The Painter has given up smoking. Not for the first time. I’m pretty ambivalent about smoking, I think it should be a matter of personal choice, without undue pressure from the government or health professionals, and I no longer go into pubs much since they banned smoking – although I have never been a smoker. I think the ban on smoking in pubs ruined the adult atmosphere of them and I hate sitting there waiting for my drinking partner to come back after yet another sneaky fag outside, where he ends up having a great conversation with the other smokers and the rest of us non-smokers sit inside at our separate tables not speaking to anyone, avoiding each other’s gaze and trying to find important texts to answer on our mobile phones.
Anyway, back to the present issue. The Painter has given up smoking for (so far) a total of about 29 hours (not that we’re counting).
Whilst I appreciate how very difficult it must be to give up such a strong addiction, and I have a lot of admiration for the fact that he is doing it ‘cold turkey’ without the aid of gum or patches – I do honestly feel that I deserve a medal for not just packing up and moving out until he’s clean.
‘Directionless’ does not begin to describe it – and he would be the first to tell you so. We have the aimless wandering from room to room, the starting but not finishing things (all sort of things, from sentences, to cups of tea, to television programmes, to paintings), the wistful gazing into mid air, (as though a unicorn smoking a roll up can just be seen frolicking in the distance), the deep, shuddering sighs as though attempting to exhale every last particle accumulated in those lungs over the last 40-odd years, and the fidgety hands which keep moving about, patting pockets, picking up cigarette shaped objects, tapping on surfaces, searching endlessly for something to set light to.
It looks to me like it’s going to be a very long winter.
Β
painterswife 
Excellent.
I just got the most excellent blog post idea whilst reading this.
On another note, I agree… Going to a bar or pub definitely doesn’t feel the same without the smoking element. I’m a smoker. I should quit, too, but…stress. That’s my story, and I’m sticking to it.
I also admire anyone that can quit cold turkey. That is incredibly challenging to pull off. What about the sleeping for as long as possible – the fatigue and all that?
I hope he makes it through. You and him.
Cheers! I’m hoping that too! π
My grandad has cut down at switched to electric cigarettes at 69! He was awful until he took up the odd electric cigarette and that seems to satisfy him better than cold turkey.
Good point – I think we have one of those around here somewhere – left over from the last time (haha). I might try and dig it out – and if he doesn’t want it maybe I could try it and see if it helps me cope!
I went for the cold turkey technique after four years of smoking. I drank a glass of water every time I wanted to smoke, and put the money from each packet I hadn’t smoked in a jam jar every day. Result: I spent so much time running to the loo that I didn’t have time to think about waivering, and I had a pair of Levi’s in a month. Good luck to painter man, it’s not easy. Oh, and good luck to you too – drink a glass of water every time you’re tempted to bark at him π
Damn! you mean instead of the glass of wine I’m currently having each time I feel my temper rise? Water is probably better for the figure, but I think wine softens the anger more!
π I suppose it depends on what you have to do afterwards… Just imagine if you get hooked on alcohol from drinking wine to get over Painter man’s difficulty to give up on nicotine… π
LOL! with any luck I’ll be too drunk to notice and it will become an SEP (somebody else’s problem)!
The poor guy! And poor Colette. I hope he sticks it out. It should be better for him in a couple of weeks, which of course means it will be better for you too. π My dad swore he’d have never quit without Dentyne cinnamon gum.
ha! i wish i could fast forward a week or two!
Here’s hoping! I do admire him for doing it – but my tongue is getting quite sore from me constantly having to bite it!
Hang in there and good luck to you both!
Thank you! Am getting very good at holding my breath and counting to ten…
Keep it up, my friend! Be strong!!
α(ο½γΌΒ΄α) HOOSH!! α(ο½γΌΒ΄α)