ChristaC

Quit Date: June 18, 2013

Posted May 30, 2014 

First of all, congratulations to all of you.

As I'm sitting here reading some of the posts of some of the struggles quitters go through, especially those with fairly recent quits, I remember my own battles in the early days, and I get the chills....

How did I ever get to this point of being wonderfully free from this nasty, deadly addiction? I smoked for over 50 years... I did EVERYTHING with a cigarette in my hand... work, relax, drive, talk on the phone, read a book, drink coffee... when I went shopping, I'd light up as soon as I hit the front door of the store.... when I went out to dinner, I stood outside between the salad and the main course for a 'quick one', and scarfed down my food so that I could run back out and smoke that 'dessert'... when one of the kids had a school concert or something, I was impatient for it to be over because I was craving for a cigarette...

I remember how, when somebody would ask me to go somewhere with them, my first thought was "can I smoke there?", or actually making excuses why I can't go... because it was a 'non-smoking' event... good God, how awful is that?

Besides the obvious health concerns, knowing I'm killing myself, trying to excuse my non-stop cough and throat-clearing (it's allergies, I'm getting a cold, I've got something stuck in my throat etc... ), pitiful, false, trying-to-fool myself and everyone else 'smoke screens' (pun intended) for my oncoming emphysema and/or COPD...

besides all of that (as if that wasn't enough), just the social aspects alone should turn everyone away from nicodemon's siren call. Life is so limiting when you're addicted to cigarettes (or anything, really) that it RULES your behavior all day long, and actually COMMANDS you to live your days a certain way.

As a non smoker, you can do what YOU want, when and where you want. As a smoker, you're at the beck and call of your addiction... you're a prisoner who must follow his jailer's orders.

Plus, my hair smells like coconut shampoo.

Never, ever again. N.O.P.E.

Link to original post: https://www.quittrain.com/topic/1489-to-all-of-you-quitters-new-and-not-so-new/