I'm giving myself major kudos! Today, it's been five years since I've smoked a cigarette.!
I had a health professor who said that after five years of quitting (smoking, drinking, drugs...etc) people were less likely to return to the addictive behavior. So, in my mind, this anniversary is sort of a milestone.
Honestly, at the time, I didn't think I was ready to quit, nor did I really want to. But I was super sick; sick enough that I wasn't even wanting to smoke, so I decided to give it a try.
I quit cold turkey.
The first year was the worst. I literally felt like I had lost my best friend. (It's weird how addiction works.) I kept a few smokes in my car, for about that long...just in case. I was very depressed, but I never gave in.
I guess, after that, I considered myself a non-smoker.
The next few years were hard, but not as bad as the first one. I was in college, then, and with the stress of exams, papers, and such, smoking was still very tempting. However, the cravings, and bouts with anxiety were becoming less frequent. Sometimes, and this is still the case, the smell of cigarette smoke was nauseating, and other times it was wonderfully seductive; like embracing a long lost friend. Still, I never gave in.
Now, it's much easier, and the cravings are almost nonexistent. There are times, though, where I desperately miss smoking. Periodically, I wish that I was one of those people that could just have a cigarette once in a while; maybe while drinking. But I'm not. I know that once in a while would quickly turn into a pack a day, so I restrict myself from even one puff. And on most days, I'm ok with that.
The health benefits, from quitting, have been amazing. I can breathe so much better now. Also, my chronic cough has disappeared entirely.
Today, I'm quite proud of myself for never giving in! Five years, and counting....
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