Day 14 - Nicotine Free

Day 14, Week 2, Milestone #3......Yay!!! 

Milestone One was 72 hours, Two was 1 week, and Three is 2 weeks.

Ok so what should I talk about?  The physical changes?  There are a few that were unexpected.

1. My hair is getting wavy and a little curly again.  Aint that just a trip?  Who knew?  Someone told me today, after commenting about the extra wave, that hair stylists and Drs can tell if you smoke by your hair texture and overall hair health.  Here I was thinking it was getting straighter because I was getting older.  Nope.  It was all the chemicals in the cigarettes.  So, I've spent the past years using a blow dryer and round brush and sometimes a curling iron.  By the afternoon I would have lost all the body and curl/wave I spent so much time trying to get in the morning.  Over the past 4 or 5 days I've spend just as much time with a regular brush trying to pull the curls and waves out and pushing my hair down trying to get rid of the poofiness (sp).
2. Ok this change was kinda nasty but it only lasted about 2 or 3 days.  You get to experience all the tar and chemicals for a second time as your lungs expel the contaminants.  Yeah that's right.  They tell you about the cough but who tells you that when you exhale for a couple of days you are exhaling tar fumes?  I mean that is just nasty. 

Just a side note before we get into all the daily standard stuff.  I have had a most incredibly stressful night.  I don't think I have ever wanted a cigarette so badly.  And I didn't want it because I'm still addicted or still have nicotine left in my system.  That's all gone.  I wanted it because that's what you do when you're stressed, right?  Well I didn't.  Not sure why I didn't, but I didn't. 

Ok, on with the show.....I hope you find the following information enlightening at the very least.  I am not a preaching ex-smoker.  Actually I'm not sure I have the right to call myself an ex-smoker yet.  I just write to express how I am feeling.  I include the facts and jokes for myself.  If they help someone else, then that's great.  If you smoke and continue to smoke, I get it.  I really do get it.

Gosh dang it, now it's day 15..............................

I think I will include Today's Joke before the Interesting Facts section out of respect for the sensitivity of today's information.  Just seems appropriate to format it this way.

Smoking Joke of the Day:
Jack, at a New Year's party, turns to his friend, Harry, and asks for a cigarette.

"I thought you made a New Year's resolution to quit smoking," Harry responds.

"I am in the process of quitting," replies Jack with a grin.  "Right now, I am in the middle of phase one."

"Phase one?" wonders Harry.

"Yeah," laughs Jack, "I have quit buying."

Interesting Facts:

Unlike many other nations, there is no U.S. cigarette pack addiction warning label. As shown in this photo, Canada's required label covers one-half of the front face of the pack and reads, "Warning - Cigarettes are highly addictive - Studies have shown that tobacco can be harder to quit than heroin or cocaine."

Some of today's facts are graphic.  So be prepared.  I want to acknowlege WhyQuit.com as the source of this information.  I'm not the creator, just the messenger.

Do Not Skip Meals - Each puff of nicotine was our spoon, releasing stored fats into our bloodstream. It allowed us to skip meals without experiencing wild blood-sugar swing symptoms such as an inability to concentrate or hunger related anxieties. Learn to again properly fuel your body by spreading out your normal daily calorie intake more evenly. Do not skip meals.

Quitting for Others - You cannot quit for others. It must be your gift to you. Quitting for a child, spouse, parent or friend creates a natural sense of deprivation that is likely to ultimately result in relapse. If quitting for another person, how will an addict's junkie-mind respond the first time that person disappoints us?

No Legitimate Reason for Relapse -

Recognize that smoking nicotine cannot solve any crisis. Fully accept the fact that there is absolutely no legitimate excuse for relapse, including an auto accident, financial crisis, the end of a relationship, job loss, a terrorist attack, a hurricane, the birth of a baby, or the eventual inevitable death of those we love most. Picture yourself not smoking through each and every step needed to overcome the most difficult challenge your mind can possibly imagine.

Hoping This is Never Anyone I Know:

Bryan started smoking at age thirteen.  A 34 year-old Marlboro Light smoker, Bryan thought that because his mother still smoked that he had plenty of time left to quit.  He was wrong.  To the left is a photo of Bryan with his two year-old son, Bryan Jr.  It was taken on March 29th.

The photo below was taken just 63 days later on June 3rd, the day Bryan died.  It shows the aggressiveness of smoking induced small cell lung cancer.  In Bryan's hands is a copy of the picture of him with his son. 

Try to imagine nearly five million tobacco victims each year.  Imagine having a 50% chance of already knowing the cause of death that will appear on your death certificate.

Day 14

I have now stopped smoking for 2 weeks, 28 minutes, 56 seconds.  At 5 minutes per cigarette I have increased my life expectancy by 1 day, 2 hours, 52 minutes, 18 seconds.

• Cigarettes Not Smoked:  319
• Money Saved:  $95.94
• Future Value of Invested Savings: $202.79

In My Lifetime:

Number of cigarettes I have smoked:	251,850
Total amount I have spent on cigarettes:	$75,555.00
Forgone interest earnings on money spent:	$99,115.28
Total cost of my past smoking:	$174,670.28

Day 13 - Nicotine Free

No I didn't miss day 13 on purpose.  I just had a lot of work to do last night and then had a cup of sleepy time vanilla tea and went to bed.  Actually I really didn't miss day 13 did I?  I'm posting now.  That counts.

Had another good day I think.  Got lots of my work done and didn't spend too much of my day wondering when I could have a cigarette.  That happens you know.  You quit.  Then you start thinking about rewarding yourself for quitting.  Like as soon as I get this done, I'll go have a cigarette because I've gone almost 2 weeks now.  Then it dawns on you that it's not about that.

It's not the same as trying to lose weight.  Where you cut back your calorie intake and exercise then reward yourself every once in awhile just to keep from resenting the entire process. It is so far from that it's not funny.  

You really have to keep yourself from believing in the cigarette as a reward and come up with something else that you can do for yourself other than smoke.  I haven't quite figured what that thing is yet.  I don't usually deprive myself of my wants, so there's not much that's going to be a "treat" per se.  If you have any ideas, let me know.  And no this wasn't directed at anyone or meant to say that dieting was easy.  This was just a thought I had yesterday about performance vs reward.

Ok, I'm going to stop there and head home from work.  What a gorgeous day today and a Friday to boot.

Will post day 14 tonight.  A milestone.

Interesting Facts:

As teenagers, what most of us thought would be a brief rebellious experiment was quickly transformed into a powerful lifelong chemical addiction as regular nicotine feedings soon became mandatory.  New studies confirm that for some it only took a couple of nicotine laden cigarettes before the shackles of slavery started to close. 
 
What seemed like innocent stealing of a little more of our brain's primary reward neuro-chemical soon resulted in dopamine pathway de-sensitization and up-regulation. Two, five, eight nicotine fixes a day. When will enough be enough?  "Tomorrow, tomorrow" or "I love being addicted" became our lifetime cry!  Welcome to the realities of true chemical dependency.  A world built upon lies.

Smoking Cartoon of the Day:

Day 13
I have now stopped smoking for 1 week, 5 days, 20 hours, 4 minutes, 58 seconds.  At 5 minutes per cigarette I have increased my life expectancy by 1 day, 36 minutes, 13 seconds.

• Cigarettes Not Smoked:  295
• Money Saved:  $88.57
• Future Value of Invested Savings:  $187.21

In My Lifetime

Number of cigarettes I have smoked:	251,850
Total amount I have spent on cigarettes:	$75,555.00
Forgone interest earnings on money spent:	$99,115.28
Total cost of my past smoking:	$174,670.28

Day 12 - Nicotine Free

I want to thank all my followers here on Blogspot.  Ok, I want to thank my one follower.  You've been wonderful!

I know, I know it's hard to leave a comment.  Ok people here is how you do it:

• Create a free google account
• Come back here and post the comment
• Where it says Comment As chose your Google ID
• Click on the Post Comment button

Seriously, I know I have more supporters than my one blogspot follower.  I was just giving ya'll a hard time.  I do appreciate everyone's support.  Not sure I could have gotten this far without everyone.

Walked through my first large group of smokers today.  Was a tad confused about it all.  The whole time I was walking towards my car I could smell it.  Wow does it carry a long way.  Part of me was thinking that smells kinda bad the other part was thinking mmmmmmmmmm a cigarette.  Ok, honestly I was thinking that I should have been thinking mmmmmmm a cigarette.  In reality I wasn't thinking that all.  I kept thinking I SHOULD want that cigarette, I SHOULD want that cigarette and I'll be darned.  I didn't want that cigarette.

All in all I'd say a pretty good day, don't you agree?

Interesting Facts:  

Each year, more successful ex-users quit cold turkey than by all other methods combined. Their common thread? No nicotine, just one hour, challenge and day at a time. The common element among all who relapsed? A puff of nicotine.

Trapped between nicotine's two-hour elimination half-life and a gradually escalating need to smoke harder or more, the dependent smoker faces five primary recovery hurdles: (1) appreciation for where they now find themselves, (2) reclaiming their hijacked dopamine pathways, (3) breaking and extinguishing smoking cues, (4) abandoning smoking rationalizations, and (5) relapse prevention.

Smoking Joke of the Day:

Isn’t having a smoking section in a restaurant like having a peeing section in a swimming pool?       

Day 12:

I have now stopped smoking for 1 week, 4 days, 22 hours, 32 minutes, 13 seconds.  At 5 minutes per cigarette I have increased my life expectancy by 22 hours, 52 minutes, 59 seconds.

Cigarettes Not Smoked:  272

Money Saved: $81.80

Future Value of Invested Savings: $172.91

In My Lifetime:

Number of cigarettes I have smoked:	251,850
Total amount I have spent on cigarettes:	$75,555.00
Forgone interest earnings on money spent:	$99,115.28
Total cost of my past smoking:	$174,670.28

Day 11 - Nicotine Free

There’s almost nothing to write about today. Wasn’t overly edgy or jittery and only thought about having a cigarette a couple of times.  Cravings lasting only seconds now.  More like a fleeting thought than a craving.

Boredom seems to drive the thoughts of smoking more than anything else.  If I’m really busy running from meeting to meeting I don’t even think about it anymore. 

Changing the caffeine intake and eating breakfast really helped.  Now if I could only get some sleep, all would be wonderful.  

I never would have thought I would be writing about how easy the past few days have been, especially given how difficult last Thursday (day 6) and Friday (day 7) were.  That said….I really haven’t tested myself either.  I have yet to be around a smoker while they are smoking.  I know it will be tough.

I want to officially apologize to my brother-in-law who quit 5 years ago:  Sorry Rog.  If I had known I never would have been smoking around you.  You are one tough cookie to have put up with that and still stayed quit.  CONGRATS!

Interesting Facts:

Chemical dependency upon nicotine is probably the most intense, repetitive, dependable yet destructive relationship we've ever known.  It infects ever aspect of life.  Be prepared to experience a normal sense of emotional loss.  Expect to travel through and experience six different emotional phases:  (1) denial, (2) anger, (3) bargaining, (4) depression, (5) acceptance, and (6) complacency.

Successful recovery isn't about strength or weakness. It's about a mental disorder where by chance our dopamine pathway receptors have eight times greater attraction to a nicotine molecule than to the receptors own neurotransmitter. We call it the "Law of Addiction" and it states, " Administration of a drug to an addict will cause re-establishment of chemical dependence upon the addictive substance.

Smoking Joke of the Day:

Day 11

I have now stopped smoking for 1 week, 3 days, 17 hours, 16 minutes, 4 seconds. At 5 minutes per cigarette I have increased my life expectancy by 20 hours, 32 minutes, 44 seconds.

• Cigarettes Not Smoked:  246
• Money Saved:  $73.95
• Future Value of Invested Savings: $156.32

In My Lifetime

Number of cigarettes I have smoked:	251,850
Total amount I have spent on cigarettes:	$75,555.00
Forgone interest earnings on money spent:	$99,115.28
Total cost of my past smoking:	$174,670.28

Day 10 - Nicotine Free

Hmmmmm.....day 10.  Day 10.  Day 10. 


Well, I have to say that it really is getting easier each day.  Although I had an incredibly sucky day today it had nothing to do with cigarettes.  AND I didn't give in and smoke just cause I had a sucky day.  Kind of proud of me for that.  Cause oh boy at times I wanted to just pace and smoke.


Seriously, the cravings are becoming less and .less.  I won't say they are non-existent and I won't say that the ones I do have aren't nerve racking.  What I can say is that what they tell you is true.  Every day (after day 3 and day 7, lol) gets easier.  Just a little easier, but a noticable easier.


The only thing I disagree with so far is the whole triggers thing.  I honestly don't think that things trigger a nicotine craving as much as you build in time for those cravings.  If you get my drift.  Like, I don't crave a cigarette just because I have a glass of wine.  I find that I crave a cigarette at the end of the day, relaxation.  At the same time I would have a glass of wine.  Or, I don't crave a cigarette because I am having a cup of coffee.  I crave a cigarette to help jump start my day.  It's just likely that I have a cup of coffee then too.  Food doesn't trigger the craving, the craving triggers the end of the meal.  I stop eating so that I can have a cigarette.  More like portion control.


Anyway, I did have a good day when it comes to cigarettes and nicotine.  I'm thinking that I might just be able to to do this.  A far cry from how I felt Friday.  I'm sure there will be bumps along the way and times that I will really have to deal with a craving, but for right now...............I'm good!


Interesting Facts:
Anger apparently peaks for the average quitter at about 48 hours (day 2) and within 72 hours is beginning to return to almost pre-cessation levels.  Nicotine amazingly had taken command of the mind's adrenaline circuitry and when taking back control anger and fear (fight or flight) are our means of releasing adrenaline.  It isn't unusual to find yourself intentionally attempting to induce releases by promoting conflict or feeling fearful about permanently altering your mind's sense of normal from "nicotine normal" back to "you!"


Nicotine smokers have long known that at times during early withdrawal time itself seems almost to stand still.  The first two weeks can seem like some of the longest days of your entire life.


Smoking Joke of the Day:

Two old ladies were outside their nursing home, having a smoke when it started to rain. One of the ladies pulled out a condom, cut off the end, put it over her cigarette and continued smoking.

Lady 1: "What's that?"

Lady 2: "A condom. This way my cigarette doesn't get wet."

Lady 1: "Where did you get it?"

Lady 2: "You can get them at any drugstore."

The next day ... Lady 1 hobbles herself into the local drugstore and announces to the pharmacist that she wants a box of condoms. The guy looks at her kind of strangely (she is, after all, over 80 years of age), but politely asks what brand she prefers.

Lady 1: "It doesn't matter as long as it fits a Camel."

Day 10

I have now stopped smoking for 1 week, 2 days, 20 hours, 46 minutes, 26 seconds. At 5 minutes per cigarette I have increased my life expectancy by 18 hours, 54 minutes, 32 seconds.

Cigarettes Not Smoked: 226

Money Saved:  $67.99

Future Value of Invested Savings: $143.71

In My Lifetime:

Number of cigarettes I have smoked:	251,850
Total amount I have spent on cigarettes:	$75,555.00
Forgone interest earnings on money spent:	$99,115.28
Total cost of my past smoking:	$174,670.28

Day 9 - Nicotine Free

More than half way through day 9. Starting to make fun of myself when I want a cigarette now. Walk around the house calling myself dumb **bleep**, loser, twit. Saying things like “Oh no you don’t”, “I’m not that toopid”, and “Nuh Uh, Nope, Nuh Uh”.

It really is kind of crazy, funny, and sad when you really think about it. Something so small, that takes up so little of your time (in the scheme of things 3 minutes a cigarette is not a lot of time) can be so controlling.

So my goal today has been to ignore that little itch that makes me talk to myself. That seems to creep into every thought I have and that is doing its best to seductively lure me back into dependency.

I say “NO”. It’s not going to happen. I have come too far and worked too hard. Now aint that funny. It’s only been 9 days and I’m on a tirade about working too hard and how far I’ve come. Hahahaha. Maybe I haven’t come that far yet, but I have learned a lot of stuff about addictions and about myself.

Learning that eating breakfast and having some fruit juice in the morning helps a great deal later on during the day. Not so much caffeine either. Drinking ½ caffeinated and ½ decaffeinated. I haven’t given up my glass or 2 of wine at night. I won’t give it up. I’m not going to give up everything just to make this fight easier. I can do hard if I have to.

Ok, I’m off to be productive………Thanks for listening!

Interesting Facts:
I have smoked approximately 378 pounds of tobacco.

The one-year success rate for those who go through heroin withdrawal is about 20%, whereas with nicotine cessation it's only 5%. Except for the type of high experienced and the fact that our stimulant is legal, we truly are drug addicts, just as much as the addicts that fill jails and prisons around the globe.

In 1998 tobacco killed 25 times more Americans than all illegal drugs combined (418,690 to 16,926 - U.S. Center for Disease Control).

Smoking Joke of the Day

Day 9
I have now stopped smoking for 1 week, 1 day, 16 hours, 2 minutes, 28.99 seconds. At 5 minutes per cigarette I have increased my life expectancy by 16 hours, 36 minutes, 51 seconds.

1. Cigarettes Not Smoked: 198
2. Money Saved: $59.58
3. Future Value of Invested Savings: $125.94

In My Lifetime

Number of cigarettes I have smoked:	251,850
Total amount I have spent on cigarettes:	$75,555.00
Forgone interest earnings on money spent:	$99,115.28
Total cost of my past smoking:	$174,670.28

Day 8 - Nicotine Free

Yesterday was a helluva day.  I bet I used every excuse I could to justify having a cigarette.  From blaming how I felt on everyone else to thinking if I only had a few cigarettes a day it wouldn't be so bad.

Truth..........

1. My fault, all of it.  I chose to smoke, I chose to quit.
2. A few cigarettes a day would lead back to a pack a day.
3. I don't physically feel as bad as I lead myself to believe.
4. Stupidity appears in desperation.

Today is a new day, a different day.  I'm reducing the caffeine, eating breakfast and adding more fruit.  Who knew that nicotine blocked the absorption of caffeine?  Not me.  Should have done my homework.  Apparently when you stop smoking your body actually starts absorbing the caffeine and man have I been drinking a whole lot of it. 

So were the nicotine bugs really nicotine bugs?  Or just caffeine jitters?

Took a deep breath today, a big one.  NO coughing.  Very cool!

My Smoking Quote of the day:

Thank you for Not Smoking.  Cigarette smoke is the residue of your pleasure.  It contaminates the air, pollutes my hair and clothes, not to mention my lungs.  This takes place without my consent.  I have a pleasure, also.  I like a beer now and then.  The residue of my pleasure is urine.  Would you be annoyed if I stood on a chair and pissed on your head and your clothes without your consent?  ~Sign from Ken's Magic Shop

My rant is now over.

Day 8
I have now stopped smoking for 1 week, 13 hours, 47 minutes, 23 seconds.  At 5 minutes per cigarette I have increased my life expectancy by 14 hours, 31 minutes, 4 seconds.

Cigarettes Not Smoked:  174
Money Saved:  $52.26
Future Value of Invested Savings:  $110.47

In My Lifetime

Number of cigarettes I have smoked:	251,850
Total amount I have spent on cigarettes:	$75,555.00
Forgone interest earnings on money spent:	$99,115.28
Total cost of my past smoking:	$174,670.28