I’m a Quitter!!!

Today officially marks over 24 hours since I smoked my last cigarette…woo hoo!  This is a pretty big deal for me.  I have smoked for over 5 years now and even though that may not seem like a long time (I mean, I own underwear older than 5 years) however, it is still one of the most difficult hurdles I’ve ever come across.  Think about it, not only is smoking a physical addiction with the nasty tar and nicotine (and god knows what other chemicals they put in those things), but it’s also a mental addiction.  Getting in my car and not lighting up has been the biggest transition so far.  I sit behind the wheel and wonder to myself “What do I do with my hands?”….um, hello?  Drive?  This has got to be one of the most God awful habits of a smoker.  My car is only 6 months old, brand new off the lot, and already smells like an ashtray.  I think my breaking point was opening the back door of my car and seeing the leather seats completely covered in ashes as if it had just snowed Marlboro in my car.  That was it, I was done!  I decided to go with the patch.  So, technically I’m still receiving small amounts of nicotine, just not by smoking.  I knew if I tried to quit smoking “cold turkey” it would never happen.

I don’t know why or how I ever decided inhaling smoke was a good idea.  I hate when people try to say that they smoke because they are stressed…um, did it ever occur to them that they are stressed because they smoke???  Think about it:  You pay about $9 (Jersey average cost) for a 20 pack of cigarettes DAILY.  You lug them around with you where ever you go (along with a lighter, of course) and lord have mercy if either one went missing, you’d have a panic attack.   Throughout your day, you constantly search for places that are “smoker friendly” to sit and enjoy a few puffs, which is no where these days.  You get in your car….light up.  You get home, eat dinner…light up.  You tidy up around the house….light up.  You have a cocktail, watch tv and wind down…light up.  You get ready for bed….light up.  You wake up…light up. It’s an absolutely insane cycle.  There’s no why wonder smokers get stressed.  They add an extra 5-10 minutes to every single task throughout their day, just to wrap it up by having a cigarette, not to mention they’re broke!

Smoking is one of the most common addictions in the world.  Tobacco is technically a processed, government  approved, drug that you inhale.  You’re body becomes reliant on the nicotine and additives so much so that going too long without it causes mental panic attacks.  And yet, every corner store, convenience store, and pharmacy stocks cigarettes!  How is this not ludracris (or illegal)???  Taxes.  That’s how.  As long as the government gets its cut, they don’t care if you smoke sianide…just make sure to slap a tax on it first;)

Okay, I can go on and on about the politics on cigarettes, but I won’t (at least not on this post).  This is a happy post.  This is about me gaining back my life and freedom from the tobacco shackles.  Its only been a day and I’m not quite sure if it’s all in my mind or actual, but I truly feel better.  My throat doesn’t have it’s usual tickle burn that it normally does.  My clothes and hair don’t smell like I was up all night playing poker is some 10×10 back room in a bar somewhere.  I’m not even coughing as much as I think I usually do.  All in all, I’m glad I made this decision.  Hell, I wish I’d made it sooner!