For some reason, I felt compelled to visit the site today, and I'm not sure why. I don't think about smoking much anymore, even though I'm dating a woman who smokes. She goes out in the garage (or outside in good weather) and feeds her habit. She's been cutting back quite a bit and probably smokes about a half pack a day.
Anyway...
Here's my stats: I've been smoke-free for three years, 171 days. I've avoided smoking 25,330 cigarettes and saved about $7,017.
I'm sure you've heard it before, but I'll say it again. If I can do it, YOU can do it.
An hour without a cigarette can turn into a day. A day can turn into three days. Three days can turn into a week. A week can turn into a month. A month can turn into a year. Eventually, a year can turn into three years, 171 days.
How does this happen? To me, there are 5 reasons I was able to quit successfully.
1. I found this website and made it my support system. I posted frequently the first few months, and read others' posts every day. I did not censor myself - I posted when I felt proud, and I posted when I felt like going back to smoking. And dozens of people responded and helped me get through the rough times in the beginning.
2. I really did take it a day at a time. When it got tough, I made myself gut it out to the end of the day. I didn't dwell on anything else - how far off a month felt (or a year felt, for that matter!). I just promised myself that I would SUCCEED at this one day thing. I would get through the day and feel successful.
3. I practiced keeping my eyes on the prize, not on what I was leaving behind. I visualized abundant health, radiant skin, the ability to draw deep breaths of fresh air, and even the mental image of myself being free and living free.
4. I became a milestone-junkie. That is, I thrived on reaching milestones. Sure - all the regular ones - one day, one week, one month, etc. But also the less-recognized milestones - the first evening in a pub without smoking; the first BBQ, the first visit with friends who smoke, the first time spending an evening at a casino smoke-free. I thought of dozens of milestones and the more I hit them, the more successful I felt.
5. Mental imagery. I visualized a scale, and every time I felt a victory (60 minutes without a crave! Four months without nicotine! etc.) I saw a stone being placed on the scale on the Success side. Soon, the weight of Success was overwhelming to the weight of Failure.
So those are my "words of wisdom" for today, such as they are. And, as they say, If I can do it, YOU can do it.
