1 year tobacco free

Go me!

I started smoking when I was ten years old. A pack a day since I was 15. More some days. I really loved smoking cigarettes.
Even though I knew it was stupid.
At 40 years old I had been smoking cigs for 30 years and couldn't imagine life without them. Even though my chest began to hurt when I went up the stairs.
One day, after a particularly busy day at work, I walked out the door and jumped into a taxi. I told the driver where I was going and said, "Hurry, now, I haven't had a cig since 7 am". He replied, "Go ahead, smoke, I don't care". I said, "Oh, no, I can wait". He was amazed! "You haven't had a cigarette since 7 am and you can WAIT? You should just quit!"

Three days later I did.

I kept waiting for withdrawals but never noticed if I had any. I didn't feel any more irritable than usual. I mean, I'm sort of crabby to begin with :)

At first it felt like some sort of cosmic chair had been pulled out from under me. Waiting at the bus stop, on break at work, on the phone, after eating, after sex, anytime I would have had a cigarette, I had nothing to do. It took a long time to get used to.
I still sometimes think to myself waiting, outside the movies, or in the car "this would be a nice time for a cigarette" but it passes. I find myself holding a pen or pencil like a cigarette when I'm shopping and distracted. Yes, I remember when you could smoke in the supermarket! I'm ollllllld. I get stressed and want a smoke, but again, the feeling passes.

After I quit smoking, I was able to completley give up animal products. Smoking was always standing in my way in my mind, because I felt that it didn't matter what I did, I still smoked cigarettes and was going to die from that, anyway. But once I stopped smoking I was able to stop a bunch of other habits and start a whole bunch of new habits that you get to read about in this here food blog-ola, lucky you!

One year tobacco free. Go Me!

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