HI HO HI HO ITS OFF THE CIGS WE GO

The confusion regarding the counter has not been clarified but I have decided to leave the counter set to the New Year which is when the actual return date to Australia is anticipated.
In speaking with the daughter the ticketing will be purchased in August as originally planned subject to me still being nicotene free in August.
Cravings seem to be subsiding with less and less thoughts about cigarettes occuring on a daily basis. Reality around food has set in though and I can assure people that one side affect is the need for food. My weight has increased by 5 or so kgs in the past month so I need to sit myself down and have a good think about an approach. Might be a good time to renew friendship with the couch on the back verandah. I could utilise the couch as a sounding board as well as a place of solace.

SOMEONE MOVED THE GOALPOSTS.

I can see that the clock counting down the time to purchase airline tickets has secretly slipped out from less than 80 days to now a much greater 220 days. It now coincides with the expected ( well stated) return date.
It does not matter what time is on the clock as I will continue to remain nicotine free irrespective of the time.
Holding back any craving is getting easier and I find that I think less and less about nicotine or cigarettes day by day.
I dont think I am biting peoples heads off but I leave that aspect to be judged by and commented on by others close to me. I guess my wife, Shirl the Girl, would be the best person to comment here.

DOES 13 WEEKS EQUAL 3 MONTHS?

Yesterday was 13 weeks since I made a decision to kick the nicotine habit
Yesterday was 14 weeks since I started to add a prescription drug into my body.
Yesterday I had a craving for a cigarette but I let it pass just as I had done for the past 13 weeks.
Yesterday I was 1/4 of a year nicotine free and I am sure my body must be celebrating. I know my lungs are as now they dont wheeze at me every morning.

I finished my supply of Champix a weeks ago and to date dont see any marked difference with regards to nicotine cravings. In fact it is probably not even considered a craving, more a " I wonder what they taste like now".
I must say I dont believe I could have got through this without Champix. They provided me with a comfort blanket support. I must have been lucky as I did not see any noticeable side affects-certainly none of the more serious ones that have been written about through various sources.
Lets face it- who would not feel some level of depression when you were giving up smoking after 45 years or whatever the time was. I enjoyed smoking, so taking it away did piss me off a little but it was never any level of depression.
The strange thing is that I now have a really bad taste in my mouth. It comes from bleeding gums. I went to the dentist and he decided my teeth needed cleaning and the time was right with the cessation in smoking. Two sessions of pain and polishing and I now have gums that bleed all day and night- not much but the constant taste is terrible. ( Could this be considered another one of those side affects of giving up the nicotine)

I will now manage by future blogging to intervals of 1 month to provide a regular update.
It will be as lonely as my relationship with my couch on the back verandah.