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