Day 20.

Well folks. It's rapidly approaching a full smoke free week. Just one more day to go.

Today I was quite a grumpy straight talking sort of a person. I'm sure everyone thought it was because I've stopped smoking but actually it was to do with that stuff from yesterday. That compiled with the fact that I stayed up to late last night and was running late this morning because I had to scrape ice of the car. It's nice that people make your excuses for you and you don't have to explain that sometimes you really are just a moody sod. It's even nicer when the people concerned have known you long enough that they actually should know better. Was I a dazzling little ray of sunshine in the morning when I smoked? Don't think so. If anything I might just be a wee bit more tolerable in the morning now that I've quit. Make that a very very wee bit.

Now comes the broken record bit. I miss smoking. I was in a training course today (being trained as opposed to delivering training). Now training courses in my book are measured in cigarette breaks. There's the cigarette you have five minutes before the start. The second cigarette that you chain smoke that makes you five minutes late. Then you dumb down with cheap clix coffee until the two cigarette break that is tea break. (If your reading this in America a tea break is a ten minute break that we Brits have once in the morning and once in the late afternoon). Lunch involves one cigarette followed by food or soup (depending on your budget and hangover) then two cigarettes and then back to work. Then it's afternoon Tea break followed by home and the opportunity to chain smoke. Somewhere in between those cigs some boring sod like me fills the air with boring words about IT systems and asks you to try stuff. Ahhhh, reminds me why I beacame a trainer.

When you don't smoke you discover that lunch is quite a long time if all you have to do is eat. Also non smokers are boring. They actually think it's OK to eat lunch at their desks whilst reading newspapers or magazines and avoiding any conversation with their colleagues. We smokers like a good chat over a cig. Of course all smokers are driven to one designated area so you get the chance to meet and chat to people from all areas of the business at all levels. The non smokers however only have their immediate colleagues to ignore in their warm offices. I may have made the transition to not smoking but I'm not going to cope with being a non smoker. Even without the excuse of nicotine I think I may have to stick with the smokers outside in our nicotine stained shelter.

Tomorrow night I get to say that it's a whole week since I last smoked. Be honest...You didn't think we'd have got this far at this time last week. I'm not getting complacent yet though. This mission is far from over.

Same time tomorrow?......