Day 5!

Warning: This post is not funny. And for once, I didn't blatantly lie about anything. Just so's you know.

I'm just now starting day 5, cigarette free.

It's not nearly as difficult as I thought it would be. Perhaps it's just because I went about it differently this time. The other times I seem to remember barely making it past 24 hours before "quitting my quit." And I remember the horrible torture of the craving. I remember bumming smokes from strangers.

Let's just credit Nicoderm CQ© and Wellbutrin©.

This time? No craving. NONE.

The behavior, though, is a hard habit to break. I find myself confused in the morning because I've got my coffee in my hand and no chair in the garage to sit on. Someone calls and I immediately go to the garage to light up. I tried to do that four times in a 10-minute conversation with my Dad.

People have been asking me, "Why now?" Good question, but I can't really answer it. I literally woke up Monday morning and thought, "I think I'll quit smoking today." No long planning session, no discussions with anyone, no major life changes. Monday morning, I had the choice of spending my money on another carton of smokes (over $40) or on a package of nicotine patches (I admit I didn't even look at the price.) I did a little research on what type of nicotine replacement works best, but it was always fairly clear to me since I'm not supposed to chew gum, ever (see all my previous posts about jaw surgery). And they have those inhaler sticks, but quite honestly they look stupid. Even more stupid than smoking.

So cost was really a factor. When it comes to buying gas or cigs, quite honestly the gas is a leeetle bit more important. Also, my kids have asked me to quit, or more accurately they express total confusion as to why I smoke. I can't give them a good reason.

And of course, there's my Dad. He has COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease). An easier way to describe it is, you know when people say someone has a "heart condition?" Well, Dad has a "lung condition." He would get tired easily, he slept too much, but he didn't sleep well. It would take him nearly an hour every morning to cough enough in order to breathe okay.

Yeah, he's 82 and he's allowed to slow down. But if he hadn't quit smoking, he would be dead now. And he isn't.

So why? So I can live past 82, like my Dad. You know, barring any alien-landing induced armageddon type scenarios, worldwide plagues, nuclear winters, or greenhouse gas suffocation, I'll live past 82.

There's hope for me yet.