Day 25, lungs and other essential things

Yes. I have made it to day 25 smoke-free. I am feeling good about this. The cravings are less and less. I feel very committed to this decision to live a healthier life without cigarettes.

It may seem hackneyed but the photo above really does scare me! That is a lung with emphysema. COPD is a horrible condition, involving chronic bronchitis and/or emphysema. Basically the lungs are completely trashed by that point. There is hardly anything left in the lungs to take in the oxygen. People on oxygen tanks, gasping for each breath, it's ugly. I do NOT want to be in that condition ever.

I have a new appreciation for my lungs, I want to take good care of them, they are essential for life. How I went on trashing them with smokes for so many years speaks to the powerful addictive nature of the death sticks. Nuf' said on that.

In case you were wondering (because I was!) I have been smoke-free for:

25 days, 3 hours, 10 minutes and 29 seconds, as of a few seconds ago. I can't wait to count in months, then years. That would be a true blessing.

The Struggle for Freedom

I quit smoking, again. Yes, I know a few of you are going to view this with a cynical eye, "when will he start back up again?" and some of you are saying "GO Chris! You can do it! Good for you! That is Awesome!". I'm going to listen to the latter folks who offer positive vibes and feedback. I can't afford to be around negative people in this struggle to stay off cigarettes.

I quit exactly 17 Days, 19 hours, 48 minutes and 47 seconds ago on 2/19/11. I had my last smoke just before midnight. ( I have this great APP widget on my phone that shows me how long and how much I've saved.) Had I continued smoking I would have had about 410 cigs by now. I have also NOT consumed about 2460 MG of Tar into my lungs.

This time I have gone though the Delaware Quitline, a public service for those quiting smoking. I am using NRT, Nicotine Replacement Therapy, I have a coach I see every 2 weeks and I have access to an 800# I can call 24/7 for support. So far, so good. This combination of support and NRT is recommended to increase my chances of success.

I had quit for 3 months last summer only to be stressed again and started again. This time I am very determined to make it the final quit. My lungs and wallet can't afford it any longer.

If you have any positive advice on quiting or how you successfully quit and what struggles you overcame feel free to share, I would love to hear about it.

Please wish me luck and prayers and positive vibes with my personal project and "Struggle for Freedom."