Smoking

After 15 years of heavy smoking and several aborted attempts at quitting finally gave it a another go and am up to 3 weeks. My better half is 4 weeks off as well.

Last attempts involved Nicotine substitutes which I merely cross addicted to, (the one time tried it with cigars, lasted 2 days….. pure insanity) This time did the whole docs/smoking clinic thing and they put me on Champix or Chantix in the states. Not being used to mind altering drugs any more this one felt bloody strong, took away the cravings and made smoking entirely unrewarding and unpleasant but left we with surreal dreams and highly irritable and more of a Grump old man than I usually am.

Had to come off the drugs 10 weeks early from what I’d been prescribed for my own sanity and that of those around me, feeling a lot more balanced now without the Champix in my system and for the first time since I was a student entirely nicotine free.

Kinda feels like the volumes being turned up on emotions food and smells at the moment, just gonna take time for things to settle, took bloody years for the roller-coaster to level out after I gave up the booze so not expecting any instant fixes thius time.

Saw Frank Turner down at the Wedgwood Rooms in Southsea last night, had forgotten he was playing until that day and almost didn’t get tickets and had to beg at the box office as it was a sell out. Franks now got a Four piece behind him including a great drummer also doing the backing vocals.

He put on a bloody rocking show the energy levels are really lifting the larger his support band get and really good to see him selling out larger and larger headline venues.

New Single “Long Live the Queen” is out with proceeds going to a breast cancer charity, the lyrics and sentiment of this track choke me up every time I hear it.