Quitting is not easy and quitting smoking is a very challenging addiction . You've heard it said that it is harder than overcoming a heroin addiction . All addiction imo should not to be minimized . All addiction is cunning , manipulative and deceiving .
I tried quitting a few times before this quit . Quitting smoking before I got educated on addiction was a bit of a discouragement when I didn't feel better fast . I would give up very quickly . We have been told for years that it takes just three weeks to break a habit and so that's been ingrained into most of us . It was what gave us hope . We think three weeks , ya and we will be over it and life will be changed forever but do you know how many habits you formed when you smoked that you are going to have to break free of ? You smoked years ! So then , in reality should we be thinking three weeks it's done , it's over , we've made it ?
The biggest reason people say they give up , is stress and that's no different for me . I had , stressful times , stressful people , stressful circumstances , numerous crisis that were stressful , even stressful gatherings . We aren't different from each other . Then there celebrations and rewards and BBQs and babies and responsibility raising kids and the list goes on . Then there was the ah ha moments of relaxation and the feeling of accomplishment when I'd smoke .
We talk about seasons but there are more seasons than just winter , spring , summer and fall seasons aren't there .
We smoked during anniversary seasons , sad seasons remembering the deaths of loved ones . We smoked over the loss of our pet , those were seasons and over the loss of family , living or passed and the friends we've lost , the break ups , the divorce , even health reasons , Seasons and the list goes on and on .
When the pain of quitting and grieving our loss of our addiction is not over in three days or three weeks or even three months we lose hope and we give in and give up before the miracle happens . Please don't . Dont quit. Keep going no matter what .
Be in this quit literally for your life ! Forget about the old habits and form new ones and better ones . Consider every day your second chance to take back your life and your freedom from a drug so addictive so powerful and so self destructive . All any of us have is this moment in time . We should know that after the last couple years we've had .
Yes , we formed many habits or triggers smoking and some will be easier to break than others and some will take weeks and still others may lurk buried and hiding for a very long time. That's ok . That's normal . Even Exers and Exers Exers may have those .
Every one of us is different and it is my opinion that no two quits will be the same . There is a reason for everything that happens on this journey and quitting smoking is so much more than just quitting smoking .
We wish things turn out for each of us and hope we do not choose smoking as the solution any time addiction rears one of its ugly heads but the only way that will happen , is by choice .
When it really comes down to it , it will be our own cheerleading , our own counselling and our own willingness to do the things we can change , and learn the things we can from quits of the past that will keep each of us quit today .
