Today is my 2-year anniversary. And I feel like kicking a little butt.
Are you thinking of quitting? Trying to quit? Recently quit and are struggling? Read on, if you dare.
1. Let go of your fear. Everyone who has successfully quit says it’s the best thing they’ve ever done and they wish they had done it sooner. Do you think they’re all wrong? Do you think they’re all lying to you? Or do you think, maybe, just maybe, you are the one who might be wrong? Don’t let fear make decisions for you, and don’t let fear make quitting harder than it has to be. Let go.
2. Commit yourself. There are no magic bullets, there are no shortcuts, there are no tricks or pills or gadgets that will make quitting easy and painless. Quitting is uncomfortable. You have spent years succumbing to a very bad addiction. Getting over that requires changes in your mind and body and it is difficult, physically and mentally. Accept that challenge. Accept that quitting is a process, there are steps to go through, and some of them are uncomfortable. But the only way out is FORWARD. Educate yourself, make a plan, and commit. Don’t turn back the first time it gets difficult.
3. Be humble. Most smokers try to quit multiple times before they succeed. If every one of your quit attempts has failed, please be willing to consider that you have something new to learn about quitting. Be open to the thoughts and guidance of those who have come before you, those who have lit the way.
4. Stop making excuses. You know they’re excuses. You feel that little pang inside when you say “I’m too stressed to quit” or “I can’t quit if I’m living with a smoker” or a dozen other things. You know it’s b.s., you feel it in your gut. So stop making excuses. There is no excuse to smoke. You know this. Stop kidding yourself. Refer back to #1.
Every one of my past attempts to quit failed. I’d quit brute-force, with willpower and maybe a little NRT, and somewhere between 2 weeks and 2 months later I’d give in to “just one.” This time was different. It wasn’t easy, but it was a heck of a lot easier than my failed attempts. Because I educated myself, let go of my fear, accepted guidance. I used NRT, too. But the NRT is not why I succeeded. Nor is it why my past attempts failed. It was just a tool.
No more excuses. No more fear.
I QUIT. YOU CAN TOO. THIS COMMUNITY CAN HELP YOU.
I quit making excuses to smoke 731 days ago. I have saved $3,655.47 by not smoking 14,621 cigarettes. I have saved 1 Month, 2 Weeks, 6 Days, 18 hours and 25 minutes of my life.
