Wednesday, April 19, 2006
Quitting Is Fun!
I don't like making personal comments here, but this is a special occasion.
Those of you who know me in real life will be pleased to hear I'm quitting smoking. I've tried quitting many times before but this time feels like it's going to stick.
I've been a nicotine addict for 24 years. The toxins dig in pretty deep over that time. I can't begin to describe how difficult it is. I look, act and sound like a freaked out junky right now.
...And that's the fun part! The great thing about quitting smoking is that you get to act like as much of a prick and a loon as you like and nobody dares to get mad at you. You can go off on bitter rants on anybody - your spouse, your kids, your friends, your boss - and they can't react or hold what you say against you because, you know, it's just the nicotine monkey talking.
It's a fantastic cathartic experience. For a little while, you get to take a holiday from niceness and self-control and live without "reason and accountability", as the saying goes. I almost wish I could go through this regularly. It would be nice to set aside a little period of time, let's say once a month, to vent all one's frustrations. But that's unrealistic. If people started acting crazy once a month, the excuse would eventually wear thin, wouldn't it? ;-)
Wish me luck.
posted by Mentok @ 11:41 a.m.,
10 Comments:
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At 12:46 p.m.,
Bathroom Hippo said...
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Don't worry Judge,
The Potamus Home for Hot Unwed Mothers also features a section for those who are quitting smoking.
But out of character...
My dad quit smoking by getting addicted to candy. His choice were those Werthers carmel stuff.
Looks like you got that thing I sent ya. -
At 1:04 p.m.,
Mentok said...
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Holy shit! Hippo out of character no less.
Several unsuccessful attempts ago, I did in fact try the butterscotch substitution strategy . It has a great appeal. It replaces the oral fixation and the candies have a certain smoky flavour. But didn't work for me.
My current strategy is two-fold. First, I'm drinking gallons of green tea. Second, I'm giving in to every other nasty, bitter self-destructive impulse I have as a substitute for the nasty, bitter self-destructiveness of tobacco.
Thanks so much for your kind thoughts, Hippo. Nice to know I have at least one blogger friend I can count on >:~(
Sorry, that was the nic withdrawl talking again. -
At 1:31 p.m.,
Bathroom Hippo said...
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Just get addicted to something else. I forgot to mention: My mom quit smoking because of sunflower seeds. Now I'm addicted to sunflower seeds.
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At 5:02 p.m.,
Unknown said...
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Congratulations!
We should go see the movie "Thank you for smoking." I hear it's funny, and appropriate given the good news. -
At 8:06 p.m.,
Mentok said...
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Thanks, Irish Eyes. Yes, from the reviews I've read, "Thanks for Smoking" would be the perfect movie to see. I've even heard that there aren't many scenes of people smoking in the film, which adds to its overall irony.
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At 9:44 p.m.,
X said...
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"Good luck, Mentok" is all I'm gonna say. The only way you can do it is go "cold turkey" (at least that's what a Nobel Prize Economist, Gary Becker, said.)
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At 8:57 p.m.,
mkecurler said...
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Proud non smoker since 1997... now a curling fanantic!
Congrats to you! Huzzah! -
At 7:23 a.m.,
A. B. Chairiet said...
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"Nice to know I have at least one blogger friend I can count on."
Jesus Christ, you really are going through withdrawals, aren't you? ;)
You know I'm your friend, and you know darn well I support you to the fullest extent of the make believe law. And would stop short at nothing in helping you quit. If you need me, tell me. Etc.
I don't have twenty four years in the bank, but I do have six, and that's enough to understand. Sort of.
And I actually wrote a piece for you, on Monday, I think. All about smoking and not smoking. It used to be my "platform", you know. In college and in high school, I wrote and spoke all about the dangers of smoking, but also obesity. Drives me nuts that people still think smoking is the big one. Tis not, precious. Still bad, but not the worst.
Anyways, I didn't post it, obviously. Cause I haven't had writer's block, just Blogger's block. But maybe I will over the weekend. It is dedicated to you, after all. :)
(Sigh)
I'm rambling. Coffee. Haven't been here in a few days, so surely I'm allowed. ;)
Hope you're doing well.
Best of luck, seriously! You can quit. I did. And I didn't do it completely cold turkey as I think I previously implied elsewhere. I actually gave myself one last cigarette, while driving. Those were my favorites. :)
I think it's important to have an official last time.
Or just start drinking heavily. Whatever. ;)
Happy Friday! :)
Great post, and best of luck,
~ Ash -
At 9:25 a.m.,
Mentok said...
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Dan - Thanks, bud. I don't think having a Nobel Prize in Economics makes a person any more expert on stopping smoking, but he's right in any case.
Sabatkes - I never thought to use curling as an addiction substitute. Glad it worked for you!
Ash - Uh, yeah, sorry, you are totally right in perceiving that the "Nice to know I have at least one blogger friend I can count on" was pretty much specially aimed at you. I was totally off my nut at the time, as you know. But, see, you can't hold it against me, ha, ha! ;-)
Thanks to everyone for the words of encouragement. It has been about six days now, so I think I have it beat. The acting-crazy period is over. Unfortunately, the soul-crushing cravings still happen.
I've decided to treat the cravings as a chronic condition, like back pain or something, that may take years to overcome. I think previous attempts to quit were hobbled by the fact that I expected the cravings to disappear sooner than is realistic.
Anyway, thanks again to all of you for all your support during this important time in my life. -
At 5:36 p.m.,
Library Mama said...
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Hope things are getting a little easier for you now. Sorry I wasn't there through the worst.... Then again, maybe I'm not.
You know who to call on if the cravings ever get overwhelming now and again. We'll see where else we can channel those passions - and I'm not talking about butterscotch! ;)
