As I approach my two year smoke free anniversary, I was thinking about an old friend. I last wrote about him on Dec 31, 2008. We spent over 20 years together, day in and day out. He would greet me when I woke up every morning, and he would be the last thing I saw before I went to bed. We went to Europe every fall. Boy did we have fun! He introduced me to some of his European friends too! He sometimes snuck his Cuban cousins through customs, and they were never caught! We had been to restaurants and bars in California, Massachusetts, New York, DC, Ohio, and many other places before he wasn't allowed there anymore. He would even get us a special hotel room every time we checked in. He lost his clout a few years ago, and then he was banned from most hotels. He cost me alot of money, over $3000.00 a year, just so we could hang out together. He contributed to an illness in March 2008, costing me 4 ER visits, surgery, short term disability away from work, and 7 months of blood tests and doctor visits. My doctor hated him. She told me to stop seeing him in June 2008, but I didn't listen to her. I had hung out with him for 20 years, I just couldn't throw him to the curb. Even though our relationship wasn't healthy, I couldn't say goodbye. Then on August 18, 2008, my doctor told me it was either him or my life. Our relationship was becoming lethal. He was on the verge of killing me. I had to make a decision, and I had to make it quick. It took me two days to really think about our future together. We had wonderful times in the past, but I knew that our relationship was finished. I said goodbye to him on Wednesday, August 20, 2008. I still think about him every once in a while, but I don't miss him. I see him lurking in the shadows. I can smell him in the air. I even have dreams about him every one in a while. And as I approach 2 smoke free years, I cannot believe the nicodemon and I were best friends for 20 years. He is no longer part of my life. I know I made the right decision.
My Mileage:
My Quit Date: 8/20/2008
Smoke-Free Days: 711
Cigarettes Not Smoked: 28,440
Amount Saved: $7,110.00
Life Gained:
Days: 109 Hrs: 11 Mins: 25 Seconds: 29
