What has quitting smoking taught you ?

[Sazerac]

If you are astute or lucky to live long enough, you know,

you have to do some work on yourself during this journey.

I know many of us have thought we have a free ride,

we can just do what we do and get by, no problem.

Conquering my addiction reminded me that we can help ourselves to be better humans.

 

We can be better to ourselves.  

We can have more compassion for others, especially addicts.

We can examine why we are an addict and why we choose to put our addiction to sleep.

We can discover how to change.

 

This discovery, 

'how to change'

 is probably the most important life lesson I have learned in quitting smoking.

 

What have you discovered in yourself ?

[Whispers]

Agree on all.

 

I wasn't as weak as i thought . I can just say NO and STOP. Understanding why i was smoking and it was quite foolish

[notsmokinjo]

Its still pretty early for me but it has been an event packed time.

I have learnt that sometimes I need to put me first.

I have learnt who my real friends are and saddky some of hem aren't the people I have known for 30 years.

I have learnt that I can do amazing things without a crutch to prop me up. 

I have learnt that being me is enough, and if its not enough for you that's not really my problem. The sane goes if its too much.

[notsmokinjo]

Never to trust the first post on a new page of chicks v sticks! 

[Martian5]

That you CAN overcome stupidity..

[jillar]

All of the above and a bag of chips!

[JB 883]

It taught me this most of all -

 

The smoking cessation things they try to sell (most notably vape) are sold by BS'ing people. Here is how i know that -

 

So Oct 2nd i was going to quit cold turkey. I didn't have cash for all that BS like pills, gum, patches, whatever. I failed. Oct 6th I tried again. I have been successful since then.

But...

When i started reading into a lot of things about "Quit", I kept reading about how people try to quit but fail. Of course they had this miracle snake oil they would sell to help people quit. Because you know, cold turkey doesn't work in most cases. At least according to those trying to sell you something. My thought was, "But i managed to quit cold turkey. Took a couple tries but i got it. I didn't even have to open my purse either..."

 

So yeah it kind of reinforced what I already knew - For anything you want to do, there are companies saying "You can't do it on your own, but we can sell you something that makes it possible".

 

Plus i learned how nice it is to go through the day without worrying when I will get to smoke again. Like I take my breaks at work and the thought of stepping out for a cancer stick never crosses my mind. No, instead i think, "Ahh, time for a cup of hot chocolate!"

 

Shut up, i am addicted to caffeine.

[Boo]

The one all-encompassing thing I learned during the quitting process was the ability to recognize self-defeating thoughts and stop getting in my own way.  For years I hid behind the line of thought that "I'm a smoker, that's my lot in life."  I had resigned myself to living and eventually dying a smoker.  Eventually I got sick and tired of being chained to a pack of smokes and decided to do whatever was necessary to quit.  Did something that I had previously built up to be impossible...started looking around a bit and decided to seek out other challenges.

 

Once I quit looking into the mirror and seeing my biggest obstacle to success staring back at me, the ripple effect kicked in.  I've reaped far more from quitting than I ever imagined when I ashed out that last cigarette.

[NADA]

That the skin color between my index and middle fingers is not naturally yellow/brown.

 

[Kevsfreedom]

It taught me that I must have stunk pretty bad because my dog "Duncan the donut hound" would sit on the floor and sleep in his dog bed,now he's  like a high school boy with a new girl friend.I can't keep him off me.Ah I don't mind he's a cool dog

[NADA]

20 hours ago, notsmokinjo said:

Never to trust the first post on a new page of chicks v sticks! 

 

[onthemark]

I learned that I could overcome my cigarette addiction.

[PeaceTrain]

I learned that I am the creator of my reality

[PeaceTrain]

Oops... Wrong thread

Edited April 18, 2018 by PeaceTrain

[Doreensfree]

I have learned to appreciate my body...not fill it full of crap..that's not supposed to be there...

To enjoy life ...

Change is possible....I can do anything I put my mind too....I am stronger than I ever thought possible...

 

[Boater]

I learned I cannot hang around smokers or go to places where they are smoking that includes bars the big trigger I stop smoking many times I didn't realize I'm stupid

[Kevsfreedom]

1 hour ago, Boater said:

I learned I cannot hang around smokers or go to places where they are smoking that includes bars the big trigger I stop smoking many times I didn't realize I'm stupid

Your not stupid "Boater" you just have some thought in your mind that cigarettes were enjoyable,They weren't,you just smoke a cigarette to raise the nicotine in your system to feel like a non- smoker ,Rather like a heroin addict that has to keep the flow of heroin constant to feel like a non-heroin addict...like you

[Sirius]

What has quit smoking taught me?

 

1)  I can do it.

 

2) I don't want to do it again.   NOPE!

[Boater]

I learned I cannot hang around smokers or go to places where they are smoking that includes bars the big trigger I stop smoking many times I didn't realize I'm stupid.       I hope you don't repeat my mistakes

[Paul723]

Empathy for addicts.

[Sazerac]

On 4/19/2018 at 7:58 AM, Paul723 said:

Empathy for addicts.

 

me too, Paul.

 

[Mee]

On 4/17/2018 at 4:57 PM, Boo said:

I had resigned myself to living and eventually dying a smoker. 

That is exactly how I was thinking.  I just never seemed strong enough to quit.  

So what have I learned.  I am stronger than I thought and never too old to change.

That there is this wonderful community of ex smokers who have been able to make me realize that I can do this.

That I can also help someone else realize their self worth and guide them on the journey to freedom of addiction.

I've also learned the importance of

[Reciprocity]

^^^^ Wow! That's a lot! Good for you.

Just think how this will translate to other things in life for you  

[Boo]

1 hour ago, Linda Thomas said:

That is exactly how I was thinking.  I just never seemed strong enough to quit.  

So what have I learned.  I am stronger than I thought and never too old to change.

 

Once you quit that cloud that hangs over every smoker's head is banished immediately.  We all remember that cloud...filled with feelings of weakness, futility, fear, failure, loss of control over our own life, etc., etc.

 

Good riddance to smoke clouds both literal and figurative.

[Stewie]

Pretty much all has been said in this thread really. I guess, for me if theres one thing i learned, i leaned im strong.