Good morning everyone. I have been back reading a little at a time. I think of you guys everyday! It's nearing a year now since I first came here. I hear my words from then echo in the words of our newest members. I realize again what a common experience quitting smoking is. I know, we all quit a little differently from each other. But that is only in the details. True be told, we all go through withdrawls, we all have to break the habit of using cigs to cope, we all have to fight the stubborn addicted inner self who screams silently inside of us to hang on to every stinking routine. Its hard to listen to people who keeping losing their quits because they don't actually feel/think that they should have to endure what we, the masses, do, they're special and above that, they won't own their addictions or their quits, they want others to. They blame their spouses, kids, bosses, neighbors, government, cats, neighbor's cat etc for relapses. Still out there, looking for the way AROUND quitting while trying to quit. Don't understand that you have to go THROUGH it like the rest of us in the trenches. It amazes me that they don't stop looking at themselves long enough to see the company they would keep if they looked into the face of their addiction and jumped into the trench. We have some incredible people to keep company with in this trench. First, people currently fighting to get out of the trench, facing hardships with courage that inspires, then, people who fought their way out of the trench and climb back in on a daily basis to help others out. Yep, pretty good company here. Again, though, they want a magic answer. Reminds me of my kids going to the 'fridge, don't see anything they like, shut the door and walk away, come back 5 min later, open the door look inside, shut the door and walk away, 5-10 min later come back and repeat the process. Finally, I ask them "Do you think something magically delicious ran and hid in there since you were last here 5 min ago?" No magic answer here either. Nobody smoked smoke in your lungs but you and nobody can get rid of it (physically and metaphorically) but you. So "man up" and do it....or don't. But, understand, withdrawls are the absolute easiest way out. The eventual alternative is immeasurably harder. Read, really read, blogs from some of members like Jojo, who generously, caringly shares her story. You don't feel well when you first quit? Of course you don't. That is an expected outcome but its faulty logic to blame it on the quit. Its like saying "Everytime I see a house on fire there's a big red truck in front of it, therefore big red trucks cause house fires." Let your body heal. If your body is tough enough to sustain during your smoking it is more than tough enoughto make it through your quitting. It is a temporary problem, all the discomforts, all the nagging craves, all the bs the addiction pulls, its temporary. You can do it. Stop looking for a way to do it without doing it and you'll get there a lot faster! My strongest good wishes to you all and as for my buddies here...LOVE ya!
