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1,500 Days I Learned to Accept

Cousin-Itt
Member
14 43 458

   Oh I was grateful to be alive when I got home from the hospital but by the second week home I was depressed and had a WTF attitude. I went from being very active to not being able to do anything. It was hard for me to walk to the bathroom. I was told I had COPD and had a growth on my lung, my kidneys and heart were giving me problems I couldn't go back to work

  I couldn't accept the fact my life changed so quickly I didn't care and figured F it. I might as well smoke I have nothing to offer.  Yes I was a winey ars baby. Poor pitiful me. Yes I had family members tell me it's not that bad, I had a lot of living to do,  People are worse off than you,  Be happy your alive.  but what did they know they weren't sick.  So what changed? A niece in her young 30s  reminded me of her childhood and how I helped her and made her a fighter and a simple hug from my granddaughter. Those 2 made me rethink everything. My life was not over changed some yes I accepted the fact I wouldn't be able to do somethings  Still I had something to give to this world I can still laugh and be happy and I can still push myself to make things better,  Once I accepted my COPD my Heart problem.  Once I accepted life on life s terms. I really started to live again smoke free and YES I am so much happier

What I learned in 1,500 days I learned I don't need to smoke to live.  I learned accept  the fact I'm addict to nicotine,  the fact quitting takes works, I have to live life on life terms. I have something left to give this world. I can still smile, laugh and live. I accepted the fact of N.O.P.E

 To the new quitters accept the fact that you don't need to smoke to live. Accept the fact you can quit We all have something to give.  Live Life Smoke Free  You'll be happier At least that's what I learned in 1,500 days of smoke free living 

Carl 1,500 DOF

43 Comments
wlh
Member

Congrats on your 1500 days!!

maryfreecig
Member

Powerful blog. Thank you.  Congratulations on all your discoveries in recovery. 

AnnetteMM
Member

It's so so hard to climb back out of that hole. And sliding into it is just so easy, especially as we get older.

I'd admire your struggle and acceptance! You've worked for it and earned it.  Thank you so much for sharing this.

Maki
Member

Christine13
Member

Many Congratulations on 1500 days Carl.  Thank you for this, very moving.

sweetplt
Member

pastedImage_1.gif And Congratulations Dear Carl Cousin-Itt  on 1500 days of Freedom...Everyday here at Ex’s you give time and time again...I think you are a pretty special dude...and definitely have so much more life to live...you have been an asset to the Ex’s family...be well, hi to Joyce...and have a peaceful day....~ Colleen 652 DOF 

Barbscloud
Member

Congrats on your success.  I enjoy your sense of humor.

Barb

Jennifer-Quit
Member

twothumbs.png

Great job -

it really is about getting your head in the right place and accepting! 

Congratulations!

beazel
Member

Acceptance is a tough one. That was a lot for one person.

You are brave and strong and always have such a good attitude.

Thank you for sharing.

Cousin-Itt
Member

Thank You 

Cousin-Itt
Member

Thank you      It was a ride

Cousin-Itt
Member

Thank you  

Cousin-Itt
Member

Thank You

Cousin-Itt
Member

Thank You

Cousin-Itt
Member

Thank you

Cousin-Itt
Member

Thank you

Cousin-Itt
Member

Thank you

Cousin-Itt
Member

Thank you

Cousin-Itt
Member

To All

I could have wrote each and everyone of you a paragraph or two on how much you give to this community and what you all mean to it. I hope a simple heart felt thank you is enough to show my appreciation

Bonnie
Member

Carl,  thank you for your post and congrats on 1500 days of freedom.  I'm so glad you decided to dump the cancer sticks and keep on living.  You have made a difference in my life and I hope we stay EX friends for a long, long time.

Bonnie   ~982 DoF

Cousin-Itt
Member

Thank you 

YoungAtHeart
Member

Yep - your participation here lifts us ALL - and is plenty thanks!!!

I have pulled myself out of more holes than I can count, but. luckily, quitting smoking was not one of them.  Even in my most down and out (and there have BEEN quite a few of those!), smoking, for me, was never an option.  Not sure why that is - but I made up my mind to quit (different, maybe from your imposed one?) and that I was never going to smoke another cigarette NO MATTER WHAT....

and that made all the difference, I think!

Glad you quit!  Glad you are here with us!

Nancy

WhispersQSMB
Member

Congrats on 1500 days, Carl . Acceptance is the final stage of grief and we move forward .

This post will help a lot of people. There's a lot in this post and not just about quitting an addiction

Greg

elvan
Member

Congratulations on 1500 days, I WISH I could mark the blog "HELPFUL" because it certainly is.  Thanks for writing it and reminding me and anyone who reads it that we DO have a lot of living to do.  It might have changed but it is still living and being free from nicotine makes it so much better.

Ellen

indingrl
Member

Congrats Carl on acceptance and STAYING a non smoker - NO matter what life on life terms SUDDENLY happens - Job well done - I am so proud of YOU for walking YOUR talk and teaching ME - this too shall pass

indingrl
Member

animated_1600165724148.gif Carl 1500 DAYS OF NICOTINE FREEDOM - Yahoooooo

JonesCarpeDiem

Great Post

Great Quit

Congratulations

Cousin-Itt

Cousin-Itt
Member

Thank you

Cousin-Itt
Member

Thank you

Cousin-Itt
Member

Thank you

Cousin-Itt
Member

Thank you

Cousin-Itt
Member

Thank you

Cousin-Itt
Member

Again Thank you all for being here

CrazyQuitter
Member

Congrats and nice work Carl! You have learnt about yourself so much as a non-smoker and that is a beautiful thing. It's even better you haddn't gone backwards! Keep it up and keep enjoying the benefits!

Giulia
Member

Thank you for this.  Sometimes life becomes too much to bear and I too want to say F it.  Not about smoking - I'll never do that again, but just giving up on aiming for that Best of me.  I fight to still do the things I can do physically, but I know there will come the time when I simply can't do them.  The lesson you learned and have shared is now etched in the  "remember this" place in my brain.  Kudos on your 1500 beautiful smoke-free days.  And I'm so glad you came to us from QuitNet.  This place is the better for you.

Cousin-Itt
Member

Thank you

Cousin-Itt
Member

Thank you

Slowonder
Member

Beautiful post. 1500 days - wow. Congratulations.

Cousin-Itt
Member

Thank You

SuzyQ411
Member

WOW Carl Cousin-Itt‌... 1500 days!! Happy for you. Proud of you. Thankful for you. When I relapsed last December, you were there immediately to give me support and encouragement. I will never forget that. And I thank you for it...

congratulations with thumbs up.jpg

1500 Days...

Cousin-Itt
Member

Thank you Suzy and I'll be around to celebrate Your1,500 days

Deena-A-Yenni
Member

Congrats and thank you for your post.  Really heartfelt on my part.

SuzyQ411
Member

celebration time pineapple.jpeg

So It's celebration time now, then again when I hit 1500 days!! 

Kool & The Gang - Celebration (Official Music Video) - YouTube 

About the Author
Raised 4 boys My second oldest died in 2013 at the age of 25. I have 3 granddaughters the youngest born 10/21 and 1 grandson born 12/14/2019. I coached little baseball for over 18 years. Worked in construction my whole life My last 2 cigarettes were on the way to the emergency room. That was the last thing I remembered as I woke up my hands tied o the hospital bed on a ventilator I was out for 4 days