quitters

They say quitters never win and winners never quit. I quit smoking (cigarettes) almost 6 weeks ago. It was the hardest and yet most simple thing to do. My parents thought I smoked way before I actually started smoking. I wasn't a bad kid but I did hang with smokers and went to places that allowed smoking so I almost always smelled like smoke. These smoker friends would smoke outside the car and occassionally the smoke would blow in. My manager would ask me to buy him a pack of marlboro lights when id go on my breaks and stupid me would forget the matches in the car where momdukes would find 'em. So in my senior year of high school, the parents sai "we don't care if you smoke, just don't do it in front of us or your brothers and sisters". Ok! Free reign to be cool and smoke cigarettes! Cuz seriously, in high school all the cool kids smoked. In high school I was a slacker in the AP classes, played violin in the orchestra, had a girlfriend who was always in trouble with her mom, and played sports. I wasn't a smoker... yet.

When I got to college, it was a whole new ball game. It was like all this power was bestowed upon me but no uncle ben to give me the "with great power comes responsibility" speech. So I went nuts. Stayed up all night, macked on chicks, hung out and got drunk. Barely went to class. Barely passed those first years. Had a lot of fun! Unfortunately I did start smoking (cigarettes).

That first cig was out of this world. Newports. I doubt there was a more gangster cig made back then. I took my first drag and if it weren't for that wall, I would've passed out and face planted on the hard walkway outside my dorm. It was with my buddy swatty and this chick I'm friends with on facebook.

After that I was the coolest guy on campus smoking cigarettes, flicking them on the ground when I was done, spitting. Oh baby. So sexy.

A smoke in the morning. A smoke after breakfast. A smoke on the way to class. A smoke after. A smoke here and then another smoke there. It was ok cuz smoking was cool. Sure I got sick a lot and had bronchitis a few times. One time I got pneumonia. I lost 40 pounds. Worst diet ever.

I smoked a lot. Cigarettes cost $1.50/pack when I started. This was new gunswick, nj in 1996. I left nj in 2011 and packs cost around $7-8/pack. In nyc on a Friday or Saturday night you'd be lucky to get a pack for less than $12!

This is the year I quit. I'm 33 now. I started when I was 18. A pack a day smoker. You do the math on the financial and physical damage done.

My quit date is july 19, 2011. Since I quit I saved about $160 and who knows how many days of suffering in my old age. I'm a nurse and should've known better. But I was too cool. Now I'm even cooler cuz I'm not one of those ex-smokers that tries to get smokers to quit. It has to be done at their own time when they are ready.

How'd I do it? I made a deal with myself. I didn't tell anyone. I picked a tuesday. And bought the patch. Put it on and kaboom no more smoking. Actually I used the patch for 3 days and on the 4th day I forgot it. I realized that I didn't have it on and didn't use another one.

Id have a cig before or after everything I did: waking, eating, pooping, working, working out, drinking, movies, dates, driving. Ok so I don't really go on dates but that's cuz I have yet to find a chick that's good enough for me... which ill save for another time.

The hardest part was retraining yourself to not have a smoke whenever you think you should. For me the toughest times are after a huge meal. But the craving goes away. And I'm better off for it.

So now I'm almost 6 weeks smoke free.

My sense of smell is better which is bad because there are a lot of bad odors in my line of work and are totally enhanced now. Which sucks. But now I don't take a bunch of smoke breaks which should increase productivity. Should.

And I run now. I want to get in at least 20 miles a week but cuz my schedule is totally whack I usually see around 10. Hopefully the running will help reverse some of that damage. *fingers crossed*