On Day 7 and so far doing well. I haven't smoked, even if I am a little bitey to my loved one.
I was thinking about why this quit is working when several hundred previous quits haven't.
And the answer is, and I am feeling exceedingly humbled by this, I didn't do it my way.
I read every website on quitting smoking that wasn't trying to sell something. CDC, WebMD, American Lung Associate, etc. and they all will tell you the same thing: Have a plan. Write down triggers and how you will respond. Have a support group. You know the drill.
For YEARS I tried quitting without a real plan. I felt I "didn't need it". I could do this without following expert advice.
Guess what? I couldn't.
The truly embarrassing part about this is that part of my job is continuous improvement. I design processes based on best practices, and convince other people to follow those processes. I tease my husband when he doesn't read or follow recipes. When I do DIY project, I follow the instructions to the letter.
I had at my fingertips the best practices for quitting. Thoroughly researched and documented. All I had to do was follow it.
Welp; here I am at Day Seven, crushing this quit and all I can say is, following the instructions works. I'm going to keep on following the instructions. I'm going to keep reading here and following the advice of the people who have done it.
Humbled, grateful, and smoke-free
PT
