Happy New Year to everyone here on Becomeanex! I think of you all so often. I remain grateful as all get out to my friends here and of course I remain smoke-free. Life has been hectic and stressful and I still actually get flashes of "I think I'll go have a smoke". Not actually wanting one, just old habit way of thinking. It's not tempting at all, it makes me actually laugh now..."where did THAT come from?!". I guess I want anyone new here to know that those thoughts totally lose their power. You probably don't know it, but every crave you get through makes you stronger and the addiction-driven crave weaker. It's been almost seven years. I have had literally two colds since then as opposed to a couple every winter that lasted weeks. My Doctor wanted a lung CT done because I smoked for forty years. It was clear. I don't have the smokers' cough any more. I didn't understand the freedom everyone talked about when I first came to this site. I do now. It's freedom to choose where and how long you're going to be without craves driving you out, freedom from that look people give you when you reek of tobacco, freedom to spend your money on what you want and sometimes need to. It's freedom from having some thing else from your own choosing make all these decisions not in your favor, freedom from illness, freedom from the absolute certainty of shortening your life. Hang there, you will be so happy you did. Come here everyday and read, read, read then read some more. Try everything to get through you read here, even if you think it won't work. I finally had to admit that if I knew so much, why was I still struggling to quit. You can do it. I did, I know you can. Exciting smart start to 2018.
All the rest of you long-termers...love you always.
Julia Amy
