I doubt very many of us have found smoking cessation easy. We learned how to quit smoking by relying on each other and then as we got our confidence by paying it forward.
Here's something to remember - more folks have quit smoking than those who are still fighting the addiction. There is absolutely nothing different about the quitters and the wannabes! What we have chosen is to stay committed to ourselves. How many times did I say "nobody will notice if I cheat?" I lost count!
What made this quit journey successful for me is the daily pledge:
"I Thomas pledge that I will not smoke today for any reason whatsoever!" I had to honor that pledge, yes, to the Community but most important of all - to myself.
I had plenty of days of wanting to throw in the towel and go back to nicotine. It was especially tempting when vaping became popular. But I honored my pledge and found something else to do which gave me something else to think about.
It's important to note that anybody who comes near third hand smoke really does notice so you aren't sneaking around after all! They notice! Even if you changed clothes afterward, took a shower, brushed your teeth, applied perfume and ate an altoid. It smells! Your hair smells, your hands smell, even after all that covering up you do smell.
Another tell-tale sign is your attitude - there's a big difference between a quitter and somebody who relapsed - honesty! You can be as honest as you like but if you're lying about smoking to yourself it shows!
Commitment isn't about going 10 years without smoking! Had I promised myself 10 years of smobriety I doubt that I could do that! It's about not smoking this minute...and this minute...and this minute so that minutes stack up to hours, hours to days and days to years!
Make a commitment to yourself today - just for today. And repeat your pledge tomorrow. That's how you make this quit journey doable.
Use all that energy of sneaking around to be 100% accountable - to yourself and you will achieve Freedom from Nicotine Addiction. We're here to help but the commitment has to come from you.
LLAP!
