Smoke Free All By Yourself - The Time Is Now!

Every Person Has Their Own Reason To Quit - And They Are All The Right Reasons

I used to smoke approximately 2 packs a day. I did this for 15 years. Just so you know, smoking 2 packs a day is practically a full time job. Of course, I already had a full time job, so smoking had to be done constantly when not working. Frequently I had a smoke going while showering, while bike riding, while eating,  vacuuming, etc. If you have yet get the picture, I used to wake in the middle of the night just to smoke. A lot. Not to mention,  that if I didn't have a smoke in hand, I was likely thinking somewhere in the back of my mind (at least) about the next time I would have one. I even had nightmares about running out of cigarettes - what a ridiculous waste of perfectly good sub-conscience brain space! It's really a wonder I managed to do anything that wasn't really cigarette related at all. Honestly, I am not too certain I did much that wasn't smoking related. Perhaps that is why I never accomplished very much in my 20's. Seriously.

Here Is The First Picture Of Me Smoke Free!

With My Darling Husband Jim

 

I quit when I first discovered I was pregnant (Oops) with my son.
It took me less than 7 days. It didn't hurt.
In fact I could have quit faster, but having been such a heavy smoker I feared the worst for my child if I put my body into shock, so I weaned very gradually for one week. My last few drags tasted awful... just as they always had!! Only now I could admit it- how much I hated the stupid little masters of my life.
I know what you're thinking, as I've heard it before. 'You quit because of the baby, that's different.' Though this may be the case to some extent, there is so such more to the picture.
I always wanted to be a mom. When I was finally having a baby, it made me realize that I wanted to live out my life. That things that I dreamed I could be when I was young could come into fruition. I learned that my actions could have consequences to the negative effect, or the positive, and it was only my choice of which one.
My reason to quit, although it was very important to me,was not just to protect my unborn child. My reason was that I really wanted to live my whole life and now nothing was going to take my future away from me!
After I had found my reason to quit I became strong in knowing that I was worth the effort!! Well I was, and I am, and that is why it was so easy. It can be easy to quit quickly, painlessly, for free, and forever for anyone, who knows that they are worth extending a hand to if they were hanging over a cliff. You just have to extend your own hand, be your own superhero! Now that sounds like fun, doesn't it?

What To Expect From Withdrawal

Big Mean Cravings Wont Stand A Chance

Big Mean Craving sneaks up on you - WHAM! It didn't expect you to be so prepared. Honestly, the cravings are about as hard to manage as this:

Day One. Like saying no to Forbidden Nookie. Except this is easier because you need to go to get cigarettes, buy them, unwrap them, and fire them up. Usually Forbidden Nookie will do all those things on their own.

Day Two. Like saying no to chocolate peanut butter cheesecake. Tough. But not impossible. Repeat after me. 'A moment on the lips, A lifetime on the hips'. And when you say no one time, the feeling of superiority rushes through you replacing that need for a high.

Day Three. Like saying no to Forbidden Nookie offering you chocolate peanut butter cheesecake that you have been wanting and haven't had in three days. Sounds too good to be true because it is. If you cave today you will immediately get a wicked headache, possibly the runs, and when you look in the mirror you'll swear you are aging as you breathe. Day three is the hardest but only if you cave. And you wont do that because you will use all the avoidance of craving tricks all day long until you finally rest and have psycho dreams (just being honest).

Day Four. You're done. People who say 21 days and other numbers out of the air just want you to buy their product. Sure you will still have urges, but don't you have urges you ignore every day? I mean, sometimes I want to just hit people... but I dont. No assault charges pending here...how about you?

Pat yourself on the back. You are a non-smoker. You want this and now its done. Your vicious cycle, has just morphed into a self fulfilled prophecy that you are in control of. You want an active now, an active old age, you want not to age faster than your years, you want to avoid a multitude of awful diseases and ailments, you want to see your children's children marry, climb a mountain, sing on Broadway, or run a marathon. Maybe you just want to stop smelling bad, wasting your money (handing it over to huge companies that poison you and addict you for profit), looking stupid, getting cranky all the time, and setting a crap example for the little people in your world. Find your reason, I say, FIND YOUR REASON.

Your 'Go To' List of Craving Busters

(AKA Things You Should Do Anyways)

1. Drink water. By the time you get to pouring it... your almost through the worst part, and the hydration is always a good thing

2. Go look in the mirror and tell your self you are proud of your decision. Sounds cheesy but it works.

3. No mirror? Find a mantra. Dont say anything with the words smoking or cigarettes in it. You don't have a hate on for these words quite bad enough yet, but they are still negative. We want a positive mantra. I used to say (ahem) "I am the creator of my destiny, and I choose happiness." The mantra is good anytime anywhere.

4. Eat a carrot. The hand to mouth habit is a hard one for people. That was me. Orally fixated. Well don't revert to thumb sucking, grab a healthy snack. Try celery, which is actually a negative food- meaning: requires more calories to chew and digest than it contains, or cauliflower or broccoli - proven to help battle the bulge around your middle, or like I did have carrots. They are a little high in sugar but then you need no dip, and they are also great for your vision. Careful with the carrots though, apparently they are addictive. (Seriously, Google this, it's wild! Or check out my blog about it at http://merstarr.blogspot.com/2011/10/carrot-addiction-seriously.html

5. Workout. You don't have to go all out unless you want to. Just a quick stroll, or a set of sit-ups, some jumping jacks, throw around some weights, anything. Just 3 minutes of exercise, a handful of times a day, will seriously boost your metabolism, and will make you happy. Literally.

6. Catch some rays. If the weather wont allow, find a tanning salon. I don't recommend getting a tan, but a little light therapy goes a long way.

7. Write out your irritations when you are nic-fitting. Don't read them again for 1 week, then return to them and read how silly they seem. ;P

8.Call for support. A friend, a support line (see Quick References), Start by leaving me a message... you already know that I care!!

9. If there is some way to facilitate it, have some nookie. Endorphines are good. Self explanatory.

10. I believe that we all have music that can fully change our mood in a matter of seconds. Create a playlist on your iPod or fave music device that lifts you up, and keep it handy!

11. Usually I'd do ten, but here's one more for good measure. Save up all your smoke money one craving at a time. Every craving put $1 in a jar, then after you crave no more, put what you would have spent on smokes each week in there. Set a goal for something great! Pamper yourself with a healthy or luxurious treat, plan a  day trip to somewhere beautiful, book a spa day, save for an exercise bike, whatever will make you happy!! At the end of theday, when you think back on whatever you got up to, you will reflect "hey, I didn't need a cigarette to enjoy life today!" And that is the truth, every day.

Hope these help you out!! Remember... one day at a time is really very easy!!

The Truth Is

You Find A Reason and Then Decide- It Really Is That Simple

This is the truth that anyone who has truly quit for good and forever knows all about. When you really want to be a non-smoker, you will be a non-smoker. Every person I know that has "fallen off the wagon" views quitting smoking as a severing of personality, a cutting off of ones arm, an absence of identity, passion, completeness. Like a little carcinogenic stick could really be a best friend, and not just a weapon for self loathing and destruction.
Well, the truth is, quitting smoking reveals your true personality. The stressed out you will be relieved when you aren't feeling like there is something you are missing all the time (even while you smoke).
The truth is, that the arm you cut off is not yours at all. It's the arm of addiction. The one that points at you in the mirror with disdain for every failure to quit, for every acceptance that you 'quit quitting'. This is not only a mock arm, it is the arm of mockery. It is the extension of your thought that imagines that quitting is lame and smoking is cool. This very same arm promotes suicide, and heroin addiction. You REALLY don't need this arm. And it's not yours, so that's kind of creepy. Cut that thing off :).
The truth is that your identity has been absent for as long as you've been smoking. It is the number one reason, I believe, for why people start to smoke in the first place. Not so much a peer pressure, as a self pressure applied to define ones self. Human beings have an insatiable hunger to belong, and smoking seems like a club. It used to be a club for the attractive, alluring, even mysterious and elusive. Now it is a club for people who have very bad skin, teeth and nails. Who wheeze when they breathe, and cant catch their breath from the car to the front door. Yeah, lung disease, heart disease, impotence, cancer are a club all right, but Im certain the members would give anything to get off that VIP list.
Bottom line. We all have our reasons for wanting to quit. But if you don't have a reason to just quit... here's one. Love yourself. Want your future. I want it for you and we've never even met!