Today is the 29th day I've been free of spit tobacco, and the 5th I've been free of nicotine gum.
I think I can give the gum away now. Or at least most of it. Three pieces have been separated from the blister pack strips, and are floating around as singlets. I'll keep those three pieces as emergency back up, and give the other pieces (28) away.
I'm going to give them to a guy with whom I work. He works at a different location than I do, but I'll be seeing him this afternoon. He's never given any indication that he'd like to quit smoking, but I pretty much figure that anyone who has been using tobacco for more than about ten years (probably less), and/or is older than about 25 (probably younger), would prefer to quit, whether they admit it or not.
For me at this point the sugar free chewing gum seems to be doing the trick.
Yesterday, LR left a comment on my post about her experience quitting soda. We call it "pop" in Michigan. Not sure why.
She said that soda was difficult to quit, but now that she has, she feels better, and has saved money.
I drink quite a bit of soda as well. Not a ton, but I would guess up to 50-60 ounces per day. Not that much every day, but it wouldn't be uncommon.
Also, as I alluded to yesterday, I have more opportunity to drink soda now that my mouth is empty of the tobacco.
So, really soda is something that I should cut back. And since "cut back" doesn't really seem to be an option in my life, "eliminate" is probably the only realistic option.
I would guess that when it comes to bad habits/addictions, that there's a hierarchy. That is tobacco is a "worse" habit/addiciton than soda and caffeine. For me, anyway, before I can really think about the harm that soda is doing to me, I really need to take care of, and eliminate the tobacco first. The same might be true of an alcoholic that smokes. Before they can or should quit smoking, they should take care of the more destructive habit first.
Maybe I'm getting too philosophical now, or maybe I'm coming up with an excuse for not slowing down on my soda consumption. Either way, I'll start considering soda elimination after I have tobacco kicked, and that will probably be another 2-3 months, I suppose.
I also wonder if I'm feeling better now that I'm sans tobacco. I've never really been well in tune with my health. Clearly, the inside lining of my cheek, and gums is less raw, and feels a lot better. That was true after only a couple days, and has continued to improve. But, I'm not noticing much else in the way of "feeling better". But, every day, month, and year that I stay away from the tobacco decreases that chance that I'll get cancer, and that's a lot.
Day 29/5
January 26th, 2016 at 03:00 pm
January 26th, 2016 at 04:02 pm 1453824162
Yes, pop (see I lived in the midwest) and sugar have been difficult ones for me. My husband particularly with soda. He again quit cold turkey and that was just in the past six months. He said he felt much more alert during the day without it. Now he just drinks a ton of coffee! It's always something with him. I have a soda but only if I'm eating out and even then not every time. We no longer buy it to have in the house. Still working hard on the sugar. The goal is to at least be in line with the doctor's guidelines which for women is just 25 grams or less per day.
I remember when I original quit soda I couldn't believe how many times I thought about having a soda. I told people it made me understand the hormonal feelings of a teenage boy!!
January 26th, 2016 at 07:30 pm 1453836640
I never got my DH to quit soda. I drink a can occasionally, I gave it up during pregnancies and never got back into drinking it. But my DH will drink a beer or two a day and a can of soda. He hates water and will drink juice instead. Alas he never gains weight either.
January 27th, 2016 at 06:53 am 1453877591