Topic awaiting preservation: One Year, Three Cigs Later

Since I quit smoking, I have smoked 3 cigs. The first and the third were like nothing, but the second one really hurt.

I needed some information from a guy. So I bummed a smoke while he was on break and let him chat me up. He told me what I needed to know and then some. Very mild case of social engineering.

After that, I was screwed for about two weeks. I would say to myself, "I handled that one just fine and I'm sure I can handle another two or three cigs." I kept rationalizing like that and it did hurt just a tad. Other than this little episode, been just fine.

I still have on-and-off relations with coffee. Currently off with no headache at all. Since I quit coffee last year, I haven't been more than a single pot a day. Back then, two pots plus a little supplement was the norm. But now I'm off.

But soda pop and sugar is another story. Not so much soda pop as sugar. Without sugar, I get absolutely ravenous and eat and eat until I get a sugar fix. Slowly I am fading out refined sugar, but I'm not sure how faded out I will be able to get it. I need to get into the habit of high fructose fruits, I suppose.

Heh.

WebShaman! Your foos is no match for my barstool marudai!! I will defeat you!
Yeah, my barstool marudai and rope making ways do help keep me busy.
My barstool to your foos, WS.

Ahhh... one of those random times. Mixing thoughts, threads, and what-not.

My barstool is currently loaded with 8 strands of super hemp string from Hemp Basics (.com). This is super awesome rope. Feels and looks like braided, but has friction knot advantages. Best of both worlds.

But the thing that really gets me is patterns and pattern recognition. Braiding is pattern-licious.

One of the reasons why I adore doing braids on my barstool marudai is that it keeps parts of my brain busy. But once in a great while something goes wrong. Mainly, weights on the bobbins get frisky and things move around. Then I sit and stare at it - and I mean sit and stare at it. After a bit, a part of my brain has figured it out, moves my hands to fix it, and all it well again.

I adore trying to find patterns on a conscious level, but sometimes I have to let my sub-conscious do it.

Girlie #1 has also exibited such behavior. She doesn't know it, though - that she does it or that I've noticed.

Patterns, man, patterns. Vectors, even.
Heh.

Love reading the posts from you, WJ!

Gonna be a bit hard to do the Rope vs Foos, so we will skip it!

Keep up the non-smoking, it takes around 10 years for all the harmful effects to be repaired by your body. I am still smoke free, thank the noodly appendaged one!

Hmmm...have you tried switching to tea to replace coffee?

WebShaman | The keenest sorrow (and greatest truth) is to recognize ourselves as the sole cause of all our adversities.
- Sophocles

Good stuff! In addition to feeling a lot better (well hopefully) you've saved a lot of money which I'm sure has been spent on fine gifts for your girlies.

I confess to a bit of concern about the sugar/eating and "I get absolutely ravenous." You might want to get yourself checked for type 2 diabetes. Those words could easily have come out of my yap just a few years ago...especially "I get absolutely ravenous."

After eating a decent meal 15 minutes later I'd have both hands in a HUGE bowl of popcorn. Didn't matter what I ate....when I ate it. I had gut wrenching hunger pains for most of my waking hours.

Finally after a bit of searching I found that 'false' hunger pains can be symptomatic of diabetes. Sure enough! Type 2 it is. I'm now on meds which help considerably but you still have to watch what you eat.
I don't want to sound alarmist but it just sounds all too familiar.

As for smoking... I'm just now completing my 4th year sans nicotine.

NJ


Get yourself checked.

___________________________________________________________________________
"It's not the pale moon that excites me.... It's the nearness of you."

Way to go NoJive!

Nice post.

WebShaman | The keenest sorrow (and greatest truth) is to recognize ourselves as the sole cause of all our adversities.
- Sophocles

Been a little side-tracked dealing with someone else's data structure. Ugh! Plus the logic bomb deeply implanted due to said data structure. Double ugh!!

The hunger and sugar thing not as dramatic as I made it sound. Sometimes I get to typing and things just fly out. In this particular case, an incident involving Halloween candy still fresh in my head. Escewed my wording quite a bit.

My hunger happens on my days off, mainly the first day off. When we had Girlie #1, I got into the habit of eating when I could. This now translates into my days off.

One thing that makes my hunger worse is when I ignore my cravings. A few days ago I was craving cucumber. I ate some cucumber and I was dandy. One day, many years ago, I was mad craving tomato for three days. When I finally fed my tomato craving, I got tunnel vision, major euphoria, and almost fell down I was so into it. Past few days been cauliflower and chicken noodle soup.

Feed it and be all good.

I also get mad crazy thirsty at times. There have been times when I couldn't get enough soda. Turns out all I needed to do is drink water.

You know, when I drink water, I get less thirsty. Go figure.

Heh.
LOL

Oh, and definitely what Web said about your post, NJ.
Seconded on the good stuff!

(Edited by warjournal on 11-17-2010 06:31)

Shine on you crazy diamonds.
I've slipped a bit and find myself tempted by the occasional cigar a couple of times a week, usually while drinking a smidgeon of real ale or a glass of Pinot Grigio.
I know it's still not The Way but...
I'm sailing through a tempestuous sea at the moment and sometimes it seems to help. Even typing it I realise it is a pathetic excuse and I plan to change but...y'know.

well the problem with me is that once i think about quitting and then there is always somebody around smoking so what i would like to ask war journal is how did you not find it tempting to smoke again once he had those 3 cigs.

Mr. What, I live with a smoker. Right now, within four feet from where I am sitting, there are smoking supplies. They have been there and available since I quit. And I am constantly dealing with second-hand smoke. As crazy as this sounds, this was never a problem.

The first problem that I had was the habit itself. For example, smoking after a meal. Instead of smoking after a meal, I would get up and do something else instead of sitting there being all obsessed. Instead of sitting at my computer where I smoked almost exclusively, I would get up and fold laundry and do other chores. I would take myself out of the situation and occupy myself with something else. Distract myself.

I most definitely noticed smoking a great deal more in movies and on TV. There have been times when I could smell the second-hand smoke from a movie. If I got to be a problem, do something else.

The big trick in general is finding your resolve. If your desire to quit smoking is greater than your desire to smoke, then you will quit. You have to be resolved to quitting.

Everybody has his or her line and it is a matter of crossing it.

I crossed mine and it was no big deal smoking three cigs in a year. One cig in particular did give me some woes, but I over-came it no worries.


Resolve.

It always helps me, in times of "oh, man, I would love to have a puff!" moments, to think back on those hideous three days when I quit...

And that basically resolves that.

Ain't EVER going back! *shudder*

WebShaman | The keenest sorrow (and greatest truth) is to recognize ourselves as the sole cause of all our adversities.
- Sophocles

To give up smoking is not an easy stuff for a smoker.
In the early days, you can find anything else to distract you from smoking, such as drinking some coffee.