You are not smoking

[Slowonder]

I'm seven months quit (it's awesome) and have been thinking about avoiding relapse. I'll say one thing based on my experience so far: smoking/vaping was not who I am. I think maybe a lot of us see ourselves as "smokers" as though that's a permanent part of our personalities. In reality nicotine addiction is a cloud obscuring who you are. So it helped me a lot to separate my self image from smoking/vaping and view myself as a health nut instead. This is so much closer to what I actually value. With every day that goes by since I quit I grow more into a healthy lifestyle that fits like a good pair of jeans. Nicotine addiction is more like a burlap sack - uncomfortable and sometimes a downright punishment. Saying no feels right and easy. So my advice is to stay focused on what you gain and in no time you'll see that smoking is the real deprivation.