Chatting and reading posts by some of our newly quit or thinking about quitting or getting ready to quit peeps brings back so many memories of just how tenuous our first few hours/days are when we decide to quit. It is really a big step for so many of us that hung onto smoking as something we literally felt we could not get rid of. I for one, had a heart attack and the doctor said the single best thing I could do to improve my health was to quit smoking.
He also wanted me to lose weight, exercise, lower my blood sugar level, and take some medications to lower blood pressure and cholesterol. This whole litany of things to do to make myself healthier but the No. 1 thing was to quit smoking.
I quit for a while, maybe a week or two, and then I would have a cig here and there. I cut back but did not stop. I did take the medicines and lost weight and exercised and got my blood sugar down and all that, but as time went on, and I felt skinnier and healthier, I smoked more until I was smoking as much as before and then I quit exercising. I went right back to doing the things that got me in trouble before. I got heavier, less active, smoked more and more and just basically did not do what I should have been doing for myself. Then I found the EX website.
Quitting smoking became a real possibility when I found this site. I got excited that I could actually give this a real shot and have a chance to succeed. To really quit for good. I decided to try it. I did it for a day. Then I made it through a second day and a third. I was on here every evening when I got home. I changed my routine in the mornings. I did not go out to my car for breaks during the day. Being on here at night replaced the time when I would go sit outside and smoke in the evening. It made me really analyze myself and my habit. That realization comes back to me when I visit with newbies here. I do not mean that in a bad way at all. It grounds me and makes me remember how vulnerable we are when we quit smoking. We are trying out life without the crutch.
I have quit for 102 days now. I am good. I am about 25 lbs. overweight but I am starting to do more active things and I will get the diet in check, soon. I played basketball for a couple of hours yesterday. I used to be able to do that several times a week, easy. So just like that first step without crutches, easy does it and just keep moving forward. Do not fear falling, just keep your head up and your eye on the prize. One step at a time and one day at a time.
People do quit smoking here and stay quit. Not everyone makes it. But if you are really looking to quit, this site gives you a better chance than anything I have ever found. Be true to yourself. Be accountable to yourself and others. Let your guard down and realize life is made to be lived without the training wheels. Ride fast once in a while. It is a blast.
Lee
