GIVING UP IS HARD TO DO...

Posted 29 October 2007

INTRODUCING MYSELF RICHARD GALLON So, the time has finally arrived to kick the nicotine habit. Having given up for five years a while back (okay, three years ago now) I know that I have the willpower to stop, but timing seems to count for a lot in this regard...

Week One - And so it begins...

As with last time, I have chosen to ignore friends, family and acquaintances who advise me to use nicotine replacements to help me quit (I still have a box of patches in my bathroom cupboard, bought by a well-meaning friend).

Although this might sound like a slightly strange choice, I have my reasons - I'm determined to also kick the nicotine habit, not just the actual smoking habit.

With this in mind, I booked a week off work. Otherwise it would be far too easy to find the excuse to take a break and nip out for a box of ten at the corner shop...after all, this is what I've been doing every workday morning for several months, all the while telling myself and anyone who will listen, that I will ’quit tomorrow’.

Since I last quit, I have now worked my way back up to buying twenty a day most days.

So, with the week booked off, ensconced at home, I decide to tough it out. I choose my day carefully, as I have five-a-side football in the evening, and know that if I make it through until I go to football, I'll have managed not to smoke until almost the end of the day.

I also know I won't much feel the need for a cigarette after 40 minutes of huffing and puffing around the pitch.

My carefully laid plan went accordingly. Although I started to feel slightly odd by the time I got home from the game, I could already feel the difference in my energy levels due to having not smoked for almost 24 hours.

Unfortunately as I was to discover, this was to the point that I slept fitfully for the first few nights, and woke up in the morning feeling that I hadn’t slept much at all.

Oddly, my cravings this first week have not been too strong, and I think the feeling of achievement (and the fact that I have manically tidied my flat to within an inch of its life to keep myself busy) has carried me along.

So with my first week firmly behind me, here’s hoping that next week will see more of the same, in terms of few cravings, and feeling good about having finally stopped smoking...

If you have any comments about Richard's blog, or want to send in your support,

Get In Touch!