Tyler's Fish

[pulmike]

So I've been not smoking for 50 days now. Yea! I even took off the last of the patches 5 days ago, so I have now REALLY quit smoking.

Meanwhile, a couple of days ago my son Tyler caught this gigantic trout. In Pampa pond, of all places. It really was huge. He swore it was twenty inches as he called me by cell phone on the way home. Despite the late hour I waited up for him to get home; it would have been unseemly for me to just go to bed in the face of such exhuberance. Besides, contrary to our usual habit of catch-and- release, he had kept it and was determined to show it to me. I understood.

As I waited a moderate case of the no smoking hebe jebes came over me, passed, and came over me again. By the time Tyler arrived with his fish I was in some distress. We measured it out at 18 inches. In Tyler's defense it was truly one fat trout, and also in his defense the markings on his creel, you know, the inch markings where you measure your fishes- they had actually shrunk. I saw it with my own eyes. By steel ruler the trout measured 18 inches. By creel it measured 19. So either the creel company makes its inches shorter. in the way of a manufacturer of women's clothing with dress sizes, or it had shrunk in the creeks, or whatever.

Anyway, I had waited up and after being properly awed by Tyler's catch, I was facing yet another battle with my nicotine deprived sleeplessness. It really was quite the fish.

As he went to bed Tyler offered me a kindless. "Dad?" he said.

"Yes?"

"Dad, if it gets too tough on you tonight you can open the refrigerator and look at my fish some more."

I looked over to see if he was joking. He wasn't.

"Thanks, son".

Later that night, I did, and I thought of the son that loved me, and I loved him back.


pulmike

[Denise]

omg.... there was just a little tug on my heartstrings....

[KarenSews2]

tears are welling up in my eyes. That was so sweet. Thanks for sharing.

[dutchcloggie]

Ooooo.....that is such a sweet story!

Well done for staying off the fags. The way I did it was not to force myself to think about the fear of never smoking again. I simply told myself that I was not so much giving up as much as simply not smoking for a while. That way, when I had a ciggie, I did not feel like a failure. It is October 2005 that I had my last fag. I still don't feel like I have given up but more like I am just not smoking at the moment.


Feels like far less pressure. Hey, it works for me.

If fish works for you, then well done:) Think of how much more fun you will have with your son now that you no longer smoke.

[gisli]

Pulmike this is really a fantastic story, thanks man.

[pulmike]

Thanks for the support everybody. This quitting is really one of the hardest things I've ever done. I guess for some it isn't so big, and for others, well, they never do make it.

I used the patches. I'm not sold on the whole patches method. I do believe that the idea of separating the behavioral suff ( ie, learning how not to be a smoker) from the nicotine withdrawal is a good idea, even a great idea. On the other hand, you can do that with just the level one patches- the strongest ones. Use those for as long as it takes to stop reaching for the smokes every time you ....(name your own trigger(s)). After that, the part about stepping down to a weaker patch, and then an even weaker one, and finally none at all- that part was not so good for me, it was horrible, and I don't recommend it. It was entirely like quitting four times. For me each time was more difficult than the last. (Except for the one, where I went from weakest to none at all- that really wasn't as bad as the rest.) The others simply kicked my ass, over and over. For my moiney you can skip that stepping down over and over part. It wears down your resolve. It takes too long. The light at the end of the tunnel never seems to get any closer.

If I had it to do over again I would go on the patch once, stay at the high level of patch until I had the behavioral thing truly licked, and then go for it. All at once.

For those who are trying, there is hope. I just did it, and I was as addicted to it as anybody in the entire history of tobacco addiction, believe me.

pulmike

[Dee]

That is the sweetest story, Pulmike. And congratulations on making it 50 days.

Take a picture of that fish, hang it in a prominent space, and even get some wallet sized copies (for emergencies). As a nonsmoker turned smoker turned nonsmoker turned smoker, I am mighty proud of your accomplishment, and know how incredibly hard it is. By the grace of God I may one day be back on the same path you are now.

Good work!

[Lin]

Mike - I just read this and what a great story! Truly!

Good luck on the non-smoking. It was the hardest thing I have ever done. I quit about 18 years ago. (Funny, when I first quit, I could tell you exactly how long it had been since my last cigarette - 4 days, 6 hours and 23 minutes! Now I have to stop and think - how many years has it been? lol) Once in a while I may get an urge and the thing that keeps me going is remembering how hard it was to quit and not wanting to go through that again. Plus, I remember how hard it was to take one flight of stairs. Now I can run up three and be okay. I use to panick if I didn't have my cigarettes on me, and then what if I didn't have a match? OMG Major stress!!!! I like not feeling like that anymore. And also knowing that I won't burn the house down because I forgot to put my cigarette out! I can't tell you how many times I used to go back home to check and see if I put it out!!!

Lin

[Melba]

aaaawww, Mike, you really tugged at my heartstrings as well...;) Congratulations on making it this long. I am on the same page as Lin. I remember when I could count it down too and its only been 4 years for me. And once in a great while, that old urge crosses my mind and I feel the same way Lin does....remember how hard it was to quit. I know if I were to take one drag, I would probably want to start all over again. What's really odd, is not long after I quit, I went thru some real personal hell for the next 2 years and I am really shocked I did not start again just for the pure reason of needing something to grab as a crutch. My partner was amazed too...she thought for sure I would. I put on a few extra pounds, but it was definitely worth it to stop smoking. Keep up the good work! :cool: