How did you know it was your final quit?

[JessicaF]

How did you know this was it? How long into your quit did it take you to realize it? Were you ever wrong in believing this was your final quit? 

[Diannnnn]

I'm like Nancy, I have never tried to quit voluntarily prior to this. When I was in the hospital for 30 days for a suicide attempt I was forced to not smoke, but took it back up shortly after discharge. Oh had I have known then what I knew now, but I wasn't in a good mental place to tackle it probably.

I don't think in terms of "forever quit"; more like "I smoked, and now I don't". I am also like Nancy in that I am not confident that I could do this again without the events that led up to my quit. I am determined to not test that theory and protect my quit. I want to be a happy, healthy whole person again and part of that has to be not smoking. No other choice.

The nurse at the Dr's office changed my smoking status from current to former yesterday. I almost argued as I don't consider myself a former smoker just yet. It will be interesting to see when I will feel like an ex or former smoker.

Great question!

Dian

[maryfreecig]

I knew it was my one day at a time quit when I kept accepting my quit in spite of feeling extremely weird. Perhaps I should look at it as a forever quit, but I feel more bound to dealing with my quit as a one day at a time thing. Someday, should I live long enough, I will not remember smoking much at all, if at all. At that point I will no longer be connected. Today, I stay smober. I smoked an awful lot, and I am willing to keep walking away one day at a time. 

Thanks for the question. And how are you doing, how's your quit going?

[JessicaF]

Thanks so much for asking, Mary! Tomorrow is day 12 for me. I still get cravings throughout the day, but they come & go pretty quickly. The morning is the hardest time for me...& Ive recently put on a couple pounds, which I'm not too happy about, but have expected. 

If anything will be a threat to my quit, it will be drinking. However it's something I only do at home these days & only once a week with my never-smoked-a-day hubby. 

Im feeling very confident, but worried that it's a false sense of confidence. I feel its too early in my quit maybe to feel this confident? Or maybe I am just one of the lucky ones that can beat it on the first try. 

"Bound to deal with my quit one day at a time." This is very very similar to describe what I'm feeling right now. 

[maryfreecig]

I'm glad you took the time to talk about your quit. Confidence is good-- back up plan for worst case scenario is not a bad thing...even if you never use it. Way to go JessicaF!!!!!!! 

[JessicaF]

Thank you! I just love all the support here! 

[MarilynH]

I smoked for 40 yrs with several failed attempts at quitting smoking and I hadn't even tried the last 20 yrs that I smoked, this quit was for me and my health and family and I found this site and read everything I could which really strengthened my resolve to be successful so the night before quitting I promised myself that I'd never pick up another cigarette as long as I live and that was over 3 yrs ago, I think I was somewhere around the 30 day mark and with the help of everyone here got through some pretty horrid cravings and knew that this quit was it but I am and will always remain vigilant because I won't take this quit for granted it's too precious to become complacent.  thanks for the great question..JessicaF

[Patty-cake]

I hit a point of truly being sick and tired of being sick and tired. In all my other quits, even though my health was part of the reason I quit, I don't think I really believed something bad was going to happen to me. The commercial with the woman who held her finger over the hole in her throat and with her mechanical, labored voice she said, "Let me give you some advice." That, was my 'ah ha' moment. You see, I knew that the inside of my body was showing wear and tear from more than 30 pack years of smoking but watching this woman with all her illness on the outside of her body for all the world to see was something I couldn't fanthom. That dirty little secret that has never been a dirty little secret. My distorted addicted self tried to say that no one could see my black lungs. But after watching this women talk, I started to think about how everyone would be able to see my deformed face, or neck, etc. I pictured me looking in the mirror and seeing the scars and holes and other deformities caused from smoking just because I couldn't walk away from my addiction. My potential future was staring me in the face. This could be me. This really could be me! I didn't want that to happen to me. Not now, not ever. I didn't want to live or die like this! 

I transferred that panicked feeling into the power I needed to change my future. The rest is history. Never a regret. Hit 5 years a couple months ago. I made a commitment back then and decided no matter what, I would honor that commitment. No matter what I face in life, I will never let addiction rule my life again. This is my FOREVER QUIT.