Day Sixteen: Getting Back on Track

Yes, the rumors are true. I'm starting a band. It's called Fall Off the Wagon Boy. Songs off the album will include 'Oops! I Smoked It Again' and the classic 'Spin Spin Smoker'.

Due to extenuating circumstances over the last week, I picked up a packet of cigarettes and started smoking again. Not as heavily as I was but enough that I felt guilty about it. I am now, however, back on the band wagon and quitting the horrible addiction.

The patch is firmly attached to my skin and my palms are sweaty as my world gets rocked by another craving. The irrational desire the break something courses through my veins. My fuse has shortened even further to the point that telling someone where to go results in them looking forwards to the journey because it means that they are out of my reach. I have realised that working in complaints while quitting smoking does not bode well for creating harmony between upset customer and dispute resolution staff members.

It's not all doom and gloom though. There are some uplifting moments for me to bask in. The fact that I can't stop coughing is one of them. I haven't been able to work out why I can't stop coughing and why I feel like I'm constantly choking on fluid. It was explained to me that after not working for so long, my lungs are now cleaning themselves. Certainly a step in the right direction.

The other exciting moment for me was when a friend called by and stepped through the front door. I asked him how heavily he had been smoking as it was so strong and overpowering. He said that he'd only had one in the last two hours. My sense of smell is returning. Walking home some days, my mouth won't stop watering with all the delicious aromas which waft out from people's homes.

The downside to my sense of smell returning is I've realised that some of my favourite colognes don't smell as good as I thought the did. I have only felt nausea once recently and it was after spraying myself with what was originally an expensive cologne. On a side note, I have an awesome door stop these days.