Awareness, The App

Awareness

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Observation ~ The app as a weaning program has at its core the idea that it’s main purpose and function should be in raising the users awareness of smoking. This emphasis has been considered at every stage of design – the idea that higher awareness of the habit is necessary and key to quitting.

Like anything else though, awareness can and should be kept in balance. Having raised awareness regarding smoking doesn’t mean you’ll need to be walking around in a state of constant vigilant monitoring. No need to get obsessive, in fact – don’t. The amount of awareness that it takes to remember to use the app properly, should be roughly the right amount to bring you up to a more balanced level – no longer oblivious, and on auto-pilot when lighting up.

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Addiction

Nicotine is anti-inflammatory…

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DAY 25 ~ I’ve done some more reading. The more I read, the more disturbed I’m getting. Here is the most direct expression of the issue I’ve found on the matter:

“Tobacco smoke is toxic but also anti-inflammatory. Paradoxically tobacco smoke contains hundreds of toxic and carcinogenic chemicals that produce inflammatory reactions and numerous degenerative diseases, but it also contains nicotine that is anti-inflammatory. Smokers assault their bodies, but moderate and obscure the inflammatory degeneration and disease, until they stop the nicotine exposure” ~ (From a post in a forum at mindandmuscle.com)

I started describing the nicotine fit even back in high school as that it’s like having “itchy veins”. That was thirty years ago. I can’t help but wonder what are the implications of misidentifying chronic inflammation for this long? Where might I be at in whatever this process leads to?

If cigarettes are ironically treating the condition they are also contributing to… what might the medical consequences be when I finally remove them from the mix – especially now that it is so much “later in the game”?

I’m worried, but much more than that… I’m angry. Everything could have been so very different – if I had known it was such a treatable condition all along.

Wow.

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Addiction, Nutrition

Seemingly Stabilized

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DAY 26 ~ I feel…

Inflammation started diminishing faster last night – back down to almost normal. I’ll give it a 3 at the moment. It’s interesting though, I feel like… raw, or injured. Like burnt. Almost like post sunburn burnt. Not just on the skin, more like through-out. Muscles are even sore.

This is how it gets during every major sugar binge, it’s actually what causes me to back off. So even though the latest binge ended a month ago, it almost feels like it didn’t.

I got back (up) to the apps recommended number of smokes, basically by easing off of competitively getting ahead. It took a couple days to seemingly stabilize.

Day 5 off of dairy ~ Dinner last night was bean tostadas (without cheese or sour cream) – a definite first to not have cheese with my mexican food.

Probably also worth noting: I don’t seem to be craving cheese as far as I can tell as I would have expected, and now that I’m feeling better, the normal craving for sugar is noticeably returning and rising. I won’t be giving in to it though. Water is becoming a surprisingly adequate substitute on that front.

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Awareness

Awareness Exercise

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MORNING ROUTINE ~ Like an observer of yourself, become familiar with your “morning routine” (if you have one). What are the things that you do every morning, and where does your first cigarette come in? Whether it’s first, second, or third, gradually start putting the other things you also do every morning, ahead of that first cigarette. Develop this first as an exercise, and let it become a strength that you have… the ability to move that first cigarette around in your morning routine at will.

Keep pulling the other things you do in life in ahead of that first smoke, gradually and randomly. Experiment with this a little every day. Can you imagine building a smoke free morning routine and then letting it grow into the rest of the day?

Another awareness exersize:

CONSCIOUS ACKNOWLEDGEMENT of things that are much more enjoyable than smoking (as you are enjoying them). Example: “this cool refreshing drink of water is way more enjoyable than smoking”

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