Reading a eulogy tomorrow.......
Keep fighting the urge.... Tomorrow I will say a eulogy for a childhood friend that passed last Wednesday. You would think that because my friend died of a heart attack with Stage 4 cancer that there would be no more triggers or urges to grab a ciggie but think again. I could light up in a minute if I let down my guard which I do not plan to do. I am 34 days smoke free and I keep fighting the good fight; I believe I am gaining ground on the urges and going longer periods of time without a trigger bothering me so much. Thanks for your support and tips .... God Bless
Gandalf, you are doing great, 34 days, you already overcame the most difficult part, every time you beat the nicodemon you become stronger and keep healing. Sometimes the urges may come out of nowhere, but they will loose intensity as time goes by. Sorry to hear about your friend.
Hi Gandalf, I agree with Flamenco on both fronts. You have overcome the most difficult part and the more you say "NO" to the nicodemon's requests (I call it the dicomenon) you are retraining your brain that you no longer are dependant on the temporary and false fix a cigarette gives. You always need to be on guard, because just when you think you have overcome the power of the nicodemon, it will come out of nowhere and try to convince you that you are safe now and you can have just one and will not become addicted. Eventually, the thoughts diminish as time goes by. For me, it was approximately 5% easier each month for the first year, and gets around 2% easier now with each passing month. You'll be amazed in 2, 5, 8 and 11 months that you have reached another milestone. Before you know it, you will be at a year and will think "Wow, I really did it!". Its a great feeling to know you can beat the nicodemon and gives you strength to resist other temptations. Keep up the great work and know you are getting stronger with each craving you say "Not this time, dicodemon!"
Thank you so much for your responses back Flemenco and Not This Time; your tips and support are greatly appreciated.
Phil
Hi. Thank you for sharing your story. Good to know you realise no matter how many cigarettes you light nothing will change. Honestly, the day we have no stress, we are no longer living. Better to take on challenges head first and to realise that they may not be so easy to handle. Smoke free is always best. Wastes less time.
Wow. You are being so strong. It's not easy with stress either. I wondered if your friend that passed away was a smoker? Liza