I remember a few years ago when the UK went smoke free. The discussion about whether pubs would stay open, how could you have a pint with no smoke, all that stuff. And as a smoker at the time, I thought how could the British Government do that? Make the whole country smoke free? How dare they? Well, a few years later, most of the E.U. countries, if not all, are now smoke free. Even Amsterdam and Paris are smoke free, two cities are known for their smoking cafes and their 'brown" bars. Last year when I went to Europe for vacation I was worried as I was only a couple months quit and I smoked EVERYWHERE in Europe. Bars, restaurants, hotels, etc. It was a blessing as France, Holland, and Belgium were all smoke free! I had no problems going into a cafe and not having to deal with cigarette smoke. Of course everybody was smoking outside, but at least inside I was ok! I beat the nicodemon!
So in 30 days I'm heading across the pond, spending 4 days in London then to Holland and Belgium. I'm looking forward to being smoke free in London! And smoke free throughout Belgium and Holland! And I don't have to pack my suitcase full of cigarettes anymore! And money I won't spend on smokes will be spent on Delft pottery and Belgium chocolates! What wonderful rewards!!!
I'm sure I will still have memories of smoking in my favorite haunts, and maybe even experience a trigger or two, but since I wake up each and every day and say N.O.P.E. I will not smoke today, I will be good to go!
And today is my 14 month smoke free milestone! I will be in NYC this week, so you can guess what my reward will be to celebrate? $2 roasted almonds from a Nuts 4 Nuts street vendor at the corner of Broadway and 48th!
P.S. If any of my London pals want to meet for a pint at a smoke free pub, hit me up on FB!
My Milage:My Quit Date: 8/20/2008
Smoke-Free Days: 424
Cigarettes Not Smoked: 16,960
Amount Saved: $4,240.00
Life Gained:Days: 63
Hrs: 6
Mins: 35
Seconds: 1
