Well at least a lot. Today is my seven month anniversary, six months quit for my husband. People I know are surprised but pleased that my quit has lasted this long. These are the same people who watched me struggle and relapse repeatedly for years. They probably said to themselves, "It's just talk", when I said I was going to quit. After all, I had been smoking since I was a teenager.
I attribute my success this time to the fact that smoking has lost all of its appeal to me before I quit. Those repeated failed attempts left me not wanting to be a smoker anymore, just wanting to be rid of the addiction, but not knowing how until I came here. I feel sad about the damage smoking has done to my body, and I want to restore my body's functioning as much as possible, so for me that's a strong motivation to not smoke again. I stick with my quit, see my doctors and follow my treatment plan. Before, it would have been just talk. I'm definitely trying to make a change in my life.
It helps immensely that my home is smoke-free, that there are no cigarettes in it. Most of our friends no longer smoke either, so we're not tempting each other. Unfortunately most of us quit due to health problems, but we ARE quit. I just want to say that you really have to want a nonsmoking life. You are not missing anything if you don't have a cigarette. In fact, you get your life and its possibilities restored to you. This is so doable, people. I never thought that I would be able to quit, and here I am with a seven month smokefree stretch and I can't imagine what smoking ever did for me. A complete change of attitude, and I remain grateful. Thanks, all you Exers!
