Thanks to everyone for their well wishes on my lovely 2nd anniversary of quitting. I've spent my New Years Eve day (and night) watching a Downton Abbey Marathon (and putting up with those grating people asking for money every 45 minutes or so, which makes me very grateful for the mute button on my tv). Unfortunately, I turned out the light a couple of hours ago but couldn't fall asleep so it is now 2:49 a.m. and I am writing a blog while my tv is on mute!
I know I haven't been here recently and I apologize. Life is busy and blah, blah, blah. I've said that many times. It's not so much that I don't love you all; it's more, I think, that not smoking is so much a part of me now that it doesn't occur to me. Sorry to admit that, but I think it's true. However, as an elder (is it really the 2% club, Thomas?) I do have a responsibility that I lovingly assume to be here at least on a somewhat regular basis to share what I've learned about quitting from my own experience. Was it easy. No. Was it completely doable? Yes. Was I sorry I didn't start my forever quit sooner? Yes. Is it ever too late to quit? No.
When we're smoking and desperate to quit, those old determined addicted brains go into overdrive. We fear quitting; we fear losing our "friend"; we fear that we won't make it; we fear it will "hurt" too much; we fear it's just too hard; we fear life without cigarettes. And it's true -- I've said it before and I'll say it again -- even if you've only smoked for a few years or if you smoked for more than half a century like I did -- every single thing we do as smokers is involved with cigarettes. When all of your happy, sad, bored, scared, angry, social, driving, after eating, talkiing on the phone, and after sex (you know it's true) moments is taken up with smoking, and when the other moments are taken up with desiring a cigarette, getting cigarettes, scraping up the money for cigarettes, there isn't much else really going on. We get so tangled up with smoking that EVERYTHING reminds us of smoking. And when we stop smoking that addicted brain in overdrive does what it can, all that it can, to make sure we keep smoking.
So what are we to do if we want to break that horrible cycle? White knuckling it isn't the answer. Education is a big part of it. When you can define that nagging, anxious "feel like jumping out of your skin" feeling as a normal and not life-threatening thing, that will diminish and diminish more quickly when you aren't afraid of it or fighting it. Support is another big part of it. That you get here at EX. When, despite all your education you have that moment when you feel you MUST get in the car and get those smokes you will instead get on EX and put HELP in the subject line and within moments there will be people supporting you in just the way you need support. And the next thing you know that feeling of "jumping out of your skin" isn't there anymore.
There's no magic to it. And those of us who have been quit for a while had it no easier than you're having it. But that education and support will work if you want it to. And we all know you can do it!!
Love to all and I can't wait until Virginia Beach!!
