When you first started smoking, I wonder if you gave it a thought that you would still be smoking into your thirties and beyond, probably not. That might have been the time when most everyone was taking it up, and when information about what ill effects that smoking might have on us was not perceived. Smoking became second nature to us and went hand and hand with, quite frankly, every activity that we partook, except for sleeping, during the course of a day.
It is of little wonder why it is taxing to quit, however people do, and lots do each and every year. My father quit because he stuck 75 cents into a cigarette machine at work and the smokes did not drop; the price of cigarette had just gone up to $1. He said that�s it, and that was it. He hasn�t smoked for 19 years, he now is 89.
I was never able to quit just like that. Somehow I would always find a reason to have a smoke an hour down the line; maybe two or three hours if I was doing real well. This time I planned, picked a quit date, identified triggers and activities to do to keep both physically and mentally busy. I changed the order in which I did things during the day, such as, breakfast before showering rather than after, going outdoors to talk on the telephone rather that sitting at my desk. The idea was to keep the triggers down to a minimum. It worked this time.
If you liked to smoke or just smoked for smoking sake, if you want to quit, you can. You won�t miss it for long either, if you miss it at all. Skip that next smoke, and then the next one; release the collar, let the chain fall. You just have to get it to stick once.
Merry Christmas and Happy holidays!
Stickin To It
[B]My Milage:[/B]
[B]My Quit Date: [/B]1/22/2006
[B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 697
[B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 12,546
[B]Amount Saved:[/B] $3,833.50
[B]Life Gained:[/B]
[B]Days:[/B] 127 [B]Hrs:[/B] 3 [B]Mins:[/B] 46 [B]Seconds:[/B] 23
