Giving up Smoking #5

Ten Weeks Today

Perhaps I should write a novella and call it "The Evils of Smoking and Why I Gave It Up"! (Just joking)

I don't consider myself an ex-smoker, I'm someone who has stopped smoking, someone who has given up the fags, I am not ready either to say someone who has quit. For some reason I don't like the "quit" thing. Don't know why, just know I don't. Maybe this has to do with the time when I rang the Quit Line quite a few years ago, and the lack of empathy and understanding coming from the person on the end of the line was awful. She had no, she had no nothing, no sympathy, no help, just nothing. She was hopeless. When I got off the phone all I wanted to do was smoke. Honestly, she'd drive a man to drink. She had never smoked in her life. I know, because I asked her. So don't go sprouting and mouthing bleeding heart stuff if you can't put yourself in the smoker's shoes. How can one have knowledge or experience if one hasn't lived it or at least tried to find out as much as one can?

I am reminded of something told me about people trying to get of heroin, the physical craving may have stopped, but the mental craving takes a lot longer. Perhaps it is this way with smoking too, the mental craving is there and that is the hardest to let go.

Found on the internet:
When an ex-smoker watches a person smoke a cigarette, he often fantasizes about how much the smoker is enjoying it--how good it must taste and make him feel. It is true he may be enjoying that particular cigarette, but the odds are he is not.

Most smokers enjoy a very small percentage of the cigarettes they smoke. In fact, they are really unaware of most of the cigarettes they smoke. Some are smoked out of simple habit, but most are smoked in order to alleviate withdrawal symptoms experienced by all smokers whose nicotine levels have fallen below minimal requirements. The cigarette may taste horrible, but the smoker has to smoke it. And because the majority of smokers are such addicts, they must smoke many such cigarettes every single day in order to maintain a constant blood nicotine level. Source

I don't know about the first paragraph, but I do know about the second one because it is so true. "The cigarette may taste horrible, but the smoker has to smoke it" - true, true, true.


Literally over 90% of the tar that is inhaled stays in the lung, when you see a person exhale they are literally blowing out about 10% of the smoke.

OH bloody hell. That's a wake up call.


The Mental Addiction

The physical cravings may have gone, but it's the emotional crutch, the mental cravings that take longer. One website said 'It takes at least 3 months for your brain chemistry to return to normal after you quit smoking.' I found this website Addictions and Recovery which gives a very good explanation and ideas. In one section it says "Some studies have suggested that nicotine is as addictive as crack cocaine" - an addiction is an addiction whether it's legal or illegal. Going through giving up smoking, I find I have more sympathy for drug addicts because in the past, I didn't see smoking as an addiction or smokers as "addicts". To me an addict was a drug user like a heroin or ice addict.

I liked the bit that says Plan to keep yourself busy in the beginning. Too much unstructured time is not a good thing when it comes to smoking cessation. And the section about celebrate your victories makes good sense e.g. Take the money you’ve saved and buy yourself a treat once a week. I didn't do this but I did buy a winter jacket for work which I know I will get a lot of use out of. The one I have isn't all that warm.

Today's quote: I'll never feel comfortable taking a strong drink, and I'll never feel easy smoking a cigarette. I just don't think those things are right for me ~ Elvis Presley.