13.12.10
quit smoking
I have decided that I am going to quit smoking! I need to do this, it has been way too long and I can see how badly it is affecting my health. I realized the other day that I don't even smoke now because I am craving a cigarette but it is more just out of habit. It is going to be really hard to quit cold turkey, so I decided to slowly just stop smoking as much and my goal is to be completely smoke free by my 21st birthday on February 16th. My first goal is to make one pack last me 3 or 4 days, when usually I smoke a pack a day. This will not just help my health but also my wallet. I figured out that I spend almost 60 bucks a week on cigarettes, and that money could go to so many other things. I am going to be recording my status on here as an outlet to help get me through it. I'm nervous about the whole thing, but I am also excited to push myself to really quit for good. I want this so bad that I don't have a choice but to follow through. :)
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
As someone who has been nicotine free for awhile, let me offer some unsolicited advice...cutting down doesn't work, although patches work for some people. The best way to do it -- and loads of studies will back me on this -- is cold turkey.
ReplyDeleteYou remain physically addicted for the first 72 hours after you quit, and that part sucks. Any cravings after that are your mind. It's not to dismiss the power of mental addicition, but it will be easier if you can go 72 hours without a nicotine fix.
The other thing to keep in mind is once you are nicotine free, if you reintroduce nicotine to your system you are immediately as addicted as you were when you were smoking regularly. So that one drag you have off a friends cigarette is a bigger deal than you think.
Along those lines, cutting down caffeine and alcohol consumption, at least initially, will help you manage those cravings.
Good luck -- it WILL suck, but not as bad as cancer and it does get easier the longer you stick with it.