Dear Newcomers & NMLers -
Maybe that nagging voice in your head is trying to sweet talk you into having “just one” cigarette. And, in moments of hungry boredom or tired grumpiness, maybe you think that “just a few puffs” will be okay. It’s ”just one“, after all. Just one little cigarette.
But, it’s not just one. And, it never was only one, was it?
No, cigarettes travel in packs. There are 20 of them at a time. Yes, you might “only want one“, but you have to buy 20 to get it. That’s 19 more cigarettes in your hand. 19 other temptations on your mind. 19 extra mistakes that you are going to wonder if you’re willing to make.
Many mantras guided me during my early quit, and one of them was this: “I do not want the other 19.”
One was never enough for me; it was always 20. Always. I had to stop trying to trick myself into thinking I could “beat the system” by believing I could accept otherwise. By thinking I could “go social” and be perfectly fine with “just one” now and then. Delusion!
1, then the other 19. Then 20 more, then 40, 60, 80, 800, 8000...for me, there’s no limit to what 1 could lead to. This is my truth, and I own it.
So, I choose ZERO. Because one would be too many, and one million wouldn’t be enough.
Zero today, zero tomorrow, zero for life.
Zero means never having to deal with that 1 again. Or, the other 19.
You can choose it, too!
STORM: 767
11 Comments
