Dreams. The kind you have when slumbering.
I can say without equivocation that one of the effects of having quit smoking so very recently is an enhanced vividness of my nighttime dreams. I know they are vivid because even now, a couple hours after waking up, I can still recall the brand, varietal and vintage of the wines that were in my dream last night. This is for me, to say the least, unusual.
1997 Peter Michael "L'apres Midi"
1990 Foppiano Vineyards Russian River Valley Petite Sirah
I cannot recall ever remembering specific wines that appeared in my dreams. In fact, I can't ever recall wine playing a role in my dreams—though this may be a function of me simply not remembering my dreams usually since wine has been a fairly important part of my life.
I've drunk both these wines in my waking life. The Peter Michael "L'Apres Midi" is a Sauvignon Blanc" that I included in a tasting two years ago when I was investigating the aging potential of California Sauvignon Blancs. If I recall it was in fact very drinkable, but did not quite live up to a Mondavi SB from the same vintage with which it was paired. Foppiano Vineyards was my first client when I entered the wine PR Business in 1990 as an associate at a PR firm. Louis Foppiano was responsible for teaching me a great deal about the producing end of the business. I had the 1990 Petite Sirah on a number of occasions and it was included in a 20 year vertical tastings of Petite Sirahs we did for the media at one point.
I don't know that having these or any wines in my dreams have any real meaning. But then again, I know less about dream interpretation than I do about astrology. Luckily for me, the Internet is the great repository of expert information:
Dreammoods.com:
To
dream of drinking wine, symbolizes festivity, celebration,
companionship, satisfaction and success. You are content with the way
your life is going. The dream may also be a pun on "whining" and how
you like to whine about things. In particular, to dream that you are
drinking red wine, signifies excess and sensuality. If you are drinking
communion wine in your dream, then it represent some spiritual
celebration or ceremony.
My Dreamvisions.com
If you dream that you are drinking alcohol, consider your feelings during the dream. Drinking can represent:
-A desire to numb-out and escape a problem or situation
-A desire to feel more relaxed or more interactive with others
-A desire to be accepted or go along with the crowd, especially to the detriment of yourself or your integrity
-Boredom or the need for more fun or excitement in your real life in general (totally separate from actual alcohol)
10,000 Dream Interpretations, by Gustave Hindman Miller
-To dream of drinking wine, forebodes joy and consequent friendships.
-To dream of breaking bottles of wine, foretells that your love and passion will border on excess.
-To
see barrels of wine, prognosticates great luxury. To pour it from one
vessel into another, signifies that your enjoyments will be varied and
you will journey to many notable places.
-To dream of dealing in wine denotes that your occupation will be remunerative.
-For a young woman to dream of drinking wine, indicates she will marry a wealthy gentleman, but withal honorable.
At some point in my life I'm going to have to investigate the origin of dream interpretations; I'm going to have to investigate what must be a fascinating subject: how dream professionals can place such specific meanings on symbols, things and places that wind up in peoples dreams.
For now, I merely find it interesting that upon stopping smoking my dreams have become so vivid in every way, including allowing me to recall two specific wines that were in my dream and the specific setting where they appeared.
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Quitting Smoking: Day 4 Update
Cravings are still with me, but appear to be less intense than yesterday when upon finishing a meal the only thing I could think of was smoking. The distraction was so intense that it took me a minute to figure out that the reason I could not open my car door was because it wasn't actually my car i was trying to open. All in all, however, the cravings seem much less at this moment. No wheezing, either. And I can clearly take deeper breaths. The oral fixation remains with me and I'm starting to think that if it is going to be around for some time I'll need to figure out something to quell it with besides hard candy.
