Happy Smokefree Monday!

A smoker might ask: "Just what am I inhaling/ingesting when I smoke?"

Weeelllllll, are you ready for this???

599 Ingredients have been found in cigarettes. They include:

Acetanisole, Acetic Acid, Acetoin, Acetophenone, 6-Aetoxydihydrotheaspirane, 2-Acetyl-3-Ethylpyrazine, 2-Acetyl-5-Methylfuran, Acetylpyrazine, 2-Acetylpyridine, 3-Acetylpyridine, 2-Acetylthiazole, Aconitic Acid, dl-Alanine, Alfalfa Extract, Allspice Extract, Oleoresin and Oil, Allyl Hexanoate, Allyl Ionone, Almond Bitter Oil, Ambergris Tincture, Ammonia, Ammonium Bicarbonate, Ammonium Hydroxide, Ammonium Phosphate Dibasic, Ammonium Sulfide, Amyl Alcohol, Amyl Butyrate, Amyl Formate, Amyl Octanoate, alpha-Amylcinnamaldehyde, Amyris Oil, trans-Anethole, Angelica Root Extract, Oil and Seed Oil, Anise, Anise Star, Extract and Oils, Anisyl Acetate, Anisyl Alcohol, Anisyl Formate, Anisyl Phenylacetate, Apple Juice Concentrate Extract and Skins, Apricot Extract and Juice Concentrate, 1-Arginine, Asafetida Fluid Extract and Oil, Ascorbic Acid, 1-Asparagine Monohydrate 1-Aspartic Acid

And that's just the *A's*...only 554 ingredients to go so let's hit the *B's*:

Balsam Peru and Oil, Basil Oil, Bay Leaf and Sweet Oil, Beeswax White, Beet Juice Concentrate, Benzaldehyde, Benzaldehyde Glyceryl Acetal, Benzoic Acid, Benzoin, Benzoin Resin, Benzophenone, Benzyl Alcohol, Benzyl Benzoate, Benzyl Butyrate, Benzyl Cinnamate, Benzyl Propionate, Benzyl Salicylate, Bergamot Oil, Bisabolene, Black Currant Buds Absolute, Borneol, Bornyl Acetate, Buchu Leaf Oil, 1,3-Butanediol, 2,3-Butanedione, 1-Butanol, 2-Butanone, 4(2-Butenylidene)-3,5,5-Trimethyl-2-Cyclohexen-1-One, Butter, Butter Esters and Butter Oil, Butyl Acetate, Butyl Butyrate, Butyl Butyryl Lactate, Butyl Isovalerate, Butyl Phenylacetate, Butyl Undecylenate , 3-Butylidenephthalide Butyric Acid

Great! Only 517 to go...but we'll do some more of them tomorrow. Feel free to copy/paste your own list for future reference. I think Bard was the first to post them...back in the day.

Meditate on those chemicals my friends...internalize the fact we inhaled everyone of those 599 each time we puffed a cig. Makes me kinda nauseous...how about you? But it makes me feel even more grateful for the gift of being smokefree. Lord, let me use your awesome gift to do your will. Thank you for my family, friends, and the many folks on the WebMD smoking cessation board (who now are my friends, too) who walk with me on a daily basis. It is so freeing to know I don't have to do this alone!!!

--Still a Grateful Quitter--Mary Ann