Good morning! I am coming to you today live from a tiny little town in southwestern Indiana. I am new to the EX community and I look forward to meeting a lot of people and making some new friends.
I am 37 years old ad have been smoking since I was 15. That's over half my life and when I stop to think about it, I can't ever remember a time in my life when I didn't smoke. (Not clearly anyway.) That terrifies the bejeezus out of me. On the other hand, however, I don't really want to quit. I've done it for so long, it's part of who I am. A piece of me actually enjoys doing it - but don't ask me why that it is. I don't have an answer.
So here I am. Signed up and preparing my quit plan because I have to quit. My pain specialist referred me to a weight loss clinic last fall and they set me up on a plan that leads to bariatric surgery. To get the surgery, though, I have to be smoke free for 6 weeks before surgery and stay that way for the rest of my life. It's an uncomfortable thought to think that I'll be smoke free for the rest of my life. I don't know what it's like to be an ex-smoker and it terrifies me. That's the honest to God truth right there.
