After almost 18 years, I’ve stopped smoking.
I’m officially a non-smoker and it feels fantastic.
I can’t really say that I’ve suffered from withdrawal pangs either. Yes, some evenings sitting around the braai it is a bit tough, but I quickly take my mind off it by getting up and doing something. So, if you are ever allowed to come and braai at my house again one day, please don’t think I’m weird for sweeping my kitchen floor at 21:15!
Anyway! That said.
Since 1 May, when we were allowed to exercise outside our homes again, I started jogging with Kasper (my bull terrier) again. Well… it’s more a scenario of where he runs at full speed and I try to keep up. It’s quite the site actually.
When we returned from our run that first Friday I felt like I was about to die. My lungs were burning and I was coughing up weirdly coloured phlegm for what felt like hours. (Graphic, I know, sorry – has to be done).
I downed 3 litres of water while my dog and I were dying on the couch I thought… I should really stop smoking now.
Now see, quitting smoking has been on my agenda for a couple of months now, but I could never quite get to the point where I’d say “This is it, I’m done.”
At the start of lockdown I bought enough cigarettes to last me about two months, so when Cyril announced that we would be able to buy cigarettes again soon, I gave a couple of packets to people who desperately needed. All the time thinking it’ll be okay as I had enough to last me until Friday 1 May when we were going to be allowed to buy again. Well, we all know what happened. 1 May came and went and we still can’t legally buy smokes.
On 1 May I still had enough to last me the weekend. So that’s when I decided. Look, I always said I’ll smoke what I have but I’m not buying illegal cigarettes. Firstly because they’re waaaaay to expensive and secondly because they’re waaaay to expensive and thirdly because I needed motivation to help me stop smoking. I wanted to, I just didn’t know how.
So Friday came. I made the decision and on Sunday evening, 3 May, I had my last cigarette. I’ve also been reading Allan Car’s ‘Easy way to stop smoking’ – I think it really helped me. I’d like to believe that it did. I still have two chapters to go, but I’m done smoking.
So, in a way I suppose I have to thank the lockdown and Covid for forcing me to stop smoking and making me excited about running again.
Mission: Next year this time, I want at least two 10kms under my belt!
