Well, day 23 for me. I actually had to go to my page and find out what day of my quit it was! To me this says something. Cigarettes are loosing what grip they had on me. I really don't even care so much how many days it's been, though I'll always check just to realize the reality of the passage of time. But the thing is that to me even though there's still nicotine in my body, I've made it through a part of the quit that can be the hardest I think.
The first days when we relearn life without cigarettes. This is when the mind is retrained for a new life. This is when we realize that yes, I can make this a reality.
So many of the experienced ones have given me their wisdom simply because they care. And believe me, no thing that was said to me ever goes unnoticed! In fact there are things that I dwell on for a while until I can incorporate the wisdom of those who have been there into my own quit. It really is much easier to hear these things rather then have to learn them for yourself and I thank all of you for taking the time to give us those pearls of wisdom.
You really are helping others with your knowledge and yes in some cases, saving lives that might not have been saved without you! And so I continue on, learning that my mind is indeed making life the way I percieve it to be. Our perceptions can be our own enemy if we don't stop for a moment and take stock of what we're really percieving.
The thing is that perceptions can be changed if we just take the time to change them. And once a perception is changed then the path to freedom becomes much easier. If one can see themselves as a non smoker then they can be a non smoker with a lot less effort. If we can see ourselves free of the urges that are mostly in our minds then we can be free of those urges.
But as Jonescarp and Strudel told me, there will always be the memories. I believe that. It's not that we will be addicts for the rest of our lives but we will always remember our lives as smokers. This put's things into perspective and in a way shows the path to a brighter future simply by realizing that it's O.K. to have those memories. It's normal to have those memories. But they are just memories and as such they have no power to become action.
I think as long as we can face those memories and never have another cigarette then who cares if they are thier. They can't harm our quits unless we give them a power that they really don't possess except in our own minds. So as I step down to a lower patch in three days, I will carry all of the things I've learned with me. I'll use the knowledge that others were kind enough to give me to strengthen the foundation of my quit. And I will ensure that my own mind doesn't become my enemy!
Now on to day 23 . . .
