CHRISTY LYNCH
I decided in 2005 a few weeks before Christmas that I was finally going to give up smoking. I’d had enough, the taste, the feelings when I smoked, my health did come somewhere in there but it was low on the list, more important at that time it was all about the money, or should I say the lack of. I set my date in my mind, January 1st 2006, so I could smoke my brains out over Christmas and New Year coupled with alcohol. That was my biggest fear could I have a drink and not die for a smoke. Soon smoking was to be banned from all public places like pubs and such so at least I’d have the jump on all of that. Christmas came slowly and went quickly as does all the holidays. My biggest fear now was not sleeping so January 1st I had a ciggie before bed, then 2nd and then 3rd. Finally on the 4th I knew I was playing a game with myself, if it wasn’t alcohol it was sleep, one excuse was starting to replace another, so on the 4th I went to bed with no cigarette and slept like a log. A few nights into no smoking and I was using cigarette patches. My dreams were so real, it was as if I was really there, I remembered every detail about the dream and once or twice I had a few bad dreams that awoke me from my sleep. I realised two weeks in I was full of life and bouncing around the office like a big kid full of energy and getting on a few people’s nerves I remember being offered one or two cigs to shut me up or calm me down. After about two months I realised my sex drive had increased to cave man mode but this time it was the Wife offering me cigarettes but luckily I refused. I had tried this once or twice before, you know and reached the dreaded for me six months marker. A few years earlier I had got this far but a drunken night on the town with students ended all that. Now here I was six months again, I remembered telling people if you can get past the six months you’d be ok but of course it was really me I was talking to. Anyway six months came and went and if my memory serves me correctly the smoking ban came in, what a relief I could now enjoy a pint in a non smoky atmosphere. I don’t know if you know this but ex smokers are the worst, that’s right after nights out my clothes stunk to high heaven and I felt like a lard of grease was on my skin after a night on the town and now smelly free to. It’s coming up to four years this January 2010 and I’ve been asked why keep count? My answer is why not? Over the four years my mind has changed from giving up smoking because of money issues to how important my health is. All my friends that have continued to smoke I worry for and fear cancer, I think will they live to see their Grandkids, do they realise how much they smell of stale tobacco. As I pulled into Bootle train station recently on a jam packed train, I spied a man putting his cig out and as he jumped on the train and breathed directly on me, I thought I was going to be ill and that was another good reason why I stopped. These days when I talk to people about cigarettes, I reassure them they can do it
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