Changes in my life since I quit
I was asked this question on About.com’s Smoking Cessation Forum the
other day, and this is the reply I posted to Myawe (Ruth). Thought
it might be of interest to ppl here, especially the newer quitters
in the group:-
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Hi Ruth - thanks again for your congrats.
You asked me about all the changes I’d made in my life since I quit
smoking. First and foremost, quitting has been a life changing
process for me. The vast majority of smokers reach for a cig when
experiencing extremes of emotions - anger, rage, joy, sadness etc -
to ‘help’ them cope. I was no different, stuffing those feelings
with a cig. As an exsmoker I have had to learn how to deal with all
these feelings - confront and understand them. I learned how to do
that over a period of time, and it wasn’t easy. Smokers make an
automatic association with a cig at these times, and re-learning
that behaviour takes time and hard work. Thankfully I found
cognitive quitting (www.cognitivequitting.com) and got a lot of
support from Steve (ddsteve) throughout. Past quits of mine were
about ‘hanging on’ and slapping on a patch, hoping in time ‘it’
would be better. Thats why previous quits never worked, because I
didn’t understand my smoking behaviour, nor address it.
A year on, as an exsmoker, I feel proud of this achievement. My
health has improved vastly - I can enjoy walking again, use the
equipment at the gym without gasping for breath, have a healthy
complexion, and energy. I realise that, as a smoker, I was
perpetually tired and drawn - and stressed. Smoking makes us
stressed - it doesn’t relax us at all, far from it.
I can go where I want and no longer worry about where I’ll be able
to get my fix. I can enjoy chatting to people after a leisurely
meal, without having to dash outside for a smoke. I can enjoy going
to the theatre or to a concert or film, not having to worry whether
I’ll get chance to get a fix in the interval.
I could go on and on………..!! It’s the best thing I ever did
for myself, and it is do-able if we’re prepared to put in the effort.
Your quit stats are great - well done to you too!
take care
Pam
One year, three days, 18 hours, 45 minutes and 29 seconds. 9219
cigarettes not smoked, saving £1,936.10. Life saved: 4 weeks, 4
days, 15 minutes.