Spurred on by my list of goals to achieve in the next 1000 days, I'm tackling what might be one of the toughest tasks - quitting smoking.
I wasn't always a smoker. In the first 21 years of my life, I smoked maybe a pack and a half. I never actually bought a pack for myself until I moved to Boston - this is a little ironic, considering I grew up in tobacco country and went to school in the South, where smoking is still very much accepted. Boston even went smoke-free a few weeks before I moved there. But while doing graduate school full-time, going through the break-up of the longest relationship I've ever had and other significant stresses, I picked it up. I thought I'd never become "addicted", and to be honest, part of me still believes that I'm not. I've run the gamut for levels of indulgence in the cancer sticks - I've been a "smoker when I drink", a "closet smoker", a pack-a-day moron, a "smoker to kill the appetite" (this only works for a day or two, trust me - it no longer has an effect on my appetite), and even a "just one in the morning" smoker.
I know, it's not becoming. Trust me, I know. It ruins your skin, it causes cancer, it makes your lungs perform at record low levels, and it's just plain unattractive. I don't have to be sold on this aspect of it - I am perfectly aware of the risks to my health, my vanity and everything in between.
But I'll admit: I, as well as many other smokers, just plain LIKE to smoke. If you've never been a consistent smoker, well, good for you, but I haven't quit yet simply because I just like it. When my life sucks, and I'm about to bust out crying at anything, I can go out on the porch and escape everything for five minutes. After reading The Power of Now and realizing the importance of meditation, I've come to the conclusion that to many of us, smoking is an act of meditation. There's an unwritten "no assholes" rule on just about every smoker's porch in the world, and you can either socialize or choose to be by yourself out there. It calms you, helps you slow your breathing and blood pressure, and stabilizes emotions that have gone through the roof. A pack of Parliament Lights doesn't tell me that I'm doing things wrong, a lighter doesn't make me cry, and I don't think I've ever gotten in an honest-to-god argument with someone while smoking. Well, excluding my ex, that is.
That being said, again, I know I need to quit. I don't want to fail, so I'm trying to get a multi-pronged approach to removing that Philip Morris out of my life.
1. The patch. I think I can quit without it. But I don't want to find myself failing at the get-go because I haven't realized the full power of nicotine addiction. Cold turkey may work, but I don't want to make this too hard on myself.
2. Incentive. I'm thinking of setting up an ING account to take a dollar a day out of my checking so I can reward myself for not smoking. If I stumble, the money for that day goes to the American Cancer Society. Given the fact that I have very little money, however, I've got to figure out something else. Any ideas?
3. A built-in response to weakness. My quit date hasn't been established yet (I think I need a specific time built in stone where I just get rid of every pack laying around the house), but I'm kind of taking the weight watchers approach - I just need to recover from stumbles rather than give up on the whole goal. After my quit date, I'm giving myself ten moments of weakness. Ten. That may sound like a lot, but I'm guessing you've never been a smoker if it does. If I'm considering using one of them, I'll think long and hard as to whether or not I really want to use one of my ten.
4. Alternatives. I have to figure out something else to do when I usually smoke - when I'm walking the dog, when I'm driving, when I'm done with a meal, when I'm drinking, when I'm bored, when work is getting to me, etc. This is a lot harder than you think.
5. Figure out how to avoid the quitting-smoking weight gain. I personally don't care if I gain a few, but the reality is that I can't afford to not fit into my clothes. This is also pretty difficult - I'm allergic to chewing gum. I'm thinking about toothpicks, although I know I'll look like an even bigger redneck.
Any ideas? Anyone got an incentive they're willing to stake me to? I'll do the same for one of your goals.
Friday, May 30, 2008
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
7 comments:
Let's think of something cause I need something to stake me to eating well on the road and then you can quit smoking and I can be healthy....brainstorm and we will make it happen cause I am on the road for the next two months.
Hmm. I'll do some thinking on it - I need to be eating healthier as well but I think I need to take one bull by the horns at a time - and I'm hoping that quitting will help me to see the positive benefits of feeling healthier, which might make it easier to eat better down the road. Have you figured out what kind of "eating well" you're looking for? I know, sounds like a dumb question, but are you looking to eat fewer calories, less packaged foods, more protein, less fat, more vegetables, organic, local, anything else? I know, it's a lot, but I would guess it might help to give yourself a definite goal rather than an overall kinda thing? Here I am asking the consultant to define goals, I'm sure you already know.
I will have to think about the specific goals because it needs to be something that is measurable. I think that when I am at home I eat well but not on the road. I am going on the road next week so I am going to really pay attention to what I eat and what I want to eat and everything and see what is missing. Mainly I eat too much processed stuff on the road because I don't look hard enough for fresh foods. I am going to really think about it. We should set a deadline for when we start!
Good for you! I hope it goes well for you. How about every time you want to smoke, you pull out the camera and take a picture? or you post on the blog? You could actually create a whole new blog that you post on instead of having a cancer stick. That way, whe we haven't seen you post on it for a while, we know you are smoking - it'll hold you accountable.
There is a pill out there that has gotten a really good response. I also know people that used suckers when they wanted to smoke because it was the same action as smoking. Good luck....you can do it if you really, really want to. That's the most important.
They are actually making a video game to help people stop smoking. Not that you want to do that, but it is based on a book by Allen Carr - "The Easy Way to Stop Smoking". I know you are into books. Maybe you can check it out. According to the article people who read (and I suppose take it in) have a more then 50% success rate after 12 months.
Good luck with it!
I have another idea....every time you want to go smoke, call/email a nonsmoking friend and ask them what they feel about smokers, the smell of smokers houses, clothes, and hair. :)
Post a Comment