A recipe of blurbs by a hungry dad-filled with sarcasm, truth, and a dash of that rare ingredient, common sense.

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

The Day I Quit Smoking

Well I used to smoke. Yes I said I used to smoke. Last Wednesday November 23rd I quit smoking. Well it was actually late last Tuesday night that I quit, but who is counting right. It has been one whole week ago today since I have had a cigarette. And I feel GREAT. Scratch that, I feel FUCKING GREAT!!!!!!!!!

So since I am in such an awesome mood over this achievement I have decided to tell you the story of one of the greatest days in my life.

I started my ten day break from work on Friday November 17th and I had long ago decided that sometime during my ten days off that I needed to quit smoking. I told all of my family and friends to ignore the Asshole that I was sure to become while trying give up smoking.

So on Tuesday night November 22nd after going to church for the annual Thanksgiving feast, I smoked my last cigarette and went to bed around 2-3am. Prior to going to bed I prayed for some strength (to quit and help me), and then I passed out.

I woke up Wednesday morning to sunshine coming through my window. I got up, took a shower, ate some breakfast, and watched a little tv. I did not have an urge to smoke. Not one urge. Even when I went outside for the first time, I had no urge.

After some time I had to leave the house to run to my bank to get a new debit card as my kids had lost my card somewhere in my house. I drove to the bank and had no problems at all. When I got to the bank I noticed this old man standing outside the bank smoking and I just walked right past him. I even thought that the smell was nasty. So after getting my new card, I drove home from the bank and had no urge to smoke. I kept wondering when I was going to break down and want to smoke.

While I was on the way home I noticed how beautiful it truly was outside. There was not a cloud in the sky and it was about 65 degrees outside, we have not had a day like this in a long time here. On my ride home I suddenly decided that I wanted to spend the whole day outside.

When I got home from the bank, I got the entire box of car washing supplies I needed from the shed and I completely washed my car. I took a good two to three hours to completely wash and clean both the inside and outside of my car just to make sure I got the smoke smell out of the car. And after all of that time I did not have an urge to have a smoke. And I was still wondering when I would have the urge to smoke, the cold sweats, and the headaches from the lack of smoking but they never came.

After washing the car I ate a little snack and lounged around outside just enjoying the sunshine. And I did not have an urge. I kept waiting to have an urge to smoke, but said urge never came.

As it started to get dark outside, for some strange reason I shall never know we lost our electricity at home. So I decided to go for a walk with my daughter. We walked together for two miles just talking about life and everything under the sun. She even said as a reward for giving up smoking that I should eat my favorite food that night. So I ordered pizza when we got home from our walk. And I still did not have an urge to smoke.

When we were done with my walk, I noticed how beautiful the sunset was this night. There were tons of different shades of pink, light orange, red, and yellow in the sky. It was just beyond description and had I had my camera nearby I would have taken a picture of it. This was the type of sunset that inspire people.

My daughter and I then went to pick up the pizza from Pizza Hut (they had the best deal that day). When we got there my pizza was not ready yet so we had to sit down inside and wait. Now normally before last week this would have been when I would have gone outside to smoke, but that night I did not even have the urge to. I just sat inside and talked to my daughter while patiently waiting for my dinner. My good mood must have been very apparent because I even got hit on by a young lady while I was sitting there waiting with my daughter. Although I don’t think it was my awesome aura so much as it was she has probably never seen a man interact with his daughter the way I was doing.

My daughter and I went home and ate what must have been the best pizza I have ever had in my life. It tasted beyond wonderful. And after eating I didn’t have a craving to smoke.

Yes I went through this entire perfect day with no cravings at all. I enjoyed the weather outside, I ate, I did things which would normally would have meant I would have been smoking while doing. And yet I didn’t smoke and I didn’t have an urge or craving to even touch a cigarette.

I had tried to quit smoking two previous times one of which was with medication and one was not and both of these attempts were unsuccessful. I had a lot of problems quitting smoking those two times.

Now this might sound crazy to some of you, but hear me out. I was a pack a day smoker for 15 years and I quit COLD TURKEY. No patches, no self help books, no buddy system, no medication, no nothing. The only thing I did was pray about it. And I am pretty sure that I had a few other people (like Miley and my kids) who prayed for me as well.

And this time when I quit smoking, it felt like it was different. It felt to me like it was meant to be that I was quitting cold turkey with no medical help. I felt like I had someone there with me watching over me and helping me. I can’t really explain it to you, but it just felt RIGHT to me. And I was not alone in this struggle.

Now some of you may believe in a higher power and some of you may not. Regardless of your beliefs, I felt like I was being helped on that day by a higher power. I mean how else do you explain quitting cold turkey? Do you know the odds of a cold turkey quitter succeeding (it is like 95% against you), it does not end well most of the time. Although in my case, I was not alone and there was no struggle to this. And the difference this time I quit is that I prayed for it. And it happened.

This was beyond a perfect day for me. So many things went right on this day. And I will have you know that I have had ZERO cigarettes since last Wednesday. And I have not even had the urge to smoke. Sure there were a couple of times in the last week that I was stressed out and really wanted a smoke, but I did not have one.

32 comments:

  1. Great news!
    Smoking is bad, so you did a great step!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Great willpower - keep it up!!

    Kitty

    ReplyDelete
  3. Good on you, sir. I haven't had a smoke in 11 years, and I quit cold turkey. Wasn't a pack-a-day, but I still get the urge every once in a while. Still haven't. Keep it up! (that's what she said)

    ReplyDelete
  4. @ GT, thanks.

    @ Anonymous, thank you and I plan on it.

    @ Joshua, that is awesome that you did it as well.

    ReplyDelete
  5. That is totally awesome! Congratulations!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Phenomenal! Thats an amazing testament. There is awesome power in prayer...and thats true whether we backstep or not. What an fantastic triumph! I look forward to more positive updates on your success. Be sure to reward yourself along the way ;-)

    ReplyDelete
  7. @ Eva, thank you so much.

    @ Ducky, yes it sure is one and hence why I had to share it. There will be some more positive updates as well. And I am going to reward myself tonight with some wings after church.

    ReplyDelete
  8. This seriously brought tears to my eyes!! I am so happy and proud of you!!!! Great job! I will say a prayer for you also!!!

    God Bless!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Congrats on your work and dedication. you are a brave one sir.

    ReplyDelete
  10. A friend of mine did that many years ago. He quit on the Great Smokeout one year and never seemed to miss it.
    My husband quit when Kiddo was born. He tried to quit several times before. He said what made the difference was that this time the reason he quit mattered.
    Good for you! Third times the charm. :)

    ReplyDelete
  11. Congratulations!
    Old joke (from an old guy):
    Do you smoke after sex?
    I don't know. I never looked.

    ReplyDelete
  12. OT...congrats and let me tell you how proud of you I am. I quit 25 years ago. Cold turkey also. 2 packs a day. It can be done. I've also got a surprise for you. 6 months from now you're going to feel even better. Best thing I ever did for myself. Keep up the good work. Whatever works for you I say!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Giving up is easier said then done my husband has given up many times but never manages to stick with it.............

    ReplyDelete
  14. I really believe it has to do with being ready and committed to it. At my worst I was over a pack a day and then I got to only about 5 a day and then I decided one night enough was enough. That was over 4 years ago now. I'm not going to say I don't get to drinking and steal a drag (happens about twice a year and then I hate myself for it...it kills my throat). I quit cold turkey and now the thought of lighting a cigarette repulses me. You were ready...simple as that. When you are ready and put your mind to something great things happen.

    ReplyDelete
  15. I am so proud of you. I know that after I quit smoking, I became very, very neat in my car. (One old boyfriend said he had never seen a woman without kids with a car as messy as mine.) The Lord has done stranger things than giving you the power to quit smoking. So very proud of you.

    ReplyDelete
  16. @ Mama, thank you so much. And that right there is why I shared this story.

    @ Chip, thank you. And if you only knew.

    @ Ruth, yes you are correct. Having the right reason is all that matters.

    @ Al, that is hilarious.

    @ G, thank you.

    @ Barb, that is awesome. I sure hope that each day makes me feel better. And thanks for the encouragement.

    @ Jo-Anne, thank you.

    @ Vinny, thanks.

    @ Jewels, thank you so much.

    @ Georgia, that means so much to me that you read this. And wow. Just wow.

    ReplyDelete
  17. I am super proud of you, as you know. I mean, I'm only like 6 weeks in so I know how hard it is. That being said, I also know that going cold turkey (as I did too) that it sucks... but I had the same experience you did.

    And yes, I did pray for you. I am glad the prayers reached you. I am also glad you took my advice and took advantage of the fabulous weather :)

    ReplyDelete
  18. Wonderful! I believe the prayers worked. And I think it's kind-of neat, too, how this all happened around Thanksgiving. If that doesn't speak of a higher power, I don't know what does. :)

    My mom quit cold turkey when she found out she was pregnant. None of her friends could go down the cold turkey road--you and my mom are two of the lucky rare ones (and...is that THE Miley commenting above? Looks as though she is one of those rare ones, too :)).

    Congratulations, OT! Happy for you! *Hugs*

    ReplyDelete
  19. With or without prayer and help, YOU did it. Most people learn, once they start something, they always had the power within, but lacked the belief.
    Well done!

    ReplyDelete
  20. Am I surprised you've been able to do it cold turkey? Yes.

    Am I surprised you've been able to do it with prayers, your own and those offered up by your loved ones? No

    Am I proud? ABSO-FREAKING-LUTELY!!!!

    You ROCK!!!

    ReplyDelete
  21. @ Miley, thank you. And I am proud of you for quitting as well. You were my inspiration for it. And I follow your advice more than you will ever know.

    @ Virgin, yes I am lucky that it worked for me. And your mom as well. And yes the prayers are exactly what did this. And YES that is THE MILEY commenting above you.

    @ Amy, that is so true.

    @ Jlow, thank you so much for your kind words and your support.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Congrats.

    I'm a long time smoker, I have quit many times - and failed. The longest I went was 14 months (I won't go into why I started again, but there was a valid reason), but that time I did it cold turkey. It might sound obvious but I think the real secret is you have to REALLY want to stop.
    And that time I did.
    Ah well maybe next time.

    ReplyDelete
  23. yay! that's so awesome, OT! maybe one day i"ll do the same...

    ReplyDelete
  24. Oil that is wonderful. I quit just about 4 years ago and although I used Chantix I got it done. Now i can't even remember what it was like to smoke and it is pretty yucky now. Congrats again. Best thing a person can do for themselves.

    ReplyDelete
  25. @ Dirtycowgirl, you should just quit and be done with it.

    @ Kage, thank you. You one day quit.

    @ Bushman, thank you sir. And it has only been a week and it is nasty to me.

    ReplyDelete
  26. Congrats on your progress so far! You can give some credit to whomever you please, it's not an easy thing! Been there and suffered through that!

    ReplyDelete
  27. I firmly believe when you are ready to quit, you will. I did it over a year ago because I was ready. Congrats to you! And yes, food does taste better.

    ReplyDelete
  28. @ Pat, thank you.

    @ Nubian, thank you so much.

    ReplyDelete
  29. As a Person who is a gambling addict - this post runs heavily with me. I'm very proud of you. Remember, if you need anything - you can always contact me as I'll do everything I can to help you with this journey.

    Smoking is tough, and you can't do it alone.

    ReplyDelete
  30. Very energetic post, I loved that bit. Will there be a part 2?
    Also see my web page - stoppen met roken tips

    ReplyDelete

I love comments, so please leave one for me.