Quitting Smoking Ch. 01

-

I sighed in relief on Friday afternoon as I left my desk, then walked across the parking lot toward my car. Rose, a new friend from another department, waved and called out; "Hey, Penny! I have something for you." As I approached her she pulled a CD case from her purse. "This stress relieving music my boyfriend gave me has helped me a lot. I think it can help you. You should listen to it. I don't want to exaggerate, but it really has changed my life."

"I don't think I'll have time this weekend, but thanks for the offer."

She had a strangely intense expression on her face as she moved half a step closer. Her nose was only a hand away from mine, and I could smell her perfume and the peppermint candy in her mouth. I felt very uncomfortable, since we'd only known each other a week. She peered into my eyes and assured me, "It'll change your life for the better. It really will. It even improved my love life. My boyfriend and I are much happier now." She held my wrist briefly and pushed the CD into my palm, then her expression suddenly changed to a smile. "Have a good weekend, Penny."

Her overly odd behavior was unsettling. I awkwardly stepped back and replied, "Uh... you too. Thanks." As she turned and started walking toward her car, I noticed a pack of cigarettes tucked into a pocket of her purse. I wondered why I hadn't noticed that she smoked. I had only ever tried one puff from a cigarette in middle school and remembered how awful it was. The chemicals and terrible taste made me cough and nearly barf. I wondered why anybody would ever take more than just a single puff to see what it was like.

I climbed into the driver's seat of my car. There was no label on the CD case and only 'CD 1' on the disk. I scoffed knowing good music might put me in a better mood for a little while but there was no way just a song would change my life. I put it in the car's CD player and turned the key.

Beautiful classical music began playing and I heard a few bird calls. Under the slow and calming orchestra I also heard a waterfall and a very quiet male voice. The soothing words almost blended into the rest of the pleasant sounds. "Put the chaos and worry of your day aside. This is a safe time to relax and feel at peace. Take a few slow deep breaths and you will feel much calmer."

Being calm and relaxed seemed almost absurd to me. I smiled and chuckled at the sharp contrast from the hellacious pressure I'd been under, finishing a project only three minutes before the end-of-day deadline. I felt the stress starting to melt away.

The man's deep monotone continued, "You have no worries at the moment and all is well. Close your eyes and focus on your breathing. Fill your lungs slowly, pause a moment, then slowly let it out. This breathing exercise is great for stress relief and can be a big help if you are quitting smoking. Feel your troubles and worries leaving your body as you exhale..." I did as he said and felt quite calm. "Direct your attention to your breathing. With every exhale, more fear and uncertainty leave you. Every inward breath brings you peace and a bit of joy..."

A while later I was in my kitchen putting groceries away. I wasn't concerned that I had quite hazy memories of shopping and driving home. Everything was peaceful and fine. I was surprised the last item I removed from a bag was a pack of nicotine gum. I wondered why I had gotten it, then remembered I needed to quit smoking. The voice had said it was important to chew at least six pieces of nicotine gum per day to quit smoking. The gum made my tongue tingle. It had a strange taste but I was glad it would help me quit.

After my daughter Melissa said good night and went to her room, I sat in my comfortable recliner to watch a movie. I was a little tired and decided to listen to the music instead, then go to bed early. I put on headphones and turned the volume up loud. It was peaceful and very, very relaxing. The nice voice made me smile. "You have no worries and all is well. Close your eyes and focus on your breathing. Fill your lungs slowly, pause a moment, then slowly let it out. Feel your troubles and worries leaving your body as you exhale. Put a piece of the nicotine gum in your mouth and chew it slowly." I did as he said and felt much calmer. "Direct your attention to your breathing. As you exhale through your nose you feel stress and negative energy leaving your body. When you inhale through your mouth with your lips open slightly you taste the nicotine gum and enjoy how nice it makes you feel. Like your rhythmic breaths, the gum brings you peace and joy..."

When I woke in the morning I immediately popped a piece of gum in my mouth. The minty tingle and other sensations it gave me were quite nice. After taking care of bathroom necessities, I dropped the gum in the trash and ate a quick breakfast. I put the dishes in the sink, then took two pieces of gum from my purse and put them in my mouth at the same time. So much nicotine made me slightly nauseous but felt truly delightful.

I added a third piece of gum as I started the music and listened to the wonderful voice again. "You have no worries and all is well. Close your eyes and focus on your breathing. Fill your lungs slowly, pause a moment, then slowly let it out. Feel your troubles and worries leaving your body as you exhale. Put a piece of the nicotine gum in your mouth and chew it slowly." I added a fourth piece to the wad in my mouth. My mouth and throat were tingling and it upset my stomach, but I felt calmer than I had in weeks.

"Direct your attention to your breathing. As you exhale through your nose you feel stress and negative energy leaving your body. When you inhale through your mouth with your lips open slightly you taste the nicotine gum and enjoy how nice it makes you feel. Exhale through your nose feeling the stress and negative energy leaving your body. When you inhale through your mouth with your lips open slightly you taste the nicotine gum and enjoy how good it makes you feel. It's almost like being in love. Feel the big smile on your lips and the slight tingle between your legs, almost as if you were seeing a lover after a few weeks apart. The gum brings you peace and happiness. When you finish listening to this disk five times, you will talk to the person you got it from. You will ask them for CD number two."

When I saw Rose before work Monday morning I held up the disk. "You were right. The music is wonderful! It's helped me calm down so much. Where can I get..."

She smiled and interrupted me. "Disk two is even better! I'm trying to quit smoking and it's a huge help. Here you go."

When she hugged me I didn't mind. I hugged her back briefly and said, "Thanks so much!"

I listened to it at home that night. "All is well and things are fine. Put a piece of nicotine gum under your tongue and chew another. It will help you relax and feel good. Relax now and rest your right hand on your thigh. Enjoy how good the nicotine makes you feel as you slowly move your hand between your legs. That's it, now move your hand up and down very slowly, enjoying how good you feel. When you inhale through your mouth with your lips open slightly you taste the nicotine gum and enjoy how pleasant it is. Exhale through your nose feeling the stress and negative energy leaving your body.

When you run out of nicotine gum you will buy a pack of menthol cigarettes and smoke three cigarettes a day. It's very important that you only smoke three a day, since you are quitting smoking. You should go buy cigarettes soon, the longest ones you can find. 100's will do, 120's are nice, and any cigarette with a number larger than 120 is even better. If you don't already have a cigarette lighter, you need to get at least two of them. It's very important that you are able to light your three cigarettes a day, since you are quitting smoking..."

I had a sex dream with a handsome man licking my pussy as I sucked on a cigarette. He paused and said, "I'm so glad you're quitting smoking. I love the flavor of your pussy and the smoky taste of your mouth." In the dream I blew a tasty white cloud at him as he slid two fingers into me and started licking again. I took another delicious puff, then kissed the smoke goodbye as it left my mouth. I woke as I had an orgasm, gasping for breath and feeling wet panties between my legs. I needed a cigarette! I needed one urgently!

I put the last four pieces of gum in my mouth and chewed them as I ran to my car. I drove to a gas station and looked at the cigarette display wondering which brand was best. I saw kings, regulars, 100's. I kept looking around as the cashier stared at my chest. I smiled as I saw the number 120 on several packs. I ignored the college boy behind the counter as he asked, "Can I get you something?"

There! I saw 164's! 164 was a big number, so they should be very good. I pointed to them. "A pack of menthol 164's please." As he reached for them I reconsidered. "No, make it three packs. And a couple of lighters."

-