Wednesday 8 May 2013

Just Say No with D.C. Stone



“I’m gonna slit her throat if she doesn’t shut up.”
“Perhaps he won’t mind the broken nose.”
“Right now, I just wanna scream!”

Sound a little violent?  Yeah, well that’s how I felt a few days ago when I decided to quit smoking. 

*Cue the cheers*

I may smile and nod when people say, “Congratulations,” or “Good for you!” but really, I’m on day six and I’m still struggling with the want, need, desire, or craving to pick up that almost three inch (that’s what he said) rolled up tobacco goodness and take a long, deep inhale. 

Needless to say, between my day job as an Internal Investigator, the sexy muse as a romance author, an editor for several pieces pending publication, and a commuting-mom-there-is-a-baseball-game-oh-crap mother, I haven’t had a whole lot of time to think about what my body is going through. So, in my spare time this morning (wait, what’s spare time again?) I looked it up. I mean, I know what I feel, which is more energetic (that’s a welcome addition), productive, and for some strange reason, I wake up rested in the morning now, instead of wanting to hit the snooze button some ten or fifteen odd times.
 
Mr. Internet told me, on several websites, that my body has already experienced several changes. My blood pressure is lower, carbon monoxide is out of my system (yuck!), I’d test nicotine-free, and apparently, my taste buds have recovered. (Trust my hips when I say I had no problem with food before.)

However, while the health benefits sound pretty on paper, and yes, the additional energy is a huge help, in my mind, it is still friggen day six of no cigarettes. Keerist! I know though, that without a doubt, I will not pick up another one today or tomorrow, or the day after.  Want to know how I do it?
My children, both of them, root me on day after day, telling me how proud they are and allowing me to explain to them just how bad it is for them should they ever want to take it up. In a roundabout way if you look at it, I quit for them. In the long run, it helps them.  When I have a four-year old and an eight-year old asking why I smoked, and why I quit, it’s a revelation.  And I am sure you are sitting there saying, “Yeah, yeah, Deserie, but that doesn’t tell me how you did it.”

You’re right.

I’ve tried it all. The gum (which isn’t really gum), the patch, prescription drugs, lollipops, it all.  What worked for me, and trust me when I say I have absolutely no willpower, was cold turkey. I didn’t plan it, but I did it anyway.  Smoked my last cigarette last Thursday, May 2, 2013 at eight o’clock at night while sitting on the phone with a friend who was encouraging me to try and stop.  The next day, oddly enough, I woke up with a severe head cold, and while I have heard several stories about people getting sick when they quit smoking, for me, I thought this was too soon to be related.  Now, of course, at day six, I am sick again, and this time I do think it’s related.  I drank a ton of water on Friday, and kept chewing gum.  And while everyone is concerned about gaining weight when they quit, I actually gave in to my body’s craving and snacked.  Not a lot, but just enough that I wasn’t an absolute b-i-t-c-h.  I can always lose the weight through exercising, but can I really grow a new pair of lungs or a heart should those cease working for me?

No.

And really, what’s more important than your life.

So, as a recent smoker who has decided to take that step, I’ll tell you this.  You can do it.  Yes, it’s going to be hard. Yes, it will be a damn pain. However, you, my dear strong, beautiful woman, can do this.

Feral Craving

Blurb: Bari has always felt a presence lurking deep inside of him, waiting to get out.  After being injured in Iraq, where he was in-service with the Special Forces Team, he suddenly finds himself thrust back into his hometown, forced to face his past, and finds that what’s lurking inside of him is real, waiting, and running out of patience fast.  What happens as the evil of his past merges with his wants of the future?  What happens when the man and beast inside crave a female from his past?  What happens when Bari learns that he is anything but human?


D.C. Stone is an e-book author and full-time fraud investigator when she isn’t diving into the world of Fiction. 
She lives in the north-east with her incredibly supporting husband, two kids, and the all American black Labrador puppy. She’ll deny any association with the grumpy cat that also resides in the house, but he is there, never-the-less.
After serving eight years of service with the United States Air Force, she went on to transition into the world of Financial Crimes and became a lead investigator for many years. 
Reading has always been a passion of hers, getting lost in a good, steamy romance one of her favorite past times. That passion took a back seat as soon as she discovered her own love for writing and recreating her own stories and characters.  Her writing concentrates on Romance with specifics in Paranormal, Suspense and Erotica.
  Now, when she isn’t trying to solve a new puzzle in the world of fraud, she is engulfed with coffee, her laptop, and all those crazy characters in her head. Trying to keep up with that crazy bunch is a skill many would yearn to have.
She is a member of the Romance Writers of America, New Jersey Romance Writers, and the Liberty State Fiction Writers. Come stop by on Facebook, Twitter or her website and say hello! 

3 comments:

Faith Bicknell said...

Still working with the hubby for him to quit smoking but until he *wants* to quit, there's not a lot I can do.

Glad you kicked it! :-)

KarennaC said...

Congratulations! My husband quit on February 1, 2011, and he did it cold turkey as well; he smoked until he ran out of cigarettes, and then refused to buy anymore. He still gets cravings sometimes, but he's a stubborn dude.

Good luck with your continued smoke-free life :)

Marci Baun said...

I grew up in a smoke free household, but my oldest sister and brother smoked for a long time. After our middle sister was killed in a car accident, my oldest sis up and quit the very next day. Cold turkey. She never had any cravings. She just decided she was done, and she was.

And, Faith, you are right, it has to be his decision. Hopefully, you'll make it soon. Certainly smoking increases his chances of a stroke. :(

Good luck, DC. May it get easier and easier.