I have read that NML is a place where the excitement of your quit is wearing off, so what do you have to look forward too?
For me, at that time, I was very engaged in the EX Community and was excited about all the things I was able to do now that I wasn’t smoking. So, that land was a narrow piece of property that went by with a blink of the eye. I am guessing that everyone has had a different experience here. I did look back at some of my early posts and think about how far I have come and all the good things that have happened to me since I quit smoking.
I viewed NML as an old abandoned mine field from WWII. One incorrect step, and BOOM! I would blow up my quit! I needed to make it through the mine field (the only way out is through thanks to JonesCarpeDiem )to get to the other side which was a beautiful pasture of tall grasses and wonderful smelling flowers (think the poppy field in the Wizard of Oz only it doesn’t put you to sleep). I would have to zig and zag through the field and watch out for the obstacles that could destroy my quit. Others used a desert presented by the Caravan Master OldBones-Larry!
The cravings were far apart if any and not nearly as strong as they used to be if I got one. I was sleeping again and not waking up in the middle of the night thinking about a cigarette. My clothes, car, and house do not smell of cigarettes anymore. Even though I never smoked in the house, the house smelled because I smelled of cigarette smoke. I could take a deep breath and not cough. I was and am trying to exercise and live a healthier life. My sense of taste and smell had returned as I was enjoying the smell of foods, perfume, flowers and just the clean fresh air around me.
My teeth are whiter then I could ever remember them being and my gums don't bleed when brushing them anymore. My dentist cleanings are much faster since my teeth aren’t as stained.
The bank account that I put my money in saved from not buying cigarettes was growing. I could now smell someone smoking walking down the street in front of me or in the car next to me and I could even tell if someone is a smoker even if they are not smoking now. I was not scared to travel anymore or go to places that did not allow smoking because it would interfere with my smoking habit. My energy and self-confidence was back if full force and the most important thing I think was that I was very and still am very proud of myself because I did something that is one of the hardest thing to do in this world, well with a little help from my friends here!
So no man's land is not a land to be scared of but to look forward to because it means that you are now an EX SMOKER!
Roller
