Misanthropy Today

Writing this more for google visitors who are quitting or who have quit than for regular readers.

It’s been three weeks since i’ve had a cigarette. This is the longest i’ve quit in years, but it’s not going smoothly at all.

I’ve lost some weight, which is nice but i’ve been having such horrendous digestive problems that I don’t feel any skinnier. My stomach feels really pressurized after I eat anything and i’m having acid-reflux all the time– often times it wakes me up and I throw up.

Also i’m taking zyban which has made me frigging insane. More so this round than any other time. I’m not sure if it’s also causing the stomach/digestion problems but it very well could be. I don’t remember having these problems when I quit previously.

I’ve started taking pro-biotic pills and eating yogurt every morning. Also, a big cup of coffee in the morning helps move everything through (which I think is the root of the problem), but today the receptionist didn’t make more coffee and I just grabbed a soda instead.

Last night I ate some barbecue chicken at my Dad’s house then when I came home later and went for a run I threw up about 30 minutes into it. I had thrown up every night previously for about 10 nights. While running I saw a pack of Newport cigarettes laying on the ground. I picked it up and it was 3/4 full. I put it in my pocket but set it on a curb about 10 minutes later.

I talked to my doctor and she said that cigarettes had aided my digestion for many years and now it had come to a standstill without that stimulant. She suggested all the tips as if I called up and just said I was having digestive problems: eat fruits and vegetables, drink lots of water, take a walk after a meal, etc. Doesn’t that just knock you out when doctors pull that crap? I’m thinking yeah thanks, I could’ve called my liberal neighbor Greg and got the same advice.

Also at night time i’m sweating a lot. In fairness I should add that i’ve been drinking pretty heavily these past three weeks, which is supposedly a no-no while taking Zyban.

A few months ago I drank my ass off all day in Big Bear while taking Zyban and from 8pm til 1am was completely erased from my hard drive and I was told that I was a total asshole to everyone in the bar there.

I toss and turn every night, either because of the stomach issues or because its really hot out in LA right now and i’m already sweating out toxins and the heat just exacerbates it. I wake up like drenched in sweat.

I’m going to keep it up but really they should educate people more about the bad side effects of quitting smoking after smoking for many years. Some of them are harder than the effects of smoking. Doctors should be better educated about the causes and cures of some of the side effects, like when I didn’t grow a tail for 4 days, a week into quitting. Some information on that would’ve been helpful.

A few other things about quitting smoking:

1. your weiner will get bigger/stronger

2. your skin will look a lot better after about 2 weeks

3. you need to take a lot of vitamins, they really help you feel better

4. water tastes better (to a smoker it tastes like tobacco water) and you should force yourself to drink a lot of it.

5. there’ll be a period of time where you feel really great about quitting, addicts call this period the “pink cloud” , after about 3 weeks you feel blah about it, and could relapse easier I think since the clean newness is gone

I’ll add more in a few weeks.

Related posts:

1. Quitting Smoking With Zyban
I've...