Because I knew I was going to be ditching the nicotine lozenges, I went on a shopping spree down the exotic candy aisle at World Market. I wanted to have little "pick-me-ups" on hand, just in case I had a few sharp oral fixations or withdrawal pangs in the coming week. And I think the unusual flavors will also throw a pinch of spice and "jazz" into my quit...you know, just because that would be interesting and fun.
Here's what I tossed in my basket:
* Hot Coffee Spiced Caramel chews
* Coconut Ginger bon-bons
* Spicy Chai pastilles
* Indonesian ginger taffy called ting-ting (very spicy! yow!)
* Mango-Tamarind hard candies (Seriously, mango and tamarind in a hard candy. Who could associate mango and/or tamarind with smoking? And what the heck is tamarind, anyway?!)
So, yeah, I prepared ahead of time by lining up a few options to help me ease through NRT cessation. Just in case. And I'll keep them handy throughout the weekend.
And speaking of the weekend, I have a dinner-and-coffee club gathering tonight, will be kayaking Saturday morning and into that afternoon, attending an outdoor concert Saturday night, delighting in an upscale brunch Sunday morning, hiking Sunday afternoon, and savoring a cookout Sunday night...all in the company of non-smokers. (This "safety in numbers" scheme was partly by design.) So, no matter how urgently I may "jones" for a lozenge or get beaned by a "smoke grenade" this weekend, "slipping" simply cannot happen around this crowd or in these places. Have no worries about that, my friends, and don't be too surprised if I'm halfway off the radar between now and Monday.
Enjoy your own weekends, and stay free out there!
STORM: 63
