Hi, all. Long time, no read. I�ve been looking over recent posts and thought I�d babble some babble for a bit. It�s babble from my reflecting on my time of freedom; the things I�ve learned from myself and others. Hopefully, someone will get something from it. If not, as I�ve said before, I do like the sound of my own typing, lol.
As you can tell from my stats, I�m closing on two years quit. Cool, no? Yep, pretty cool. But no big deal anymore. Ok, ok, calm down. It really is not a big deal. The first year is a big deal. The first 6 months are a bigger deal. The first month is an even bigger deal. The first week is still yet an even bigger deal.
The biggest deal? That first cigarette you did not light up. That first unlit cigarette contains (yes, present tense) the courage of your convictions, your promise to yourself, your hope for your future, the door to your freedom. As long as that cigarette remains cold, your quit is secure.
To you new quitters, and those not quite there yet, I have a few things to say. You�ll read here, and other places, that quitting will be the hardest thing you will ever do. People will tell you about terrible craves, slips, relapses, the tiny chance you have to succeed, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. Don�t listen to them. Ignore what they say, forget what you�ve already learned. That�s [u]their[/u] stuff, not yours. [b]Do not allow anyone to define your quit.[/b] That�s your business. Your quit may be one of the horrible ones that finds you fighting every minute of everyday for months. Or it may be one of those easy ones where you just walk away from smoking with barely a twinge. The only way to know is to do it.
One of your best weapons is knowledge. Forewarned is forearmed. Knowledge is power. Learn how to combat craves should you have any. Also learn the side effects of quitting so you will understand what�s happening should any of the myriad emotional changes set in. Don�t assume you will need the information, but have it just in case. Better to have and not need than to need and not have.
Some would have you believe it�s all over in 72 hours because the nicotine is out of your system. Hogwash!! Tobacco use does a lot of damage to the brain�s pleasure/reward centers that takes a lo
