Breaking Free from Smoking: Days 2 and 3
So far so good... I have been smoke-free for the last 3 days and have been able to stick to my plans.
The weird thing is, I am not yet encountering any of the withdrawal effects that I feared and anticipated, and I think that I may never encounter them at all.
I did not suffer from constipation or migraine, which I had the first few times I attempted to quit smoking. Those were major concerns for me when I planned this. When I finished my contract for a project just last week, I chose not to accept a new one just to give way to this. I delayed this plan when I had multiple jobs and was working for 17 hours a day in fear that it would affect my jobs.
Well, I am not complaining... I just feel bad that I didnt start this a long time ago.
Also, no smoker's cough yet. I know that this would come anytime soon and since day 1, I have prepared for this by taking a lot of vitamin C (tablets and a lot of fruit juices). I hope that I would be able to get rid of 20-year-build-up of tar and toxins 
Since the first day, I also increased my gym-time. I am trying to go there everyday now and increased my cardio workout from my usual 20 minutes to 30 minutes. This is out of fear of gaining weight when I quit smoking (that's what I read 
).
I also am not consuming as much nicotine gum as prescribed. According to the directions, we would normally consume around 9 gums a day. I am only using it when I get the urge to smoke.. and so far, for the last 3 days, I only used 6. If I would be successful with this, I would gladly donate the remaining gums to whoever is interested and would want to stop smoking also.
Aside from feeling good that:
- I have saved Php 120 for the past 3 days (Php 40 per pack of cigarettes)
- I am starting to prove to myself that I am noone's slave (slave of my addiction, marlboro or winston, etc)
- there is still hope for me to cleanse and take care of myself
I am now able to smell myself without the awful cigarette smell. 
I can now now maintain the minty flavor of my toothpaste for hours, and the body spray I use now lasts much longer. I really feel good so far.. I hope I can maintain this.
Breaking Free from Smoking: DAY 1
Today is supposed to be the big day for me to stop smoking. Although I still smoked a few sticks, I would still consider this day (this day only) a success.
My biggest mistake today was not throwing away all my remaining cigarettes. I was doing well from the time I got up from bed until lunchtime, and then I had the urge to smoke. I tried to get my nicotine gum from my pocket then realized that I still had 2 sticks with me which I forgot to dispose of. (Funny, right?)
That was it... it was too much temptation and I couldn't resist it. After the two sticks, I couldn't stop myself from buying a half-pack thinking that I would move my quit-date to the next day instead.
Five sticks after, I reviewed my plans and gathered all the strength to throw away all my cigarettes and lighters.
This is a problem, it is very difficult to stop at the middle of the day as I could still taste the flavor it would really drive me nuts. I decided to take a nap so I could restart my day (I am on night shift) and got up at 6PM.
Since 6PM, and its been eight hours.. I am still smoke-free.
Breaking Free from Smoking: Planning
For more than 20 years now, I have been smoking.
I have previously made attempts to stop but all to no avail. I tried around 5 times already and the best I did, I think, lasted only 2 weeks. I don't know how this attempt now would be different, or if it would be successful at all. Nevertheless, I would like to try again.
According to this blog, there are 2 ways to stop smoking - the "cold turkey" approach and the method of gradual withdrawal. The "cold turkey" approach can be recommended for those whose nicotine addiction is relatively weak (less than 1 pack a day). Gradual withdrawal is for people who consume more than 1 pack a day.
I am going for the "cold turkey" approach which means that I would stop abruptly and (try) not take another puff anymore. (Also) I guess that my addiction is relatively weak after all. There was a period (college days) when I consumed around 2 packs a day but now, and (I think) since I started working, I only consume around 1 pack a day.
This, like all my previous attempts would be a very very difficult process.
There were times, during my previous attempts, that I woke up sweating heavily and almost shaking, looking for a cigarette. One time, I was at the province and the urge was so intense that I had to drive to the nearest city (20 minute drive from our town with no traffic) just to get a puff.
Moreover, during all my previous attempts, I suffered from smoker's cough, constipation and migraines.
Anticipating all these withdrawal symptoms, I have to be prepared.
I decided to schedule the BIG DAY (quit date) on Monday. Last Saturday, the Nicotine Gum I ordered was delivered. A box of 170 pieces of this gum (good for 12 weeks) costs $32 or around PHP 1,500. This should help me against the urges of smoking and hopefully a new habit of chewing gum would replace holding and puffing a cigarette.
Yesterday, Sunday, grocery day, I made sure that we have enough supply of our favorite calamansi concentrate as it works all the time for my cough and cold. I also made sure that we have stocks of
- Mefenamic Acids or Aspirins for possible migraines
- Attapulgite to Loperamide for possible constipations
Finally, I would like to be reminded of my reasons and fears -- why I want to stop smoking in the first place. I would like to place them here so I can review them anytime. I hope they could help me stay focused on my goals.