Heh…well I still smoke the Buddha but I used to smoke cigs and I can say that I successfully quit and now it’s to the point where I can be surrounded by smokers at the bar and I don’t even have the slightest urge.
For one, let me say I wasn’t a pack-a-day smoker or anything. Maybe three or four a day and MANY more if I was out partying or drinking so I can’t say that it was as an amazing feat. Even with that few smokes a day I found it quite difficult so I can feel for those pack-a-day people who are trying to quit.
It was funny because I didn’t quit because of health issues or cost or anything. I was sitting in a bar and was quite trashed and I lit one up and was smoking and somehow it hit me…“These things don’t do ANYTHING!!!” I mean…unlike weed, they didn’t make me high. Unlike alcohol, they didn’t make me drunk. And the very tiny high they give you when you haven’t had one all day last all of a minute before that goes away. It all seemed like a big waste of money that I could use to buy more weed or beer or something. Heh.
Anyway, I took babysteps. First I always found that I LOVED smoking while driving. So first I stopped that. Then I found I always took them when i went to classes at school. I stopped taking them with me to class. Then I noticed I smoked a lot during breaks at work…so I stopped taking them to work. I still smoked and bought them but I cut down in those areas. Eventually I made the big final step to just stop smoking them when sober. Not easy, especially when everyone would be like “Hey! I’m going out for a smoke!..come join” It’s amazing the conversations you have with folks while “going out for a smoke”…I missed those the most.
Anyway, trying to quit while drinking was EASILY the worst…that part took years. Eventually I just quit buying them altogether but for two or three years afterward I was constantly bumming them from folks. Eventually I decided to be a man or whatever and declared one night to be the night that I would finally stop smoking while drunk and it was tough…halfway through the night, I decided “aw fuck it” and grabbed one from one of my friends and started to light it up. Flick, Flick, Flick, Flick, Flick…my lighter refused to work…at that key moment. I saw it as a sign and threw down the smoke. I’d say that was the last time but I smoked one but I’d be lying and I still grabbed one here or there but it was much less often until I eventually had NO urge at all even when surrounded by smokers. It’s a nice feeling. Of course, I still inhale tons of some with weed but at least that smoke does something.
By the way, Camels are great. It’s the marlboros that suck. I can’t believe how bad Marlboros are compared to other cigs.
Stevo
