Reporter Taryn Utiger is quitting smoking again and this time she is keeping a daily diary of the ups and downs.
My quest to kick the habit once and for all started on Monday September 28 at 10.48am, 18 days after my Nana died. After smoking for 11 years and trying a number of different quitting strategies, this time I started with a two hour hypnotherapy session, followed by daily nicotine patches.
CHARLOTTE CURD/FAIRFAX
In September reporter Taryn Utiger spent two hours with a clinical hypnotherapist to try quit smoking.
Day six:
Every time I see someone smoking in the street or in their car I look longingly at them. They probably think I am a part of the anti-brigade, staring them down and making them feel self-conscious about being a filthy smoker. I'm not, I'm just envious.
It's the weekend, so I have a beer, but I limit myself to one, because if I have more I will be drinking like a fish and smoking like a train, neither of which will help me. The beer doesn't do much except whet my appetite for more.
Day seven: One week! I have made it to a week. Hallelujah! I tell Facebook about my milestone and I get a whole bunch of supportive comments - which is nice. Also, fellow reporter Leighton Keith said if I could last a week, he'd quit as well, so he's just finishing his packet. Waste not, want not they say. I mean, they are $20 a packet.
Day eight: The second week of giving up smoking is a very different kind of hard. I feel inexplicably sad and have spent most of the last 12 hours crying, working myself into a state and worrying about the execution of my up and coming wedding. I'd heard the second week was the "angry week", but it turns out that's not always the case.
On the positive side - I've now saved $90. It's going straight into the wedding account.
Day nine: Right, it's time to pick up my bottom lip and get back into the swing of things. I've still got a headache and those weird withdrawal sweats, which ain't pretty, but I didn't get this far to give up now.
Day 10: This is gross - but I'm starting to cough up stuff from my lungs. Yuck. Also, I am eating so many treats that I've decided to start doing some exercise. A nice coastal walk gives me a spring back in my grumpy step.
Day 11: I've just discovered that my all-time favourite comedian, the UK's Bill Bailey is a spokesperson for Stoptober. I'm sold. That's all I need.
Also, my little sister has been smoke free for a week today so I've got to continue to set a good example for her.
The month October is known as Stoptober, a social movement of people giving quitting a go for 31 days. You can follow my weekly progress for Stoptober right here, every Saturday, or on my Twitter profile @TarynUtiger
- Stuff
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