Returning member, thank you all. :)

[dirty130]

Hey guys, 

I just wanted to write a message here to say thank you to all those who responded to my original post here when I introduced myself.  I have now been quit for about 6 months, things are only looking up and I absolutely love my new smoke free life!  I have never been one for "support groups" and I felt like I might end up pouring out my heart and soul to you lot when the quit got hard so I posted under the name "Luke" in case anyone I knew in real life read my posts... haha stupid, I know. Even though it's not an important detail, my name is Ryan and I am proud to say I am a non-smoker! So nice to meet you for real this time. :)

 

Anyway you guys are awesome and I just wanted to say THANK YOU for being here! 

 

After I failed my first time, as gracious as you all were about it, I really felt like I let you guys down and it made me want to strike out on my own to avoid wasting your time with more failed quits. It was still comforting knowing that there were people out there who had taken that step though and who had faced the struggles I was facing. I thought about the advice I received often, such as protecting the quit, accepting that ex-smokers are different from non-smokers and we are always going to be nicotine junkies. So while I wasn't here giving my daily pledge I suppose that provided a sort of connection to the group anyway.

 

Some advice that I found really useful for getting me through the really hard times were some words of wisdom from my brother.  He told me, "quitting smoking is like breaking up with your ex - once you break up you can't ever hit that again," and while there is something to be said about me finding a sex-related anology the most effective method for quitting, it was pretty damn effective. I thought about the amount of explaining I had to do once I got myself back into bed with an ex numerous times because I simply gave into my passions, and I reflected on the trouble it brought, emotional heartache etc. etc.  This really helped frame how messy things would get for me if I let smoking back into my life. :)

 

So best of luck to all the new quitters and once again, thank you to the veterans of this forum, 

 

I may be back every now and again to add my two cents. :)

Au revoir!

[Doreensfree]

Huge congrats ..so glad to hear you are still smoke free...I do remember you..

Please drop by now and again...we love hearing from fellow quitters..

[beacon]

 

Congratulations! I am happy that you are still smoke free!   :D

[Nancy]

Good to see you...come back and see us!

[Still winning]

If not hitting that makes sense to you, then that's all good :)  I think there are mutiple "eureka" moments like that as we go through a quit process, things that we read or hear that resonate and make it easier to understand why we're quitting. It's the understanding that keeps our quit more secure. Pleased you're doing well buddy and hope to see you around :) x