So, remember how I’ve said that I did not choose to get addicted to smoking? We did not CHOOSE to smoke! We got roped into the ridiculous idea that smoking was a good thing, mostly by the media. We are shown from a very early age that smoking= positive things. You see commercials depicting how smooth you will seem to the opposite sex, old movies show how much of a rebel you are, or how attractive you seem with a cigarette in your mouth. We even see models in fashion magazines smoking, even though the ad is for the clothes, not the cigarettes.
This is what we see:
Smoking= Glamour, Sex appeal, and nothing but the positive.
When we choose to smoke our very last cigarette, it will all be worth it:
In 20 Minutes: Your blood pressure will drop down back to normal.
In 8 Hours: The carbon monoxide (a toxic gas) levels in your blood stream will drop by half, and oxygen levels will return back to normal.
In 48 Hours: Your chance of having a heart attack will have decreased. All nicotine will have left your body. Your sense of taste and smell will return back to normal.
In 72 Hours: Your bronchial tubes will relax and your energy will increase.
In 2 Weeks: Your circulation will increase, and it will continue to improve for the next ten weeks.
In 3-9 Months: Coughs, wheezing and breathing problems will dissipate as your lung capacity improves by 10%.
In 1 Year: Your risk of having a heart attack will have dropped in half.
In 5 Years: Your risk of stroke returns to that of a non-smoker.
In 10 Years: Your risk of lung cancer will have returned to that of a non-smoker.
In 15 Years: Your risk of heart attack will have returned to that of a non-smoker.
How funny is it that people who smoke defend the CRAP out of their addiction? Due to all the brainwashing by the media, and the fact that the build-up of nicotine actually creates it’s own receptors in your brain; you come to think that smoking really is a PLEASURE. It’s your very own best friend that you can turn to at any time.
But the REALITY is that we are all lying to ourselves! Once you realize that, you are one step closer to freedom! Smoking is not a pleasure! You smoke to relieve your small withdrawal from nicotine. Period. Your brain (and mine) have been denying the fact that there really is no REAL pleasure out of smoking. The only pleasure a cigarette derives is relieving the empty and anxious feelings you have when your nicotine levels are running low.
I’ve been trying to figure out some of my health issues for the past few years. I’ve had HORRIBLE sleeping problems, HORRIBLE stomach problems, Acne issues, barely any energy, and depression. I’ve wracked my brain to figure out why, and what I can do about those situations. But the REALITY is, the chemicals in cigarettes are MOST LIKELY the cause of ALL of these problems!
Yesterday I switched brands from Camel Lights to American Spirit Lights, which have no additives in their tobacco. But really, I think they taste disgusting. And the reason for that, is that I am SO used to the taste of the yummy, gross chemicals. How screwed up is that? The bottom line is that I’ve been lying to myself about cigarettes for eleven years. How long have you been lying to yourself?
So, what exactly is nicotine?
Nicotine (C10H14N2) is a naturally occurring organic compound made out of chemicals including nitrogen, hydrogen, and carbon. It is a stimulant, just like coffee, which is also an alkaloid like nicotine. People say that this HIGHLY addictive substance, is more addictive than heroin! When you smoke, nicotine gets absorbed into your blood stream to the brain and the rest of the body, and only lasts about an hour. That’s why you crave another cigarette in within two hours of smoking your last cigarette.
How does Nicotine affect your body?
Nicotine causes a release of adrenaline (you know, that “fight-or-flight” hormone). It also causes people to be slightly hyperglycemic, or having more sugar than normal in your blood. This is why smoking curbs your appetite. Nicotine is no good for your body. It also increases your LDL (or “bad”) cholesterol, which clogs up your arteries.
In your brain, neurons are the cells that send and receive information. The communication between the neurons is mediated by chemical neurotransmitters. These neurotransmitters create physiological changes in the neuron by binding to certain protein receptors. The neuron then sends a signal down the line. Nicotine works by attaching to certain receptors that bind to the neurotransmitter acetylcholine. This very important neurotransmitter that delivers messages to your muscles, oversees the flow of information in your brain, has a role in learning and memory, and controls the basic functions of your body, like energy level and how your breathe.
This stimulation leads to an increase in the level of acetylcholine released (makes you feel like you can work better and pay better attention); stimulation of cholinergic neurons, which promotes the release of dopamine in the reward pathways of your brain (This is what makes you feel like you are at peace and happy when you smoke), and releases glutamate, a transmitter involved in learning and memory (nicotine creates a memory loop of the good feels which increases your desire to smoke). Smoking also causes more endorphins to be released in your brain, which are natural pain-killers.
No wonder you like to smoke, huh?
But, nicotine causes Alzheimer’s Disease, Tourette’s Syndrome, Stroke, Heart disease, Many kinds of cancer, and other respiratory diseases.
Is it all really worth it?
No, it’s really not. Not worth it to me, at least.
I am VERY stressed out at the thought of quitting smoking. But hell, why wouldn’t I be? It’s as if I am ending an eleven-year, unrequited love affair. It’s scary, stressful, and yet relieving at the same time.
Now, you might be like me, I don’t know. But, I’m a SMOKER. A real, heavy-duty pack-to-two-pack a day smoker. I smoke in the morning, every car ride, in my house, after every meal, sometime DURING meals, drinking my morning coffee, doing my morning crossword puzzle, drinking beer at a bar, relieving anxiety, when I felt depressed, when I’m nervous, when I couldn’t think of anything better to do, WHILE I tried to exercise (not a good idea…), when I was happy, rewarding myself…you name it! In my twisted mind, cigarettes have become my best friend for every season and reason.
But really…
Smoking is SO utterly STUPID. Really, it REALLY is. People only smoke to feel normal again. People only smoke to feel like a non-smoker! People who do not smoke, DON’T feel cravings and “needing” to have a cigarette. Smoking a cigarette is simply staving off your withdrawal from nicotine. It’s just like smashing your head against the wall just to feel what it’s like to heal up, and then smash it in the wall again. A vicious cycle. It’s all so simple if you educate yourself. I, however, always DENIED the negative aspects. I’ve been in denial for a long time.
So, I have DECIDED to quit for many reasons. I am not ready, but who is ever really ready? This is an addiction to a drug. And if YOU want to quit smoking too, you need to realize this, and take control over your life! Even though I will be quitting, I will still have good memories of smoking. Check out this video…
Regardless of the good memories, I am going to feel SO utterly FREE when I am done smoking. When I have my very last cigarette. I will finally feel in complete control over myself and my life.
So, have been building a kit for a couple months. It’s all in a tote bag that I plan on taking EVERYWHERE with me when March 21st comes along. I think it weighs about thirty pounds already, and I’m not even done filling it! I really think that this goodie bag will be my saving grace.
It contains:
Plenty of gum
A variety of lollipops and hard candies
A folder of information and tips on quitting smoking that I’ve collected from magazines, newspapers, and the internet.
Four wonderful books: “The Little Book of Quitting” by Allen Carr, “Teach Yourself: Stop Smoking” by Matthew Aldrich, “Simple Acts of Moving Forward” by Vinita Hampton Wright (A little book about getting unstuck, and “Out of The Ashes: Help For People Who Have Stopped Smoking” by Peter and Peggy Holmes (A book to help you STAY a non-smoker).
A notebook to jot down my thoughts, especially when I have cravings.
Homeopathic Calm Drops (For the stressful moments)
Toothpicks
And a wonderful tincture my good friend Jess made for me. It contains Blackberry (for power and decisive action), California Poppy (for strong interior alignment for choices and decisions), Lavender (for spiritual sensitivity, bodily awareness, and stress relief), Media (for discipline and focus), and Milkweed (for independence from addictions).
I have also decided to use the nicotine patch to help me quit. I’m going to do the three levels of nicotine, each for two weeks time. But hopefully I’ll need less time
Welcome! As you may have noticed, this blog is about getting rid of the nasty and all too common habit of smoking.
I’m D, and since this post is my first on this blog, I will tell you a little bit about my history and little fiery demon…
I’m twenty-four years old, and have been heavily smoking for eleven years. That’s right, ELEVEN YEARS. I began at age thirteen, strangely enough at my first keg party. My friend brought me into the bathroom and lit one up for me, telling me how to inhale. She said that it would make my “buzz” better. After that evening, I immediately had an aversion to Bud light and Marlboro Reds. Ugh.
Unfortunately, that didn’t stop me from continuing the habit. I REALLY hate to admit it to myself, but one of the main reasons I started smoking, was to appear “cool”. Sad, huh? Yet all too common. I had a couple neighborhood friends who were a few years older than me, and smoked. They appeared so much older and sophisticated with a cigarette hanging in between their fingers. They looked chic and sexy. Everything you want to appear to be as a teenager.
I smoked at the bus stop in the mornings and afternoons because the “cool” kids did. I wanted to seem like a glamorous rebel. Unfortunately, that is how the media portrayed smoking when I was young. In magazines I would see plenty of ads with beautiful women smoking cigarettes, and hell, who DIDN’T want to be just like them? I grew up in the late 80′s and early 90′s, and smoking really WAS cool. EVERYONE did it, who was ANYONE.
Then….I got hooked. I don’t know when the precise time it happened. But I spent plenty of time sneaking into the woods behind my house to have a smoke with my neighborhood friends after school. I would arm myself with perfume and breath mints, and climb up the trees and smoke the afternoons away.
It’s really sad. But hey, I got swindled into believing that I was invincible, just like all kids think. I didn’t think I would get addicted. I didn’t think I’d smoke forever. But I’m also a self-destructive person, and I’ve chain-smoked my life away for eleven years.
And suddenly, I’m twenty-four, and I am DONE. I’m Quitting smoking on March 21st, 2009. That is ten days away. And I am making this blog to talk about everything I have and will be going through. Hopefully I will not only help myself, but help YOU.
