GUS (Gave Up Smoking) is a community support diary for Kossacks in the midst of quitting smoking. Any supportive comments, suggestions or positive distractions are appreciated. If you are quitting or thinking of quitting, please -- join us! You can also click the GUS tag to view all diary posts, or access the GUS Library at dKosopedia for a great list of stop-smoking links. Check it out!
First up, I apologize if the title of this diary is a little misleading. This isn't meant as some kind of course outline, an easy-to-follow series of steps you can take to quit smoking, or a bunch of information you may want to consider if you're thinking about quitting; been there, done that.
No, this is something different.
First of all, this is a shout-out to our GUSsacks who have just passed the 100 day point in their quit (let's give it up for bgblcklab1 and ChocolateChris! And a double-shout out to luvsathoroughbred, who just hit the big 2-0-0!). w00t!
Second, it's an homage to all of those "Top 100" lists that people are so fond of compiling. We make lists of films and books, songs and people. We like lists. We like them so much we make websites filled with lists of lists!
I thought it would be fun to come up with my own list. So, without further ado, here is my Top 100 List for GUS.
The Top 100 Reasons I'm Glad I Quit Smoking (in no particular order)
- I feel much healthier.
- Odds are pretty good I'll live longer now that I've quit, so that's a plus.
- I've significantly reduced my risk of having a heart attack or stroke.
- I've also reduced my risk of developing cancer.
- My mouth no longer tastes icky most of the time.
- Smoking is wicked expensive, so I am saving a TON of money.
- Seriously, a lot. Enough to put a downpayment on a house.
- Food tastes good again.
- It smells great, too.
- In fact, MOST things smell much better now.
- And I can smell things I haven't smelled in decades.
- I don't have to feel like I'm a slave to Big Tobacco.
- I also don't have to feel guilty about buying a product that funnels money to the Republican Party.
- I like that my money no longer lines the pockets of Tobacco Lobbyists. Suck on THAT, Boehner, you orange-spray-tanned freak!
- Speaking of freaks, it makes me happy that I no longer have to worry about running into Rush Limbaugh in the smoking area of the airport or outside a restaurant somewhere. I am no longer a "fellow smoker"!
- I don't have to obsessively check my pockets or bag to make sure I've got enough cigarettes to get me through whatever it is I'm doing or wherever it is I'm going.
- No more calculating how many cartons to bring on trips where my supply of smokes may be compromised.
- No more figuring out (and then stressing over) the logistics of finding a place and getting an opportunity to smoke during long trips.
- No more having to bolt outside after landing to try and suck down my nicotine fix and still make my connecting flight.
- No more worrying if the smell of my last smoke is too obvious to the seatmate I'm squished in next to (it was, but what are you gonna do?).
- No more fighting a massive case of the claw-at-your-armrest fidgets when the flight is delayed for an extra hour or two and you're stuck on the tarmac.
- Speaking of fidgets...no more having to worry about visible jonesing at business meetings, carpools, family gatherings, events, concerts, movies or any other gathering where smoking is not allowed.
- And no more rushing outside immediately afterward to light up with all my fellow nicotine addicts, or indeed reflexively lighting up every time I walked outside, like one of Pavlov's dogs salivating at the sound of a bell.
- No more worrying about whether I'm going to run out of cigarettes over night and not have any to go with my morning coffee.
- No more 3AM trips to the convenience store during a blizzard wearing jammies under my coat to buy smokes because I miscalculated.
- And now that I mention that little moment, feel like a junkie much? The first time I did that made me realize I was hardcore addicted to nicotine; that it was more than a behavior or a habit, but rather a real, honest-to-doG addiction. That sucked.
- No more lying to landlords or prospective employers about whether I smoke or not.
- Not having to worry about those little "NS" initials in classified ads anymore.
- No more huddling in doorways making small talk with a bunch of strangers, stubbornly trying to convince myself that I enjoy smoking.
- Never having to lie to myself about how I could just quit anytime (it's not that easy), or lie to myself about how I could have just a few and it would be "safe" (not so much).
- Not having to endure the frustrated, exaggerated coughing noises and angry hand-waving that nonsmokers sometimes give you if you pass them on the sidewalk and they happen to get a whiff of your smoke.
- Never having to worry about accidentally burning someone with a lit cigarette again.
- Glad I'm able to model good behavior for my nieces and nephew. I used to hate it when I had to slink off to have a smoke and they'd ask why.
- My clothes smell better.
- My house smells better.
- I save a fortune on dry cleaning bills.
- I no longer have to dump out ashtrays, clean up spilled ashes, or wipe smoke residue off of my possessions.
- I'm a more pet-friendly person now - no worries about harming them with second-hand smoke.
- I'm also easier to hire...
- ...and easier to insure (no thanks to the ^%$$^@*#$! Blue Dogs on the Senate Finance Committee).
- My oral health has improved and my teeth are whiter.
- My skin is better than it was when I smoked; no more gray skin tone and blue circles under my eyes, and fewer break-outs, plus my cheeks are rosier.
- No little lip wrinkles - whoo-hoo!
- My hair smells better...and now I can afford better highlights at a really good salon with a top hairstylist.
- No more worrying that I'm going to set my own hands on fire by smoking while I'm cleaning polish off of my nails with acetone.
- No more having to repair my lipstick a half dozen times a day because most of it was sticking to the filter end of a cigarette.
- No more having to clear my throat before speaking.
- Fewer colds.
- No more bronchitis.
- Fingertips and nails aren't stained faintly yellow.
- I breathe better.
- I sleep better.
- I can walk a few miles, go up stairs, and do a cardio workout without gasping for air.
- I don't have to be the subject of any more cautionary tale lectures by some well-meaning but not terribly discreet Mom not using her indoor voice to explain to her kid why SMOKING IS BAD, MMKAY?
- Did I mention how much I like not having to huddle in doorways outside of clubs and restaurants anymore? Yes? I like it so much it's worth another mention.
58-65. In fact, I like it so much it's worth eight more mentions on top of that, for each of the types of weather I no longer have to smoke in: snow, sleet, hail, pouring rain, strong wind gusts, steady high winds, heat waves and freezing bitter cold.
- I don't spend nearly as much money on mints and breath fresheners.
- Or on Febreze. I think I kept them in business for a couple of years.
- Being able to check the box next to "non-smoker" on forms never gets old.
- Neither does being free of all those tiny little rituals that accompanied my smoking habit - having to finish meals with a smoke, having to light up with my first coffee, etc. Life is a little more spontaneous now, and that's a good thing.
- The dating pool is bigger.
- No more random lectures from health professionals, friends or relatives. Smokers KNOW we need to quit; it really sucks to be reminded out of the blue.
- No more having to apologetically bum smokes from someone if yours run out.
- No more having to supply your "social smoker" friends with their bummed smokes during parties. I used to bring a whole extra pack because non-addicts often like to smoke "for fun" (yeah, I know) and have no freakin' idea how expensive it is.
- Movies that run over 2.5-3 hours are no longer off-limits for in-theater viewing.
- Family gatherings that are divided into "smoker" and "non-smoker" camps are more fun now that I get to choose who I want to hang out with, instead of letting my addiction choose for me.
- Nice to find out that I can survive a crisis without my nicotine binky.
- Smoking ages a person, but quitting has peeled a few years off of me.
- Give it up for a longer life expectancy!!
- Being the subject of a "sin tax" is less fun that you might think; glad that is behind me too.
- I'm no longer a source of second-hand smoke for my neighbors, colleagues, family or friends.
- I know I made some of my family and friends very happy by quitting.
- I like that I made myself happier by quitting.
- I admit, it was a little bit fun getting in touch with my Inner Bitch during the first phase of my quit.
- I kind of liked the tacit permission quitting gave me to be visibly cranky, too.
- No more accidental burn holes in clothes, furniture, rugs or upholstery.
- No more having to fix accidental burn holes in the aforementioned things.
- When I see people sitting in wheelchairs, toting oxygen tanks and still smoking, I am so thankful that I dodged that particular bullet.
- Now that I don't have to factor in the price of smokes and associated costs into my budget, it's easier to rationalize the occasional splurge purchase.
- I don't have to make up lame excuses to skip out of work for smoke breaks anymore.
- I can actually eat lunch during my lunchbreak, instead of using the time to inhale all the nicotine I could manage for a half hour, and then having to eat at my desk with a ringing phone and emails to answer in between bites.
- I know I said things taste better, but I think coffee warrants a special mention. Coffee tastes really, really, really extra good now that I've quit.
- I am pleased to report that I no longer subscribe to Smoker Magical Thinking (including such beliefs as "lighting a cigarette will make a bus arrive faster").
- I'm now a better candidate to provide foster care for pets AND kids.
- Smoking no longer shapes my day, drives my routine, or informs my actions...that feels good.
- I don't have to worry about gunking up my computer and blowing out a fan or just trashing the hardware with smoke residue.
- I was able to let go of outdated ideas about smoking and my own self-image and identity as a creative person, and discover that smoking never really helped either of those things.
- Minty-fresh breath!
- No longer associate using the phone with smoking, and don't have to do the mad scramble to find smokes before answering the phone.
- Will never again inhale that burnt chemical awfulness that is the accidentally-lit filter on a backwards cigarette....what? Don't look at me that way - we've all done it!
- Having my life back.
Finally, because bbl is on Day 101 of his quit, I am adding One To Grow On...
Current members of the GUS team! Please post a comment in the butt can if you would like to join, or if your name is here in error:
1BQ, 3rdGenFeminist, Abra Crabcakeya, addisnana, AfroPonix, amk for obama, Anne933, aoeu, arcadesproject, Archie2227, arion, ArthurWolf (in memoriam), awkawk, bamablue, barnowl, bgblcklab1, Bike Crash, BirderWitch, bleeding heart, blue husky, Blue Intrigue, bluestatedem84, BoiseBlue, Brahman Colorado, breedlovinit, BrowniesAreGood, bsmechanic, burrow owl, CathodeRay, Cen Den, Chocolate Chris, ChurchofBruce, coppercelt, dadanation, dangoch, demkat620, Dexter, DiegoUK, Dingodude, donnamarie, DRo, droogie6655321, duckhunter, EdgedInBlue, Everest42, Fineena, Flea, flumptytail, FrugalGranny, Garrett, gooners, greylox, gchaucer2, Geiiga, grndrush, Im a frayed knot, Indexer, indyada, Interceptor7, inventor, itsbenj, Jahiz, JamesEB, Jeffersonian Democrat, john07801, jmadlc55, johngoes, Jyrix, jvolvo's Mom, jwinIL14, kai99, kailuacaton, Kelly of PA, kestrel9000, khloemi, Khun David, Ksholl, labwitchy, Lady Kestrel, ladypockt, langerdang, LarsThorwald, Last Starfighter, Laurie Gator, Lipstick Liberal, litoralis, lmdonovan, luvsathoroughbred, maggiemay, magicsister, marknspokane, mdemploi, michael1104, Mikeguyver, Minerva1157, MinervainNH, mskitty, nannyboz, ncsuLAN, Nick Zouroudis, one pissed off democrat, Ordvefa, OverTheEdge, paige, PaintyKat, Pennsylvanian, phrogge prince, Positronicus, post rational, psycho liberal, PvtJarHead, red mittens, revelwoodie, rkex, roadlion, rosebuddear, SallyCat, Sark Svemes, seenaymah, Scrapyard Ape, sgary, sheddhead, smartcookienyc, spmozart, SpotTheCat, Tay, theatre goon, triciawyse, trueblueliberal, Turn VABlue, Turtle Bay, uc booker, Unduna, Unforgiven, Vacationland, webranding, weelzup, Wes Opinion, willy mugobeer, Wood Dragon, x
Anyone on the buddy list, or anyone who wishes to join the buddy list, is welcome to write a diary for GUS. Remember, snark diaries are appreciated, as are Photo and Pootie Diaries, YouTubes, and anything else you might want to share with the community - doesn't have to be smoking-specific, though those are more than welcome too!
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Wed AM: labwitchy
Wed PM: Chocolate Chris...west coast hump day edition 6ish pacific
Thu AM: Nowhere Man aka aoeu
Thu PM: The Egg Man
Fri AM: The Walrus
Fri PM: Eleanor Rigby
Sat AM: bsmechanic
Sat PM: Sgt. Pepper
Sun AM: Father McKenzie
Sun PM: Mean Mr. Mustard
Mon AM: Lovely Rita, Meter Maid
Mon PM: MNF Open Thread, CC Cosell