Hi folks, old and new................
Haven't been around for a few days as the need to earn a crust and keep the wolf from the door has had me up early and home late.
Logging back on, I couldn't help noticing a couple of wonderful posts from people like Golferman (lovely post Joe), and a lot of new names!
Welcome all you newbies! It's great to see all the new names and another bunch of happy campers trying to stop smoking. Well maybe some are not so happy...................
At 78 days, on this my 36th quit.................who the hell am I to talk about how to stop smoking. I've slipped and relapsed and "just had the one" on countless occasions.
So for what it's worth, I'll try to pass on the thoughts and observations that have got me this far, and that will ensure that I never smoke another puff.
I have realised that in order to stop smoking, you actually have to stop smoking. Daft isn't it......but its quite simple really. Just stop smoking.
Don't give up (smoking that is!). Giving up implies that we are sacrificing something..........our little reward for a job well done, our crutch when things don't go right, our comfort when we don't feel loved..............giving up what! Bad breath, disease, choking ourselves?
Remember that we are dealing with an addiction..........the satisfaction that we apparently get when we smoke is the body receiving a dose of the drug that it has become dependent on.
And the cravings and withdrawal? They are very real for the first few days............in fact we see people struggling after many many days, well as Duffis tells us, it all becomes OK on a Tuesday! The Tuesday after we stop mopping about our "loss" and suddenly realise that that in actual fact we have done nothing but gain.
My life is immeasurably better since I stopped smoking. Looking back through some of my previous ramblings, one that made me smile was my daughter giving me a kiss for not smoking. I can run and kick a ball with my son without getting breathless and my wife is kissing me again, because my breath dosen't smell like a skunk after a night on the beer and the curry.
But most importantly.......I know.........deep down........that I will never smoke again.
So what makes this time different from the other 35?
Thr