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Share your quitting journey

The swamp

Chuck-2-20-2011
3 5 82

 Remember those days when it always seemed like quitting was a footnote? When it was always in the back of the mind but could never find secure footing to get us to act on that crazy thought of quitting?

 

I sure do! For me, it took years before I finally took my own heart's advice and quit. And the way I see it now, that was lost time for this wonderful future that I created. I mean now, after finding my freedom, I sometimes lament the time that I could have had. I mean, I totally enjoy every aspect of my freedom now that I have it, but at times I wonder how things might be had I quit sooner.

 

But then that actually doesn’t matter. What “could have been” is no longer in my vocabulary because at times, we have to appreciate what we’ve actually accomplished. We have to be proud of how it all came out in the end. And to be honest, had I tried to quit before I did it probably wouldn’t have been successful.

 

You see, in order to climb out of the swamp of addiction, we have to have the mind, heart and soul working together to create the perfect future that we long to see. The commitment has to be deep in order to succeed. But never think that you can’t succeed!

 

We just have to find a way out of the quicksand in order to make it before our addiction truly smothers us as we drown in the damage that we’ve done to our own lungs! To me, addiction really can feel like quicksand, with each day taking us deeper and deeper into it until we’re completely under it if we don’t find a way out.

 

I know when I smoked, I felt helpless. Like I was being pulled down, deeper and deeper into my addiction. I was always frantically looking for the vine on the shore of the quicksand that I could grab onto. Something to help me to pull out of this horrible muck!

 

And yet as I sank, it happened so gradually that it somehow felt normal, even as it continued to pull me to my impending death. But then one day I saw the vine! A single thought that could see through the swamps mist to the thing that could pull me out of the muck of addiction.

 

And it was my future! For the first time, I saw beyond the muck that I was sitting in. I saw a chance to pull myself out of the shifting sands of my addiction. But I also knew I had to be careful. I knew that I had to see how wonderful life would be if I could just get out of this constantly sucking muck!

 

I grabbed the vine and held tightly, as I realized that there really was hope! That so long as I held onto the lifeline of my quit, that one day I could find the freedom that I longed for. That so long as I held on tightly to my lifeline that I really could climb out of this crippling quicksand.

 

As badly as I wanted to be free, I was very careful with this chance at freedom. I learned all that I could so that I wouldn’t get sucked into the muck again. And slowly, I felt the weight of the muck fall off of me as with each passing day, I was more and more freed from my own demise.

 

And as I rose out of the muck of my addiction, I saw through the mist of my addiction that had confused me for so long. I saw my freedom and then at last, one day I really was free!!

 

I saw myself walking through the misty swamp to my freedom! It came slowly and almost imperceptibly. Each piece of my quit falling into place just as I’d planned and before long, I was on solid ground, happily musing about what could have been had I not taken a moment to look around and find that vine.

 

It’s within all of us to climb out of the muck of our addictions. All it takes is the firm belief in ourselves and knowing in our hearts that freedom is so much more important than calmly letting ourselves be sucked further and further into that addiction.

 

Look to the future, when you can step out of the swamp onto the solid footing that is your

future so long as you can find a way to grab that life saving vine! The answer is there inside of you, waiting to be found. I look forward to seeing each and every one of you on the shores of the swamp, smiling in pride for what you’ve achieved!

 

And if you need a little help finding the vine, or even pulling yourself up, we’re here to help you because we all deserve freedom! I look forward to watching you blossom into that wonderful peace that is felt with freedom! It’s something we all deserve so long as we can just try . . .

 

ONWARD TO FREEDOM!!!

 

Chuck

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