Obama is going through the pressures of national attention and scrutiny while running for the office of President. If he's able to quit smoking through all that stress then we should certainly be able to too.
Today is, to steal a quote from you-know-who, DAY ONE of "Quitting Smoking With Obama" for me!
I started smoking during my later years of college. I started out smoking at parties, then on the weekends, and then it just came a full blown habit....
I've tried, with real attempts, and failed to quit at least 9 times. I must have thrown away hundreds of lighters and non-empty packs of cigarettes over the years too. This habit is simply killing me, and I can't think of any better time to really put forth an effort again than with Barack Obama and some of his supporters.
Since previous attempts have failed I figured we just need to go full force and take advantage of this Obama blog so that you guys can hold us accountable to our commitment. I'm going to keep updating this group blog with my symptoms and results. I've heard that if you can make it 12 weeks without smoking then you can officially state that you've "Quit". I guess that makes my celebration day August 8th.
Wish me luck and please feel free to JOIN me. Just pick a day, post to this group blog and we'll try to keep you encouraged and accountable.
My Method Of Attack======================1. I started Chantix (http://www.chantix.com/) last Friday. Today I take the full, twice a day dose.This is an EXCELLENT drug. It blocks the high or rush you get from smoking, so if you attempt to smoke you'll start to ask yourself, why am I doing this because I'm not getting anything out of it. Some people stated that they feel nausious if they try to smoke while on the full dose. The one side effect I also see is that I have some really weird dreams during the night. You'll have to get this drug as a perscription so make sure to schedule appointment with your doctor. One box will last you a month and although my insurance completely paid for it I think the cost is around $130 per box.
2. I'm going to use two items to combat the cravings. First is the Fruit Chill Nicorette gum. So whenever I get the sudden urge to smoke I'm going to pop in one of this pieces of gum and start chewing. I'm sure you've used this stuff before. The old original flavor had a horrible taste but the new coatings and flavors make it much more bearable and even enjoyable.
3. The other sensation that I start to crave is the feeling of my lungs expanding, and filling up with smoke. To combat this I'm going to start eating oranges. I noticed during previous attempts to quit that when I peeled the orange the aroma and mist of orange peel would almost be like taking in a puff of smoke until that craving went away. Then I'd just have a delicious orange to eat :)
4. Pick up an exercise. I'm toying with the idea of running in the Charlotte Marathon in December as a sure fire way to say f*ck you to Marlboro. Last Friday I ran a 5K here in Charlotte with my sister and one of my brothers. It was certainly hard because of the smoking but I was able to keep my time under 30 min. It was motivating whenever an eight year old or 80 year old would pass me by as I was gasping for breath. I'm going to see if I can get into running as a hobby or at least my daily exercise.
5. Think of my father (http://cc.msnscache.com/cache.aspx?q=73149257449095&mkt=en-US&lang=en-US&w=9b9bdf0a,d2c59409&FORM=CVRE). My father died in November last year of kidney cancer. He was only two weeks away from his 60th birthday. He was a guy that did everything right: worked his ass off at same architecture firm for 30+ years, didn't smoke, didn't drink, went to church, avid Carolina Panthers fan, raised seven kids and was working on nine grandkids. Watching my father battle through the disase and always try to hide the pain was his way of assuring me that I can do this. Well, here's to you Dad. I'm doing this for many things but especially for you!
So I'm asking YOU to quit along with me and Barack Obama! If he can do it then so can we. Please post blog entries to this group and we'll keep in touch for motivation, encouragement, tips, venting, whatever.
OBAMA 08!SMOKE FREE 08!Todd in SC
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