Week 1 and Other Things

Well here we are, 1 week after my decision to quit smoking and I have done damn well if I do say so myself. My health is improving at an incredible rate and nicotine cravings are near non-existent. It is really a great feeling. My success aside, I did slip up on Friday night and had one cigarette at a party. For some reason this is absolutely the hardest time for me to stick to my goals. I imagine it has something to do with impaired judgement but at the same time, if I realize how bad it is for me sober, why after a few drinks does it sound like such a good idea. Smoking does nothing positive for me when I'm not drinking. Why should a few beers make smoking a good idea? It's a problem. If anyone has any suggestions about how to better deal with this problem, I'd love to hear them. Unless it's don't drink. I should not have to avoid situations in which I smoked in the past to beat this thing.

Ok, so, smoking update, check. Now, on to the rest of my life. Friday afternoon in my design class, we had to present our progress on our group projects. I'm not sure if I've mentioned it before but we're building a stair climbing machine. My group has done fairly well. We have solid drawings of the whole project, most of our materials on hand and we actually got our frame welded this week. Our teacher was really impressed with the progress we have made and I'm excited to continue on with the project. We are expecting to have it running the week before Thanksgiving.

I had an interesting experience Saturday night. I had borrowed my grandpa's truck to finish up some yard work, when I dropped the truck back off to him I stopped to chat for a while. It ended up being a rather lengthy conversation that was much more pleasant than some conversations with my grandparents have been. We just chatted about life, it was nice. I got the latest health updates from both of them which, while not great, was also not terrible. My grandma has found another incompetent, rude doctor that she will not be visiting again, and my grandpa's vision has been slowly improving. For the benefit of those who don't know, my grandfather has macular degeneration, which is a hereditary condition that destroys your eyes as you get older. He was diagnosed when I was about 8 and we were told that he would likely be blind within 10 years. The fact that his eyesight is actually improving is incredible. Granted, it's definitely not 20/20, he was telling me how exciting it was that for the last few weeks he had been able to see well enough to put his heart pill into a pill cutter and cut it himself. We spent some time talking about that and what I should be doing to give myself a leg up in case I get it as well. He also spent some time telling me about his father which was pretty cool. As I was leaving, my grandpa stood by the door and waited until I drove off so he could wave me off. It made me think of when I was younger. This was the norm any time we were leaving their house after a party. My dad would be driving off and he would turn the dome lights of the van on so that my grandparents could see us waving back. After I left my grandparents house I had to run to my parents house to return some tools I had borrowed. We chatted for probably around 30 minutes before I decided to head out. The thing that really struck me as odd then is that as I pulled out of my parents driveway they stood in the doorway, waving as I left. Holy full circle Batman! It hit me then that I actually am an adult. It's weird that this was the thing that really drove it home. The whole moving out, paying bills, taking care of myself thing didn't do it. It was a wave from my parents. Weird right?

Last night I made curry again. This was my second time and I think that I'm improving. The recipe I used is really great. It's one of the simplest Indian recipes I've been able to find. I found the recipe on allrecipes.com. It's called Spicy Chicken Curry, if you're interested, go check it out. I found that it turns out much better to use coconut milk instead of the two cups of water that it calls for. Anyways, the problem I'm having with this recipe is the peppers. The first time I made this I used two jalapenos instead of the chiles it calls for because I couldn't find chiles at the store I went to. I think this turned out pretty good. It was just the right amount of hot but I thought that the jalapenos added a little bit of a Mexican flavor. This time, I did a little advanced planning and went to El Rancho Market thinking that would be my best chance to find the right peppers. I ended up with four yellow chiles. This turned out pretty good but it wasn't nearly as hot as the jalapenos and the flavor of the peppers was a little overwhelming which might be okay if I liked peppers. Long story short, I'm now on a mission to find the right peppers for this recipe. If anyone knows of a Thai or Indian food market here in SLC where I could find some Indian chiles I would be eternally grateful. :) 

Verified Sources

Check it out. I found the list I posted about yesterday with LEGIT sources! Cool right? Here it is.

• 20 minutes after quitting: Your heart rate and blood pressure drops.(Mahmud A, Feely J. Effect of Smoking on Arterial Stiffness and Pulse Pressure Amplification. Hypertension. 2003;41:183.)
• 12 hours after quitting: The carbon monoxide level in your blood drops to normal.(U.S. Surgeon General’s Report, 1988, p. 202)
• 2 weeks to 3 months after quitting: Your circulation improves and your lung function increases.(U.S. Surgeon General’s Report, 1990, pp. 193, 194, 196, 285, 323)
• 1 to 9 months after quitting: Coughing and shortness of breath decrease; cilia (tiny hair-like structures that move mucus out of the lungs) regain normal function in the lungs, increasing the ability to handle mucus, clean the lungs, and reduce the risk of infection.(U.S. Surgeon General’s Report, 1990, pp. 285-287, 304)
• 1 year after quitting: The excess risk of coronary heart disease is half that of a smoker’s.(U.S. Surgeon General’s Report, 1990, p. vi)
• 5 years after quitting: Your stroke risk is reduced to that of a non-smoker 5 to 15 years after quitting.(U.S. Surgeon General’s Report, 1990, p. vi)
• 10 years after quitting: The lung cancer death rate is about half that of a person who continues smoking. The risk of cancer of the mouth, throat, esophagus, bladder, cervix, and pancreas decrease, too.(U.S. Surgeon General’s Report, 1990, pp. vi, 131, 148, 152, 155, 164, 166)
• 15 years after quitting: The risk of coronary heart disease is the same as a non-smoker’s.(U.S. Surgeon General’s Report, 1990, p. vi)

Immediate rewards of quitting

• Kicking the tobacco habit offers some benefits that you’ll notice right away and some that will develop over time. These rewards can improve your day-to-day life a great deal:
• your breath smells better
• stained teeth get whiter
• bad smelling clothes and hair go away
• your yellow fingers and fingernails disappear
• food tastes better
• your sense of smell returns to normal
• everyday activities no longer leave you out of breath (such as climbing stairs or light housework)

This excerpt was taken from an article provided by American Cancer Society, you may read the full article following this link Guide to Quitting Smoking

Benefits of Quitting

So my little sister sent me this link from Stumbleupon (awesome service by the way).It explains what happens to your body right away when you quit smoking. I found a few things about this interesting. First of all, I'm curious about his sources. This guy does not site a single thing. Not one! Come on, you could at least say, "I heard this from a buddy of mine at the bar. He was 12 drinks into the night and nearing comatose." At least then I'd have some kind of gauge as to it's accuracy. Ok, moving on. Let's pick this list apart.

* In 20 minutes your blood pressure will drop back down to normal.

As you might expect, I really don't have any way to verify this as I don't regularly check my blood pressure. However, I did notice while working out yesterday that my heart rate was noticeably lower than it had been in the preceding few months. That is definitely encouraging. This also brings up a rather interesting point about the state of your body while you are still smoking. Most people I know go at least 20 minutes between cigarettes while they are smoking, at least during weekdays anyways. Smokers are a little bit more likely to be chain smokers on the weekend but for most working people there are 2 hours between smoke breaks during the day. That means that if this point is true, a smoker’s blood pressure is on a roller coaster ride all day long. That can't be good for your heart (not like smoking was particularly nice for it in the first place.)

* 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 to a normal level.


I thought this was an interesting claim. 48 hours seems like a very short amount of time to be able to determine if a risk of heart attack has decreased. How in the world could anybody possibly study that. You would have to have an insanely large study group, filled with smokers, non smokers, and people who had just quit that day. Of course after that it's easy. Just monitor them all for 2 days and count how many of them have heart attacks. Say what?! Come on. No way. As far as nicotine leaving your body; I'm very curious to know what the actual facts behind that are. I've heard claims about that anywhere from a day and a half to a month after you quit. It seems like that could be dependent on how much you smoke. If anyone has any verified facts on that one, I would be very interested in seeing them. The taste thing is really hard to gauge as well. The night I quit I ate KFC, not exactly a flavor explosion, and the night after I made spicy Indian curry. I can definitely say that I tasted more of the curry than I did the KFC. That's probably not a very good comparison though...


* In 72 hours your bronchial tubes will relax, and your energy levels will increase.

I'm going to disagree with this one as well. My energy levels have already increased. Granted, I am now at the 72 hour mark but, I was feeling more energetic before now. I suppose that could have been in my head but does it really matter? If I feel like I have more energy, it amounts to the same thing as having more energy so who cares? I'm not entirely certain what is entailed by "your bronchial tubes will relax" but my throat is, again, feeling better this morning. I've also been coughing a lot of garbage out of my lungs. That's not really a new thing but it's nice to know that I'm no longer filling them up and once it all gets expelled they're going to STAY clean.

* In 2 weeks your circulation will increase, and it will continue to improve for the next 10 weeks.

I don't really have anything clever on this one. I wouldn't mind finding out about that one. Is there a way I can monitor my circulation?

* In three to nine months coughs, wheezing and breathing problems will dissipate as your lung capacity improves by 10%.

Well, the wheezing is gone already. The wheeze was only an occasional thing for me though; usually right after a cigarette or maybe the day after a particularly heavy night of smoking. In terms of coughing and other breathing problems I think that this is also a fairly conservative estimate. It may take that long if you've been a chain smoker for several years but I think most people in my situation who have been at a pack a day for maybe only a few years, you'll start to see these changes a lot sooner.

The remainder of these I'm not even going to touch. The ten years for normal cancer odds thing I've heard before. That's one of the really common ones that they tend to throw at smokers to scare them into quitting. My nit-picking aside, I think this is a really encouraging little list. A lot of these numbers may be based off of something closer to a "worst case scenario" and for most people they are going to be a pretty generous estimate. That's kind of a cool thought though. Take a look at the list, "Hey, this is as long as it's going to take for me to notice this benefit." I think it's pretty cool. And you have it from an ex-smoker that while the numbers may not be 100% accurate, you WILL notice these benefits and more.

24 Hours

In an effort to keep me pumped about this whole not smoking thing, I'm going to post about my progress. Once again, this is really more for me but if anyone else may benefit from reading it, awesome.
In a mere 24 hours I am once again amazed at how quickly things are changing for me. Each time I have attempted to quit I have been astounded at how quickly my body can bounce back from the punishment I've been forcing on it. I woke up this morning feeling incredible. Sure, I was tired but it wasn't the usual pathetic, groggy, hour long waking process that I've become accustomed to. I woke up quickly and easily and soon was going about my day. The feeling was incredible. Also, a huge plus, my throat didn't hurt. That's the first time in several months that has happened. I didn't wake up immediately needing something to drink to soothe my burnt, scared, broken throat. THAT is a wonderful feeling. I can't wait for things to continue to improve as my body works out all the poisons I have put in to it.

Freeeedom!!

As many of you know, April marked a great success in my life; I quit smoking. I chose to use Allen Carr’s EASYWAY method and my success was incredible. The feeling of courage and power over my life was unmatched. I was healthier, happier and far better equipped to deal with everyday stress in my life. Unfortunately and to my own shame, over the last few months I have once again been struggling with the nicotine trap. Many of you knew this, many more did not, and I’m certain that many of you knew but, with the best intentions, kindly kept your mouth shut. Worst of all I worked very hard to keep the truth of my shortcomings from many of the people who mean the most to me. It seems strange to me now and through the entire time I had fallen back into the subtle trap of the cigarette how, after several months of pure elation at being an ex-smoker, I was able to fall so easily back into my old destructive habits. I would like to stress that it was not the fault of the method. Reading “The Easy Way to Quit Smoking” is easily one of the best decisions I have made in my life. Reading it a second time as I once again struggled with cigarettes was again a great choice and my best shot at overcoming this particular demon. The downfall of my attempt in April was my blatant disregard for some of the instructions of the method. I made the mistake of loaning the book to somebody who also needed the instruction it contains. This meant that when I needed it most, I did not have it available to turn to as a reference and a reminder of the filth I had left behind. The second instruction I failed to follow is that I kept cigarettes in my house. I tricked myself into thinking that this would not be a problem as I knew that I had escaped the trap and I would not need another cigarette. On the evening I smoked my last cigarette, I decided that I would seal the pack, mark it with the date of my last filthy cigarette, and keep it as a reminder of what I had overcome. Unfortunately, what I truly had done was ensure that in my weakest moment, I had cigarettes available to make my failure easily accessible. 

I have moved past these mistakes and others that lead me back down the path of nicotine addiction. Having gone for months at a time as a non-smoker, nobody is more aware than myself of the incredible benefits of not smoking and the hideous drawbacks of the filth. I have re-read the book and am once again committed to a successful escape from the nicotine trap. This morning, I proudly smoked and extinguished my last cigarette. It has been less than an hour since that moment and I am beyond excited to already feel the filth of smoking leaving my body. In a few short weeks I will be completely recovered from my recent struggles and ready to move on with the remainder of my long, healthy, non-smoking life. I am beyond excited to be free of the control of nicotine. Each day as more and more of the drug leaves my body I will battle each craving with the glorious realization that I no longer need to poison myself. 

Please do not mistake this post as a cry for attention. It is more for my benefit then that of anyone else. I am posting this so that I have a record of my thoughts and feelings somewhere easily accessible to me. I am not looking for attention, pity, or congratulations from anyone. If you choose to comment on this post, please make it positive. Do not belittle me for my mistakes. They are mine and no one could possibly realize fully the negative impact they have had on my life. I realize that no one is as sarcastic as I am and many of my good friends share a love of teasing each other. I beg you to not take that attitude now. I do not need negative reinforcement. In the coming weeks and months, please feel free to ask me about my success. I will be excited to tell you how wonderful it feels to again escape slavery from cigarettes and how elated I am to know that I have quit for the last time. To my smoking friends, if you are interested in quitting. I would highly recommend the EASYWAY method. As I mentioned before, my struggle of again falling into the nicotine trap was not any fault of the method. The fault is my own. If you are interested in reading it, I would strongly encourage you to do so. Although I feel it would be dangerous for me to once again loan my copy of the book out, I will gladly buy a copy for you. 

Thank you to everyone for your support through my struggles and my shortcomings in this effort. Please realize with me that every failure is one step closer to success. I am excited to be tackling this beast with every expectation to defeat it; this time for the last time.  

Blog Change

So this is pretty cool that you can back date blogs.....
Anywho.... I'm moving. Any of you who may have read my short lived blog on Tumblr know that my posts are pretty few and far between but, I'm hoping to blog a little bit more and I thought that moving somewhere that I can integrate with my Google+ profile might make it a little easier. So, as of this week, my blog is now here. :)