Smoking

I'm a smoker. I love smoking and I love my cigarettes. I could care fuck-all about the high price of a pack. If smoking were my only vice, I think I'd never want to quit.



My Dad had cancer of the throat. His cancer was directly related to his smoking and he quit the day he was diagnosed. It's been eleven years and he's now considered 100% cured of his cancer. His treatment wasn't pleasant and there were no doubt times when he wondered if it was going to be worth it. Thankfully for me as well as him, it was.

But, I still love smoking.



My boyfriend smokes, too. He was a light smoker when we started dating, but he also only smoked outside. Now that we live together and I have no such rules, he and I are both heavy smokers. When I lived alone, I never noticed the smell of smoke in my apartment. Most of my windows are left open nearly year round, so airflow wasn't a problem. Now, we step in from our long drive home and *sniff, sniff*..."It stinks in here!"



So, we've started the discussion. We both agree we'd like to quit...but we can't quite bring ourselves to set a date. Which method to use? Based on two separate friends' experiences with Chantix, I'm not going that route. My Mother actually uses one of those electric cigarettes when she goes on long flights or is on a long car trip.

Check it out. No tar or chemicals. Just straight nicotine.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-566351/The-electric-cigarette-gives-nicotine-hit-gets-round-smoking-ban.html

I don't think cold turkey is something I'd want to try. I also think it's unlikely anyone who has to spend time around me would like me to try it. That leaves the patch. I know it will work for the physical cravings, but how does anyone get around the habit side of smoking? Not the need for the chemicals and nicotine, but the act of smoking itself. Suckers? Hard candy? Gum? No thanks to all of the above. Suckers and hard candy leave my tongue raw and bleeding and I've already got serious teeth clenching and grinding issues, so gum isn't something I'm allowed to chew in the first place.

How does anyone drive without smoking? I believe that will be my biggest challenge, moreso than my first cigarette of the day or the coffee cigarette combo.



*sigh* I'm already dreading the very thought of trying to quit. Notice how I've already set myself up to fail? "Trying" to quit. I used the excuse of not wanting children for a very long time and while we still do not want children, I've now realized that I'd like to live into my retirement years...whether it's doing it "for the children" or not. There are a myriad of health problems that could prevent me from living well past retirement, but this is one I can control. I can take away the higher risks or a shorter life. Why wouldn't I do it?

Because I still love to smoke.

Alas, it isn't going to happen in the next few days, but I'll be sure to share the experiences of a 20 year smoker on the path to Quitsville as soon as I buy my ticket.