Be prepared!! Be aware! Be alert! Why? I have been smoke free without craves for some time now, no worries right? Maybe no need to worry but be aware of the Nico Demon dude can rare its ugly head when you least expect it. You see this time last year I was at 195 days on Thanksgiving day and found myself in a tight predictament and so close to losing my quit. I went to my brothers to enjoy family time and it all happened soooooooo fast. After dinner, we all gathered around the table to play cards and have fun. Then suddenly my brother lit a cigar and couple others lit up cigerettes and just that fast the temptation slapped me hard. My brother offered me a drag off a cigar and bro n law offered me a cig and in a hurry minute I found myself holding a lit cigar in one and and a pack of smokes in the other hand. Then I found my Nico addicted brain being excited and cheering me on saying oh one won't hurt and people actually telling me puffing a cigar is not actually smoking if I don't inhale. Thank goodness I was smart enough not to believe it and snapped myself out of it. I jumped up took a quick brisk walk in the cold without a jacket and pulled myself together. Thankfully I did go prepared with a quit kit. I took my water bottle with a straw, gum, mints and a lemon in case of an emergency. On my walk I took the emergent way out and bit into a lemon rind and all and WHEW WEEEEEEEE lets say pucker, pucker pucker! AND YUCK!! Yep that did the trick no longer thought of wanting that smoke. That is why I say be ALERT and AWARE of what's going on cause no matter how strong you think your quit is you never know what or when that trigger is going to hit you. I'll tell you it all happened so quick I am so thankful I walked out of that house with my quit still in tact and today I am loving my freedom of 557 days. Be prepared, alert and aware!!! Stay strong! Keep saying NOPE and you will be successful. Happy Thanksgiving to all.
