Like Golferman I occasionally run into a worth while post on another site. This one struck me as poetic, truthful and very well written. This is from a gentleman who quit in 2002, wrote this at 33 months quit and is still quit today. I hope you enjoy.
"The entire universe trembled as I put out my final cigarette.
Well, it might have, but I was too busy listening to my junky bluster to notice.
�If you hurry, you can get to the store buy a pack and smoke until midnight.�
�You are not really serious are you?�
�You cannot toss your ashtray, it is wasteful.�
�At least roll up the butts and have one more smoke before you quit.�
I discovered a quit strategy that night that worked very well, I went to bed. We have all heard some version of those voices, but the one that scared me the most was the one that said, �there is no life without smoking. You will be changed, everything will change.� I wanted change, yet feared what might happen. Now after 33 months, I look back and wonder what really has changed?
Besides the obvious, clean air, better health, clean teeth, has anything changed? I am still in the same house, the same job, and the same town. I fought depression, gained weight, lost weight, gained weight, all the things I had dealt with before quitting, so what was different?
What is different?
It may seem like a question that is not very important. Yet, the answer can be the difference between staying smoke free and embracing addiction again. I am not sure if the quit is a cause, a catalyst, or just another change I have experienced in the last 33 months. What is different?
I am happier now. This should perhaps be the final difference, a summation of all that is different, but it is the main reason I remain quit. I still have sad days, mad days, grumpy days, but those would have existed if I were a smoker. After getting past my quit depression, I have found myself happier more often.
I react to stress and change differently now. In the past I hid my emotions and needs behind a pillar of smoke. My only support in life was a cigarette; now I whine to friends.
Friends. That is a magical word. It has roots in the Old English word freon (to love) and freo (free). The meanings include: One attached to another by affection and esteem, a
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Quit Meter
$286,337.50
Amount Saved
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Quit Meter
Days: 6872
Hours: 5
Minutes: 0
Seconds: 54
Life Gained
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Quit Meter
45814
Smoke Free Days
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Quit Meter
1,145,350
Cigarettes Not Smoked
