I have tried to quit smoking several times since I moved and nothing seemed to work. I didn’t want to be cranky with my children so I would continue smoking. I tried reducing the number of cigarettes I smoked but it never really seemed to help.
Smoker Reducer Quit Smoking Program
I tried several android apps but they didn’t seem to be as successful as I had hoped. They assumed you were quitting smoking cold turkey. While they offered great suggestions, games to play and Facebook updates, they didn’t make it any easier to quit smoking and only made me obsessed about cigarettes.
Then I found an android app called Smoker Reducer quit Smoking Program… and it’s FREE! I downloaded it expecting the same type of app as I had downloaded before. But this one turned out to be a lot different.
Smoker Reducer Quit Smoking Program: set up
When I first opened the program, it asked for the time I first smoke a cigarette during the day and what time I go to bed. I thought this was a little weird but I entered it and then put in how many cigarettes I smoke a day, the price of a pack of cigarettes and the number in a pack.
It said it would assume I had already smoked some that day (since I downloaded it in the middle of the day) and then set up my smoking schedule.
Smoking schedule? Well, this is new!
I looked at the smoking schedule and it had me smoking a cigarette every 52 minutes. Damn, I smoke a lot! I decided to be cooperative and waited to see what would happen. 52 minutes later I was a little shaky and felt like I was crawling out of my skin when my notification went off.
I checked and it said I could go smoke… or I could “bank” the cigarette and smoke it later. I picked “Smoke cig” and headed outside. For the rest of the day, I smoked about every 52 minutes. say “about” because by the end of the day, I had 3 in my “bank”.
I also got an achievement for starting the program. WOOHOO! I love achievements!
Good Morning minus one!
The next morning I woke up and immediately went to the Smoker Reducer Quit Smoking app. It was all ready to set up my schedule for the day. I was curious what would happen to those banked cigarettes too. I touched the circle on the screen and it got me started for the day but took away one cigarette.
So day 1 I smoked 15 cigarettes and day 2 I only had 14 cigarettes and the my schedule was 1 hour and 10 minutes apart. I should tell you now that my days aren’t always normal days. I go to bed at different times. I could change my bed time each morning to adjust my cigarette schedule.
I also got an achievement for saving money. By not smoking that ONE cigarette a day, even if I only smoked one less cigarette a day for the next year, I would be saving $215! Okay, I never thought of it that way before. Damn. what could I do with that much money?
As of today, I at 9 cigarettes for today. My schedule is 1 hour and 32 minutes apart.
Knocking them out one by one: The Cons
There isn’t much to put here actually. I am not going crazy with rage, crying or dealing with migraines. I am not walking past every cigarette staring and drooling. The withdrawals aren’t nearly as bad. I can actually function!
I do eat a lot more but I am not sure that is a con. I need to eat better and eat more but I don’t. My appetite is coming back slowly.
I will gain weight. In fact I have gained a couple pounds. Am I freaking out over it? Nope. It will come back off once my body realizes I am eating regularly again.
Boy I get sleepy! Since tobacco is a stimulant (and a depressant…) when you are cutting back, you will feel more tired that usual. That’s okay! Be prepared for naps though.
Knocking them out one by one: The Pros!
The hardest part for me is the first 3 or 4 cigarettes. I REALLY want to smoke by the time my notification goes off saying I can go smoke. But by the end of the day, I am not even thinking about my next cigarette.
By knocking my smoking habit by one cigarette a day, I am gently getting my body used to not having the nicotine without the horrendous side effects. I don’t feel angry at all, I am not ready to scream, I haven’t burst into tears and bawled uncontrollably. I just get a little antsy right before it’s time to go smoke.
The program doesn’t try to guilt trip you when you go smoke. It doesn’t make you view pictures of cancerous lungs, people in iron lings or anything else like that before you go smoke. It’s not trying to make you feel like sh*t for doing something you are addicted to. It just sets your schedule and reminds you that you can go smoke.
Although today I woke up with a tiny headache that Motrin took care of, I am not curled up in a ball in a dark room with a debilitating migraine.
My appetite is coming back! Even with all the stress that I am going through, my appetite is returning. I feel a little more lively most of the times… although I do have moments where I am just freaking SLEEPY!
I sleep better. I noticed that I am falling asleep a little easier. I am not sleeping sounder because of my back pain, but I am falling asleep better. If my back wasn’t waking me up, I would be able to tell you if I slept soundly. Anyone want to chime in on that?
I feel better! I can actually breathe a little easier now too. I don’t feel horrible about myself when I go smoke because “I should be quitting”… I am smoking BECAUSE I am quitting. That mindset is a actually pretty freeing for me!
How much money am I saving?
The Smoker Reducer Quit Smoking App shows you how much money you are spending and how much you are saving.
When I started, I was spending
- Day: $4.39
- Week: $30.73
- Month: $133.50
- Year: $1602.35
Holy Nicotine Addiction!
Now, at 9 cigarettes a day, I spend
- Day: $2.63
- Week: $18.41
- Month: $79.98
- Year: $959.95
That’s a decent difference! In case you don’t want to break out a calculator, that means I am saving
- Day: $1.76
- Week: $12.32
- Month: $53.52
- Year: $642.40
By next paycheck, I will not be smoking! So as a treat and celebration, I am taking the $30 I would spend a week and buying something for my kids and myself. Can you imagine what I can do with $1602.35 that I will save in a year???
How about those lungs?
I should point out that the Smoker Reducer Quit Smoking App does have a picture of lungs that look like a smokers lungs under the statistics tab. At first I was like “meh, it’s a quit smoking app. I figured it would be here somewhere.”
Then on day 2 I was waiting for my next cigarette when I noticed a statement at the bottom. It says that the picture of the lungs in the program isn’t a statement of how your lungs are, it’s representation of your progress. Over the days, I have noticed that the lungs are pinker and look healthier. So as I progress, the lungs will eventually look like healthy lungs.
Update is coming!
In about 10 days, I will be posting an update to let you know how my progress is going!
From The Baker's Acres! Read more at http://www.dotchilatham.com
