Tuesday, January 02, 2007
New Year's Resolutions - Public Service Message
Happy New Year, dear readers!
I'm glad to be back. The Christmas break did wonders for recharging my blogger batteries, so you can expect a bunch of material in the coming days and weeks.
For starters, I'd like to have a serious chat about new year's resolutions.
As I mentioned before Christmas, I'm going easy on myself about self-improvement because I just gave up smoking last year and that one is the biggee in terms of positive changes one can make to one's lifestyle.
This year, the only resolution I have is a mild one: I resolve to try to use more frequently the word "reckon" in the British not Southern style. I reckon most North Americans underutilize this very handy, multi-purpose word.
But back to smoking. Dear readers, I hope none of you smoke. I you do, I'm betting that as the clock ticked over to midnight on December 31 you probably thought about trying again to quit.
Even if you don't smoke, you probably know someone who does, and they are also thinking about quitting right about now.
This is no easy task. Scientists tell us that nicotine is more addictive than heroin. No one - especially non-smokers - should ever underestimate or minimize how very, very soul-crushingly difficult it is to quit that noxious weed.
Over most of the 23 years of my addiction, I tried at least once a year to quit. I tried everything... cold turkey, weaning off, the timer, the gum, etc etc. Nothing stuck.
What finally worked for me and what I recommend in the strongest possible terms to all smokers is the Nicorette Inhaler system. It was an absolute wonder product for me.
What makes it so effective is that the delivery system is shaped like a cigarette holder, so the system helps replace and wean you off the psychological oral fixation element of the addiction on top of helping you manage the chemical addiction.
When I first started using the system, I used the Inhaler as often as I used to smoke, but within weeks I had weaned myself off it without even really trying (the medicinal nicotine tastes pretty gross). Now I still keep it close to me because it is kick-ass at controlling cravings. Most ex-smokers suffer from intense relapse cravings for years afterwards which often leads them to fall off the wagon. But when I have the Nicorette Inhaler on the go, I can stand right beside someone else who's smoking and feel zero cravings. ZERO!
So there you have it: Nicorette Inhaler - Miracle product. If you have any friends who are trying to quit this year, please tell them about it and refer them to this post. They'll thank you for it.
posted by Mentok @ 11:28 a.m.,
4 Comments:
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At 6:01 p.m.,
Elizabeth said...
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I am a smoker, and the Nicorette products are fantastic (although you will certainly hate them for at least 48 hours). The helped my first attempt at quitting last four months, which is an achievement for a smoker. I've never tried the inhaler, and I'll keep it in mind for my next attempt. (You also have to want to quit, which I don't at the moment, but soon, soon I hope).
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At 9:08 p.m.,
said...
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They look suspiciously like a tampon.
Were they invented by a gynecologist by any chance.. -
At 10:21 p.m.,
Mentok said...
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happy and blue - yeah, I know, I hear that all the time on the rare occasions people catch me inhaling in public. I wish they would invent cooler looking holders. The stuff could totally replace smoking if they did. I'd even inhale at the bar if only the thing didn't look so goofy.
Liz - yes, you're absolutely right that one needs to want to quit. My own quitting procedure was like a scene from Trainspotting. I was freelancing at home at the time, so I had the time to devote to it. I loaded up the larder with supplies. I kicked my family out for a week so I wouldn't accidentally murder them (or they me). Then I effectively locked myself in my house for 3-4 days and avoided all human contact while I went through the worst of the cravings cold turkey. It was only after the 3 day hump that I turned to the Inhaler to get me the rest of the way. So there was a considerable level of will-power and physical suffering involved in the front end of my quitting process. -
At 9:35 p.m.,
mkecurler said...
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Congrats. I have not had a ciggie since March 10th 1998. I did it cold turkey- the hubby doesn't like kissing an ashtray so I quit before I got married.
Welcome back.....
