2010
Quitting Is Not Always For Quitters
I got my free Quit Kit in the post the other day, on the exact same day that I had chosen on which to quit smoking. For once, the NHS got something right! By the way, I’d suggest you make yourself comfortable. I have little doubt that there will be many more ‘I Have Decided To Quit Smoking’ posts in the future. Well, I am an expert at quitting, having done it countless times!
As I write this, Day Four has crept into Day Five. I’m itching (read: gagging) for a smoke. Instead, I’m resorting to spinning my little NHS wheel which tells me how my body is doing. So far:
1) My blood pressure is back to normal (yeah, right!)
2) Oxygen levels have normalized
3) Carbon Monoxide & Nicotine have been eliminated
4) I can taste, smell and breathe normally, plus I have more energy.
People who identify with LGBT are 50% more likely to smoke than heterosexuals. That shocked me, to be honest. Why the number is so high, I’m not sure. Class? Upbringing? Maybe rebellion? After all, women were never really meant to smoke; it was always a ‘man’s thing’. Maybe lesbians (70% more likely to smoke than straight women) smoke to form a [subconscious] attachment to the masculine, but also to detach themselves from the typical female/housewife stereotype. Perhaps gay men smoke in order to enforce that aforementioned attachment. Regardless, it’s a rather bizarre statistic about the LGBT community.
I was a tomboy as a kid. I then attended an all-girls school before starting to smoke and drink at thirteen. I was rebellious, yes, and didn’t want to be a barbie doll. I also suffered with depression among many other things. I identified with being bisexual at the time. I think I smoked because I wanted to appear more edgy and masculine, not be a good little girl (NOT the only reasons!). Even in today’s society, smoking is more masculine. We tend to frown more upon women who smoke than men. Smoking. Is. Not. Feminine. (Apparently). Still, ever watched The L Word, or Far Out? Lesbians + cigarettes = scientific fact.
So, I’ve now chosen the other end of the spectrum. Quit smoking, start running, lift weights. I’ll be a butch beefcake before you can say Marlboro Reds.
P.s. Please don’t hold me to this. I’ve never quit for longer than 3 months, and that was when I was sixteen!
My friend quit smoking using the patch. But she said her biggest help was eating a Dum Dum lollipop every time she felt the need for a smoke.
She started running too. I ran with her and after 7 months of running we ran/walked an off-road half-marathon. It was cool to witness how she changed once she finally could quit smoking. It was like she was able to take charge of other things in her life like school and her relationships.
I wish you a bunch of luck!
I never thought of smoking as a masculine thing. I thought of it more as a manual labor thing or for jobs with lots of stress but low wages. But I guess manual labor is usually a male dominated field eh?
Good luck