Does the quit journey end?

[CrazyQuitter]

Today I haven't got enough for my next episode. This comes later, when I actually have more to say.

But I have been thinking "Does the quit journey ever end?"

I am not entirely Sure!

Once you've decided to stay quit and have stuck to it and when you no longer have cravings to smoke, relapse and don't think about it anymore, by being stubborn and saying NOPE.  There for this part answers YES

But sticking to your quit afterwards is the part of me that thinks NO . 

Every aftermath of quitting smoking is different. For me my quit journey has ended because I have fully quit and stuck to it for so long. I have no intention to relapse nor have cravings anymore. But I am here to help others.

So what do you all think, long term quitters? Does the quit journey end or is it an ongoing thing for you?

[JonesCarpeDiem]

For me, there is simply no consideration of smoking.

I don't hate it.

I don't love it.

I don't do it

Everything ends when we take our last breath.

[RoseH]

After being smoke free for two years, I am pretty close to being a “non-smoker”...  I might have a fleeting moment at times (because my husband smokes outside) but the cost to crash and start again sounds horrific, to me!  I N E V E R want to lost my quit again!

[sweetplt]

Since quitting smoking has given me more insight into myself....I feel my journey will continue to death...I am always growing and learning about me...something that is come about with this quit...Have a great day...~ Colleen 638 DOF 

[Cousin-Itt]

Once a addict always a addict 

Knowing I am one puff / one line from my life going back into hell'

Is the struggle to gasp for air or the yearly low dose lung scan to see if my nodules have grown or new have developed

Is this part of the journey or just a reminder.  When my COPD advances  

I don't know if the constant reminder of what it has taken from me is part of the journey

[YoungAtHeart]

I think once we understand this addiction and accept its consequences, we are finished our journey.  I think I am.  Just in case, though, I think I will refrain from over indulging in alcohol (not that I ever did, but still...), will continue to recognize any signs of "romancing a cigarette," and will ALWAYS follow any thought of smoking with the REAL experience it would be...the awful burning of the smoke as it is inhaled, the terrible smell on my clothing and hair, the cost (both in health and from my budget) and the hacking, wrenching cough it would create.

I don't feel like I am still on the journey; not still traveling but mindful, I guess.

Nancy

[Maki]

I don't smoke , I don't think about it being an option , I don't see it as a coping tool or a way to relieve stress . It has no use what's so ever in my life . Quitting has had more value than smoking ever could .

Those thoughts however took time and they didn't happen overnight , not the first year , nor even after the first five years quit . 

Fast forward eight years later and again there is a new chapter to my addiction . Again I've changed , again being quit has continued to heal areas in my life that needed healing ,  physically , emotionally and spiritually . 

I think each of us will think differently about this post and have our own personal and valid opinion so in my opinion there's no right or wrong answer to this question . 

I know I don't have to work at convincing myself I won't smoke . I won't and don't smoke period . I wake up and I go to sleep peacefully . 

I will forever be an ex smoker . That's a fact . I will always be that person who used to smoke . I make the choice never to smoke again just like a non smoker never thinks to smoke .   It's like a total rebirth , a new beginning not just a second chance at life  .  I wake up and I don't do that smoking thang anymore , I don't think about it anymore . I'm sure that part now is like a person who has never  smoked . It's completely new behaviour . Smoking is neither here nor there  for me , it's a freedom beyond understanding .

My past is now a tool however , to help others present and future .

Yes , I have changed my thinking completely about cigarettes but I'm sure the subconscious part of who I am through my own decision  ) has not forgotten that I smoked .   Does that scare me ? Not at all . I don't smoke . 

Maki . 

[AnnetteMM]

I am not so arrogant as to think I've beaten my addiction. I know it's still here, lurking, waiting for that moment of weakness that could overcome years of freedom. I am a nonsmoker now, yes, but it could change in an instant. Stay humble, my friends. And keep that quit precious.

[JACKIE1-25-15]

I don't think it ends.  It just gets easier as time progress, the things that were difficult in the beginning are not an issue.  The journey continues...because it continues to get better NOPE is the way to be. Every day is a new beginning just better smokefree. 

[beazel]

For me, I feel it is ongoing.

I might feel better after I hit 5 years (that is my goal) because I lost my longest quit somewhere between 4 1/2 & 5 years.

I don't think I will ever start again, but can't say I'm 100% positive, the junkie isn't dead.

So I remain vigilant...........

[Giulia]

For me, as long as I still have something to learn about and from this addiction, my journey will continue.  When I understand WHY people relapse after years being quit, I'll know that my journey is done.  

[elvan]

I can only speak for myself & after over 6 1/2 years of freedom, l don’t think MY journey will end until I end. I certainly have no intention of ever smoking again but l know that l am only one puff away from going backwards. I am grateful for every day of freedom l have had & l do not want to waste even a moment of my life trying to shorten it. I wasted enough time with that.

Ellen

[maryfreecig]

Some of us quit at a much older age, and smoked a very long time. Some of us quit with serious health consequences that won't allow forgetting. Some of us, no matter how healthy now, may face health consequences in the future. Some smobered up and passed away afterwards (still happy to have quit) from a smoking related illness. Some of us live with others who still smoke, still sick and suffering. So, may I never forget that I almost never quit at age 54 in 2013, that I almost said no, I won't quit, not now. I almost said it is too late. I don't ever want to think that I am cured. Being human is complicated enough, throw in addiction and what a mess. My quit journey will be one day at a time until the end. 

I'm here to help when I can, but I'm here to remain teachable. It's about smobriety, not forgetting--from my persepective.

[Thomas3.20.2010]

IMHO my quit journey is a lifelong journey and being an addict can be recovered but never erased. I am one puff away from relapse every day - not that I intend to forfeit 10 years of smobriety - but that with a moment of carelessness, I might. I continue to some here and to add my two cents worth primarily because it helps me and maybe, I can help somebody else (which also helps me.) The Quit Journey is what you want to make of it and it's that very individuality that separates us from our addiction. Addiction is predictable and mundane but healing/recovery is unique and blessed. I relate to Dale's thought that nicotine has lost power over me. I just have to own my own power over it - a work in progress.

[Sootie]

We all answer only for our situation....for me, I look at it as if the STRUGGLE is over...but the journey continues. 

My journey has led me to meet many people here at EX...some have become dear friends I could never lose.

My journey has led me to Florida, Tennessee and Virginia (and I hope many more places to come) where I have enjoyed many memories with some of those friends.

My journey leads me back to this community at least once a week (if not more) to try to invite others on a journey to freedom.

My journey has given me my life back, probably improved my health and certainly made me much,much happier each day.

My journey continues because I don't want it to end. The journey is the reward. 

[jrgar1]

    Our addiction will ALWAYS say yes to using. Our recovery gives us the power to say NO. Cold hard fact and truth, we are never cured.. We are not prophets to know if the future will or will not give cause for us to use again. Desperation has caused some of us to quit our drug, desperation could also lead us back to using. The lifetime journey of joy and growth in recovery will give us hope and reward of a life well lived drug free till our final breath. Thanks for all who posted on this as it gave me acceptance of my addiction and deeper gratitude for my recovery. Never Quit Quitting! O.D.A.T.

Not One Puff Ever!

    Peace to all,

      JRGAR

[djmurray]

Beautifully said, Sootie!

[CrazyQuitter]

Thank You ALL for your insightful answers! They Mean a LOT!

[SuzyQ411]

Hi Carl Cousin-Itt‌... In response to your last stament / question : "I don't know if the constant reminder of what it has taken from me is part of the journey" ... I know that my answer is a resounding YES! at this point in my quit, anyway.

Right now, it feels like my health issues as a result of more than 60 yeaars of smoking, are a pivotal point in my choosing to quit and to remaining a non-smoker. Each 6 months as my repeat CT's of my carotid arteries draws near, it stands out like a sore thumb what my smoking has done to ravage my body...my next scan is 9/11/2020 and I just pray that by not smoking my arteries are unchanged from the last scan.

And, I agree with you about being "once an addict / always an addict." 

As such, there is no wiggle room for us to remain abstinent....