So, my group of girlfriends and I, smoking has always been what we do. We all pretty much started smoking together 10 years ago in college. It defined everything about us: if we were going out for dinner, we had to make sure you could smoke there; if we were going to a bar, we had to make sure you could smoke there; if we're just going to sit around at someone's house and catch up, we had to make sure there was a big table outside for us to all sit around and smoke.
One friend had a baby recently and has quit. Friend #2 just found out she was pregnant and quit. Friend #3 has been living in another state, not surrounded by us and our smoking, so she quit. (She says the only time she wants to smoke is when she's here with us...she just moved back to the area, and I really hope she doesn't start back.) Friends #4 and #5 both decided to order those e-cigarettes to help them quit. And that's when I, Friend #6, decided to quit cold turkey.
Separately, I think we're all doing well. I'm on day 34 and feeling great; friends 1-3 are still going strong with their own quits. I think friend 4 is only smoking real cigs in case of emergencies; not sure about friend 5...I need to check on her.
It's going to be interesting to see if and how the absence of cigarettes affects our friendships and the things we do together. I've been keeping my distance — these girls are my best friends but they're also my biggest triggers — and that's been hard, because we're all really close. It's hard (and a little sad) to think that smoking can play such a huge part in friendships, and that our friendship might not be the same now that we're not smoking.
Anyway, that's what I've been thinking about lately. I'd love to know if any of your experienced the same thing with your circle of friends and how you handled it.
Have a great day everyone!:)
