Beat Nicotine Cravings: 54 Things To Do Instead Of Smoking

Brushing Teeth Instead of Smoking

Photo: eqqman

Quitting smoking is hard work, and while there's not a single magic formula to make it easy to quit, or one best way to quit smoking that works for everybody, there are things that you can do to make it easier on yourself when the cravings hit.

I chose to quit cold turkey, but whatever method you are using, the early days and weeks will test your willpower with nicotine withdrawals and cravings. The best way I've found to beat those cravings is to substitute something for the cigarette.

At the most basic level, it doesn't really matter what you do, so long as you don't smoke! Some people even use text messaging as a substitute. It has been shown in studies that these cravings only last for 3-5 minutes, so anything you can do to stop yourself from smoking for these few minutes (which may seem like an eternity), will have you one step closer to becoming a nonsmoker for good.

"What can I do, Chris?" I hear you asking. That's perfect, since I have put together a list of lists, if you will (you know you want to), of things you can do instead of smoking a cigarette. Remember, doing anything is better than doing nothing.



DO STUFF INSTEAD OF SMOKING:

1. Keep a journal. Writing about how you're feeling or what you're doing when those cravings sneak up on can help you gain insight. You can read these entries later, and by the time you're done overanalyzing them, the craving will have passed.
   
2. Start a blog. Blogging is fun, and can be likened to a journal or diary without all the erasing.
   
3. Go to sleep. Sleep can be your best friend, especially for those first few days when you're still suffering physical withdrawal symptoms. No matter how hardcore a smoker you used to be, you can't smoke in your sleep.
   
4. Visualize yourself as a non-smoker. Paint a mental image of yourself with pretty, pink, healthy lungs and other organs.
   
5. Breathe. Take a slow, deep breath while you count to four. Feel the clean air refreshing your body as the oxygen is carried to the tips of your fingers and toes. Hold the breath for a count of four, then exhale slowly over a count of four. Finally, allow the air to remain expelled from your healing lungs for, you got it, a four count. Repeat.
   
6. Count the money you've saved from not buying cigarettes (You are saving money, aren't you?)
7. Got kids? It may sound like some corny slogan, but if you have youngsters of your own, or nieces or nephews hanging around, spend some quality time doing anything with them. It will be difficult to light up smoke while doing a jigsaw puzzle or playing a game of checkers. Besides, you never get these early years back.
   

GO SOMEWHERE THAT YOU CANNOT SMOKE:
If you're somewhere that you can't smoke, then you won't be smoking, right? These will depend largely on your location, but smoking is being snuffed out in all kinds of public places across the globe. Hopefully some of these will be safe havens in your area.

1. Movie theatre
   
2. Bookstore
3. Coffee Shop
   
4. Library
5. Shopping mall
   
6. House of Worship
   

DO SOMETHING THAT MAKES IT PHYSICALLY IMPOSSIBLE TO SMOKE:
Some activities just don't go with smoking cigarettes. Spend a couple minutes with one or more of them.

1. Wash your hands. Remember the wrists and forearms.
   
2. Take a shower or bath. Maybe not impossible to smoke in there strictly speaking, but you should be able to distract yourself in there for long enough to get that nice clean feeling, and come out of it smelling like a rose.
3. Chew on a straw. May look funny hanging out of your mouth, but not funnier than a blazing death stick.
4. Mint toothpicks are the greatest things since sliced bread, which we all know is one of the greatest pre-Edison inventions ever to fit into a breadbox.
   
5. Brush your teeth. They're probably not exactly white anymore. Work on it, and give yourself something else to smile about.
   
6. Mouthwash. Use it. Instructions are right on the back of the bottle. Fight the battles against smoking and gingivitis both at once. You're a warrior!
   
7. Learn to play an instrument. It takes a special kind of stupidity to use an ashtray and a harmonica at the same time.
   

INSTRUMENTS YOU CAN LEARN:
You might not get much local radio play, but these instruments are easy enough to make sounds with, and if you've never tried them, you might be surprised how addicting they can be. Much safer than the old smoking addiction.

1. Keyboard/piano. Just push the black and white buttons. Use both hands, and leave the ashtray outside.
   
2. Harmonica. Inexpensive and foolproof.
   
3. Guitar. A little tougher to get started with, but with either an instructor or a good book you can be making melodies within a short time.
   
4. Harp. I haven't tried one of these (yet), but in searching online for opinions on the easiest instruments to get started with, it came up again and again. The main negatives seem to be difficulty finding instruction, and it appears that all product choices are relatively expensive when compared to the others.
   

EXERCISE:
Exercising doesn't have to mean three hours at the gym. Exercise to quit smoking only has to last a few minutes, remember. Here are a few exercises that will stimulate the body, and keep you away from the cigarettes for as long as you can keep them up.

1. Pushups. You can do modified pushups (with your knees on the floor) if you're not ready for full pushups yet.
   
2. Punching bag. It's a commitment getting one of these and setting it up, but it's worth every violent moment. Sometimes you just need to beat the crap out of something, and stopping smoking is likely the best excuse you'll find.
   
3. Jump rope. Actually a deceptively challenging activity.
   
4. Swim. If you're fortunate enough to have access to a pool or natural body of water, swimming is said to be one of the best all around exercises in which you can get involved.
   
5. Go for a bike ride. You haven't forgotten how to ride, have you? Here's another activity that will stop you from thinking about cigarettes, yet can be done for any length of time and at any intensity level. Bring a water bottle, and enjoy the scenery.
   
6. Walk. Feel free to bring along a friend or two.
   
7. Jog or run. Like walking, but faster. With this, you get the bonus of being able to slow to a walk in the middle, thus doing two exercises on the list in one session.
   

KEEP YOUR HANDS BUSY:
After a few days of quitting smoking, the nicotine is gone from your system and the cravings are mainly psychological in nature. Part of this is that your hands are trained to grab a cigarette at certain intervals or when bored.

1. Do a crossword puzzle, or try some sudoku.
   
2. Play Cards. No company, no problem. Here's how to play solitaire.
   
3. Paint your nails, or paint your lady's nails
   
4. Draw something. Don't have an artistic bone in your body? Use tracing paper to get started; You might just surprise yourself with a little practice.
5. Cook. Can't cook? Learn to cook. Which brings us to...
   

EATING INSTEAD OF SMOKING:
Everybody worries about the weight gain when quitting smoking. This is because the habit of constantly having a cigarette in your mouth is easily replaced by stuffing your face with food. This is actually a pretty good idea, if you don't let yourself go down the road of sugary candies and ice cream. Here are some less damaging alternatives.

1. Sunflower seeds. These are my favorite cigarette substitute, aside from sweets. In the shells, and salted to hell and back. It can be ugly finding a place to spit all those shells, and make sure to drink plenty of water to offset the salt.
   
2. Pickles
3. Raisins
4. Celery
   
5. Grapes
   
6. Oranges
7. Berries. Any kind of berries, maybe try something new. Blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, strawberries, whatever. And for the record, these are all being counted as one list item so I don't want to hear any nonsense about padding my list to make it look like more things.
   
8. Spearmint leaves
9. Gum. sugarless
   
10. Yogurt
11. Popcorn
    
12. Cinnamon sticks are another interesting thing you can let hang out of your face-hole that don't require ownership of a lighter or matches.
    
13. Lollipops. Yes, they're technically sweets, but you can get them sugar free I guess, and they take a long time to get through, so they're not as bad as the other sweets I'm not listing.
    
14. Carrot sticks
    
15. Orange juice. I remember not wanting to have a cigarette after drinking orange juice because of the bad way the smells of OJ and cigs mix, and it's still true.
    
16. Water or ice water
    
17. Seltzer or tonic water
18. Ice cubes or shavings

Made it this far? Good. If you were having a nightmare craving before, you're probably feeling a little better now that a few minutes have passed. If not, you'll be better equipped for next time you do.

Twelve Days Since I Stopped Smoking

Another successful day on the quit smoking train, choo choo! My weight is still around a three pound net gain from when I started quitting smoking again, same as last week.

I have learned that my favorite cigarette was not the after dinner cigarette, as previously assumed, but the after sex cigarette. Who knew?

"Remember, if you smoke after sex you're doing it too fast." ~Woody Allen

Studies Add Skin Health To List Of Reasons To Quit Smoking

(HealthNewsDigest.com) July, 2007 - While most Americans are keenly aware of the potentially deadly health consequences of cigarette smoking on the heart and lungs, many smokers don't realize the effects that smoking can have on the health of their skin.

We've very likely reached the point where most people with either an adequate education or any exposure to media are aware of the dangers of cigarette smoking.

My eight year old can tell you about that you need the cilia within your lungs to be functioning well if you expect to hold your own at the gym, and that if you've been a smoker for any length of time, that probably ain't happening.

He could also tell you that more people die from smoke inhalation than burns in structure fires, but I'm straying from my intended topic again.

I found a current article in HealthNewsDigest listing five dangers smoking poses to skin health. If you love lists (doesn't everybody) or your skin, check it out.

Reward Yourself With Money Saved From Quitting

When I initially decided to stop smoking, one of the major factors was the money that I could save. Here in New Jersey, it's well over six dollars a pack. Figuring myself at a little over a pack a day, that's an easy 50 bucks weekly, two hundred a month.

If you're giving up cigarettes, or have given them up, you've surely considered the money spent over the years. What are you doing with yours? Something, I hope.

I keep mine tucked away, and every once in awhile it's a nice bonus to have it there for impulse spending. Depending on circumstances, a person could easily use that cash to go out to dinner or have some kind of a night on the town every couple of weeks.

Maybe you want a copy of Guitar Hero, or your own domain name (just so you know, it's uber-geeky to have your own name registered as a dot com, I think I'm gonna go for it). Hell, for that kind of money, you can probably make payments on a nice entry level car. When I say nice, I mean that it's this year's model, not necessarily nice as in power windows and air conditioning.

I guess it's been about nine days quit for me today, and I didn't have any really bad cravings over the weekend consciously, but I was halfway between insomniac and inconsolable most of yesterday. Managed to sleep like a rock overnight, and today is much better.

I'm taking myself camping this coming weekend with my quit money, what are you doing with yours?

Quit Smoking, Gain Weight?

The myth is true. one of the side effects when you stop smoking, is you usually gain weight. Day 6 of my quit has me at plus 3 pounds. Not terrible, all things considered. Remember that last time I tried to quit smoking, I gained a few pounds, but lost it all within three weeks, only to gain more weight shortly thereafter. Sigh.

Where does this weight come from? It's an unfortunate combination of a few things. Firstly, smoking increases your metabolism. When you stop, your metabolic rate may slow by as much as 20%, causing you to burn less calories. The average weight gain for a quitter is said to be somewhere in the 5-20 lb. range. That's 2-9 Kgs or so for my international readers. What's that, you say? You're not into statistics? Okay, here's the simple version: you have to do something or you're going to start getting to be quite the fattie!

Did you know? more than one third of readers to this blog are from outside the U.S.A.?

The logical (not to be confused with easy!) choices to counteract this weight gain would be to either raise the metabolism via exercise, or eat less. Maybe up to 20% less. Yeah, right.

The thing is, when you stop smoking your senses of taste and smell start improving pretty quickly, and you'll probably enjoy some foods more. Especially stuff that's full of sugar and carbs. Yeah, the stuff that will pack on the pounds most quickly.

My recommendations are to increase your activity level by starting a new workout routine, or at least adding whatever activity you can. Maybe walk down to the end of the driveway to pick up the mail instead of driving, stop sending the intern down to pick up lunch everyday, and make yourself something healthy in the morning instead, or at least take the walk yourself.

Combine this with a little extra willpower and common sense regarding your eating habits, and you should be able to minimize the weight gain commonly attached to quitting smoking. No more midnight snacks, fattie!

Much of this info I remember from past studying, and cannot cite the sources. There are however, a couple of excellent articles listed on the topic over at Maggie's Mind, along with 30 or 40 other "linky loos" (don't looky-loo at me, I didn't make it up) to all sorts of quitting resources.

As for me, I think I'm going to try to finish my super awesome surprise post, which won't get published until at least Monday, because nobody ever reads my stuff on the weekends. Good for you guys, get out there and do something fun this weekend!

Hey, I made it through this whole thing without mentioning that it's Friday the 13th, how cool is that?

Crap. I just blew it, didn't I?

What To Expect When Quitting Smoking

A common question for those about to quit is, "What should I expect?"

Coming off nicotine will trigger withdrawal symptoms that vary widely from individual to individual. One thing that seems true though, is that the symptoms seem to be worse and longer lasting for people who have been smokers for longer periods of time. So if you're considering quitting the cancer sticks, it will be easier on you if you start sooner rather than later.

Some of the most common symptoms include:

• Headache
• Tightness in chest
• Nausea
• Feeling of fatigue or exhaustion
• Insomnia (quite frustrating when combined with the above)
• Increased appetite (almost universal, this one)
• Depression
• Irritability
  
• Unusually vivid dreams

Just remember that whatever symptoms you're experiencing will fade soon enough, sometimes surprisingly abruptly.

Most of the nicotine is gone from your system between three and seven days after your last cigarette. If you're still experiencing discomfort after that time, it's good advice to adopt the mindset that the worst of your symptoms will be disappearing any time now.

Think mind over matter, and use it to your advantage. Don't talk yourself into having prolonged withdrawal symptoms.

It's been around three and a half days for me, and I still might be just a little more irritable than normal (it can be hard to decide if this is even a withdrawal symptom for me, as I can go from zero to crabass in less than four seconds if I haven't gotten enough beauty sleep), but otherwise my worst thing might be the not-quite-quenchable tendency to eat anything sweet that finds itself in my field of vision.

Maybe I'll get on the scale tomorrow.

Day 2 Of Quitting Smoking Success

Operation quit smoking continues to run smoothly. Day 2 of a wonderful success story. I have not been able to find any hard and fast info regarding sunflower seeds, though I swear I remember reading something last time about them containing a vitamin or something that was beneficial to the process of quitting. I'll keep on the prowl for this, because now I'm curious.

Quitting sure did make me tired yesterday, I've probably slept for around 12 of the last 24 hours, certainly a 2007 record for me. I've been a little more moody and irritable since I quit smoking, but not as bad as I expected. I also haven't left the house since Saturday, so we'll see how things pan out for the rest of the week.

The outside world usually finds some way to aggravate me if I spend enough time to give it the chance. Hey, I did say I was a little irritable.

Survived First 24 Hours Without Smoking

Once again, I have joined the ranks of nonsmokers. The first day of quitting smoking, as anticipated, was not very bad at all. I have my sunflower seeds to help me with cravings, and they have been doing their job wonderfully, as they did last time I quit smoking.

There's not much else to report, as Sunday is typically a day of R&R for me. I intend to do a little research in order to find out what it is about sunflower seeds that makes them such good help with eliminating the nicotine cravings. I'll let everybody know tomorrow what I'm able to find out, if anything.

Quitting Smoking Again, Again

So yeah, My first serious attempt at quitting smoking was a miserable failure. I had a few too many beers, and one cigarette turned immediately into me smoking for the last 2 months.

I have managed to quit drinking though. I don't really think I was going to be able to succeed in quitting smoking otherwise. Drinking and smoking have always gone hand in hand for me, as seems to be the case with many others who try to give up cigarettes.

I don't expect day one to be so bad, and will stock up once again today on sunflower seeds, seltzer water and whatever else suits my fancy.

Here we go again.

Huge Slacker!

I've been slacking over here lately, I know. I'll just blame the holiday and the kids having the week off from school and not bore everyone with the details.

My first thought of the day, as I feel guilty about leaving my blog all alone in the great wide internet for so many days, is this: I haven't felt like I need to log in and de-stress lately. Guess I forgot, cause it does feel nice to be back in the saddle, if you know what I mean.

Really though, I find myself thinking about why I started this blog in the first place. It's done its job, and I'm proud of it. Good blog.

So, what's up with me? I'll tell ya. First, a couple of things about smoking (always a good idea to throw in a little something that's actually on topic, huh?), and the quitting thereof as it relates to my life. Now that I've been quit for long enough for it to be clear that it's not just a phase or a failed attempt, people have been taking notice.

I have had a couple phone calls whose primary purpose was to congratulate me on quitting, a couple people say that they're proud of me, a person or two asking me how difficult it is and for advice, and a number of quitters who are thrilled that I have joined their numbers. Our numbers, that is to say.

I've worked my way to indifference regarding coffee as well. Some of you may recall that I thought I was going to give up coffee along with cigarettes for a while there. It really was tasting unappealing to me for a week or so. I still ended up having a cup every other day or so, and I guess I've reacclimated to some extent. While I'm not expecting myself to be sucking down pot after pot like I used to, one or two cups a day seems to be what I've been doing. So I am liking the coffee again, but not liking liking it like a grade school girlfriend (wow, haven't had one of those in a while) anymore.

Hm, what else? Well, the whole exercising thing has gone right out the crapper, so I'm currently five pounds up from where I started. I have no excuse. I mean, I could think of a million, but am wise enough not to. Just haven't been exercising like I wanted to is all.

And scarfing down on Easter candy, Snickers and Skittles in particular. Some days, I wish the human body could be sustained on Skittles alone, they really are so good. And sweet tarts, but those usually don't show their face until around Halloween. Skittles it is then. I really can't wait till they're gone, because I will not stop eating them so long as they are here.

I'm promising myself, you guys be my witnesses on this, that I am going to clear out that damned punching bag next week. Again, no excuses. Punching bag or bust! And also to get back into some semblance of a decent eating routine. Yeah, I kind of caved and had Burger King, Domino's and chili dogs from the grill in town, all in the last four days. Definite fattie behavior. I don't even remember what I had the other day, but likely it was such crap that I've blocked it out like a bad childhood experience.

I think that's all I have in me for right now.

The Benefits Of Quitting Smoking That You Don't Hear About As Often

Discussions about the short and long term effects of smoking cigarettes on the human body and of what changes to expect upon quitting smoking seem to naturally go hand in hand. So sure, after thirty days of quitting I've noticed that I have more energy and more endurance. I know that my blood circulation is getting better, because I don't wake up with numbness in my extremities anymore when I sleep in some strange position.

I expected these things, and am glad to experience them. It's really so much more than all that, though. I'm discovering that, for me, the things that make this quit worth fighting for aren't turning out to be the things the doctors and people in lab coats have been telling us about.

Since I quit smoking, I have more time in the morning. You know, that rush around time where breakfasts and lunches need to be made, and outfits need to get picked out. It sure helps not to be trying to squeeze those things in between cigarette breaks. I actually find that it usually isn't even rushing around anymore, now that I have an extra half hour every morning.

Also since I quit smoking, my time with the kids is no longer interrupted every twenty minutes. We can get into a long match of video games, play a board game or just hang around and talk about whatever and I never have to stop. We can do it all day if we're so inclined, and I never have to break up the party in favor of a cigarette. Party... favor... nevermind. I clearly didn't bring my A-game today.

We were outside much of the day on Saturday, I was planning on doing some yard work. I ended up adjusting the kids' bikes instead (wow, they got bigger over the winter-- again!), and mister eight year old finally started practicing without the training wheels. After everybody was tired of pedaling, we kicked the soccer ball around for awhile (they're both signed up to play this season) and just kind of hung around outside, enjoying the nice weather that's finally starting to grace us with its presence.

So what are the benefits of quitting smoking? There's all the medical and health stuff, yes, but the best benefit is time. Not necessarily the time added onto my lifespan, I don't know if dragging this out for 120 years is really all it's cracked up to be, but the now. Now is what it's really all about, and the only guarantee. Might as well make it count.

TGIF

Fitness Level Improving Already

Since I quit smoking, so many things seem to be happening at once that it's hard to keep track of them all. My attitude has changed in a lot of subtle ways, my energy level is through the roof, and I've started eating better and exercising.

I only started working out around a week ago, and already my fitness level is showing measurable improvement. Not just the kind you can measure with a-- um, what's something you can only use to measure really small stuff?

I'm going a touch faster on the Gazelle with a much lower heart rate. That's an important one, since according to all available information, I'm lucky my heart didn't jump out of my chest when I started. I was working way too hard, apparently. I'm not afraid of some good honest work, so long as I'm keeping the ol' heart right here inside the rib cage.

I've also doubled the amount of pushups I can do without slowing down, from fifteen to thirty. Last time I got on one of these kicks, I had myself up to sixty-something. Might have been seventy something. Sometimes it pays to be skinny.

This brings rise to the weight issue, which is mainly what got me started on this road in the first place. I'm sitting pretty right this minute at exactly my starting weight, after taking a brief stroll in the neighborhood of plus three to plus seven pounds. I expect to gain while I get back up to fighting weight, but at least now I can be sure it's not the Entenmann's talking as I work my way towards that ever-elusive six pack. I swear I think I can see the first little bit of a two-pack, but for some reason nobody else seems to be able to.

Calming Down On The Junk Food

I'm trying to avoid filling up on garbage food throughout the day (and night) now. Twenty days of eating crap is quite enough, thank you. I'm not going to go vegan or anything, but I have been leaning toward some of the more widely accepted common sense practices today.

A big one is to eat smaller amounts, more often. I also went ahead and traded my usual snacks (which have been ranging from halloween candy to cookies to donuts) in for some Triscuits and an empire apple. I forgot how good the empires are, we usually have granny smiths in the fridge.

I want to do a little more research on nutrition. Not to go crazy with it, but a better idea of how much of what kinds of substances are especially important and a few pointers on things to avoid, besides the obvious, will probably go a long way.

I have a dentist appointment next week, too. First one in around ten years. I never said I've been taking wonderful care of myself. So the dentist is not likely to be thrilled with the amount of cleaning to be done, but I'm hoping to soften the blow with the news that I've recently quit smoking. That should get me at least a slightly more mild lecture.

It's On!

I finally rode that dreaded Gazelle. I'm maintaining that that thing is made for people with shorter legs. I really need to get that back room with the heavy bag cleared out.

Still though, I feel pretty good about getting a workout in. First real workout since I quit smoking. The toughest part of most things is taking that first step.

Afterwards, I end up on the phone with the wife, she wanted to know how far did I go, how long was I on the cursed thing for, all that jazz.

So I told her; You'll never guess what she said. "That's like how much I do, but I'm fat. What's your excuse?"

What the hell?

Yes, she was just joking (I know how the typewritten word can get all wrapped up in misinterpreted context and candor). In fact, she got some wonderful laughs in. Ha ha. Bitch.

Anyway, now I guess I'm gonna get stuck getting good at riding this thing and knocking around the bag, just to show her up. I'm stubborn like that.

Turning A Negative Into A Positive Without Advanced Mathematics

Ahh, the morning routine again. Got everybody fed and off to school safely, coffee is happily dripping, automatically. Time to go screw around with the blogs a little.

What's this? Garbage on my desk? An empty cigarette pack. Always cleaning up after everybody, that's what I am. Oh yeah, if I should suddenly disappear mysteriously and abruptly, that probably means the wife read that last sentence and doesn't think it's funny. Little joke there, babe. Just a li'l joke is all...

Moving on, it's not empty after all. there's one cigarette in a box on the computer desk. Why? I don't know. That's the negative thing. Not really so much for me, since I just threw it away.

The positive? I was so surprised to be greeted by this, I just had to post a picture. The digital camera however, has been MIA for a while. Long story short (I've been working on this skill, how am I doing?), I wandered around for just shy of an hour, ultimately finding the camera in a box under my bed.

So there it is, and yes that's a little cigarette burn next to the pack. Cool that I'll never be responsible for one of those again. I don't even know who was responsible for that one, but again, just smack me if I start with the useless little interjections.

I know, time for the conclusion: I found the long-lost camera, and (I confess) my desk is a little (okay, a lot) neater looking than it was when I woke up.

Boredom Continues To Be My Enemy

Saturday night went well. We got out to the artsy-fartsy district and had some expensive dinner and drinks, after which we checked out the Kodo drummers. Very cool show. Later on some more fattening up, this time with half-price Applebees munchies and tall glasses of beer. Don't get me wrong, I am the opposite of an Applebees fan, but those nachos are so nacho-ey and when you tell them you want your wings hot, you get your wings hot.

The cool thing was when most of our group went outside to smoke (you can't smoke inside public places here in Jersey, except in limited areas of the casinos), I got to hang in the nice heated atrium and wonder if it was as cold out there as it looked. Turned out it was, and that was also the only time I had any cause to think about smoking. It wasn't because I wanted any part of it, either.

Most of Sunday though, and to a slightly lesser extent today, I have been finding myself so damn bored! These are the times when I used to smoke cigarette after cigarette. I'm still not having a lot of cravings though, which is great, a reminder that I am really doing a good job here.

I have noticed that I've been quite the miserable prick though. Then when I do have even a little bit of a craving, you want to talk about a grumpy son of a....

I actually am lightening up some even as I type this, it gives me a chance to laugh at myself, despite my reputation for not being all that funny. That's good, since the reason for this blog's existence in the first place is to be my own little space to vent and get this kind of crap out of my system. Another small success. Wow, I'm awesome!

Still Alive After Quitting Smoking 14 Days Ago

It's been a rough couple weeks, but today marks the fourteen day anniversary of the day I stopped smoking cold turkey. It's been a rough couple of weeks, with days both good and difficult, but I am finally beginning to feel like I am really meeting with some measurable success as someone who has quit smoking.

There are no more cravings whatsoever first thing when I wake up, and the overall amount of cravings I've been having on a daily basis that I consider significant is low, perhaps one or two a day. After dinner I still almost always think about a cigarette.

I've been told that it will probably take from two to four months to become very, very comfortable as a non smoker. I have heard wildly different amounts of times stated as to how long it will take until the possibility of smoking will become completely foreign. These range from six or eight months to a year or two to probably never.

I guess time will just have to tell, but for now I'm celebrating.

We're going out on a triple date to dinner and a show tonight, followed by question marks (???). The kids are sleeping out, so who knows what could happen?

I might not be able to catch up again until Monday, so enjoy the weekend.

Quitting Smoking Makes You Smarter

Or maybe smoking makes you stupid.

Yesterday, we laughed at a short video that showed the lengths to which one character would go for a cigarette, and just how miserable he was when he couldn't have one.

Smokers watching that video probably have some empathy for the poor guy, one thing after another keeping him from a simple cigarette.

I quit smoking a week and a half ago now, and I'll tell you what. I am sooo glad to be in a position where I don't need to feel that empathy, nor get anxious way in the back of my mind and go stock up on matches just in case. I actually don't even know where the nearest pack of matches is right now, and I'm quite comfortable with this. Things are as they should be.

It wasn't always like this. I was BSing with some of the guys last night, and recalled a true story I had long forgotten.

To all the kids and teenagers reading this, BS stands for "Be Smart." As in don't smoke because it makes you behave like a stupid person.

This story is my own, and its telling is actually surprisingly short. In fact, we've probably already gotten through the longest part of its recounting, and I haven't even started yet.

Around ten years ago, I ended up with a temp job at this place where they stored all kinds of computer parts, and built, repaired and customized computers and related stuff. Since there were many small, yet valuable items present, everybody had to go through a metal detector on the way into and out of the building.

It was very much like the setup at the airport; Pockets got emptied onto a conveyor belt, which brought the items through a scanner, along with any lunches, briefcases, purses or whatever. The employee walked through a larger scanner, and if necessary the operator would use a handheld wand to detect if it were a belt buckle or a pin in somebody's elbow setting the thing off.

It was a good idea to show up at this place early, and there wasn't much chance of beating any traffic on the way out.

Everybody was entitled to a half-hour for lunch in the middle of the day, a fifteen minute break in the morning and another 15 in the afternoon. Everybody took these breaks at the same time, as was determined by company policy.

Due to the amount of time it took to move everybody through the metal detector, nobody was permitted to leave the building during either of the fifteen minute breaks. See where we're going? That's right, they didn't allow smoking anywhere inside either.

As a smoker, those fifteen minute breaks are cigarette breaks. That's just what they are. You might grab a coffee or a snack, but would do so as quickly as possible without hurting yourself, so as not to shave any more time off of your cigarette break than necessary. So to my mind, these bastards were basically telling me to take a smoke break, except I couldn't smoke.

After my initial reaction of being upset, I asked for some kind of consideration, and indicated that I would certainly be flexible toward whatever suggestions would allow me my precious cigarette. There were around 20 other smokers employed there as well, and I was assured that there were no special arrangements to be had.

What do you think I did?

I didn't do anything. I just let the anger build up for about a week. Then I had a crappy day, and when the bell rang for our smoke break, I tried one more time to get someone to hear my plight. No dice.

So I quit. Perfectly good job, and I quit before I even got my first paycheck. On top of that, I got two others to quit with me. Yup, we sure showed them. That's the hold these things get over us.

Fortunately, I ended up able to afford to feed myself for long enough to tell this tale today, but is that the stupidest thing you've ever heard or what?

Everybody's Quitting Smoking -- The Phenomenon

There's a phenomenon I've always found interesting, maybe one of my loyal readers has a name for it. I'll try to explain.

What happens is that something becomes noticed, discussed or otherwise brought to one's immediate attention, and then that same something will continuously pop up again and again for awhile. For myself, I usually notice that once it starts, it usually happens pretty frequently for a few months to a year, and eventually it either dwindles down to nothing, or becomes such a normal, integrated something, that it becomes the remarkability of the phenomenon itself that does the fading away.

(Note to self: remarkability shows as an incorrect word in blogger's spell check, another reason to dislike the platform. "remarkability." Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1). Random House, Inc. 12 Mar. 2007.)

Example: Early in our marriage, we added a Ford Escort station wagon to the driveway. Funny looking little thing, and underpowered. Anyway, I never used to notice these ugly things on the road before. Next thing you know, we can't go anywhere without seeing them all over the place. There must even have been a Burger King (or a real unhealthy eater) employee who owned one the same color as ours, it was frequently in the parking lot there.

Another example: A couple of years ago, I learned that my wife was born an hour after Mt. St. Helens erupted. Yeah, I know. No comments on that, she might read this someday. Hi, Babe! Oh yeah, the point. After learning this, I started seeing stuff about Mt. St. Helens all over the place. Articles about other disasters would mention it, then the 25th anniversary of the event, one of the kids brought home a volcano book from the library and it was in the back cover. Just a lot of little things.

It has taken us a little while to get here, but here we are. Since I have quit smoking, I just keep running into people who have also quit. It turns out a couple of guys I work with are quitters, and I somehow managed to completely forget that my own mother quit her 2+ pack habit sometime within the last couple of years.

So yesterday, I was just minding my own business, playing a game of Monopoly with the kids, enjoying the fact that we didn't have to interrupt the game so I could go have a smoke. Awesome. Next thing I know, some friends and family stop over, completely out of the blue. Just one of those weird coincidences. I didn't even realize until the wife and brother-in-law left the room for a smoke, but the three of us left were all quitters! It gave me that warm, fuzzy feeling, and just served as another reminder that I'm doing the right thing.

When I started smoking so many years ago, it seemed like everybody was doing it. Now I stop smoking, and it seems like everybody's doing that. At least I'm running with the right crowd this time.