Goodbye, nasty habit... hopefully forever

I had been a smoker for at least 30 years. I say "had" because as of a week ago today, I smoked my last butt.

May was "Just Quit Month" and I guess the slogan should get some credit in me quitting, but most of the credit goes to nicotine patches. I have two of them on right now, one over each eye, and I can't find my cigarettes which makes them impossible to smoke.

Just kidding -- but would probably help.

I am wearing one of these patches on my arm and have been doing so for the past seven days (and by the time you read this it will be over two weeks since Marlboro smoke has entered my lungs.) Smoking is one of the most vile habits a person can have and I am hopeful that this time I have really kicked the butts. I have tried a handful of times in the past to no avail. I think those unsuccessful attempts to quit cigarettes were failures mostly because I really didn't want to quit, but rather felt I should for health or wealth or a combination of the two. This time it does feel different (though, as of today, I would punch a kitten in the face for just a few lovely puffs.)

My affair with cigarettes started somewhere around 12 or 13, sneaking singles from my father's packs of Winstons mostly to look cool in front of my moron friends who were also smoking. It's a habit I picked up on my own, but without father's smokes sitting around to be pilfered, it would have been much harder to form a habit. Luckily, in this day and age, my daughter has zero desire to start this stupid habit. Between social media and the realities of how dangerous smoking is, she is well schooled on the fact that there is no future in tobacco use and for that I am happy.

It hasn't always been the case. When my father started smoking in the late 1960's, baseball players were still hocking cigarettes and chew and big tobacco companies continued to maintain that using their product was a hobby and not a habit.

If you see me around town and I appear to be a little crabby, truth is there is nothing "little" about my crabby-ness. Walk away slowly, wish me luck on my quest and don't take it personally.

Thanks for reading and Aloha.