No Smoking on the Bus

First, many, many thanks to all the folks who have expressed good wishes and tips for staying on the straight path in my quest to quit smoking. You have no idea how uplifting that has been for me. I'm at 10 days and counting, smoke-free.

A couple of people have asked what the effects nicotine nasal spray feels like. It does not produce an immediate head rush. It does not crush the craving instantly. But it is damned effective.

Here's what happens:

You tilt your head back a little and squirt the stuff in one nostril. You do not inhale. You do not let the stuff drip down the back of your throat... and you have to remember to breathe (because your first instinct is to hold your breath when you do this). You pinch that nostril shut and try not to gag on the heavily perfumy stink. You squint one eye from the stinging up your nose to try to keep from tearing up.

Repeat with the other nostril.

By the time you're done, you realize the craving has either just gone away or you can't imagine the combination of a drag on a cigarette and that gacky perfume taste and smell that you can't get out of your nose or the back of your throat. That, all by itself, kills the craving.

There's no way on earth I'll ever get used to the nasal spray, let alone hooked on it. More and more, I'm associating the desire for a cigarette with the scent and sensation of the nasal spray. Uck.

It's getting a little easier every day. (And the Zyban is keeping me from weeping hysterically or shrieking like a harpy at everyone within a fifty mile range of me during this process. Amazingly, I don't have the withdrawal jitters that I've had in the past. Whoohoo!)

Thanks again for your support! I can do this.
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