Thoughts Aloud

E-cigarettes have been much in the news lately, both pro and con. While they are clearly a healthier way of consuming nicotine than inhaling tobacco smoke, there is concern that they legitimize smoking, and kids are drinking the refills. The Progressive PC control freaks are starting to ban their use in many circumstances and locales. What if an electronic substitute for smoking were available, which never needs refilling and would be considered PC to the most radical fanatic?

I have been smoke free for almost 5 months now. Nicotine itself no longer has a hold on me; but there are psychological triggers that still cause me to miss lighting up occasionally. Stress and/or anger is a big one. In the past, I have managed to quit for several months, only to blow it over a quarrel with a woman! Fortunately, no woman has such power in my life anymore, so that won’t be a problem this time. 🙂

Other triggers are circumstances which habitually induced me to light up in the past. Something as simple as being interrupted by phone call, can cause me to recall that I used to light up at such times. A classic example has surfaced since I recently reacquired my dog. Because I never smoked in my vehicles, every time I stopped to allow her to run around, sniffing and eliminating, I naturally lit a cigarette. The length of her potty break was the time it took for my smoke break.

I needed something else to do, while standing there waiting for her to find the right spot to make a deposit, because the urge to light up was surprisingly strong. So, now I take out my own version of an “E-cigarette,” and delightfully fill my lungs with plain fresh air. Have you ever had your oxygen absorption level and heart rate tested with a small electronic device that clamps on your finger? It is called an ‘Pulse Oximeter’ and is available at any drugstore for $50 or $60. A perfectly serviceable generic model is available at Amazon for $20 (http://amzn.to/1dMzVhR).

If one’s absorbed oxygen level is below 90%, it indicates the need for supplemental oxygen. When my medical emergency happened last November, mine was about 84%. The volume of supplemental oxygen required to keep it over 90% gave medicos fits, and they predicted that I would likely require oxygen 24/7 for the rest of my life. Scared straight, I quit smoking and learned some deep breathing exercises, which remarkably has returned my lungs to normal function. Now, my nominal oxygen level is always above 90%, typically 93% to 95%. Yet, by deep breathing (with emphasis on exhaling completely) while the oximeter is attached, I can easily pump it up to 97% or 98% in less time than it takes to smoke a cigarette.

Doing this little exercise whenever the urge to smoke is strong, not only takes my mind off tobacco; but is a marvelous reminder of how delicious fresh air tastes, and how great it is to be able to breathe deeply without hacking, coughing, sputtering, and spitting! The pleasure I derive from this, far exceeds any I ever got from smoking tobacco for fifty years. I will never become a righteous ex-smoker, condemning those who still do, because I have always detested such zealots. However, if one is quitting on their own, being able to observe and reinforce one’s progress for a one-time investment of twenty bucks, is money well spent. Good luck to all who try; I found the effort well worth it. Enough said… â—„Daveâ–º

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