Well, I’d been a smoker for roundabout 20 years when I stopped last month. I now know I will never, ever smoke another cigarette. I hear some of my old friends laughing at me when I say that….
My secret? I’ll let you into a sure fire way to quit forever at the end of this post.
I’d tried many different ways before, from Nicotine Gum to patches, reading the Allen Carr ‘Easy Way to stop smoking’ book five times, and going cold turkey. I have managed on a few occasions to stop smoking for anywhere from a month to six months, but then the usual situation started me again. The simple fact that I have programmed myself to not enjoy socialising, or ‘having a drink’ as much without a cigarette.
In the past I had, even after 6 months of not smoking, still been mourning my lack of ‘fun’ when going out, as I continuously spent my time enviously looking at other smokers thinking “I can deal with not smoking at all other times, but I just want one cigarette with a drink”. The result had been that I had conviced myself not-smoking was not worth sacrificing going out, and therefore friends for. I’d deviously talked myself back into the ‘benefits’ of smoking.
I’d begun to get quite depressed recently (the last couple of years) with the fact that despite my relatively healthy lifestyle in other ways, I was still trapped by the smoking habit. It was the only thing I could think of that controlled me throughout my waking hours.
A month ago I decided enough is enough and I stopped. Since then I have had insomnia, irritability, stress, and the desire to hide away in the house forever. I have pitied myself, constantly thinking “I’m boring…my life is boring…I never have fun anymore.” But…I know it won’t last forever, and I feel 100% healthier already. Tina and I have admittedly been at each others throats, but then we often are anyway – it keeps it all fun!
So, I said I’d let you into the secret for stopping smoking at the end of the post, and this is it:
Decide you want to be a non-smoker, and don’t smoke again. It might also help if you enjoy spending time alone as noone will want to be around you for quite a while.
It really is as simple as that.
And strap yourself in for the ride of your life if you have an addictive personality like mine….
And strap yourself in for a really hard time if you are the partner of an addictive person :-@
am totally chuffed for u!! smoking is an affliction u won’t miss, congratulations, also to yourself and tina, i love the website and will keep tuning in to catch up with you guys, miss ye lots like jelly tots ;o)