It's Been One Day

     It's been just over 36 hours since I had my last cigarette. 36 hours of craving. 36 hours of being irritable. 36 hours of stomach aches. All things that are happening while I kick the nicotine habit. I found a TED Talks video that goes into detail about the long term costs and health effects that smoking has on the world. It really got me thinking about what it could mean for me to quit smoking. On average I'll live ten years longer than if I kept smoking. I'll save upwards of $210 each month. I won't have that horrible smell on me all the time. The reasons to stop just keep getting better and better.
     The first three days are always the hardest. That first morning without a cigarette. The first long drive in a car. The first drink. All things that used to go so well with smoking. All things that, over time, had become a habit more than an addiction. These habitual smoking times will be the hardest part of quitting. After the first the days, the nicotine in my body is almost 100% gone. From then on it will all be breaking a habit. I have started chewing on mint toothpicks whenever I get the urge to smoke. It seems to be working so far. I know that I am slowly replacing one habit with another, but the toothpicks are a much safer and cheaper alternative to cigarettes. Day one is over. Day two is almost over. Let's see what day three has in store for me.