An Ex-smoker's Journal: Major Withdrawal Symptoms

This has been my 7th Day since I puffed my last stick of cigarette. These past few days I've been through major withdrawal symptoms, and it has not been pretty. I've been experiencing mood swings. Its like having a period for guys. I'm not kidding! I got occasional crankiness in the mornings, because normally I would light up in my car on my way to school. There's also the occasional dizziness in my head, especially in the afternoons. A mild fever in the evenings. There's a funny sensation when I take a piss. I crap a lot more than usual. What's even worse, I had this cough a couple of nights ago, and I thought I saw dusts or ashes coming out of my mouth and falling down the sink in my bathroom. Hmmm, must be the tar from my lungs. And so, I went to do some research on the internet. According to one article, these symptoms are pretty much temporary and it will last in less than 2 weeks. It is normal for me to cough out bits of gray particles as my lungs are in a healing process since I haven't been consuming any poisonous chemicals for days. Yeah, healing processes do hurt, especially after quitting cold turkey. But after realizing that these withdrawal symptoms are a natural process to get the bad stuff out of my body, its no wonder I crapped a lot more than usual.

I'm gonna have to do some exercises to counter this pain, or at least keep it at minimal. After typing this blog, I'm gonna pay a visit to the stadium. Which reminds me, ever since I quit, my appetite has been soaring up. If that is so, I could gain weight from eating a lot. The reason for the new sense of hunger is due to the fact that nicotine is an appetite suppressant. Smoking between meals seems to eradicate the need for the snacking behaviors which I'm experiencing right now. Shit! I gotta start running!

But on the brighter side, there's been a dramatical change in my breathing. It seemed to get better and better. My sense of taste and smell has heightened than before. Last Wednesday I bought myself a carrot juice, I thought it tasted way better than the last carrot juice I had a week ago, and yet it was the same brand! And I didn't really need to sniff on something to identify the scent; I could actually smell the scent from inches away now. Finally, my teeth has never been whiter! I don't stink of cigarettes anymore so I washed myself up less. Everything is so fresh; my hands, my hair, my clothes, my car, my room, my mouth (I could kiss all of you to prove it!)...

Hopefully my mind will be as fresh after these withdrawal symptoms are finally gone. As of now I'm still kinda sick, like a mild fever. Sigh. Last night I had a terrible nightmare; that I actually turned into this: