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how will i give up smoking?
60So, as previously stated I want to give up smoking, but more importantly I want to know how to want to want to give up?!
Fortunately as a teen I never caved to the ever present peer pressure but the resolve crumbles aged 21 when, working as a bar tender I soon realised if I wanted a break, it would mean a cigarette break. Anyone else been there? After months of working my ass off behind a cocktail bar and seeing almost all my colleagues nipping out during our long shifts for a quick puff I soon lit up and took my first drag. Shameful.
Since then I have been a "social smoker", the only probelm being I am big on socialising. I can't put my finger on why I do it; boredom, feeling cool, keeping my hands busy? I don't want to admit it but I think the time has come to face facts and say it- addiction!
Am I addicted? Before advice starts rolling in, it's important you should know that not only am I a social smoker but I am a secret one too. How so you ask? My life falls into categories (some may say alter egos). Let me explain....
- Family me. I live around a 2 hour drive from my folks meaning no surprise visits which comes in real handy. As a kid, my mum smoked and I was a real anti smoker going on and on, coughing and spluttering dramatically whenever she had a ciggy (even when she went into the garden- precocious doesn't even begin to cover it!). My cousin and I were the only members of the family NOT to smoke and proud of it. In my family's mind, this is still true. To the point I still cough and splutter and play the smug health nut in the corner at parties (whilst secretly getting close enough to inhale their fumes!!). I can go home for 3 or 4 days and NOT smoke at all. Yet, once in the car and a mile out of sight heading for home, the stash comes out and away I go.
- Work me. Heavy smoking, coffee drinking, wine swigging me. It's great, no hiding, worrying about smells/breath, all out in the open, always ready with a lighter and the perfect cigarette buddy. Yikes.
- Friend me. A difficult one, if I am out with friends of mine that smoke, I join in the fun. But, old school friends of mine still congratulate me on how well I am doing at giving up the fags. Yep, that's right, no ciggies at all (the weekend festival we all went to was hell come the 4th day) and I feel proud of myself too when I am with them almost believing it's true for a few hours!
So, multiple personality disorders or just a complete wimp? I can go for days and not have one, and am not even that much a moody cow but as soon as I am let loose the devil rears it's head. Dangerously risky, my man also thinks I have given up now too....the ice I am skating on is getting thinner and thinner. His office building is very close to the restaurant so quick cig breaks are all very clandestine- maybe it's the cloak and dagger that I am addicted to!!!
As I sit here writing this I have the Alan Carr DVD sitting next to me (unopened)......and a full ashtray on the other (the man's at work till late- don't panic I am an old hand at this). What to do.....the trouble is I am not sure I want to give up but I also don't want to look like I'm 50 when I turn 40. Does anyone have a fool proof method, can the DVD really have the results it promises?
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Thanks for posting a comment on my Embarrassing Moments at the Grocery Store article. Getting a new comment is like opening a present on Christmas morning for me, so thanks.
As to smoking, I feel your pain. I am 44. I smoked from the time I was 16 to 29. 30 cigs a day. I quit when my son was born. At the time, I used the water method. My ex-wife quit successfully this way and it worked for me as well. I would carry around a big bottle of water and take a 'drag' off of it everytime I wanted a smoke. So, instead of smoking, I was drinking water - flushing out my system, and giving me something to do that required a hand-to-mouth motion - and peeing like a race horse many times a day. So I will coin a new phrase now: The D and P method (drinking and peeing). All this drinking and peeing kept me relatively busy until the nicotine dissipated from my system. I also started riding a bike like a possessed, crazy man. Too long and too hard every afternoon. This added a new element to my routine: barfing. So I was actually using the D,P and B Method. Worked really well. (I've run several marathons since then and have thought about asking Marlboro to sponsor me.)
2 years ago I ended a 20 year marriage. Ugly. I reached for the cigs again. Oh, I was only gonna have ONE. Ha ha, right! "You're one away from a pack a day". I've heard that many times. It's true.
3 weeks ago my girlfriend bought me an electronic cigarette. It's almost like smoking and has the all-important nicotine (yes, I believe you're addicted to this vile chemical that you hate to love and love to hate), but without the tar and other junk that puts you 6 feet under before your time.
For whatever reason, I've used it less and less. Now I puff on it a couple times a day. Sometimes when I'm bored, sometimes when I'm stressed. Whenever.
Although it cost around $60 initially, it is well worth the money. It's also a great conversation starter. "O, I've heard of those, but have never seen one. That's COOL."
Now if I could just lay down my crack pipe.
Let me know if you need more info. fletchtalk@gmail.com
secret smoker seeks answers not judgement!
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Peggy W Level 8 Commenter 2 years ago
Just look at photos of older women who smoke and that might do the trick. You are already thinking that since you stated that you don't want to look like 40 when you are really 30. The medical implications you undoubtedly know. Dying of emphysema or COPD is not a fun way to go. My mother finally gave up smoking years ago by using the patch. The business you are in will not make it easy for you, unfortunately. You will succeed if you want it badly enough. Good luck!