So, I've given up smoking

Sort of. By accident. Truth is I've come down with a stinker of a cold (again) and the thought of cigarettes hasn't appealed to me in the slightest since Saturday. They say that when you give up smoking, the first 48 hours is the toughest in terms of physical cravings. So far, it's been really rather easy. With this cold, pig shit would taste nicer than cigarette smoke. So, here I am three whole days later and, according to the stuff I've been reading, considerably better off already.

Apparently, my body has already rid itself of nicotine, carbon monoxide and all kinds of other crap. I no longer smell of stale smoke, my breath is less pungent, my taste buds are enlivened and. . . Jesus. All this talking about cigarettes has stirred my cravings. It's like prodding a sleeping cobra with a big stick.

The real test, as every smoker knows, comes when I'm next down the pub. Beer and cigarettes go like gin and tonic, fish and chips, Dempsey and Makepeace. We'll just have to see. As Mark Twain said, and you will see this quoted in every article ever written by anyone ever about giving up smoking: "Giving up smoking is easy. I've done it hundreds of times".