the Great American Smokeout and Three New Habits That Have Helped Me Reduce My Ciggy Intake and May Help You:

Happy September 21st! It's the Great American Smokeout... 

You might be thinking to yourself, "Weeeeell, now you smoke like a five alarm blaze from the time you wake up till the time you lay your head down at night... Why are YOU talking about the Great American Smokeout?"

Well friends... I can tell you the truth... I LIKE MY CIGGIES.  That's the way it is ...

When I have that first cup of java of the morning in hand - usually made by Evan, who makes the most fantastic pot of java in the world - and I step out onto "the Porcho" or "the Patiocho" and take that first puff I feel absolute contentment.  That's what addictions do, you know? 

Some of us like to gossip, some of us like to eat chocolate chip cookies, some of us like to pound Bibles at folks, some of us - including me many days - go through two pots of coffee before lunch... we ALL have our vices and pretty much nothing is good in excess... 



As I have aged, I'm more and more aware of how winded I get when I'm active.  I'm more and more aware of how fiscally irresponsible it is to spend such an amount on a habit that is not doing anything to improve my health... 


Mostly with the encouragement of Evan... who throws the carton of ciggies in the back of the jeep when we come out of the gas station and screams a sarcastic, "Smoke up, Johnny!" at the top of his lungs... I've done some things in the last year or so to cut back and I'm going to share a few of them with you now... 

Three New Habits  That Have Helped Me Reduce My Ciggy Intake
and May Help You:

1. When you purchase your ciggies, contemplate the "number of servings" that you have just purchased (so to speak).  
   
   I've grabbed "a pack of ciggys" or a "carton of ciggys" for the last 18 or so years, but one night after we came in from our "Paducah run" (gas and cigs), I put my carton in the cabinet and Evan said, "Well there're 200 more cigarettes for ya.."  I was exasperated - "holy f***ing sh*t! I never thought of it like that!"
   
   It was true - I had calculated the money fifteen ways till Sunday and at one point during my summer bike rides to get my "one pack a day", my friend Tilker kept somewhat of a tally on my facebook page of what I'd spent for the week... that was helpful and it made me look at it yet a different way and cut back some.
   
   And then when Evan said "200 cigarettes", aside from thinking back to the movie for a second and how groovy that girl's apartment was - I was totally reprogramming my brain... I don't need 200 servings of ANYTHING in a week - and that's about how long a carton was lasting me then...
2. Don't smoke from your pack, use a case!
   
   This may be the MOST important one, so if you're half-fanny pissed off at yourself that you're reading this as you sit there and chain smoke and you "might try one thing", try this!!
   
   We train our brains like "Pavlov and the bell"... every single day with everything we do.  This includes LOOKING at things... When I see this ...
   
   
   
   
   I immediately WANT a ciggy even if I DON'T WANT a ciggy! That's what logos are for, to create an association - in this case that contentment you feel when you take that first puff - with an image that can be in your view at all times...
   
   Putting your ciggies in a case and hiding your pack or carton does TWO things... (1.) It keeps the logo out of your face, thusly avoiding making you Pavlov's dog AND (2.) Your brain sees that less ciggies are "available"!
   
   Here we have an unassuming vintage ciggy case that I've carried for many years... I found it in my Grandpa Barney's trunk o' stuff after I inherited it as an adult and I've treasured it since... This case comfortably holds 6 ciggies... I have another case that holds 9... These cases have helped me tremendously in avoiding smoking a ciggy "just because there's one there" (which the logo on the pack reminded me of constantly)... and I HIGHLY recommend it.
   
   
   
   
   
3. Figure out the dollars and cents of it! 
   
   If your pack costs you $6.00 and you get 20 ciggys, you are paying 30 cents per ciggy and you should remind yourself of that every time you light one... In addition - remind yourself when you sit and chain smoke three that you have just spent a dollar... 

The main thing that's important I think is to encourage, not nag smokers.  When you nag them you only piss them off and make them want to chain smoke as that has been their knee-jerk reaction for how-ever-many years, which the exact OPPOSITE of what you want for them...  

I'll probably bring you quite a bit more on this topic as I get fully adjusted to these habits and set up new obstacles to trick my mind into slowing down... 

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Have a Grand and Groovy Day! 

Don't Judge ANYONE But Yourself...

and Don't Text and Drive...

KCoJax

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