I find it most interesting that the first people to jump on my earlier blog today were Elders with a whole bunch of quit experience. Why wasn’t it the newbies? The Elder’s don’t need to learn anything more about quitting and addiction. Do they? Or - maybe that’s why we’re Elders. We know that continuing education is how to maintain a quit. If you ARE a newbie, then it’s something to think about as you progress down this smoke-free path. A future tool, a future plan to keep you in safe harbors - this “continuing education.” You cannot learn too much about this process we’re are going through in our various stages of it.
I can’t speak for anyone else. But as a nicotine addict I know I have to maintain my quit. And I do that by continuing education. Education about this addiction and it’s affects. About new treatments to beat it. About ways to encourage others. New support sites, new scientific studies, new understandings, new hopes. New methods of self-discovery. I can’t seem to learn enough about this addiction and ways to overcome it. And I’m eager to learn more. What about you?
If you look at the Elders here, most of them are active supporters. In one way or another. If may just be a pretty picture on your page. It may be a response on your blog. It may be we don’t even know how active they are but they are here in the backgrounds reading.
All of this is part of quit maintenance. Connectivity to your quit roots. In full daily support, in the partial stopping by on your quit date, in the lurkings and silent readings you do, in the time you have and the time you take to come here and connect.
Maintenance won’t secure a quit. But it sure will help in that endeavor. A house, a car, they all need upkeep and maintenance. And you can be sure that if you don’t attend to such, they WILL break down sooner, than later. A house, a car are very large investments. Is your quit not as large an investment? Is it not perhaps larger because you have invested so much of your SELF in the process?
WHAT ARE YOU DOING, ACTIVELY, TO MAINTAIN YOUR QUIT? And what are you doing to prevent future relapse? Are you thinking outside the box? ‘Cause you need to. All our addictions are the same, but also unique to our individual personas and triggers.
I would like to hear from you - especially those with under a year quit. (And as a side note - If you AREN’T thinking about how to maintain your quit, don’t you think it’s time you did?!)
