I recently saw this CDC anti-smoking campaign ad and it really hit me hard. I couldn’t stop thinking about it.
It struck me that had I seen this before I quit smoking it wouldn’t have convinced me to quit. I would have watched it as I would a horror film, probably lighting up as soon as it was over and going on about my day, my way, as an addict.
The one truth I’ve learned during my own quit and from other’s stories is that your quit has to be your decision and for you. Nothing anyone says or does will cause you to put those smokes down once and for all. It’s got to come from within. It’s got to be you.
My fear is in what way the effects of all those years of smoking are going to show up. Will it be my teeth, jaw, heart, lungs, feet, and/or etc., etc? It’s coming, eventually. I know it. It has to. I just hope that I can draw on the strength it took for me to quit to see me through any complications that arise.
All in all, I’m thankful there are Stop Smoking campaigns out there. If they can give a smoker pause to consider exactly what they are doing to themselves and what they can expect in the future soberly enough to try quitting for good then they are worth it.
So if you are here reading this and wanting to quit look these ads up. Listen to their stories, read the stories posted on this forum. They help. They help so much. But ultimately it’s you. Just you, the addict and the substance of your addiction. And yes, there is victory to be had. You just have to fight for it.