Coming ToTerms 1st Year Nonsmoking - FANS

[Bassman]

Coming To Terms The First Full Year As A Nonsmoker

 

Note: FANS = First year As Non Smoker

If no one else has seen reference to FANS before, then I just made it up and will adopt it as a new nosmoking acronym.

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We've Heard about going through the first full year of nonsmoking and greeting triggers on certain events through out that first year. While we were smokers these events triggered our smoking.

 

We associate the first year because it includes all four seasons, holidays, and events for the first time as a NOPE smoke quitter. The most common trigger of course is the addiction, "time for another smoke" simply to feed the addiction. It didn't matter when you satisfied that one because many times it was not uncommon to chain smoke right to another one with a simple deduction of "because I can", or I might as well smoke two now because I can't get away for another one for at least an hour.

 

During the winter and because of the cold, we stayed inside most the time. Now spring is here where a lot of us enjoy the outdoors, fishing, boating, gardening, yard work, swimming, hiking and so on, time for smokes.

Now we are outside in the wide open warmer air and when we were smokers, there was no reason to not smoke outdoors. The triggers are now there; starting the grill, time to smoke, starting the lawn mower, time to smoke, opening a beer, time to smoke, cast the line out into the lake, time for a smoke. There are millions and millions of self made and addiction triggers that are used every second of the day.

 

Summer is now here - summer vacation, time to smoke, kids home all day, time to smoke, jump in the pool, time to smoke, get out of the pool, time to smoke, friends and family out back, time to smoke, dog pooped on your freshly cleaned patio, time to smoke.

 

Fall is creeping in - go for long walks, time to smoke, go to the mountains, time to smoke, enjoy the pumpkin patches, time to smoke.

 

Winter is now here with the holidays, time to smoke, and another year done, time to smoke. Some of the others celebrations not mentioned during the year like all the major and minor holidays and some you never heard of. My oh my, don't forget John and Mary's birthdays, cousins, brothers, sisters birthdays, mom and dad, aunt uncle, husband, wife, time to smoke.....you get the idea.

 

Then there are the anniversaries to celebrate, all call for a smoke. Lets add all the accomplishments of John and Mary, cousins, brothers and sisters, mom and dad, aunt uncle, husband, wife, time to smoke....you get the idea. Then we have all the bad and tragedy things that happen that we thought gave us reasons to smoke.

 

With all this going on, when was there time for sex???? ?.......But after sex, you know the drill, time for a smoke.......

 

So we go year after year after year using all these reasons and celebrations and millions more just to give a reason to light up again. But being the good educated nonsmoker we are now, we know all those smokes were nothing more that the addiction tricking us and making us believe we needed it when in reality it was the addiction that needed it.

 

So now that the previous year is up, time to start a new one as a nonsmoker because we finally did the BIG QUIT......., yea, time for The NOPE Shuffle.........

 

All those triggers are still going to be there as a yearly anniversary but this is the first time we go through them as a nonsmoker. And you can bet your sweet bippy that when each of these recurring things come up, while you may not think about it, the addiction will and even be dumb enough to bring it to your attention because it is the first time for a full year each these things are happening that you will not smoke at these events.

 

So now we must be vigilant in our quit, to not dwell on the urge, time to come to terms , completing our first full year as a non smoker.

 

I have only completed one quarter of my first year as a nonsmoker so I have so much more to go through, but you can bet my sweet bippy that I am aware and taking evasive action to not let the first year FANS take me prisioner during any event. Happy NOPEing and keep on truckin..............Bassman

 

 

[Soozie]

Hey Bassman, this really was a very interesting read ... thankyou  :)

[MarylandQuitter]

Awesome post, Bassman.  This explains quite well why it can be more difficult to keep a quit than initially start one.  It's all the triggers that you mention.  The changing of the seasons is always a big one for me.  It's the little things that you mentioned that when we experience them for the first time as a non-smoker seem HUGE because it's the good memories that we have from when we were smokers.  We interlace the two together because smoking was a part of everything we did and often times, our lives revolved around that next cigarette. 

 

I guess we just have to separate the good things from our past from smoking because the good things had nothing to do with physical act of smoking.  It's just that we had to smoke to keep feeding the addiction while we were experiencing all the wonderful things that life can bring.

 

How better it is enjoying all of these things and not be weighted down with having to smoke and stinking everything up.  Not to mention, being able to smell the crisp autumn air and enjoying the health benefits of not smoking. 

 

This post reminded of how important it is to remain aware of these triggers.  Thanks, Bassman.

[El Bandito]

So True Bassman. I have two 9 month quits in my life. One I lost at Christmas..a new trigger. And another when I went for a summer holiday...a new trigger.

 

FANS is going to be critical for me!

[Tink]

So True Bassman. I have two 9 month quits in my life. One I lost at Christmas..a new trigger. And another when I went for a summer holiday...a new trigger.

FANS is going to be critical for me!

Not this time stu, you got this! Congrats on 10 months x

[El Bandito]

Thanks Tracey. Never had the Train before....

 

"Only the vigilant quit survives" - Markus

 

One to remember!