The sixteenth month marking my final quit has passed by uneventfully. Am forcing myself to write a few words as I know that the act of journaling strengthens my resolve to stay quit.
The past few months have been very ordinary as far as the quit is concerned. Having been almost completely away from smoking situations, I definitely had no crave of any sort. Thoughts of smoking do enter my mind sometimes - the romanticizing part of my mind is still feebly alive - but I can always watch those with detachment and amusement.
Having completed a 5K run a week back with an almost best-ever personal time of under-25 minutes, I feel that I am reaping the aerobic benefits of quitting smoking. While smoking a pack a day, I couldn't ever dream of running a 5 K, leave along doing well. Today, at 40, feel that I am in the best physical shape of my life, thanks largely to the quit.
I have been putting up blog posts here on a monthly interval and each of the post is a marker in the progress of my life. Hopefully, to a better, saner life. I thank all the friends who take the time to read and respond to these posts. Each comment is invaluable in shoring up my determination to stay quit. The struggle that a smoker goes through when quitting can only be understood by people who are going through the same phase.
I would like to see myself as a die-hard quitter who just gave up smoking one day, never to look back again but the reality is so different. My quit saga started four years ago and after failing eight times in my previous attempts, this finally seems to be the real one. So, if there can be any sort of message in my quit attempts it is this - Never give up trying. Quitting smoking can, for a lot of folks, be the hardest personal challenge ever attempted (At least, it was so for me). Success in keeping the quit does wonders to our sense of self-esteem and self-control.
I wish all readers true success in banishing the neco-demon from their lives. The mantra is simple - simple but not always easy. 'Never Take Another Puff'.
Best wishes.
