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Things I Don't Miss About Smoking
FROM: Adele O. 9/16/2016
Here are just a few things I DON’T miss about smoking:
I don’t miss the extra stress brought on by smoking – Yea, I didn’t get it either before I quit.
I don’t miss buying cigs – so expensive.
I don’t miss finding a place to smoke them– California hates smokers, but loves the money they pay in cigarette taxes. No more standing in the cold, the wind, the rain, the god-awful heat, etc to get my fix.
I don’t miss finding a time to smoke them.
I don’t miss making sure they are put out before leaving the house- worrying that I would burn the house down.
I don’t miss the stinky smell – the garage has finally started to lose that icky stale smell (we never smoked in the house, thank goodness).
I don’t miss the way my chest felt when I tried to do anything physical – weighed down and heavy.
I don’t miss worrying my family and friends every time I pulled out a cigarette from the pack.
I don’t miss getting sick every time the seasons changed… Don’t ask me why, I just did. Not this year!
So, how did I get here, you ask?
Every smoke-free day you get through is a teaching moment that helps you live your life without cigarettes. You re-learn how to do things without cigarettes. An example? Here are several… Just getting up in the morning, finishing a meal, getting in the car, finishing a task (this one was big for me). I have read that you need to get through a full year, all four seasons, to recognize your triggers and learn how to deal with them. I think this is spot on, at least for me. I quit in December, so I had the spring and summer to help me learn new ways of doing things… Gardening – I used to take breaks while working in the yard and breaks always included a smoke, or to be honest several smokes. Going to the Movies? Prepare for a crave when you get out… not because you actually want one, but because that’s what you used to do for 30 years when you left the movie theater.
I expect I will learn more as fall is starting, and we move on into winter again.
I have said it before and will say it again:
Educate yourself by reading everything you can find about nicotine addiction – there is so much literature out there – go and find it. It will help you start to change the importance and meaning that cigarettes have. The objective is to break those mental “chains” of nicotine addiction so you can be free, for good.
Be patient with yourself and allow for as much time as you need to heal from this addiction. There is no set rules or to-do’s for nicotine recovery – It is your quit and you are unique.
Don't look at quitting tobacco as a sacrifice. Change your attitude and you'll find your freedom.
You're not giving up anything of value – tobacco is trying its best to kill you.
Finally, reach out for help when you feel you need it. There are plenty of people at the Q that will help. Send them a note, a message, put it on the feed, or send a carrier pigeon. It doesn’t matter how you ask, it just matters that you do!
Thank you all for your part in my recovery! Would not be here without you!