Hi Everyone! I know it's already 20 January in your part of the world, but over here in the United States, it's still 19 January. Today is five months for me. Five months, ice cold turkey, not a smoke, not a nicotine replacement, nothing. I now crave cigarettes all the time. I'm in that 'reasoning' phase where my body is trying to negotiate with my brain. My body is telling my brain that if I quit for five months, surely I can pick up smoking for a little while and then put it down again. This is the conversation that goes on in my head almost every time I pass a store that sells cigarettes:
Body: Man, I sure would like a delicious cigarette
Brain: I don't think we should. You know we're addicted to cigarettes.
Body: Ya, but they are so delicious.
Brain: They certainly are.
Body: And look, you're still eating like there won't be any food tomorrow. Remember when you weighed 15 lbs less? That all started when you quit smoking.
Brain: Ya, I know. I've put on a whole size more since I quit.
Body: See... don't you miss being smaller...
Brain: Yup, I miss it. I wonder if I should just smoke long enough to lose this weight.
Body: Now you're talking! It's okay that you won't be able to breathe and your work, which is already laborious will be more laborious!
Brain: Oh! About that. Ya. I hated how much smoking slowed me down. Now, I can work for hours without needing any type of a break. Weird how I don't miss the cigarettes when I'm working non-stop...
Body: So, about that smoke. Are we gonna go get it or what?
Brain: Nope. Not today. I'm gonna hold out a little longer to see if the cravings will subside.
Body: Bummer. Well, there's always chips and soda and that thing called breathing.
And that, folks, is my life, every single day now. :) It's a good thing this constant cravings stuff hit around day 120. At that point, I already knew that I could stay quit. Now, I'm just being tempted all day long.
Other than that, I've had another medical procedure. The doctor was really happy that I was still quit. If you're preparing for a medical procedure, the best thing that you can do for yourself is to quit smoking. The more days you are quit, the better your circulation. Circulation is super important when your body is trying to heal.
Anybody want to talk about this? Are you new and have questions? Reply here and I'll reply back to you. You just gotta remember to check back for the answer!
Cheers!