I know I’ve taken a mini-hiatus for the holidays on my no smoking resolution, but let me fill you in. The holidays for me require lots of drinks, food, laughs, and the obligatory smoke here and there. So, I let myself smoke when I wanted for the holiday…I smoked up until New Years Eve. One week ago.

And since then, I have been completely 100% smoke free.

No packs. No puffs. No nothing. I went completely cold turkey after NYE and I’ve maintained it for an entire week. It’s very difficult; especially when I had a few glasses of wine this weekend and desperately wanted one, but I had the will power to say NO to myself.

I am a strong willed person and if I set my mind to something, I stick to it. After seeing a series of horrific smoking commercials, I made a serious resolution to myself that, on top of not wanting my teeth to turn yellow and my hair to permanently smell like an ashtray, I don’t want to die from lung cancer (cliché but true).

So, for now, I’ve a week smoke free. I feel cleaner, healthier, and will hopefully continue on this path. Wish me luck!

(Photo courtesy of smokefreezone.org)

I have come to the conclusion that I will never actually stop smoking if I continue to let myself smoke at all, even if it’s just when I am drinking. For example, I went out to a Japanese Steakhouse on Friday night and had myself a lovely eight cigarettes, but justified it because I had a drink in my hand. Then, I rationed that it was acceptable to smoke an entire pack (yeah, you heard me) between Saturday and Sunday because I was out being social with people, having a drink here or there.

When I woke up Sunday morning hacking a lung, I realized that I had two decisions: A) Give up on my quest to quit smoking, succumb to my urges, and light up whenever I feel like it, or B) Make a serious decision about my health and realize that if I continue down this road I could have cancer in 20 years.

So, I chose the latter and have decided to go cold turkey. No packs. No one here, one there. No drags. I’m not going to kick this thing if I continue to allow myself to cheat.

It’s Wednesday and I have successfully gone without smoking a cigarette for three whole days. My running feels better and so does my overall body. While the cravings are still strong, my will to want to be rid of this habit has (for now) remained stronger. I just hope that next weekend, when I’m out having drinks at my company’s holiday party or out on the town with my boyfriend and friends, I don’t feel compelled to sneak outside and steal a drag.

Think cold turkey was a good move CC-ers? Give me some strength to get through the very trying days (big holiday dinners with lots of annoying family members) ahead. I can use all the help I can get.

(Photo courtesy of www.nmhypnosis.com)

I fancy myself quite a connoisseur of romance. I am a girl who has seen nearly every romantic comedy in existence, whose reading materials of choice consist of happily ever after type articles and books, and who is able to read a romantic undertone into nearly every song she hears. I suppose to say I am a romance connoisseur is an understatement; I am a love-junkie.

It can, and has been argued that the fine line between the real-life reality and expectation of romance, and the “fiction” type I hold on to seems to be a line I have blurred—possibly to an unrecognizable point. To put it simply, I think I might have a problem.

My name is Rory and I am addicted to romance. I am addicted to the idea of romance—the indestructible, all consuming passion for another person. I have fallen in love with every romantic gesture, declaration, and scene from every romantic comedy, I have swooned at every love song written, and I have melted with every romantic note or Hallmark card I’ve seen. I have used romantic comedies, sitcom relationships, happily ever after ending stories and love songs to develop my idea of love that is, well, completely and utterly unrealistic. Read More »