Many of you are going through No Mans Land Right Now (Days 30-130)
This is the second hurdle of a longtime/forever quit. The first hurdle is getting through the first 30 days.
When I quit, I was constantly researching information for when you were through the worst of quitting. One medical study I read during that time, said it you made it through 4 months without smoking you had the best chance of a forever quit.
Along with that study, I noticed there were so many people losing their quit and dropping off the site I was on before reaching four months.
I had my personal breakthrough at 128 days when I was driving up a hill to a job I had still been a smoker on.
I reached for a ghost pack and realized I was no longer a smoker. I laughed.
The term No Mans Land came from the person (Ron Maxey) who wrote a powerful post and gave it that title on the site I quit on.
No Mans Land Will Be Over For Many around 130 days. For some it's longer/For some slightly less.
We smoked for a long time and we can't expect to have experienced every trigger in the first 130 days.
We have many memories that are connected to smoking that we must unlearn by making new ones without smoking.
Let's talk about two sets of seasons.
I suggest to you that you have to go through two sets of holidays and seasons. During these two years you will likely experience a family blowup, the infidelity of a spouse/partner, a car accident, and the death of a pet or someone close to you that would normally set you off. In other words, the hard parts of life.
Example: You have a relative that ticks you off and they are missing from your first annual get together. Well, they may be at the second years so, that's the implication of what getting through 2 years means.
The one thing to remember is, smoking is not required. You know if you smoke, you will be a smoker again.
After your first year, your quit should not be such a fight anymore
unless you've fought quitting all along. There may still be some fleeting thoughts of smoking but they are now easily dismissed.
You smoked a long time. It will fade away. Be patient.
Nothing and no one can make you smoke! You are in charge.
STATISTICS: While roughly 94% of uneducated smokers who attempt to stop smoking relapse within a year, the relapse rate declines to just 2 to 4% per year from years 2 to 10, and then falls to less than 1% after 10 years. Wow! Chance of relapse goes from 94% to 2-4% after two years.
http://whyquit.com/FFN/chapters/FFN_14_Relapse_P.pdf
. I believe it will help me stay focused ànd positive. Thank you so much for such an inspirational vow.
