"I can't get no, satisfaction. . ."

Ah, the journey to be free of chemical dependency.  (Although my son, the chemical engineer, would probably point out that we are all chemically dependent, its just a matter of which chemicals we are dependent on.)  Also, as one who is dependent on medications, being free of chemical dependency is probably never going to happen.  The goal is to be free from dependency and addiction to harmful chemicals, as in alcohol and nicotine.

"I can't get no, satisfaction. . ." 

Whether one is an alcoholic or a smoker there is a pattern that has a grip on you.  Craving, followed by satisfaction.  It's the feeling of satisfaction that is so compelling. 

For those of you who have never drank or smoked, this feeling is quite similar to hunger, and being filled.  We don't think about this much, but imagine a life where you never experienced hunger, or thirst, and the satisfaction that comes from eating or drinking.  Something would be missing.

It is this emptiness, this lack of satisfaction, that is one factor that keeps people addicted to alcohol and/or tobacco.  Also contributing to this, of course, is that the cravings continue for a significant period of time after the consumption has stopped.

As I continue to quit smoking, one thought that I have is that I wish a deep breath, clear and full, had the same degree of satisfaction that dragging on a cigarette does.  I've reduced my smoking to the point that I am very conscious of an improvement in my respiration, and you'd think 'breathing' would be a sufficient reward, but it doesn't have the same craving/satisfaction factor that smoking does.  I suppose this is because I have not yet experience emphysema or other such breathing disorders.  I hope not to.

Another struggle is that smoking is a response to outside challenges.  It's a place to go, a thing to do, in response to life's struggles.  Feeling irritated?  Have a smoke, you'll feel better.  Feeling anxious?  A smoke will calm the nerves.  Anger?  Step back, relax, smoke, and it will subside.

Now some who have never smoked will say that smoking cannot do all this.  And yet for those of us who have we readily used smoking as a coping mechanism.  It was an effective diversion.  Rather than lash out in anger, we smoked.  When one is quitting this is especially noticeable.  If my wife does anything that irritates me the immediate response of my system is to crave a smoke.  Of course, then I have someone else to blame for my smoking.  That's the addictive mindset.

I have a quit smoking app on my iPhone.  Of course, there is one.  What dimension of life is not addressed by a smart phone app? 

One of the things the app does is tell you how your health is improving with each passing hour of being smoke free.  Pulse rate: back to normal.  Oxygen levels:  back to where they should be.  Carbon monoxide:  gone from your system.  Breathing: normal.  Energy levels: improving.

It also has a clock that records the days, hours, and minutes since the last smoke.  This is something that was effective when I stopped drinking as well.  There are other features.  It keeps track of the time and money you save not smoking.  It has you set a goal for what you are going to do with that money.  (I'd like to reward myself with a new set of golf clubs in anticipation of my retirement years.)  And then, it records how many additional hours of life you are projected to have by quitting smoking.  Everything helps.

And yet Mick Jagger's song still rings in my ears.  "I can't get no, satisfaction. . ." 

If it was easy, everyone would stop.

Jerry Kramer, inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame this weekend, related the advice of a coach of his back when he was at Sandpoint High School.  "You can if you will."

I'll close with that.

You can if you will.