Quitting smoking is a life changing experience. I suppose that there are people who quit and their personality remains the same; however, I am not one of these people. There are people who put cigarettes down and never look back; however I am not one of these people. There are those who have coping techniques necessary to make a quit without much transition; however, I am not one of these people.
Quitting has been a soul searching experience. Once I quit smoking, I learned several things about myself. I was bitter, angry, depressed, and lonely. I probably spent the first three months of my quit fighting progress. I was extremely busy, my life was stressful and I have no idea how I actually made it through without smoking. The only thing I can tell you is I didn�t smoke that next cigarette, one situation at a time.
People told me to keep a positive attitude. I wanted to tell them where to go. People told me it would get better and I thought to myself� yeah right. It seemed everyone around me was having an easy time and moving on with life. Many of the people that quit around the same time I did stopped posting and were doing just fine but yet I still struggled. I don�t know why my quit was so different; perhaps I just had a lot more to learn than some of my fellow quitters.
I am posting this tonight for those of you that think you are different. Those that are having a rough time making it from one day to the next. Those that are having a tough time dealing with the emotions and those that are still craving months into the quit. Keep your chin up, keep taking one day at a time and keep moving forward. There really is light at the end of the tunnel. Living life as a non-smoker, ex-smoker, whatever you want to call it is better than anything you have ever imagined.
I fought my quit and then I began to fight for my quit. There is a process that we go through when we learn to live life without that crutch. If you smoke, you are killing yourself and choosing death. Quitting means you are making a choice not to smoke. That is all. I whined and cried all over these boards. Do not be afraid to post. The people on this site are what kept me quit. Posting in my time of need and reading the encouraging responses of those around m