DANA:   Well, I’m still smoking cigarettes, so I’m not sure that any health tips I offer will carry much weight. Yeah, I know I need to stop smoking, but I’m procrastinating, and I think it’s partly because smoking is connected to so many other activities in my life. Plus, it is one of the few indulgences that I still allow myself. Of course I blame myself for not being able to quit, but oddly enough, blame has sometimes worked for me as a motivational tool. That’s actually how I managed to lose weight in my youth. I’d tell myself, “You’re fat!” and then I’d buckle down and lose 5 pounds. I even ran across a diary entry recently when I was a sophomore in high school and guys were starting to ask me out, and I wrote, “Oh my gosh, I’m a cow, I don’t want to go!“ I struggled so much with anxiety and eating issues back then. I still struggle with anxiety today, but the eating disorder stuff has been in the background for several decades now, thank goodness.

Yes, the cigarette habit is still with me, and that bothers me. Sometimes I think I need to replace it with a healthy habit, like running or yoga. I’ve thought about taking Chantix, too, but there are side effects to that, especially for people who are a bit up and down emotionally. So that’s probably not a good option for me, but going cold turkey isn’t realistic, either. All I know is, I need a plan! And once I find it, I’m also going to need at least a 5-day countdown to get ready before it goes into effect. You know, this is starting to sound a lot like, Bye-Bye Binky, only this time around, it’s Mama who needs to let go of something. Hmmm, maybe I should reread that book.