Hello, all. After many, many attempts to quit smoking I have finally done it. I used to go back and forth between smoking and dipping, and today marks 8 days I haven't had any form of tobacco products. I feel after a week I am at the point of no return.
Time after time I would "quit," and then halfway through the day I would find an excuse to smoke again. Usually it's a reason I gave myself to procrastinate like, "I'll quit this weekend when there's less stress." But when you haven't even quit for a day that's really easy to do because you're not losing anything. This time after investing a whole week of intense cravings, and irritability beyond measure - it would be a much bigger deal for me to light up a cigarette.
Now what I'm facing is physical symptoms of quitting. A few days ago I began to get a sore throat, and it's only gotten worse. The pain is localized in the vicinity of my adams apple, and it's very intense. Normally I just shake off things like coughs and sore throats, but it's excruciating for me to cough for even swallow my own spit. I've also lost most of my voice.
I checked on-line, and sure enough it is a side effect of quitting smoking. It's ironic isn't it? Quitting smoking causes me to get a cough and a sore throat. So how long can I expect this symptom to last? I've been doing intense exercise because it really helps with the cravings, but I don't think I can run with my throat like this. I was really hoping to pound the pavement tomorrow.
My aunt, who was a smoker for years just recently died of cancer. She was a great person, fun to be around and always full of life. Between losing my aunt and what I'm going through, I can't help but despise the tobacco industry. I absolutely take responsibility for my own choices in life, but still, to me they're no different your run in the mill drug cartel. They may act within the law, but like a cartel their profits depend on addiction and their business kills people.
Images like this help keep me motivated.