my name is Kathijane and I am an addict....

Well, I certainly hate to paste this nasty, ugly photo of a burning cigarette into my pretty little blog, but here it is in all its filth (but without the stench). How ridiculous is this? I don't mind the nasty, ugly smoke going into my pretty little lungs, but don't want a picture of it on my blog? Yes, ridiculous! But then, no one has ever claimed addicts are totally rational people. Especially when it comes to their addictions. So, okay, as of now, I am an addict. But in 19 days I will be able to claim myself a "recovering addict." I'm preparing to quit the cigarette habit on May 1st. In doing so, I'm coming face to face with the reality that is "smoking". Facing those things which I've always known, but never wanted to hear. You know, like the fact that the stuff in cigarettes, well it is stuff that shouldn't be going into the human body: butane (think lighter fluid), cadmium (as in batteries), methane (that would be sewer gas), hexamine (barbeque lighter), ammonia (toilet cleaner), methanol (rocket fuel), among other nice things such as nicotine (and accompanying insecticides), arsenic, and carbon monoxide. I mean, I'm not an idiot, because I wouldn't drink lighter fluid, eat a battery, or stick my head in the sewer. But I am an idiot because.... well, smoking... I might as well be doing all those things and then some... downing some rocket fuel while washing my hair with the toilet cleaner. But, what can I say? other than.... I am an addict.

For now, I'm trying to focus on the positives of quitting:

After quitting:

20 minutes Blood pressure, pulse rate and temperature of hands and feet return to normal.

8 hours Nicotine level is now fallen to only 6.25% of normal peak during smoking.

12 hours Blood oxygen level returns to normal.

24 hours Anxieties peak but should normalize within 2 weeks - this is the most critical part, where success depends on this 2 weeks period.

48 hours Damaged nerve endings start to regrow while your smell and taste return to normal; anger and irritability peaks.

72 hours Breathing becomes easier and lungs functional abilities increase with 100% nicotine-free and almost 90% of its by products should have been passed down via urine; symptoms of chemical withdrawal syndrome like restlessness peak.

10 to 14 days Recovery is likely where addiction no longer in place; blood circulation to gum and teeth normalize.

2 weeks to 3 months The risk for heart attack starts to drop and lungs functional begins to improve.

3 weeks to 3 months Blood circulation improves substantially and any chronic cough would have disappear.

1 to 9 months No more fatigue and shortness of breath; cilia have regrow to help to keep your lungs clean and reducing risk of lung infection.

1 year Risk of coronary heart disease dropped to half of a smoker.

1 to 5 years Risk of stroke declined to half of a non-smoker.

10 years Risk of lung cancer declined by half of an average smoker

15 years Risk of coronary heart disease is now that of a person who never smoked.