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 even thinking of quitting, please -- join us!
You can also click the GUS tag to view all diary posts.
UPDATE (X1): From Huffington Post: Chantix, Zyban Issued Suicide Warning By FDA
Many thanks to bgblcklab1 and amk for obama, who both provided the link to this very timely and important story.
UPDATE (X2, July 15, 2009): Currently, this diary is being edited for posterity, to be utilized with the "GUS Diary" tag. Please feel free to offer questions, suggestions and critiques in the comments, as usual.
Welcome Gussacks, visitors, and esteemed supporters.
Amidst this evening's musings, I am issuing a velvet-gloved reminder of what should always be included in the construction and posting of a GUS diary. Please bookmark or hotlist this diary for reference, as my goal is to edit the content down, to what will hopefully be a sufficient working template for all GUS diarists.
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Who can write a GUS diary?
Whether you are freshly off the smokes or a grizzled veteran; whether you are still smoking while on a cessation plan, or just have a plan to quit, anyone who is on the GUS buddy list can write a diary.
You can also write a diary for GUS if you are a non-smoker whose life has been affected by the habit.
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What should go into a GUS diary?
As with all diaries written for Daily Kos, your GUS diary content, with the exception of the specifically-titled "Open Thread," should be substantive in textual comment (at least three paragraphs) and not already diaried. Grounded in these bottom lines, the sky is the limit as to what you can write about. Here are some examples that may be of assistance.
Personal check-in: How did your day go? Did you have any stressful or triggering moments? Is there a success (time away from cigarettes, money saved, a situation handled without resorting to smoking) that you would like to report?
Here's an example:
Today is Day 16 off cigarettes. So far, I have saved $123.00. According to the Windows Quit Time counter, I have avoided smoking 328 cigarettes, or over 16 packs.
I'm feeling anxious about lack of work, for two reasons:
- With excess time on my hands, I am further challenged to stay busy and thus keep my mind off a cigarette.
- Rent, bills, and food.
I am also feeling anxious about posting this particular diary. My hope is to set suggestions for reference, to create a template that GUS users can follow, so that we all can transition smoothly from one diary to the next, as it pertains to list updates. So what's the biggie deal?
Rules. I hate rules! The only thing worse than following rules is making them. Why am I doing this? And even worse, what if you think my suggestions suck? So says my inner teen, all up in a panic, searching wildly for a Marlboro to light and a car hood to lean on. Good luck to that... inner teen and all, will not likely find a '71 Plymouth Duster parked next to my inner ear.
The adult is in charge now, and you know what? This diary will post. People will comment. Some will have actually read the diary, before rec'ing it (or not). A few may say "cool beans," while others may want to stir the pot and offer their ideas, as well. There will likely be agreement. And in the worst case scenario of an all-out pie fight,... fine. It'll keep my mind off the smokes, while assuaging my hunger at the same time.
One thing I really loved about smoking was the feeling of rebelliousness I thought I was projecting. Prior to my sophomore year in high school, I was a straight-A student, skinny, introverted, reticent, and prone to being bullied. So I took up smoking, along with drinking. Instantly, my demeanor went from meek, to "I am bad, so stay out of my way and don't mess with me."
Truth be told, it was more like, "I'm not really all that bad, but... hey, I'm drinking and smoking, and you know what? The buzz is really working for me, my image, and those damn feelings of inferiority. At the very least, I won't be mistaken for some nerd who follows the rules."
OK, here's the real truth. My smoking represents the ultimate sideways flip-of-the-bird to every group of people who I never fit in with. It's my way of telling you all, "I would rather use this cigarette to prove how much I am not like you, while dying in the attempt." This is sad. Are the jocks (or the Republicans in my family) really worth that much anger, much less my life? Even worse is that the initial intent of my smoking was to send a signal to the other brainy kids that I was not like them, and would never be like them. I liked many of those kids.
In their own warped fashion, the cigarettes worked for me. Now I am done with them, and re-establishing into my vocabulary a reality-based definition of the term "working." Time for me to do my own damn work, or find myself sucking combustible wind, once again.
Informational: Diaries on breaking news as it pertains to smoking are welcome, especially those that involve health issues (i.e. the update in the intro to this diary). However, please keep in mind that GUS is about personal recovery from the effects of cigarettes, not a lobbying committee with any particular political motives.
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Where can I go with my GUS diary?
Anywhere your spirit leads you to go. Your diary can be substantive with personal or informative content, or it can be humorous, irreverent, and high in fluff content. As former smokers, laughing at ourselves can be healing... or it can just feel really damn good.
Sometimes, my smoking habit can be best summed up in a photo.
In Bruges
Or a video. As the wise dog says, "it just don't add up!"
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Merrie Melodies - Cheese Chasers (1951)Uploaded by Cartoonzof2006. - Sitcom, sketch, and standup comedy videos.</div>
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When should I post my GUS diary?
The following time schedules (Eastern Standard Time) are recommended, so that as many as possible are given the opportunity of real-time participation in a GUS diary:
Morning diary (7-9 A.M.)
Evening diary (5-7 P.M.)
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Why should I monitor the comments after posting my GUS diary?
Not only are you being a good host, but the comments are where fellow GUSsacks volunteer, in the Tip Jar (or "Butt Can"), to write upcoming diaries. It is important that such information is updated into your diary, for the benefit of the next diarist who will be copy/pasting the blockquoted text in your diary.
Equally as important is to recognize fellow Kossacks who request to be included in the GUS Buddy List. Such comments can be anywhere. Please keep an eye open for them.
In the event that you are unable to monitor comments after posting your diary, it is recommended that you enlist someone to help "guest host" your diary, so that any needed updates are successfully transferred to the next GUS diarist in line.
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How do I set up the blockquotes?
There are three standard blockquotes in a GUS diary:
- The GUS header (diary intro, above).
- The GUS buddy list (look below).
- The GUS diary schedule (also below).
Simply copy and paste all blockquotes from the previous GUS diary into your own. Of course, you will need to customize any coded links (i.e. the "GUS" tag in the introductory blockquote).
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Polls? The sillier, the better!
GUS Buddy List! Please post a comment if you would like to join, or if your name was excluded/included in error:
1BQ
3rdGenFeminist
amk for obama
Anne933
ArthurWolf
bgblcklab1
BirderWitch
blue husky
Blue Intrigue
bluestatedem84
breedlovinit
bsmechanic
Chocolate Chris
coppercelt
dangoch
Fineena
flumptytail
FrugalGranny
gchaucer2
Im a frayed knot
Indexer
interceptor7
khloemi
langerdang
LarsThorwald
lmdonovan
luvsathoroughbred
maggiemay
magicsister
Mikeguyver
MinervainNH
nannyboz
ncsuLAN
Nick Zouroudis
Pennsylvanian
SallyCat
seenaymah
smartcookienyc
Turn VABlue
uc booker
Vacationland
Wood Dragon
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GUS diary schedule. Want to write a diary? Please respond in the Butt Can (comment following the Tip Jar)
Thu AM: seenaymah
Thu PM: Vacationland
Fri AM:
Fri PM: SallyCat
Sat AM:
Sat PM: SallyCat (4th of July special)
Sun AM:
Sun PM: breedlovinit
Mon AM:
Mon PM:
Tue AM:
Tue PM: