Day 46: The Last of the Patches

Well, ladies and gentleman - I've made it to the last day of the patch system. I proudly applied my last patch while my husband supplied appropriate background music - the Jaws theme. It seemed oddly appropriate.

The patch called for a total of eight weeks, but I shortened it to seven weeks. At the end of step one I bought a one week pack rather than a two week pack, and I was so jacked about all the money I was saving, I could hardly spare the expense of another week's worth! I'm a saving junkie now, although not to the point where I'm clipping coupons for hours a day like that guy on TLC's Extreme Couponing.

Number of days since my quit date: 46

Number of cigarettes smoked: 1 (See Day 29's post)

Amount of money saved: $200+

Increased life expectancy: 2.5 days

Now I'm entering the no-crutch phase - no patch, no nicotine, nothing. I'm a bit apprehensive about being nicotine-free as opposed to smoke-free. Smoke free was easy. "Here - apply this wondrous patch and your nic-fits will be alleviated, and your dreams will be totally whacked out." The guy on the Nicoderm commercial steps from the top of a building to the ground using his patches, and he made it down safely without becoming a stain on the pavement. If he can do it, I can do it.

Another of my fears of quitting was gaining weight. I've actually lost a bit of weight - not a lot, but 3-4 pounds is a good start. I have to constantly remind myself to be active, because bathing suit weather is around the corner. Fear is a powerful motivator - and my fear of gaining weight keeps me from inhaling bags of cheese curls and whole pints of Ben and Jerry's. Mmmm.... cheese curls. But the cheese curls are now the enemy and have been replaced with fat-free snacks.

Lots of replacement going on in my life - nicotine replacement, snack replacement, couch replacement... And the fact that I've made it this far at all is the biggest motivator not to screw it up. Stay tuned for the post-patch posts!

Day 44: Climbing the Walls

Last weekend I went indoor rock-climbing. If you've never tried it, imagine clinging to the side of a 3 story building like Garfield on the inside of a car window. For those thrill-seekers out there, it's a blast. For those who panic when they get up on a ladder, not quite as much fun. I'm in the middle - someone who is mildly wigged out by heights. It was great exercise, but something that triggered my need for nicotine.

Although forgetting to put on my patch before climbing three stories in the air probably wasn't a smart move. But I made it through three climbs before realizing it, and that was an improvement.

Believe it or not, 6 months ago I would light up a cigarette the instant I got home from the gym, and never gave it a second thought. I was even a little impressed with being able to out-do my husband in endurance then come home and puff away.

Since I've quit, I've gone back to the gym and found that I can still out-do him, AND it's much easier. If only there was a patch that kept you from being afraid of heights. What would your ideal 'patch' be?

Day 39: Et tu, Obama?

So by now, we've all read about it - President Obama has been smoke free for almost a year. Of course, he himself admits to struggling with it, and there was little written about the method he used to quit. However, reports during his 2007 campaign for President said that he was using nicotine gum to help him kick the habit. Of course, this is wonderful publicity for the President, and for First Lady Michelle Obama, whose "Let's Move" anti-childhood obesity campaign is making headlines for its one-year anniversary.

Since the 2012 Presidential Elections are getting geared up, I'm sure President Obama's quit will be mentioned in the months ahead. However, I wanted to make my contribution to non-politically driven statements: Obama should be congratulated on climbing an increadibly tall mountain, and reached the top with fresh air in his lungs and an improved sense of smell.

As for me, I'm on Step 3 of the patch with about a week to go until I am off them for good. My quit will never make the headlines that Obama's did, but its important to me and my family, and that's plenty of publicity for me.

For all those reading who are considering quitting, think about this: The busiest person in the country, our President, whose daily To-Do list is taller than he is, who deals with levels of stress we can only imagine, managed to quit smoking. Pretty impressive. Makes your stress-induced nicotine habit seem easier to conquer, right?

Day 33: Indifference

I was musing about my quit last night, and how it's already been a month. Am I proud of myself for quitting? Of course I am. Am I saving my lung tissue and my money? Absolutely. Did I think I would make it to a month? No. How do I feel about not smoking? Eh - I'm indifferent.

That's completely of the wall! Here I am making healthy changes to my lifestyle, and I'm completely indifferent to it. I miss the habit of smoking, but not the effects. Of course, I'm still getting the chemical delivered directly to my bloodstream via the patch. I can't say I gained anything from being a smoker, except having a method to calm myself down when I was about to scalp my co-workers. (Love you guys!)

Will I still feel this way in two weeks when I'm off the patch completely? Possibly. It's hard to describe where I am with my quit because I'm still getting nicotine. Phase Two will be when I'm completely nicotine free, and I bet I won't be nearly as indifferent to it as I am right now.

Day 32: Electronic WHAT?

Well, my quit has passed the one month mark. Who the hell knew I would make it this long without causing bodily harm to my husband and co-workers? I'm not sure my colleagues would agree, but to me, lack of scratched out eyes and bruises is an impressive feat.

Becoming a non-smoker has caused me to notice the multitude of quit smoking aids out there. Never noticed them before now since I was staunchly in the 'Smokers Camp.'

For the record, I'm not discounting any method of quitting. To quit smoking, you should use what works for you.

Lately, I've seen ads for ridiculous devices known as electronic cigarettes, or e-cigarettes. I found a diagram of how it works (shown below) and marveled that something that supposed to help you quit should be so confusing! Seriously, I'd rather re-program my universal remote than try to use an e-cigarette to help me quit. I bet the instruction manual is longer the Bible. There's a battery and cartridges, cables and heating element - all of which have the making of an Christmas-Eve-toy-assembly nightmare!

You actually inhale nicotine via the cartridges, which come in various concentrations and provide as much nicotine as the various 'steps' of the patch (6 mg - 28 mg.) The e-cig batteries need to be charged (which you can do conveniently via USB cable,) and even the end of the contraption lights up to indicate that its functioning.

Rather than making your run to the corner store or newsstand, you would need to charge your cigarettes before leaving the house. What do you do if you run out of batteries? Spiral into a nicotine fit and wish you had quit using a more traditional method? And in some states, the use of an e-cig is subject to the same ban as real cigs. So even though the device allows you to inhale nicotine in vapor form, it's still nicotine and could be consumed by non-smokers in the same manner as second-hand smoke.

The patch is designed to be used as a gradual method of weaning you off nicotine. The e-cigarette seems to be an alternative method of getting nicotine in your system, not a quit assist. No one has been able to determine the effects of an e-cigarette on the body, so there's no way of knowing if its safer for the consumer. And who in their right mind would want to put something electronic in their mouth? Would you put a battery in your mouth for energy? I think not. So why put a battery operated cigarette in your mouth for nicotine?

Personally, I much prefer the use of the patch. No batteries, no cartridges, no cables. Just a freakin' sticker.

Day 29: Confessions of a Non-Smoker

On Saturday, my husband and I went to a surprise birthday party for my cousin, who just turned 30. The party was down in Virginia, so we piled in the car and headed south for the night. Usually long drives was where I'd smoke cigarettes with total recklessness, inhaling at least 8 cigarettes over a 3 hour period. But this trip was the first time I refrained from reaching for a cigarette out of habit in a usually smoke-filled environment.

Later in the evening, after discussing my quit with a few people, I decided to test my progress in a most dangerous way - by having two drags from a cigarette my husband bummed from a waitress. (As an aside, my husband quit several months ago, but indulges in the rare cigarette.) I'm a bit ashamed of myself for doing it. But rather than taking the cigarette and running for the hills to enjoy the entire thing in solitude, I gathered my courage and looked at it as a learning experience.

Drag number one reminded me why I smoked - I got that lightheaded, giddy feeling and felt myself relax in the familiarity of the habit. Drag number two reminded me why I quit - the smell that surrounded me like a cloud, my lungs screaming "Abuse!!", and the taste in my mouth that nothing short of a shot of Jameson's Irish Whiskey could alleviate. The cigarette was promptly discarded.

Well, I indulged in the shot of Jameson's, and toasted my cousin's birthday and myself - for remembering all the reasons I quit in the first place. Since Saturday, the urge to smoke has retreated to a far corner of my subconscious. And I'm feeling a little more like a superhero since I faced my fear and conquered.

Day 26: Milestone

Well, I've begun Step Two in my Three-Step Patch. I'm now getting 14 mg rather than 21 mg per day. I was a little apprehensive about the step-down - it was like riding with training wheels for the first time. You're still terrified of falling over!

Plus the Step Two patch is half the size of Step One, so it plays on your subconscious a little. It's a reminder that I am progressing, and I am thinking about smoking less often. Not sure if I'll ever completely lose that feeling of wanting a cigarette, but for now it seems to be tamed.