Never question the decision
Hi Y'all!
I've got 341 days today and I just want to share my experience so far. I still have that pack of smokes in the kitchen drawer. There have been times I have thought about having one but then I play the tape out and I don't want to live my life with nicotine running the show. Being in 12 step recovery for weed I realized that cigarettes were running my life, my entire day was planned around using. It was always foremost in my mind when I was going to have the next one. The addiction had hijacked my life. I'm going strong but I knew I needed to post in here and read other people's stories to remind myself of why I quit and the struggle it was. I don't have daily cravings anymore just once in a while when life seems particularly stressful and I want to check out for a brief respite but I play the tape out and I know where that one cigarette is going to lead me....back to complete chaos in my mind.
I have so many benefits with 341 days behind me, my skin looks amazing and my eyes don't feel tired all the time anymore. I don't have heart/chest pains. I sleep soundly. I have energy and more time to get on with my life. I'm learning to bond with other people and not live in my privately defined world of smoking. Most importantly, I feel and am developing a connection to my higher power. Thank you everyone on here for posting your stories and experiences, early in my recovery I would read everyone's story every day to keep going. I hope my story helps you because your story helped me. Joy, light and peace to you all!
Congratulations to you for not entering into a pointless debate with yourself and making life miserable. We may all have memories of good times while we smoked but we can now realize that they had nothing to do with our enjoyment except to relieve the cravings that dictated our day. We are now free and can see that we are stronger than the nicotine addiction and we can change our way of thinking as to be free of the psychological dependence we had on the act of smoking.
Thank you for posting your story and I am glad that I and others could help. I know that is seeing others succeed that gives us courage to even try to quit smoking. It was the critical point to me when I entertained the thought. I started to believe that even a 40+ year smoker could make that change.
I don't know why they call it quitting smoking, because we are winners not quitters! Be proud of your great achievement and continue to enjoy life. Remember to drop in and help others. Pay it forward and raise your dopamine!