just easily suceptible to the power of suggestion. But it was the only thing I tried that got me through the mental stuff.
Good luck!
Hi Sadaf – my mother and I tried hypnosis one time before and it really did work. We just did it to quit smoking, and it was in a big group type of thing, but I do think it is definitely a good solution (needless to say I eventually went back to smoking). So far so good for me though, I have made up my mind pretty good that I am done with smoking, so hopefully I wont have to go totally detox my brain like that. Keeping my fingers crossed anyway. Thanks so much for taking the time to comment, I sure do appreciate your support and your experience!!
Been there, done that, had a relapse several times.
But for the past 6 months im rid of the cancer stick. How? NLP and Hypnoisis.
Its really strange how, when you think you have a physiological addiction at times it may just be psychosomatic.
Do try it out.. works better than a nicotine patch.
God Bless
Sue
I smoked for 20 years and have quit for 6. I do not miss smoking and never think about it. But I do have a little problem….I am addicted to Nicotine gum! Now, I realize I traded one addiction for another but at least my lungs are clear? At least that is my justification.
Good luck to you!!
http://www.spiralhaircase.com
Hi CJ, This is partially a test post (always working) and otherwise to say I’m on the smoking/non-smoking pendulum right now. Keep quitting for 1 to 3 months then picking it up for a couple of weeks before putting it down again. They’re evil evil things!
Yes indeed they are. Im off the wagon again, but have my chantix right here – am planning on dragging myself back on the wagon in the next couple of weeks. What a battle. *muah*
My dad got throat cancer at 42 years old. Isn’t it odd that knowing that, I waited until I was 42 to finally quit smoking? Now I am smoke free for 6 years but still love my nicorette!
PS – I made a little video of my dad the other day
http://youtube.com/watch?v=Up34JGhL2ig