Kicking The Habit!!!

Or At Least Kinda Pushing It

To The Side And Hoping It

Leaves Me Alone…

January 12, 2012

“I...can’t...do...this!” Yes you can, it’s not as hard as it seems. “No, I can’t! I feel edgy and weird...and now I’m getting a headache.” Yes, you can! That negativity is all in your head. “Exactly that’s why I have a headache!” You have to have hope and believe. “I do have hope; I hope I will come to my senses and give up this stupid idea. And I believe I can’t do this!” Sigh, they’re up to over five dollars a pack you know!

For the last there is no response. As my sense of reason argues with my sense of reality, of the realistic reasons that giving up coffin nails might be in my best interest. Such is the case with many of us long time smokers trying to “kick the habit.” It’s not so much of a sincere desire to quit but more of a necessity for financial survival. We’re not giving up our smoke filled, wickedly relaxing habit to obtain better health and to catch a decent breath. Rather we’re doing it because we can no longer afford the indulgence.

At this point, one could easily go off on a readily available and completely true tangent. We can lay the blame for this on the greed and corruption of our own government and appointed political representatives. The economy sucks and the unemployment rate has skyrocketed. We’re being taxed at every turn from the money we earn, to the money we spend and even the money we try to save. Wages are impossibly low and gas prices are insanely high. We can’t afford to go anywhere or do anything.

Now the one little luxury we could afford ourselves has become unaffordable. Our government is denying us the right to die nice and slow. Well the longer we live the more taxes we pay so that makes sense. But we’re not pursuing that tangent...though we kind of did there for a minute.

This close to the passage into the New Year, it would be easy to pass this attempt off as a resolution but...resolutions are stupid! They only work for people who already have their minds set to resolve what they resolute to do, before they make the resolution to do so. So it’s like saying you’re going to do something after it’s already done. I “resolved” to quit smoking in 2006. Then in 2009 became hypocritical and advocated it. Explaining how a person can smoke three packs a day and why you shouldn’t; once again claiming nicotine abstinence. Now in 2012...weird it’s like every three years I try to quit and write an article about it. Should we just go ahead and prepare for the 2015 article? No, because this is neither a resolution nor an attempt - this is going to happen...is happening. And this time there will be no reneging or failure because...I’m NOT going to quit smoking!

Ha ha ha, you heard me right (or read me right or whatever) I am NOT giving up cigarettes. Not even going to try to quit or even think about quitting. Just going to keep right on puffing away- puff puff puff! And do you know why? Because every time I “try” to quit I fail...or forget that I’m quitting and only remember that I was already quitting when it’s time to try again. What I am going to do is cut back on my nicotine consumption in order to save a couple of bucks. Is the overall goal to eventually cut back to zero? Hell no, if it gets down to half a pack a day mission accomplished.

It’s all psychological. If you think about quitting and put completely smoke-free as your goal, the part of your mind that relishes that nicotine rush will rebel. It becomes harder to quit because anything, even an addiction, will fight harder if it thinks it’s dying or being exterminated. Compromising and finding a middle ground that keeps you smoking and is a little easier on your wallet is easier to accept. Then when you’ve cut back enough to curb the craving giving it up all together may not be so hard. If nothing else you’ll be smoking less. I only hope my addiction doesn’t read this and catch onto what I’m trying to do.

I welcome almost all questions and comments via through Focus, or e-mail me at chainsawo53@aol.com.

Hope to hear from ya, until then try and stay focused. See ya.