The thing about smoking - note to new quitters

[DonnaMarie]

Here I am on day 213 and I still wonder about the logic and sensibility of smoking. It just doesn't exist. New quitters, elders, and all of in between need to remember that - there is no reason to smoke.

I'm casually observing a friend who smokes. Every single place we go, they scope out where they can go to smoke outside. I did that too. Where's the place I can go, y'all? Every day and every activity is scheduled in a weird way around smoking. Every meal is preceded by a cigarette and followed by one. When we go to visit someone, they again look for the place where they can smoke. If there's another smoker around, they gravitate toward one another. It is never off their mind.

I believe that Allen Carr's book (Easy way) saved my life. I also believe the people here and the fellowship of nonsmokers has saved my life. And I also believe I saved my life by ascribing to Carr's "there is no reason to smoke" concept.

To all you new quitters, keep going. I am you and you can be me. There are people here that I'm trying to catch up with and one day I will, or at least I'll match their numbers. We're here for you and, hopefully, you'll be here for even newer quitters than you.

I'm closing in on a year. I'm not there yet and I don't assume I will be, but I'm making my best effort. Join me!

Donna

Day 213

[Sootie]

YOU WILL BE DONNA!! A year is just around the corner and you are doing great. Can't wait to celebrate that HUGE milestone with you.

I love this blog! I too just shake my head at all of the years I smoked. WHY? FOR WHAT? Nothing.

There was a point in my quit where I found it helpful to think about smoking in this way.........

Who? and for what reason? would do the following:

1. Place a tube of paper with dead leaves soaked in chemicals in their mouth

2. Take a match and light the tube on fire while it was still in their mouth

3. Then, inhale the smoke from the burning leaves into their lungs

4. And not do this just once, but do this over and over and over about 20-40 times all day long; each and every day

5. Paying $8.00 to $16.00 per day to do the above

It just helped me to see the ridiculousness of smoking.

Thanks for great thoughts.

[sweetplt]

[elvan]

It sounds so ridiculous to smoke and remembering those days of looking for a smoking place or a smoking partner...the times I got up from the table to light up.  Oh to be able to get that time back.  You are going to be a 6% er, Donna, you have GOT this.

Ellen

[Giulia]

Wonderful point.  No there is no "logic" to smoking.  It's just years of behavioral training.   I remember sitting back and observing smokers at some point during my first year quit  No one seemed to be enjoying the thing they were doing - smoking.  They weren't even really participating in it consciously.  We only did that the first week or two we ever smoked when we kids just starting up.  We learned how to hold it to be cool, how to take a drag on it in a cool way, watched ourselves in a mirror doing it.  But now our minds are far from the actual act as we participate in it.  We're thinking about everything BUT smoking.  Except when we're not smoking,  and then we spend much too much time thinking about where and when we can have our next one.  It's very odd.  

"I am you and you can be me."  Love that!  

Yup, no reason to smoke but so many reasons not to!