Put that out!

What’s the saying-early bird gets the worm?

At 5:00am this morning as I sat at my desk penning reports that needed to get out the door today, I wrote myself a note to make sure I blogged today. I am embracing the necessary break from crunching numbers to share with you that yesterday and this morning have been quite a struggle. Honestly, I went over my allotment yesterday and hope to jump back on the wagon today. The overwhelming desire to just vacate the idea of quitting right now has crossed my mind (oh just about every 30 seconds) the last two days and I know that I need to buckle down but I don’t know if I can… Work, home, family issues-it just seems to be one more thing added to my plate that is more than overflowing now. I just don’t know.

Toughest day yet!

Yesterday was tough! I wouldn’t have imaged the cravings that came flooding in with just two cigarettes out of the mix. I found myself getting short with folks and had to put myself in check. I know it is due to the nicotine withdrawal but my staff didn’t deserve the wrath of my moodiness from lack of two cigarettes. I packed up my daughter Hailey last night and to her to the park at the school for two reasons. One to get me out of the house and away from the pack of smokes glaring at me from the table just taunting me to light one up. Second, as with any almost two year old, running, playing and a good dose of fresh air tires them out so bedtime was a breeze!!

Decreasing from 7 to 5 cigarettes to be difficult

Along with the class of 2008 celebrating a milestone in their lives, I too will be graduating to the next step in my journey to quit smoking.

My daily allotment of seven cigarettes a day has decreased to five as of Monday morning, so this week will be a difficult one.

You will see my progression accelerate in the next few weeks as my goal date to be smoke-free is Aug. 7. Later this summer, I will go on a 10-day family vacation to Florida (I know _ Florida in the summer _ what were we thinking!), which should be a stressfree time to get me over the hump in my first solo week.

We will stay at Liki Tiki Village (doesn’t the name just sound fun?!) and of course visit Disney, SeaWorld and other area attractions. My husband, Kevin, and I have been to the theme parks but it is a first for Hailey.

Between knowing that I will have to grapple with Hailey and baggage at the airport, banking on the resort being smoke-free and just not wanting to find an off-the-beaten path place to puff away, I think this trip is perfect timing. Now, I know to many my quest may seem long and drawn out. Many have commented that I should try the patch. Well, been there, done that, and now I have permanent scars on both my arms documenting the severe allergic reaction I had to it. I just couldn’t stomach the gum, and we all know how the cold turkey method turned out.

I want to reiterate to all those who have tried in the past, are currently trying, or plan on kicking the habit in the future, remember that quitting is an individual journey and you have to find what will work best for you.

For example, at your local morning coffee club, whether it be at a diner or convenience store, ask if anyone has a story he is willing to share of either himself, a family member or a friend who quit smoking. In Worcester, our local Stewart’s Shop is the place to be in the morning. One patron shared with me his recent triumph. He bet someone that for each cigarette he smoked, he would pay $100, which was his incentive not to light up. I am happy to say he is still on track _ CONGRATS!! The step-down method is my choice and has been working so far, but that is not to say that I might need to alter my plan of attack as the cigarettes keep dwindling and I approach my goal date.

You may see me walking around with a coffee stirrer or toothpick in my mouth to curb the oral fixation (a welcomed suggestion from a fellow reader) or in a worst-case scenario, seeing my doctor for medication to kick it for good.

Time will tell, but I already have it in my head that I will be a nonsmoker. Positive thinking produces great results!!

another step down

Today is the day I decrease my daily cigarette allotment from 7 to 5. Needless to say today is going to be tough. I have been mentally preparing myself over the weekend for the drop and thinking through which ones will come out of the loop. Since my most trying times are first thing in the morning, right after meals, and right before bed, my plan is to eliminate the front and tail end of that-morning and late night. I will keep you posted on how it goes…

When will we see the sun shine again?

Okay-I am sure many of you are getting just a little frustrated with the rainy weather in Oneonta as I am but I must admit that it does help with my smoking. I find that I just don’t bother with getting out the umbrella to go outside for a puff as often during sprinkles, and especially during down pours. I know I am not made of sugar (although my mom says I am but I know she is bias) but I guess I can compare myself to a cat who just doesn’t like getting wet. The smoke smell seems to linger more on clothes and in hair when it is wet and that is the one thing I hate most about the nasty habit. So today should be a good day not smoking as much and maybe I just might try only having five and see how that goes…

Better late than never

So I started my blog comments this morning at about 8:30 and am now just getting back to finishing and had to delete most of what I had wrote. I will update everyone that only 3 cigarettes so far today at it is nearly 4:00 pm. I am back on my salad kick and a spouse of one of our employees has given me some information on Chantix-a drug to help quick smoking. Is there anyone out there that has tried this method or is currently prescribed this drug that can give me the pros and cons? I would appreciate it as I am close to my goal but need something to get me over the hump…

Money to gain

I am still digging out from all that piled up over the week I was gone. However, I did get two very nice letters from readers that tune into my column on a weekly basis and shared the wisdom one had to share. Money is a huge factor, more so with the price of necessities such as gas, heating oil, and food skyrocketing. Coupled with the increases cigarette tax, those that are attempting to quit with me know that the extra income not being spent on cancer sticks is coming in handy to offset the outlay to cover the basics. I applaud all those taking the trek with me especially after the June tax hike. Good luck and my thoughts are with you.

After surviving a week off, ready for next step

So, I am back from my much-needed vacation and was astounded over the last week about how many readers commented that they missed my column. It was a huge talking point at The Daily Stars ponsored Centennial Ice Cream Social in Wilber Park on June 14 and at the Hall of Fame Parade on the following Monday. I appreciate the support and never imagined that so many would be pulling for my success at kicking the smoking habit.

I dreaded what I may have had to report after a week home alone, but I am happy to say I stuck to my guns and held true to the seven-cigarettes-a-day limit all week. But boy, was it a struggle. I thought that I would keep my days filled with my household “to do” list, but I just wasn’t motivated to do much of anything. When asked what I did on vacation, I happily replied “a whole bunch of nothing,” and needless to say, those kitchen cabinets did not get painted.

I did fill my time cleaning the house and doing laundry. Also, I purchased a third car for the household (more fuel-efficient than my husband’s gasguzzling full-size Chevy) at Empire Toyota, took a day and shopped with Hailey and her grandmothers, and caught up on some sleep. (Hailey actually let me sleep in until 7 a.m. one day!!) What I must admit that I didn’t do easily is keep to my daily allotment. I don’t know if a change in my normally hectic schedule or not being under a watchful eye made me yearn to smoke even more at home. Either way, I was so tempted to give in, to have just one more, but thankfully I didn’t.

I would have taken four steps back on the road to quit. It would have devastated any progress I hope to make in the coming weeks.

Next Monday, I plan to drop the two cigarettes I have been holding off on, giving me time to get back into the swing of things at work before taking the next step down.

Now, as mentioned in prior columns, the money I am saving is being used for a gym membership, some new clothes and saving for my upcoming August family vacation. However, I want to share with you one reader’s suggestion on what to do with the potential savings of giving up the smoking habit. He suggests that people divert the money spent on cigarettes into a retirement plan.

I’m an accountant at heart. In simple math, at $4 per day for an annual retirement investment of $1,460, at a reasonable interest rate of 7.5 percent, one could stockpile more than $300,000 to use on a rainy day.

Yet this reader’s next comment made all the sense in the world; Why not invest all the hard work you put into leaving the smoking habit behind into yourself?

Smart cookie, if you ask me. Why not take advantage of breaking a bad habit and replacing it with a new one, like a healthy body and pocketbook?

I’m back…

Did you miss me? I want to let everyone know I had a much needed relaxing vacation and as always happens when you are out of the office for an extended period of time, my desk is a mess! As I weed through emails, voice mails, and snail mail, I think of how busy my week will be. That is a good thing as I really struggled during my time off although I did not go over my seven a day allotment. It was hard to police myself as I could just pop out on the porch with minimal traffic there to tell on me. Many may be wondering if the kitchen got painted and the answer is no-I just did not feel like it so I didn’t. The weather was cold and gloomy most of the week so I did not want to paint without being able to open the windows to air out. I did clean the house top to bottom, organized my daughter’s closet that needed a transition from the clothes that don’t fit to the next size up and lots and lots of laundry. Not too exciting for a vacation but it did wonders for me. Sometimes it just good to take time for yourself and that is exactly what I did!

Mark this day!!!

So today is a day noteworthy for the calendar for two reasons. First, our seven month building renovation project is done today-no more hammers, saws or dust (well at least construction dust). Second, at the end of the day I begin a week long break with a much needed vacation. Yesterday was a trying day as we grappled to hold employee meetings in the mist of not have a conference room (it was occupied by the carpet layers) and the contractor and I did our walk through punch list. I don’t know if any of you have done that before but what a daunting task. I felt bad pointing out the items we needed fixed but then again, for the amount of money we spent, why shouldn’t everything be perfect so that feeling went away quickly. With the stress of it all, I only had one cigarette left for the evening hours and I am happy to say I made it-only one from 4pm until I went to bed at 10pm. Hopefully next week will go as well…