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Showing Original Post only (View all)I did it! I am $2,860 richer because one year ago I quit smoking! (ETA: Thanks!) [View all]
Last edited Mon Apr 6, 2015, 02:06 AM - Edit history (1)
I can't believe I actually did it. This last year was a real mixed bag. There were some high points, including my finally being allowed to get married, but there were some real downers, including health issues all year and the death of my beloved cat, but I never smoked. Lord knows I was tempted; still am sometimes. The first month was HELL! I kept the last pack of cigarettes I bought, still unopened, on the table next to the door as a reminder.
I smoked since I was 16, though not heavily. By college, I was a heavy smoker, at least a pack a day and when I left college, I was up to 2 packs a day. There were times I smoked as much as 3 packs a day. For the majority of the time, I smoked 2.5 packs a day, until last year when I dropped to 1.5 packs. The price of cigarettes was about $5 a pack, $55 for a carton, which I bought weekly. I decided to quit when I got a chest X-ray and the doctor said my lungs were clear and it looked as if I had only been smoking for a few years. That was it! Talk about a "gift horse" and I had no intentions of looking it in the mouth. It took two weeks to wean myself off them, but I did it.
If you are thinking of quitting, make your plan and only share it with people who will be supportive and I don't mean they are just supportive of your quitting, but supportive of the process. If you slip, it is OK! Examine why you slipped and how you can conquer that challenge in the future. It takes strength and believe in yourself. Don't do it for anyone else, do it for YOU! You are worth it!
So, there it is...ONE YEAR...hopefully, I will have many more years more!
ETA: I wanted to say "thanks!" for all the comments, well wishes, and additional stories. I had no idea I would get this type of response, and because it was a weekend, I spent it with my husband with occasional computer breaks, but I was busy making dinner and watching documentaries. But, I wanted to express my thanks!