I am officially an ex-smoker and this is day 1 of being smoke-free. I wrote about being a smoker back in April with "Yes, I'm A Smoker, So What?" and in the comments, I stated that I had a plan to get rid of the addiction; a plan that I wasn't going to disclose. Anyone who has tried to quit smoking and failed knows exactly why it's not a good idea.
Since that article was written, I had taken steps to remove the triggers that caused the urges to light up. I was extremely successful. In fact, over the past few months, I've watched many cigarettes burn away in ashtrays over and over again. The brand I smoked, and I wouldn't smoke any other brand, was extremely light in tar and nicotine to begin with. At about 6 pesos (equivalent to about 24 cents American) per pack, it wasn't very expensive either. I tried other brands, but they were just too strong, even when they were considered "lights".
I have many reasons for picking today as the exact day to become an ex-smoker, one being that it was the date that I had previously picked. Another is that I knew that I would run out of cigarettes by now and would have to buy more to continue smoking. I went through a few cartons in two months and with circumstances being as they are, I was prepared NOT to buy more.
It couldn't come at a better (if better is an appropriate word in this instance) time. Cigarettes run about $5 USD per pack in Phoenix and I won't spend that kind of money for cigarettes ever again. I'll be there in about 3 weeks and I don't need the monkey hanging out on my back while I have more important things to take care of, like my wife!
