Seven Years Ago
Wednesday, August 28, 2013 at 9:49AM It was seven years ago today that I finally quit smoking. 15 years of smoking and 7 since my last smoke.
Do I still think about it?
Only every time I see someone smoking, or smell smoke, or go to a bar, or gamble, or see a movie with someone smoking in it, or watch Mad Men, or drink beer, or drive to work, or finish a large meal.
But I know I am not a smoker any longer and I can never smoke again. One smoke and all this is over.
How did I quit?
The patch. I followed the entire thing and did not cheat or try to speed it up by skipping phases. I followed the program as directed.
Was it hard?
I tried to quit many times but nothing ever worked. It took being absolutely done and then it's not as hard to kick the addiction or habit. It's still hard but when you are lying the entire time because you really don't want to than the real problem is you and not the drug or habit.
There were many times when I SWORE I was done with smoking but deep down I knew I was not going to do it. Seven years ago my attitude was different. I knew I had to and was ready to do whatever it takes and I did. And it worked!
It is hard to imagine being a smoker now. Although I remember it and I do miss it in a weird way but I cannot imagine it any more. Just seeing that picture is so foreign to me.
You should know that this community was a big part of the support I needed. In fact you can see a well polished version on my story on dLife and catch a shot of the sweet Sock Stache.
Anyhow, thank you all for supporting me and cheering me on. I hope I can help do the same for others too!
Happy Breathaversary to me (and those around me)!
Reader Comments (6)
I can't even picture you smoking (not even with the aid of that picture) and am very glad that you quit. You should be very proud of yourself, as I'm sure your family is grateful! Rock on, Ninja!
May I co-opt the term Breathaversary? I had multiple, massive pulmonary embolisms on 8/02/2013 that nearly killed. me. I had no chest pain, my main symptom was trouble breathing. I'm still having trouble breathing at times as the clots slowly reabsorb. Breathaversary sounds just about right for both quitting smoking and for being able to breathe again!
Congratulations on seven years. Quitting is great, and quitting for seven years (and I hope it will be many more) is even greater.
I'm sure it was hard to quit, but DAMN I'm so proud of you for quitting. All day.
George I am so proud of you and I am so glad you quit.
I bet if you look at last year's post, I probably said something about how I'm not sure I could be your friend if you still smoked. Still true! :P
Dude, I am SO proud of you. SO proud.
Way to go, George. This is huge.