Da Weekly Post

      First of all Happy Holidays to all! I kind of have a rant this evening though. I am doing the blog on Google and I thank them for giving me place post about not smoking. It has helped a lot in my latest and second best effort at not smoking. However I see that all the ads always for the most part continue to be about different ways to be assisted in quitting smoking. I wish that the ads were varied and might perk someone's interest that maybe reading the blog but not necessarily trying to quit smoking.


People in general I think are interested individuals dilemmas whether it is addiction to food, alcohol, sex, drugs, and cigarettes. So essentially I wish that if indeed Google representatives read the content of this blog that take notice of what I have said and vary the ads on here so as to possibly only include one area that includes remedies for not smoking and other content that may appeal to a broader audience.

On to the main topic of this blog which is about not smoking. My neighbor of whom is a friend of mine and fellow smoker yesterday has taken the plunge into the non-smoking world. He seems to be quite sick. I can't be sure if it is directly related to his smoking or a something else or as I suspect a combination of all the prior. I will continue to encourage him though. Pretty much since I stopped he has said that he would also and as of Christmas that was his last day. He is expecting his girlfriend to quit also. I let him know that is her business. We all know that we can't wait for others to do what we should be doing for ourselves.

Seeing him so sick and just the fact that he has stopped helps me to try to not entertain and thoughts of a cigarette. I know that I will be off and smoking and making myself sick again. Whatever helps has got to my motto. Peace all and Happy New Year!

My Weekly posting

Did not want to forget about posting on the blog this week. Still not smoking. Thank God! My mind kind of reeled backwards and I gave some deep thoughts about having a cigarette. I did not have any of course and was too lazy to ask for one. I also realized that I have a little bit of time behind me without smoking and I don't want to give that up and "be for not".


As I think out the process of having a cigarette I am re calling that there is a lot of effort that goes into to smoking a cigarette. Especially now days. One is definitely ostracized by having to stand out in front of a place of business and or retreat back to their vehicle. Although even people that smoke, will not smoke in their vehicle. I know that I always opened the window. I would end up with some kind of ear blockage from the air blowing around inside the vehicle, while driving. Ahh the little reminders of the hassles is another good deterrent. Peace!!

Winter Smoking

Living in the midwest and being a smoker is a tough go. I see the folks where I work at having to dress to the hilt before they head outside to smoke. With the weather being so cold lately it makes it doubly tough to do this. A few years ago that was I. This time last year I was not working, but still smoking and had to endure this weather while trying to get some smoke in me. Wow what a hassle!


I am grateful that is not I this year. Looking back it seems like a prime way to get a cold. Of course it is sure hard to enjoy anything when one is cold. Breathing in the cold air and the smoke probably makes the health consequences that much worse. As I have said before "but for the grace of God there go I". Blogging this evening reminds me to not take newly found freedom from cigarettes for granted. Peace!

    

5 months

For lack of a better title I used the words “5 months”. It has been 5 months since I last smoked. I feel good about that. Today being a Saturday and somewhat of a lazier day, I had the urge to smoke, but did not give in. This too shall pass! I do know that a part of me will probably always want to smoke. Hopefully I will always think it out before I go puffing on a cigarette. I think when the urge comes on strongest is when I am spending time with people that I used to smoke with as I did today.


As I am writing this I am thinking of the damage that my friend is doing to himself through his insistence on not quitting cigarettes. I know that his doctor has told him to quit and he has access to be able to get a prescription for Chantix, which I think, is the best way to quit. However but for the grace of god there go I. So in essence I need consider myself lucky that I have quit for a while and that I have this tool called blogging. I probably won't be around smokers for a while now so I should be able to more at ease about continuing to not smoke.

I now understand why reformed smokers such as myself are sometimes very reluctant to spend anytime around a smoker. It is just to easy to say "let me borrow a cigarette". However that is an odd thing to say. What are you going to do, give the butt back to them? Well anyways peace.

   

Thanksgiving

I am of course grateful that I am not smoking and it has been a while since I have smoked. I have quite a cold but I was thinking that maybe my lungs are still clearing themselves out a bit. I was at my aunt's and uncle's yesterday for Thanksgiving and it was nice. I took a walk with a few of my cousins and one of them lit up a cigar. I briefly thought about asking for one, but realized that could be the slippery slope that leads me back.


In my past attempts to quit I smoked cigars and the usage and or the number of cigars I smoked increased until finally I did go back to cigarettes. This time before stopped I smoked up all the cigars and made sure that there was no smoking materials in my house. So far so good. The other thing that I have done differently is of course this blog, which really helps. Peace!

 

Great American Smokeout

In honor of the "great american smokeout" being today I though that I should post a link to the site. 

Great American Smokeout

4 months

Feeling a little antsy this evening but that is okay. If not antsy the term would be energetic. I can say for sure some of it can be attributed to my increased energy as a result of not smoking. When smoking I was always aware how smoking zaps one's energy, especially as I got older.

As I do some reflecting I was once again able to see people smoking at my place of employment and how they were trying to get the smoke into their system. I guess that its kind of like one might take in food. Of course that is where the comparison stops with cigarettes being unhealthy. I could see the sense of urgency as one might eat with limited time, kind of a gulping.

As I was driving home from work I was thinking of a couple of my cousins that are social smokers, if there is such as thing. They can take it or leave it and would occasionally get a cigarette, from me when I was smoking and have one with me. They rarely had there own pack and were not at all concerned if they had cigarettes in their possession. Of course as I thought more I do realize as I have said many times before I don't smoke like that and will not try to kid myself. "One is to many and a thousand is not enough". Keeping that in mind I stopped daydreaming about the cigarette smoking and popped a lozenge in my mouth.

As always the simple act of blogging helps keep my commitment to this non-smoking thing. Peace!