A Dialogue With K

lol. come on K! go K go K! we’re all behind you (those of us who don’t smoke at least).

btw…i hope that you don’t get lost on my page again lol… well the life blog layout is still the same.. but i’m changing the layout of all my template to web 2.0 compliant. ^_^

uh oh… don’t use IE lol. i think the page will screw up big time. not sure actually. i eliminated all of the tables. so use divs a lot and positioning. only use tables on tabular data.

Thanks Ear, I know you’ll support me every step of the way, providing me the support at this stage of giving up process. “Smiling comes easy when you’re tartar free”.

I quit on April 29. Still on the patches, I have a couple of weeks to go.
It’s not easy, but you can do it…. The urges do go away even when they feel like they are the only thing in the world that is important…. distract yourself for a few and they will pass.

Now, I smell smokers and get disgusted by the smell…. there are still days I want one, but I feel better now that I have since i was a kid…

22 years worth of smoking…. That’s what i just freed myself from….

It’s worth it.

Good luck!

Hi Guppy, I’m starting to realized that there are serious danger with smoking. I am not a heavy smoker but based on what you said, I find it positively true, the urge never go away so quickly. Sometimes it takes several attempts before you’re able to quit for good, but I won’t let it stop me. I believe that my chances of success increase each time if I try.

Thanks for the support and for reading my blog.

good luck K! I know you can do it…take one day at a time. It may not be easy at first but gradually as day passes by…you’ll get use to it
I’m counting the months to November because thats when R plans to quit smoking as well…or so he tells me…plus come November, because of new stricter rules ~ a smoker has very few places where he or she can smoke in public; nightclubs included!

“…plus come November, because of new stricter rules ~ a smoker has very few places where he or she can smoke in public; nightclubs included!”

Oh poor R, that’s a very tough rules over there even on nightclubs? So which means your dear R will no longer come home at dawn because of the smoking ban. You should be feeling happy about it tho. Chances are that unless he can lock himself away for a few weeks, he will need some help from you - cook him his favourite food, watch your favourite DVD & let him stay in bed with you. That’s probably a good motivation since he got someone to stop him from smoking. While me, what do you expect from an old stinky cat like ginger telling me to quit?

Poor K, in a dilemma… hmmm, do you what you think is good for you. But of course, we’d be the happiest ones around when you quit.

So, take it easy alright. Step by step. One day at a time… you can do it chia yo! chia yo!

I know Asha, I really need to educate myself on this. If I say it, I must do it. Maybe the most effective way is to stop blogging for a short while before I end up looking like a “Whitney Houston on Crack” video.
The sooner I accept it, the sooner I will be able to get well again and kick those “nasty butts” out of my life. Send me some bazooka joe’s gum please.

Don’t believe the liars who tell you that you will get used to it. I’ve stopped sucking Joe Camel’s product over five years ago, and I still have the occassional dream about it. The fact is nicotine is super addictive. The way I look at it, I permitted myself to enjoy a pleasure that smarter human beings just avoid as being too dangerous. Now I will always have to suffer (at a stoplight I can smell a Camel Light from accross the intersection with the A/C on), but that’s the price I pay for an indulgence in my wayward past.

Smoking was sooo good, but having a chance at hitting 60 is better. Besides, the more that comes out about the tobacco industry, the more we know that those bastards just knowingly marketed a deadly product to millions of children for years in the pursuit of profit. I ain’t suck’n their thin, white shaft.

I guess people smoke for many reasons, each have their own. We complaint of many things, that everything we do is bad for us to some extent, dont smoke, dont drink, dont eat that big burger, its our body if we wish to indulge in such things, let it be. I even often think “if I’m gonna die, I just die, I can die not ONLY from smoking but from anything else”.

But my point is, I want a big support from people whom I think would help me into quitting this addiction - it’s reaally up to me if I listen to them, I can easily discipline myself. If others can quit, why not me? This is not the end, I suppose, it’s just the beginning. I think it’s good to stop this addiction earlier, it’s for my family and for myself.

I’ll let you know when I’m clean, the sooner the better and thank you for visiting.

Oh no K, no stopping blogging, no no.. no way. I can’t live with that! No!

Okay fine, stop puffing but don’t stop drinking.. caffiene is good for your health.

Yours truly
Coffee addict

Dear Coffee Addict,

I understand your blog addiction syndroms. Since we all know that coffees have already become the norm for coffee drinking consumers combine with the internet all over the world, I’ll consider your request to keep my blogging instead.

Now that I discovered that my coffee intake can lessen (fingers crossed) my addiction to cigarette, I certainly cannot debate with you whether I should choose between the coffee & blogging addiction together.

According to scientist, individuals who drink seven or more cups of coffee a day is associated with a 42 percent lower risk of diabetes. I am diabetic myself so I thought that I will keep my coffee drinking unless they are from the Starbucks Co.

Sincerely,
Blog addict.

Hi K! I was just watching the “Tonight Show” and actress Joey Lauren Adams told Leno that whenever someone tells her not to smoke (the usual sermon, I suppose), all it does is makes her want to smoke 10 more sticks.

So I won’t tell you why it’s so wonderful you’ve focused on doing this, but rather how much I admire your courage. I think all of us know what we need to change, to better our lives or to secure our futures; but how many of us are really willing to take the first step, to venture out of our comfort zone into that scary place of not knowing what’s next?

I once commented to a friend that I couldn’t understand addictions. He paused for a bit and said, “try to imagine yourself NOT listening to the radio or to anything while you drive to work or anywhere else.” I felt that moment of panic and dread and I had a glimpse of understanding.

So all I want to say is: K, you rock!

“I think all of us know what we need to change, to better our lives or to secure our futures; but how many of us are really willing to take the first step, to venture out of our comfort zone into that scary place of not knowing what’s next?”

Hi Gigi, by reading this, I still have a few sticks left in my Winfield Blue pack and you kind of reminding me that this seems to be the “moment of choice”. The dreaded ‘urge’ is already such a battle. I thought about it when I was sitting at our staff canteen while I sniff flawlessly with my almost half-ligthed stick, I asked myself if I can really make it, I think I can control these odd cravings and be just fine.

Just give me some moment there until the end of this week, I’ll view these as part of my normal journey toward becoming a nonsmoker. I know I’m not alone. I’m holding on to it and thought about what they would mean to me. Giving up our bad habits is not always easy but they are worth the extra effort and frustration. At the end, I will thank myself for doing this and you for this too.

Oh man!
Why the hell did you put that photo at the beginning of your post?
Now all i see is smoke.Lol!
Good luck K and wish me luck too.
Let’s do this!

And you know K, the coffee isn’t such a big deal.
This morning i was afraid to make my coffee because i was wondering the same as you do.
But i did made my coffee and drank it without a cigarette and without feeling the need to light my cigarette for it.
I’ll be here to support you.You can count me in.

Hi Trinity, my mission here is to restore my faith in myself. I CAN quit - we can quit. Even if I’ve failed several times in the past, I tried but I understand that this is just normal. Like you, I’m trying to keep the coffee for now, that’s why I feel the energy to talk this over on this blog.

I think it’s just our unconscious mind that made us drool over these addiciton. We often feel that quitting is as though we are losing a best friend but we should not let our unconscious mind tells us that cigarettes give pleasure, so by putting that picture in this post can actually test if it really rings a bell for us to keep the pleasant association with the act of smoking. Remember that the urge to smoke only lasts a few minutes, and will then pass. I’m doing it now.

tito K! para sa akin: Kung san ka masaya tito, suportahan taka!

Thanks Tita G, you’re always been very supportive on me. I feel like you’re a mother to me And yes, my first few days, I’m drinking LOTS of water and fluids to help flush out the nicotine and other poisons from my body.

I actually made an experiment on how to put a taste in my plain water, I added few mint leaves & lemon cuts by letting it cool a bit in the fridge - it’s very refreshing.

good luck K! just take it easy, i guess. and don’t pressure yourself too much.

from someone who doesn’t smoke nor drink coffee THAT much.

Hi there Vina, first of, thank you for your support-visit. Wow I’m so flattered that a first-time visitor is pushing me to stick with this quest. We should trade links, Ms Vina.

You’re making me start meditating. As I exhale and closes my eyes, I can visualize all the tension leaving my body, slowly draining out of my fingers and toes, just flowing on out. It’s very vital I suppose.

good luck, K! the trick is just to say, NO! (and drink a liter of water whenever you get the craving)

I’m doing it Meeya, thank you.

“I am a nonsmoker”, I always say that to help change my view of myself, and, even if it may seem silly to me, this is actually useful. We can both use it, don’t you think?

Good luck. Unfortunately the key to quitting smoking is that you can’t hang out with smokers anymore. It’s like alcoholics not hanging out in bars. You just can’t. Sorry.

Hi other K. A few days ago, you made me confused with your initials as if I was reading my own comments I didn’t wrote. - so thank you for adding a little change.

I must admit, I can’t pretend that smoking isn’t enjoyable – it is. This is like losing a good friend – and I’m sure, it’s okay to grieve for the loss. I can feel that grief, but I won’t worry, I guess it’s okay. My non-smoking friends would be so much proud if they knew about this. I want them to feel it that I’ll heal. Thanks.

One step at a time. Best not to shock your entire system with both nicotine AND caffeine restrictions. Kinda like going on a crash diet.. It’ll never work in the long run because our will power is not entirely formidable.

Huge applause for you and your team for taking action. Folks can keep saying that they’ll quit till they are blue in the face, but you guys actually DO something about it. Salute!

I’m doing it slowly, Pari (my guidance councilor), thank you. Sometimes, I think that life is painful. We all know that it’s supposed to be that way. All of us are faced with grief, loss and struggle. And it’s by our struggles that we define and strengthen our character.

I like to act on it and practice it. So I’m not isolating myself not to share it with everyone. It’s better to let my feelings out verbally, as I quit smoking. Whoelse can do it except myself, right? I know I’ll get plenty of support from most of you - and maybe hugs too, so that’s why I’m asking them from you. Now give me a hug, I smell good today, no trashy ashtray smell. Promise.

I’m proud of you for taking the step forward to quit smoking. I don’t actually smoke grits, but all around me, my friends smoke and it’s horrible to watch them throw their lives away… Most of them aren’t even 18 yet. I do my best to help the people who are trying to quit.

When they’re around me, and someone pulls out a cirgarette and they get that look in their eyes, I quickly pull them away so they don’t get attached to that feeling. I’ve slowly made it my own personal mission to help those who are trying to quit actually quit.

I can’t help them if they’re unwilling… That’s why, I’m giving you my support. Cigarettes are just cancer sticks, nothing more, and anyone who is trying to kick their addiction gets praise in my book.

Hi Max, I think I started smoking very late in my adulthood. It was during my last semester in Medical school when I started to smoke where books was my enemy number one, from one stick to another until it became such a habit. I would hide them away in between my books before my Aunt could nag me. Usually these smoking would sneak up on me during moments of stress – out with friends, partying, or on a vacation (Thanks God I was never into marijuana and all that) or while I immersed in an angry, sad or lonely moment because I complaint about school fees & family away from me. And then a few years later I learnt that coffee & cigarette goes alltogether and I would take ONE, and ZAP! The next day I’d have “just one more,” and before I knew it I was once again a full-pledged smoker, 100%.

I guess the secret of all these quitting is just to hang on and I thought relief is just four minutes away. Thanks for the support.

Good Work K and keep it up. It’s not just your own body that is thanking you, its everyone who sits near you at any time of day too!

Noted. I will keep that in mind and whoknows, I’ll be the person sitting next to them telling them how bad it is to smoke. “Excuse me, but is that an exploded firecracker in your mouth?”

Oh that’s nice that you quit smoking starting now! Just think that you’ll be more beautiful everyday so you wont go back to smoking again!

I think it’s very helpful Charles, not that I’ve grown, about time to change something for the future - it’s never too late aint it?

I quit two months ago and I still think about it every day. Be prepared to want to punch every person you meet. But go you.

Riss, that’s great to know. I would be feeling the same thing I think. I should be brave, I know this is a sign of strength - but it’s always good to ask directions. Glad you came over. Thanks for visiting.

trade links no problem K! it would be my pleasure!

good luck again and keep us updated on your progress.

You’re adorable indeed Vina. Let’s keep clicking back. Welcome to the wonderful world of Non-Smoker. Ok easy to say but - I’m going in there.

Yeah if there’s ashtray smell you’ll get a barrage of nagging from yours truly.

My grand uncle had throat cancer. According to mom, he’s one of the kindest, sweetest person in the world. But he has to pay the price. Why? C-I-Gs.

A couple things you’ll need to keep in mind as you’re going through this period. Tell yourself that these symptoms are perfectly normal. Do not cave in.

Taken from a website
dizziness (may only last 1-2 days in the beginning)
depression
feelings of frustration and anger
irritability
trouble sleeping
trouble concentrating
restlessness
headache
tiredness
increased appetite

Why do you want to go through all these? Because you want your life back.

And it helps if you remain as stress free as you possibly can at lwork and while running errands (bills, bills, bills) for the next couple of weeks. *crosses fingers*.

I forgot you’re my GC, I should really be listening to you. hahaha. Wow most of them defines alot about me. That’s a very honest list. Don’t worry I asked for support so I will keep in mind that I only have a 40% chance of dying due to this bad habit.

I just can’t stop staring at my glass of water. I need some McDonalds. Thanks Ms Pari.

of course you can still drink coffee!!! moderation muna, my friend. and good luck! pitikin mo nalang sarili mo sa ilong if you’re tempted.

Haha dez, I tried, I’m a slow learner but now I think it’s best that I should avoid it. I’m giving Sunday my final vow. But hey, not the coffee yet.

I am totally with you, K! Maybe blog away or comment if you feel the urge. I might set up a thread now where you, C. and others can do that. Or, let’s just do that here, and we can use this thread as our support group!

Anywhere Jack as long as it’ll keep me busy - I’ll read and keep commenting. I’m probably terrible in replying to comments but I think this entry is already giving me an obnoxious nagging which is fine with me really

yes, it’s never too late to stop and live a healthier life

Thanks Charles, life is tough but I can change and give it a GO.

ai! has R been complaining to you about me? I don’t nag as much as I should be…hehehe

where are you? is ginger bullying you again? you’re not quitting blogging too right? miss you dats why

where are you? is ginger bullying you again? you’re not quitting blogging too right? miss you dats why.

I gave myself a day off, not bad for a quitter. But no way I will quit the blogging. But guess what, it’s true, my blogging is associated with smoking as I write my entries. The other day, I enjoyed watching DVD and didn’t smoke at all.

Thanks C, I’m doing just fine.

Hope you’re alright so far.

I can’t remember whose blog it was… but the writer said something about giving out so much unwanted advice. I’m guilty through and through when it come to freely giving out advice without taking into consideration people’s feelings. So in my self imposed role as your CG, if I do get carried away, just give me a shake, shout whatever. As long as it’s not a poke on the ribs!

Silly. It didn’t actually sound like an obnoxious nag to me, Pari. You’re not defeating my purpose to stop quitting - I like someone pushing me to do it because I believe I can. Actually, you’re a great motivational speaker.

wohoo! an end to the ciggie! congrats mehn, time to celebrate!

…here’s a cigar.

I need a pain killer hehehe but I’m already a grown up so I can do it. Salamat sa cigar Jeps.

I will keep commenting, too, K! And you so can do this!

I find some strange behaviour with coCommenting lately as it doesn’t seem to work easily anymore. Say I have posted a reply/comment but doesn’t sum up all together in one place. Check on this entry at coCo and you’ll see two of the same topic with separate number of comments. How did it happen?

Not sure, but it is not the first time I have seen one thread with http and another with https when it comes to Wordpress blogs. Maybe when you submit, double-check that your post references http to avoid duplication. I have a feeling it is how Wordpress is set up.

It’s getting weirdier lately. Now what I do is reply to any comments using the bookmarklet instead. This post has a series of numbers in two separate threads. I noticed it when the coCo tends to get busy, I can’t process smoothly with just hitting the enabled coCo button even if I already double-checked the preferences on http.

The first weekend’s here already. Time to relax and take it easy. Have you cleared out all those sticks yet? When I was trying to stop the habit of gorging on junk food, I try to remove all traces of them from my sight. Have a great Saturday!

I’m actually making positive progress in a couple of days. I tried one stick and that covers for a whole day. If I say, “just one stick”, I can make it to zero. Amazing isn’t it?

Thanks Pari, you always know how to make someone smile. I find that in you.

[...] I’ve been thinking the other day that I’m probably be needing some fun rest and time away from this blog, not that I’m nagging on a hiatus plight, but I really am. I just thought if I want to be a horsefly, I’m in capable of flying a long distance to be in an inactive state of period and spend the already sunny summer while I’m already starting to quit on my smoking. [...]

I found my way here from Jack’s blog and just wanted to say good on you for making that first step - the decision that you’re going to stop. I tell you what would be a big incentive - when you cut out the cigarettes then you’ll be able to smell and taste the coffee so much better. Definitely don’t give that up just at the moment - baby steps are the way forward!

You can do it K! All the best, aight?
Wazir has been cutting down on his cigs slowly..
Cold turkey is difficult but if you set your mind to it you can. =)

I’m going to have to come back and check this out. Arrgghh.. too many bookmarks to follow up on!

[...] after much of deliberation, I have compromised to even kill one of them - to kill my cigarette addiction. Giving up smoking is a big thing. I know that. But the lack of preparation is one of the most [...]