We used to have this discussion every Wednesday to offer encouragement and camaraderie to those in NML, basically months 2-3-4 of a quit and those in-between who have not yet made it to the 6% club. Regardless of how long you’ve been quit, anyone who likes the conversation and wants to offer support is welcome to participate!
We are happy if you just stop by to say hi and let us know you are still with us! Feel free to offer up ideas on topic question and I will include them in next week’s post! Stop by daily or as often as you like! Don’t forget to post to the Daily Pledge!
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This week’s topic: What does NML or inbetweenerville mean to you?
Click here to read Dale’s helpful blog about No Man’s Land:https://excommunity.becomeanex.org/groups/best-of-ex/blog/2011/05/24/no-mans-land-days-30-to130-appr...
Click here to read what to expect in the first four months: https://excommunity.becomeanex.org/blogs/jonescarp.aka.dale.Jan_2007-blog/2011/06/26/what-to-expect-...
Checking in here will help you get through NML and on your way to the first year where you can celebrate being in the 6% Club and graduate to eventually become an Elder!
Please let me know if you are interested in posting the NML Check In. I am happy to try to continue it, share it, or pass it to the nEXt EXer in NML who is ready, willing, and able.
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) 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.
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!
Remember, things won't always be perfect. But there's a big difference between slipping up and giving up.
