Day one

Today is the day I have given up smoking. I caved and had one this morning when I woke up, after my morning shower I put the patch straight on. At work for the morning was relatively pain free, as I was walking home I noticed my limbs became incredibly heavy. It’s strange no one who has tried to quit has reported this. However the pharmacist said if the nicotine replacement I’m on was too high this could happen.

It’s only the first day, and I’ll tell you what, you wouldn’t believe how much of a habit it is to just smoke a cigarette. I’m noticing just how much I keep going to do it without even thinking, and having to stop myself. Luckily there’s no implements around for straight cut nor rolled cigarettes so there is nothing to reach for.

The main thing that strikes me is how much more this seems to be affecting me than when I gave up cannabis, physically especially. My brain feels clouded over to the point I can’t really think and I’ve had an array of aches and pain through out my body, including a tight chest, pangs in my shoulders and arms, although I suspect this is the nicotine patch and pain in my lower back when I don’t usually suffer from these.

I haven’t been as irritable as I thought, however I’m struggling with conversation due to my fuzzy brain and everything is ten times louder. Writing about it is certainly relieving tension and I’m steering clear of too much interaction just for the first day as I don’t really know what to expect. I’ve smoked my entire adult life and most of my teens, so really this is all I’ve known.

I’m determined to see this through though. I mean people give up smoking every day and I don’t think people realise just how physically addictive this is. I feel positive about this though and I’m going to take it a day at a time, and try not to fill my cravings with other things.

Day one

I’ve recently decided after more than two decades of smoking it’s time for me to quit. I know there are probably many blogs out there covering this subject but hey ho, I’ll throw in my two cents anyway.

Today is the first step. Once I’m showered and dressed I’m off to the local pharmacy to enquire about my options and to get some one on one support. I know many people who have quit and tried to quit on my own, I’m one for using the help that’s available because if I’m doing this, I want to do it properly.

It’s been on the back of my mind that this has to happen for a good few years, I’ve put it off and put it off having now reached the conclusion you can’t put things off forever and there’s no time like the present.

I’ve mixed feelings about it, I’m just trying to not over think, over analyse it and just do it so I don’t fall at my own first set hurdle. I have a tendency to screw my own plans up purely through self doubt so I am taking measures to not allow this to ruin the first step in making changes towards my own attitude surrounding my health.

I have several reasons, a mix of being sick of coughing like a 70 year old, smelling like an ashtray, having yellow fingers and fighting the ever losing battle of nicotine stained teeth. Plus I suffer from anxiety and I’m sure being so dependent on a legal habit is doing me no good on that front.

Here I’ll record my progress as honestly as I can not only for me to look back over but to provide an honest realistic record for all those who want to quit smoking but like me are taken down by there own first hurdles.

I know I can do it, and I know you can too.

Any tips from those who make their way to this blog would be appreciated, there are many smokers and ex-smokers out there, so feel free to contribute your own tales, tips and hints for myself and anyone who will hopefully find this blog useful.

Let’s do this!