Thursday, February 04, 2010

An Anniversary Worth Noting

I rarely toot my own horn too often here, but once in awhile I think it's okay to do it. Today marks an important anniversary that I want to share with the best readers in the entire blogosphere.

No, it's not my anniversary for PYY. That was last month and I really don't care much about that. It's not my wedding anniversary. Although that one is important, it's not one that I bring up here on the blog. The same goes for my work anniversary, I have been there so long that no one will care much about that one either.

The significant event of this date in history is very personal. But it is definitely something I wanted others to know with the hopes that it may be of help to those that are in the same boat I was in, just one year ago today. February 4, 2009 was the day that I quit smoking and became tobacco free. After being diagnosed with a chronic disease that may someday take my life (and still, may not), I decided that it would be a good thing to stop and I did.

I must say that at first it was hell. I tried the Chantix, but the artificial hallucinogenic dreams weren't acceptable. And while it did help with reducing the cravings, it still wasn't as effective as I would have liked. So once my prescription ran out, I went cold turkey.

Like I said, it wasn't easy but I am a stubborn man (just ask Mrs. Sunsett and she will confirm it). So I dug into a "cannot fail" mentality and as time wore on, it got easier and easier. Eventually the cravings became rarer, and easier to resist when they did occur.

This is where I am now. Occasionally I get one, I resist it, and it quickly goes away.

Nobody can say I am one of those preachy ex-smokers, who target and harass smokers to do as I have. In fact I rarely bring it up, unless someone asks about it. So I will not overindulge in that kind of activity today, except to ask my readers to just think about where they are in their lives with tobacco. And if anyone is a smoker, please allow me to say one thing to you: If I can quit, anyone can.

My good friend Mustang quit awhile back and the last time I asked him, he reported that he is still tobacco-free. That makes me glad because despite all the ridicule he throws in my direction, all of the castigation he sends my way, and the many times he has subverted my cause by killing any influence I have ever had with you good people, he is one of my best friends in the world and I want him to be around for awhile.

In other words, he is not allowed to die before me.

And neither are any of you.

So if you smoke.... please consider quitting. After one year of quitting, the stats show a dramatic drop in smoking-related deaths. You'll feel better and your loved ones will too.

This may be the last thing I ever say about this topic. So if it applies, take a chance and do it now.


15 comments:

Chuck said...

December 2001 was when I quit and haven't smoked since. It is hard to quit but it is well worth the trouble

~Leslie said...

CONGRATULATIONS! That is a wonderful anniversary. Very glad you quit and that you are doing well without them!
(And you are in the prayers for your illness.)

Congrats to Mustang for quitting too! Now you will both be around for a long time --harassing each other while entertaining all of us.

~

Anonymous said...

Thank you, LA. You're a pretty good guy, for a cantankerous old bastard.

Now this stuff about dying. Let me remind you, soldier, that you don't go anywhere without my permission. Otherwise, you're AWOL, see? So I don't want to hear no more about dying.

Read me?

Mustang out

Anonymous said...

NEWS FLASH ... JUST IN ... NEWS FLASH ... JUST IN

LA SUNSETT CONTACTED A LOCAL BOOKIE TODAY AND PLACED $200 ON THE SAINTS TO WIN.

COPYRIGHT CARTMAN NEWS AGENCY INTERNATIONAL

Anonymous said...

As a follow-up, I didn’t have any of the problems with Chantix outlined by Sunset. I was on it for 30 days, had no bad dreams, and didn’t require a refill. Interestingly, besides Sunset, I know two other people who tried to quit with Chantix who didn’t make it. I think the issue is that stop-smoking medication is only an aide. If the motivation isn’t there, nothing works. In my case, I was highly motivated … that’s all I can tell you about that.

Mustang out

LA Sunset said...

//It is hard to quit but it is well worth the trouble//

If only people could know how much better you feel after having been off of them for awhile.

LA Sunset said...

Thank you Leslie, for your kind words and your prayers.

LA Sunset said...

//You're a pretty good guy, for a cantankerous old bastard. //

From one cantankerous old bastard to another, thank you.

HoosierArmyMom said...

Congratulations Sunsett. Your post serves as an inspiration. No wonder Mustang can be such a grump at times. LOL!!! You guys are lots of fun and I'm glad to know you will be around for some time to come. Just think of the money you have save in just a year!!! Especially since the jacked the tax on cigarettes to pay for Pelosi's "Do it for the children" entitlement program!!! Maybe you can chip in the money you've saved and throw a big party for your readers! :-) LOL!!!

Hey, seriously, thank you for sharing, I could use the inspiration myself, since I've cut down, but still smoke.

LA Sunset said...

//LA SUNSETT CONTACTED A LOCAL BOOKIE TODAY AND PLACED $200 ON THE SAINTS TO WIN.//

Eric, you must be smoking some kind of wild dope.

LA Sunset said...

//No wonder Mustang can be such a grump at times.//

Well, he was a grump when he smoked. When I visited him a little over a year ago, he would have me doing grass drills in the middle of the night while he sat on the patio puffing away. I can only imagine how hard he would have driven me while he was detoxing from nicotine.

Seriously, he is s swell guy and a lot of fun to be around. I am not sure that Epcot will ever let us back in, but we had a blast.

As for your smoking, you'll quit when you are ready and not until....but do keep trying.

A.C. McCloud said...

That's worth sharing. Congrats on beating back the demon.

LA Sunset said...

Thanks AC, anyone who has smoked knows that demon is an appropriate term.

Ameloque said...

Hi LAS !

Amerloque agrees ...

Stop smoking. Now.

Otherwise you might come down with a disease that may kill you and for which there is no cure.

Even twelve years or so after having stopped. (sigh)

Best,
L'Amerloque

LA Sunset said...

Hi Amerloque,

Thanks for your personal testimony.

Although smoking related deaths plummet after having quit for a year, it's not zero. And as you demonstrate with your statement, chronic illnesses that must be managed for the rest of one's life are still possible.

But the sooner the better, I always say.....about anything of any real value.