80 Days

80 ays today since I have had a cigarette.  Not a puff, not a patch, not any gum, not any champix, not anything but bloody determination to not have one of the rotten things.

Weeks 1 to 2 were awful, if I go back and read some of my posts I am reminded of how difficult those first few weeks were and how my every waking thought was about not having a ciggie.  Funny how now I very rarely think about them.  There will always be certain situations where I think oh just one wont hurt.  But it will I know myself well enough to know giving it up means never again.

So, dental surgery last week incredibly painful and expensive OMG - thank you health fund for paying $790 of my $5k bill makes it so worthwhile.  BUt what great teeth I am going to have and no more nicotine for them.

Also on the weekend was the extended family Christmas party and so parents, siblings, aunties, uncles, cousins and kids and it was a great day.  To have dad there and looking really well was a blessing and a reminder of why I stopped.

And to chat to cousins who gave up 5 years ago or 10 years ago or whenever they stopped and get their best wishes and them expressing how proud they are and saying keep going was probably just what I needed to keep focussed. 

And to see that out of all the people there, only 2 were smokers.  I watched one cousin leave the festivities and go and stand on her own and have a smoke.  And I thought last year I would have been there with you and we would be saying, well we are still smoking not like those goody give up ones.  But this year I was one of the give up ones and glad of it.

I truly think the best piece of advice I heard at the start of this journey was from a friend overseas that said, 'Well buxkle up, it's going to get a lot worse before it gets better.  But it will be worth it.  Don't give in and let the tobacco companies have your money, they want you to think it's too hard to gve up.  It is hard but it can be done.  Don't get suckered in'.

That to me was it in a nutshell, they want you to think it's too hard - they want you to fail (they being the big bad tobacco companies).  But 80 days and I have not fallen, and I will not fall, because I just don't want to be a smoker.

Friday is my self-imposed line in the sand that says I have won!  I reckon I won when I decided to give them up.  Everyone here is a winner as well for making the decision.  Aren't we all bloody terrific.

Have a good week all, and I wanted to say thank you to my old support team on here (you all know who you are), and wish you all a fabulous Christmas and a safe and smoke free 2012.

Cheers, W