I Quit…

Well, I didn’t quit screenwriting, but I’ve sure as hell cut back on the bloggling… No, I quit smoking cigarettes. It’s been Three weeks, three days, 15 hours, 39 minutes and 24 seconds. 739 cigarettes not smoked, saving $110.93. Life saved: 2 days, 13 hours, 35 minutes – these statistics courtesy of the free ‘quit smoking meter’ from Silkquit.

Anybody ever quit smoking? Well, I quit – two or three times, maybe – back in 1997… and, obviously, started back. At that time, I was a Virgin Nicotine Addict; meaning that I had only been addicted for a good year-and-a-half. Now… well, it’s been nine years of a pack-and-a-half a day of smoking, followed by an abrupt quit … and life’s been a raw dog bitch the past three weeks.

The positives? I can breathe better, I have more energy, and my asthma’s been curbed (By the way, eight weeks ago, my doctor diagnosed me with asthma – another bonus of over ten years of smoking.)

The negatives? There’s the obvious weight gain, the occasional craves – kind of like one may crave a steak – and urges to light up, and the psychological dependency of the ‘missing’ death stick. Then there’s the Attention Deficient Disorder… I would offer one-thousand dollars and trade some lucky bastard my couch for a bottle of Adderall, in order to kill this ADD. I’ve quit highly illegal drugs which were friggin’ easier to quit than nicotine, but the lack of concentration involved in quitting smoking is relatively difficult to handle.

I was lucky enough to finish the script I’ve been working on (and off) since January, because my ability to concentrate on intricate details and whatnot have faded… yet I’m confident that, over time, my abilities to get my brain and concentration in order will become more refined.

I realize that, with all the negatives, quitting smoking -- and staying off the nicotine -- will have a better impact on my life. I realize that my health is important, and I’ll learn to get through life with dealing with urges to smoke... and, eventually – hopefully – learning to overcome them.

My daughter has always told me that smoking would kill me… I’m here to prove her wrong… and not end up like this guy --

http://whyquit.com/whyquit/BryanLeeCurtis.html