8/11/2006

Have I Told You Lately That I Love Me?

On August 12, 2005, I stopped doing something I'd done with alarming frequency over a 27 year period. Smoking cigarettes.

I was up to about a pack a day (25). When tomorrow comes, I will be able to say that I didn't smoke 9125 cigarettes in the last year. I will also be able to say that I saved about $3000 doing so.

It's often repeated that it's easier to quit heroin than it is to quit smoking. Now that I've nearly made the one year mark, when midnight tolls should I go straight for a vein or back to the smokes? I can quit any time. I've already proven that.

25 comments:

Anonymous said...

I wish I knew how to quit you.

chelene said...

I vote for neither.

At midnight have a nice chianti, some fava beans...and whatever main dish you feel like nibbling on.

mellowlee said...

Congrats Dale!! btw, I have been experiencing blogger weirdness here. I don't know if its a firefox/mozilla issue or a blogspot issue, but since wednesday I have not seen any new posts from you, chelene, or JACC. Then I log on to my computer a bit ago, and see all these posts that didn't appear there before. I thought, gee, that's odd, maybe they all decided to post all at once...then I noticed that you all had a bunch of comments on each post. And here I was feeling all alone in the blogosphere. Anyways, I just thought I would share that weirdness with you. Don't you DARE smoke mr..I know you won't,but I had to say it!

anne altman said...

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!

you, my friend, rule the school.

smoke joints.

mellowlee said...

PS So what are you doing to celebrate? You deserve a treat BIGTIME!!!!

Dale said...

Tanya - Help me help you.

I'm making that creepy sucking intake noise right now. You made me do it Chelene.

Might have been the smoke rings I was blowing into the system MLee.

Smoke from joints only though. Of course of course. Thanks Anne.

No treats. Except for munchies for after the joints. Time for me to give back the poundage I borrowed while distracting myself from smoking.

Cup said...

Don't go back; move forward. Mainline that vein, my friend. After all, smack's easier to kick than ciggies. Oh, and congrats and all that.

Anonymous said...

Congrats on your anniversary! 2/22/03 I did the same thing and don't regret it. (course doing chemo was a big eye opener!!)

Sometimes I the smell of a cig when first lit up makes me want to puff, oh boy, but then I smell people coming back from smoke breaks at work and I gag.

Giving up cigs was like giving up a best friend but now ? I don't miss that friend so much as time goes by.

Anonymous said...

Give me 3000 dollars, thank you.

justacoolcat said...

Can't you just settle for taking the $3000 and mailing yourself someplace nice?

I hear Saint Paul is nice if you show up with $2500 in your pocket and no short term memory.

Old Lady said...

Damn, cigs-smack; cigs-smack; can't make up my mind, pass me that joint will you.

Dale said...

I'm 12 minutes into the 12 and I'm sure that means something but anyway, thanks Beth for giving me the courage to find a new addiction.

Congrats to you too then Bluez. Chemo sucks hard. I agree with all your comments though about the smell. My nose still follows it through the air but turns up at the smell on people. Just something else for me to be snotty about.

It's got to be a really good story to get the $3000 Winter. I'm listening.

St. Paul huh Coolcat? I can't remember or think why you'd pick there so I'm on my way with my big dollars.

Dale said...

Long as you don't bogart it Old Lady.

Mob said...

I understand scoring heroin is probably much more adventurous and exciting than walking into a convienience store and saying "pack of smokes", if that sways you one way or the other...

nouseforaname said...

On a serious tip... (I have that side too, watch it Dale) I am a researcher on the health effects of smoking for CDC- you did a good thing, Dale. Quitting smoking regardless of the length of time, increased your lifespan and your body will begin to heal itself of any health effects from past smoking. Me, personally, I like knowing that you exist somewhere out there in the world.... Keep up the keeping up!!!

Angie Pansey said...

Congrats! I smoked briefly for four years during art school, and I felt so cool back then. But I am a loser and a poser. You on the other hand were the real deal.

I thought you were on the road to scoring some acid? You're feeling pretty experimental these days, huh? :-)

Dale said...

I'm not so sure Mob. I used to just pull out a gun and point at what I wanted. More dramatic. I always paid but I hated saying pack of smokes.

You've gone all soft pink and fleshy like a...healthy lung there Monkey. Thanks for the nice words. I miss the smoking but I get it.

I think the acid gave me a flashback to a headache I once had. I should pick up a paintbrush like those elephants and gorillas that create art and see what happens. You're not a loser and a poozer Angela, you're a famous artist visiting from the future.

X. Dell said...

Sure, you saved $3,000 dollars, but that's only in Canadian money.

All kidding aside, congratulations. You can always go for a non-chemical addiction. Horse-racing, might interest you.

Dale said...

Hahahahaha, you're right it is only Canadian. Thankfully, the dollar's stronger so I'm not out too much dough.
Centaur racing perhaps? There's an investment.

SlayGirl said...

Congrats on the quiting smoking. Everyone keeps mentioning that joint but no one has passed it to me!

Dale said...

Thanks Slaygirl. I'll try and pass it on if I ever get it myself.

My problem is all or nothing Anomie. I'd love to be able to occasionally smoke but if I had one, I'd have to have the rest of them too. I did it cold turkey except for one piece of nicotine gum on day 2.

Angie Pansey said...

Oh man, I gotta find Doc Brown and the DeLorean!!

Dale said...

So you can go back in time and smoke with me? Har har.

Coaster Punchman said...

Can I please borrow $3,000?

CP

Dale said...

Yes you may.

DW