Non-Smoker In Training, Daily Journal

my own personal Hell | 21OCT03 | King Prout

[King Prout]

A net-buddy of mine was recently diagnosed with non-small-cell lung cancer in the upper lobe of his right lung: stage 3a, locally metastatic, possibly operable, possibly terminal. His odds are not good. He is 53, married. He has been a 2-pack/day smoker for 30 years. I -and others- have begun sending him surplus cash to help him and his wife keep beans on the table and a roof overhead as he pursues treatment. Something about the situation struck me as beautifully symmetric: I smoke, spending about $30.00 every two weeks on cigarettes; I intend to send him at least that amount every two weeks. In order to do so, I have decided to cease purchasing cigarettes. De facto, this means I am quitting. I have smoked for some 12 years. This will be interesting. I'll be posting daily notes here as this goes on. Today is Day 4 of no cigarettes.

[Publius6961]

What is this doing in "News"?
Are the admins tolerating neurotic vanities now?

[Cold Heat]

What is this doing in "News"?

I was not aware that it was.

I located it by going through my old replies to find where I bumped it.

[King Prout]

Last time I checked, this was strictly a vanity post, and I do not know why it is in "news", or even IF it is in "news".
As to your other question, I cannot answer it.

[King Prout]

I favor Orbit wintergreen flavor.

[King Prout]

hang tough.
the first couple of weeks will be stinkers.
after that - or so I am told by many ex-smokers - the trick is to never, EVER buy those cute little rationalizations the residual monkey will float out of your subconscious.

[Cold Heat]

EVER buy those cute little rationalizations the residual monkey ...........

LOL! The last time I failed, the little monkey said "A plug of chewing tobacco won't hurt a bit! So go on ahead and do it!"

I was smoking cigs again within a week.

[No Blue States]

"What is this doing in "News"?"

What are you? A moderator wannabe?

get lost.

[King Prout]

Publius seems to bear some mild animus against me.
Cause/reason, if any, not known.
Pay it no mind - I don't.

[King Prout]

ayuh - thems the ones to which I refer.

[No Blue States]

That little monkey is a damned liar whose head would look good in the middle of a table surrounded by people with mallets.

[No Blue States]

3 years off cigs, even if chewing gum is very strong of You in my opinion. and far better for your health and those around.
You know when you are ready to toss the gum.
hoping i dont gain weight, always have the munchies now..
need to keep walking and stay active i reckon.

[King Prout]

Now, THAT's demented.
I like it :)

[King Prout]

For those who have asked or are otherwise interested:
Dean and his wife Gay had to evacuate because of the fires, but has since returned home and rescheduled his oncologist and thoracic-surgeon consultations for this or next week (can't remember, don't have the email here at work).
He and Gay thank you all for your support and prayers.

Update on quitting:
I don't recall what day this is, but it has been a while.
Cravings are in serious decline both in strength and frequency.
I am snacking a lot. Snickers bars.
(Fortunately, I don't really have to worry about gaining weight for about 15 more years, going by family histories. Actually, I'd LIKE to gain a little weight, a little fat really. Flu season is coming on and I'd like to have burnable resources in store if (WHEN) I catch it.)
The monkey has subsided to an intermittent whisper.
I am wondering when these thrice-damned nicotine stains will fade from my fingertips. Scrubbing does not seem to make a dent... maybe bleach and sandpaper?
I am brushing my teeth a LOT. I find I cannot endure the feel of the slightest bit of coating on my teeth. I assume this is some redirection of an oral fixation linked to the physical actions of smoking, but not certain. Odd side effect, one of which I had not heard before.

[No Blue States]

Effects of stopping smoking:

20 minutes after giving up

Your blood pressure and your pulse rate return to normal.

What this means
Raised blood pressure and high pulse rate both put strain on your heart, increasing your risk of a heart attack. The minute you stop your risk is reduced.

8 hours after giving up

The carbon monoxide levels in your blood are halved.

What this means
Carbon monoxide from smoking can also produce distortions of time perception, psychomotor and visual impairment and negative effects on cognitive skill. Reducing the level of carbon monoxide in your blood will reduce these problems. Carbon monoxide reduces the uptake of oxygen from the lungs - the higher the levels of carbon monoxide, the lower the levels of oxygen.3 Oxygen is vital for the functioning of all energy systems in the body; so as soon as you cut carbon monoxide levels, you will experience enhanced energy levels.

24 hours after giving up

Carbon monoxide is eliminated from the body.

What this means
Look forward to better sports performance, with stronger endurance, lower levels of fatigue, improved recovery after exercise and a lower heart rate for each level of exercise.

48 hours after giving up

Nicotine is eliminated from the body.

What this means
As well as being highly addictive4, nicotine has a number of unpleasant side effects on the body. It can act as an emetic (cause vomiting) and it can produce stomach upsets. It raises blood pressure, and increases the likelihood of hypothermia and seizures. Get rid of the nicotine and you will get rid of these symptoms.

2-21 weeks after giving up

Circulation improves.

What does this mean
Bad circulation causes numerous problems, ranging from persistently cold feet, slow skin healing, Raynaud's disease and 5 peripheral vascular disease (PVT) which can even lead to limb amputation. Giving up smoking will reduce your risk of most circulation problems.


After 1 year

Your risk of a heart attack falls to about half that of a smoker.

What this means
Each year, tobacco smoking accounts for around 26,000 deaths from coronary heart disease in the UK - approximately 17 per cent of all heart disease deaths. The UK has some of the highest heart disease deaths in the world.6 Luckily, giving up will quickly start to reduce your risk.


After 10 years

Your risk of lung cancer falls to about half that of a smoker

What this means
In 1999, 22 per cent of all cancer deaths were due to lung cancer, making it the most common form of cancer death. Over 80 per cent of all lung cancer deaths are caused by smoking.7 Giving up is the most important thing you can do to reduce your risk.

After 15 years

Your risk of a heart attack is the same as someone who has never smoked.

What this means
A better chance of a long, healthy life!

[No Blue States]

Hoping no one considers this spam:

The benefits of giving up

The younger you stop the better, but even people up to 75 years old will have a longer life. It's never too late to benefit from quitting.

The benefits you will notice within a few weeks of giving up are:

your hair, skin and breath no longer smell of tobacco smoke
your breathing is easier
your sense of taste and smell improve
you'll see a reduction in phlegm and smoker's cough
your lung efficiency starts to recover to a rate similar to a non-smoker
you will be better able to cope with physical exertion
you'll feel positive about yourself for having stopped
and of course, you will have saved money through not buying cigarettes

Stop for your own sake

Smoking causes many diseases - some fatal and some seriously debilitating - which means poor quality of life. The question you have to ask yourself is - is it worth it?


most smokers do not realise just how dangerous smoking is
smoking causes about 90% of all deaths from lung cancer, chronic bronchitis and emphysema and a quarter of all deaths from heart disease. On average those killed by smoking will lose 10 to 15 years of life. For many it will be 20 or even 30 years more
smoking is linked to other cancers including cancer of the mouth, throat, larynx and oesophagus. It can also cause peripheral vascular disease which can result in gangrene and amputation of the affected part of the body
the suffering, distress and disability caused by these and other illnesses such as bronchitis and emphysema destroy not only the lives of those who suffer from them, but those of their partners and families as well


Stop for other people's sake

Passive smoking (inhaling other people's cigarette smoke) has been shown to be linked to an increased risk of lung cancer in non-smokers. The workplace is a particular hazard since we spend eight hours a day at our place of work. Eight hours a day, five days a week, week in, week out is a lot of smoking for non-smokers.

In households where the parents smoke, children are particularly vulnerable. Young children double their risk of developing bronchitis if their parents smoke. They are also at greater risk of pneumonia, asthma and chronic middle ear disease.

[Cold Heat]

I am wondering when these thrice-damned nicotine stains will fade from my fingertips.

Funny thing about this. I have been a heavy smoker for many years. I sometimes did three packs a day for weeks on end and never had a stain on my fingers.

Go figure?

[No Blue States]

The cravings are really tapering off for me too.(glad)
I just went for 4 hrs without the gum to see if i had to have it, not much of a problem.
So, there are about 15-20 pieces of gum left which when they are gone thats it for nicotine intake for me.

Ps: Im glad Deans house didnt get damaged, he seems to have his hands full as is.

[King Prout]

Yes, when I asked him whether some oriental fellow had cussed him recently he was not at all amused :)

[No Blue States]

Yesterday i chewed my last nicotine gum.
today i am pist because i have no gum.

[winston2]

Are you still quit on the tobacco?

I've watched my smoking friends try and usually fail to stop smoking. I'm hoping that you succeed. One of the comments that you made early on was something like {I'm not quitting tobacco per se but rather keeping my word that I would}. One of my friends that was successful in quitting smoking told me that his method was {this is not me} and he stayed quit.

Merry Christmas!