Harry Burns: You know how a year to a person is like seven years to a dog?
Sally Albright: Is one of us supposed to be a DOG in this scenario?
Harry Burns: Yes.
Sally Albright: Who is the dog?
Harry Burns: You are.
Sally Albright: I am? I am the dog? I am the dog?
Quote from the movie “When Harry Met Sally“
Tomorrow marks two weeks on the calendar for me being smoke-free. This battle is much, much, much harder than anticipated. I didn’t expect to be so cranky or so munchy or so depressed. With most things I feel like “Well, why would I want to do that? It’s not like I could smoke a cigarette or anything.” I’ve gained weight already which is really making me want to cry. Man, taking control of your body sucks. It’s easier (and a pretty good time) just letting all go to hell.
But none of this whining is my intended subject today. This post marks the third time in two weeks that I have written about my smoking cessation struggle. However, the entire time that I was a smoker, I neglected to mention that fun fact to you.
Why?
Because I knew it was wrong. Because I was ashamed of being a mother who would sneak outside and hide from her girls just to smoke a rotten cigarette. Because I thought you would judge me for it.
I was afraid you wouldn’t like me…here in my own space where I make the rules. I compromised my own personal diary because I was worried about your opinion of me.
So you see, for various reasons, I am the dog.
Are you completely honest about who you are on your blog?
First…I just LOVE that movie :-D Second…I highly doubt you could tell us anything about you that would make a single one of us dislike you or judge you. Granted I am a (attempting to quit) smoker….but even if I wasn’t…I’d still not judge you! Better to realize late that a change is needed than never at all!
Hey- I don’t care if you smoke or eat or whine. I love you anyway!
xo
LBC
I don’t think that you had any obligation to reveal the fact that you smoked. But I am really glad that you are sharing your battle to quit. I smoked in my misspent youth. From the age of 14 (!) to 21 I was a pack-a-day-smoker. Quitting was one of the hardest things I ever did.
Are you doing a patch or anything? Hang in there, darling, because you will have incomparable pride in yourself if you can get this monkey off your back.
In answer to your questions: Yes and No respectively.
In support of you? YOU are not your cigarette or your smoking habit - we love YOU.
Ha-you know the answer to this one. I AM the dog.
I agree with Miz S, you had no obligation to blog about it. We all are allowed to screen what goes here. And God knows I do. If we were all just hanging out in my living room, I’d tell you guys everything, but shouting it out to the world is different.
Btw, I may be a bit of a goody-goody, but I don’t judge my friends that way in real life or on the internet.
You are not fat. Keep going. We’re routing for you.
We also love you whether you quit or not.
Big deal, I am sure everybody has something they are not proud of. We love you no matter what.
It ain’t easy, and I know the road you’re on. But trust me, it’s worth it - after a few months, you’ll notice a huge difference in certain things. And you’ll be proud of yourself. Then you can be a totally different kind of dog with ME, your friend, the FORMER SMOKER GIRL. Yes. You too can be an “ex-smoker”. We are a smokers worst nightmare.
Please, won’t you join me?
I quit smoking years ago. I am the worst born again non smoker there is. Congrats to you and if it helps you get through the cravings then whine all you need to.
Congratulations on the two week mark! It really is a huge accomplishment. Keep going.
I don’t read your blog because I thought you were a non-smoker. (Wow, that even feels silly to type!) I read because you bring a funny slant to the struggles we are all going through.
Quitting the smokes is a hard road. I’ll be reading no matter the outcome, but I do wish you luck - offer support - and freely give understanding.
We all have our little secrets, that’s life. I think you’re brave and strong for taking your life into your own hands and one day when you’re over this “hump” you will think so too. I’m proud of you and wish you the best of luck, I know you can do it. Although I have never smoked, I know it’s difficult to stop but you’re truly doing yourself a favor - yay YOU! We all have our own demons to master, I start WW and working out again today - that’s mine. I’ll be here quietly shouting encouragement for you…
Have a great day!
I don’t care if you smoke cigarettes (or dope or whatever). I think you rock no matter what.
I think I’m pretty honest. I’ve not hidden anything on purpose…yet!
Am I completely honest on my blog? Hell! No! My mom reads it, my husband reads it, my neighbors read it. None of them would talk to me anymore if I was entirely honest. Certainly the personality you see is honest…I just don’t provide ALL the details.
CONGRATULATIONS, and HANG IN THERE! (I guess I shouldn’t mention that I’ve been sneaking the odd smoke or two, hiding it from my family–after nearly a YEAR of being smoke free. I suck.)
I’m going to get back on the patch, and we’ll have to be each other’s “sponsors”, like in AA. Only this is SA.
I do have a small chunk of my life hidden from my family, in particular, because it involves a time that I’m terribly ashamed of.
Other than that, I try to be honest (at least on my blog) about who and what I am. I also find that being honest with myself is often harder than being honest with others.
You are NO dog. You are human. We all love things that make us feel good. I quit smoking too and I am glad I did, but I sure miss that smoke. It has been over 2 years for me. Keep it up and GOOD LUCK!!!!
It’s been just over four weeks for me. I went with “the shots” and have had a relatively easy time of it from the nicotine perpective. The hardest part for me has been filling the gaps in my thoughts/emotions/subconcious/actions that used to be consumed by smoking and all that went with it. It’s left me a bit scatterbrained and I’m finding it takes tremendous effort to focus, and even once the effort is expended, there are no guarantees.
I smoked 2 packs a day, give or take, for more than 25 years.
If I can do it, anybody can. I promise.
Keep fighting the good fight!
I don’t believe that smokers are “bad” people. It is just bad for you. Yes the weight gain, that is due to your metabolisim changing. Before, believe it or not, it was speed up by the nicotine. Now its not getting it anymore so it is going back to “normal”.
I would like to sugget, eat crunchy veggie or a piece of fruit at least every 3-4 hours it will give you stomache to digest which believe it or not will help the metabolisim get on track.
As non-smoker for the last 3 years, you can do this. It is not easy, you will want to smoke. But hang in there its great not being a smoker anymore. I don’t worry about how long a move is, is there a place to smoke, do I need to buy some more. What bank will i rob so I can get more smokes.
I’m sure you can do it!
And P.S.
After week two and four pounds gained, I rejoined Weight Watchers. Have lost those four plus 2.7 more, and there ain’t no stoppin’ the melting now.
Oh, my dear, I don’t smoke, but I am definitely the dog. If that is your only confession, you rate way higher than I do.
That is one of my all-time favorite movies.
P.S. I don’t care if you DO stink; I love you anyway.
I stopped smoking last April after 24 years of smoking. It’s hard, but it’s so worth it! I can’t stand the smell of it anymore, and you’ll be surprised once you get over the hump how much better you’ll feel. I promise. I know it’s hard! But you can do it!
Uh, yeah… we’re not going to talk about what I need to confess.
Good job on quitting. Hang in there… and, whine at will. Your blog–and you’re rather entertaining about it.
i don’t smoke, i’ve never smoked, but i do have demons in my closet. i have friends who quit with no problems, other who have struggled with it, my friends aren’t picked based on whether they smoke or not. i think the biggest challenger is deciding for yourself, do you really want to quit or are you quitting because someone is asking you to. good luck to you, i’m sure that if you’re determined this is something you really want to do, you will be successful at it.
It never occured to me whether bloggers smoked or not. I smoked for 18 years, a pack and a half a day. I even smoked during both my pregnancies, though I did cut back to one or two cigarettes a day. How’s that for honesty?? There are people out there now who probably think I am a horrible person! Whatever. It’s been 10 years since I’ve had a cigarette and I feel great. Now I can’t stand to be in a smoky bar and come home stinking. Two weeks is a huge milestone. You’re probably over the worst of it. Hang in there. You’ll feel so much better with clear lungs.
I know what your going through, i quit smoking 10 years ago and it wasnt my first attempt… I just was sick of it all i had just got back from the er because i couldnt breath from a cold i had, i decided then and there i was quiting… I did drink A LOT of coffee i needed the caffine high i guess lol… If you want it you will do it… jut picture your life without cigerettes… And think of the money you will save… You got through two weeks you are going great…
I’ve never smoked but know how incredibly addicting it is… good for you for looking it square in the eye!!
LOVE that movie. Love it.
Go MommaK!
I didn’t mention my smoking much either back when I smoked mostly because non-smokers who lecture and blah blah blah get on my nerves. Now as an ex-smoker they still get on my nerves. Steve smokes. It is a fact of his life. I tell people who comment to mind their own business.
Smoking is one of those things that takes GREAT willpower to beat. I had help as in I was pregnant and so MF’n sick that the thought of a smoke made me want to heave. It was by far easier to quit that way than cold turkey (which I had also done several years prior.) I will not lie to you. It has been 18 months since I have picked up a cigarette. EVERY SINGLE DAY I still want one. I often dream I am smoking and it is realistic! Sometimes when Steve lights up I could snatch it and inhale it all in one giant puff.
Stay strong. Keep your eye on the goal. You can beat this thing. I know you can. You have made it this far. 2 weeks is the detox stage. The urge does lesson but remember alot of it is simple habit.
Damn, I thought I was crazy.
And here, we could have been sneaking out to have a puff.
I hate anti-smoking snobs and I hate born agan non-smokers. We all have our faults, nasty habits and vices. (I quit everything else, I don’t drink, I smoke like, 5 cigs a day.)
So take last Thanksgiving, for instance; I’m sitting there puffing my cigarette, POLITELY, outside, and here comes a WHOLE group of drunken relatives who “Only smoke when they drink” (which must mean they smoke two packs every day!) bumming all my smokes and proceding to stand around all self-righteous talking about how they don’t smoke and all the AWFUL things about smoking, AND THEY’RE SHIT-FACED DRUNK! Hypocrites.
I’m terribly ashamed at how much weight I’ve gained since I stopped running last year. It’s truly awful. I also used to smoke. I started when I was 18 and didn’t quit until August of 2004, just before I turned 30. Lots of people didn’t know that about me because I hid it.
Don’t imagine I tell all, but I tell most. And lately, appearances matter less and less.