It's that time of year again.
There's alcohol on offer wherever you go, but as a Vanity Quitter on Day 8 of smokelessness, I'm going to say "No thanks dahling, could I have a seltzer water with a twist of lemon instead?" (OK, I won't say dahling.)
Personally, I don't consider alcohol a trigger to smoke. I started smoking when I lived with a friend who was in A.A. The house was 100% alcohol free (as in, no vanilla extract, mouth wash, rubbing alcohol, &c allowed) and I pretty much stopped drinking because I didn't want to bring booze fumes around her. But she smoked a lot and soon I wasn't smoking just to "keep her company." As for bars, would you believe I used to avoid bars because smoking was allowed? I've never liked the smell. I've always thought outdoors only was a great idea. Yes, I'm weird.
But then, why am I, a V.Q. going say no to the bubbly this NYEs? A few reasons (none of them to do with weight gain):
1. Alcohol causes dehydration and I'm already dehydrated enough, thanks to smoking: At one point I regularly drank 96 oz or more of water a day in an attempt to counterbalance the effects of smoking. It didn't work. Yes, that's how dry cigarette smoke makes you.
As a V.Q. I want as much moisture in my system as possible. Gotta hydrate all of me, including my biggest organ - my skin - and fatten up those cells to shrink the wrinkles. And even though I'm not smoking any more, I'm still dehydrated.
2. So far as the body is concerned, alcohol is a toxin and must be dealt with accordingly. As a V.Q., I'd like my body to get on with the current job of dumping the loads of toxins I've given it over the years (another reason to stay hydrated), opening up the shrunken blood vessles so my complexion improves and best of all, restoring collagen, because it is all about the collagen.
At this point in my quit, drinking alcohol would be like hiring someone to repair fire damage in my house and then running around with a flame thrower while they work.
3. Even before I started smoking, consuming alcohol always left me looking a little corpse-ish the next day. On the plus side my rare hangovers have always been slight headache (Dehydration = Blood Pressure Rises = Headache). On the minus side, my self-medication of choice for headaches has long been a cigarette*. Why create extra temptation on what will be Day 10 of my quit?
4. I'll be bright eyed and bushy tailed on 2 Jan, while many of my co-workers will be dragging after NYE and NYD parties. Oh, I'm going to have such fun being chipper at them! Bwahaha!
So to my fellow V.Q.s, especially the recent ones, if you raise a glass of water, selzter, soda or juice at midnight 1 Jan. know you're not alone, I'll be hoisting a non-alch drink too.
*Yes, I do realize that trying to treat a HPB-induced headache with cigarettes is eyeroll stupid. I'll even confess I know enough about health care to know better. But in the past I have chain smoked to relieve a dehydration headache because a craving headache feels EXACTLY the same, but my brain was geared to Cigarrettes Fix Everything. This is dangerous.
Let's just say I had to go to Las Vegas last summer and smoked myself into a too rapid heart beat before I realized "Hey! I'm out here in the desert. Maybe I have a headache because I'm ... dehydrated? And should therefore ... drink a lot of water right now?"
So. Yes. Have there been any studies on the effect of smoking on your I.Q.? Because I still feel really moronic when I think about that.
OK, you can stop laughing now.
But since I quit I've gotten a few headaches and reached for the water bottle. It works! And reminds me I'm still too dry.
