Day 8 - Observations and Challenges

So I had to struggle with the hardest bit over the weekend, my first hard drinking session in the middle of summer down at Bondi Beach; obviously this means that I'd be in an outdoor area, where cigarettes are being passed around like a $20 note in Bolivia's infamous 'Route 69' bar. There was a point where I almost went, fuck it, I want that smoke... had to fight it off... and after a few minutes of hard craving it went.

I guess the most important lesson from this is that it always passes and always will do, and it always seems to be 2/3 minutes - which ironically, can seem to last a lot longer at the time. Walking away to 'get some gum' seems to provide adequate distraction for now.

I'm at the end of Day 8; most of my cravings are gone besides from a few flash thoughts here and there which quickly subside within a second or two.

However; what they don't tell you is this. Your body starts shutting down as it 'repairs itself', I was unable to breathe last night due to the amount of thick mucus my lungs have been generating. As a result an emergency visit to the doctors was crucial as I could literally not breathe, tight chest pains and a shot of steroids straight into the lungs later. The peak of this is supposed to last up to a month... my lungs are feeling bad enough that I have no inclination to smoke anyway, and I certainly don't want to be around anyone's dirt!

Oh and that's the other thing; you start to notice how bad other people smell when they smoke, and how good some foods can taste. I've been pigging out way more than I would usually, thankfully I've been doing more exercise than usual - only time will tell.

So far so good. Just a quick visual reminder first.

Over and out.