I used to smoke. I am not one of those that smoked for 30 years, smoking up to 2 packs a day, but I did smoke quite a bit. I had smoked for 9 years or so, smoking a bit more than a pack a day. I haven’t had a cigarette since about August or so.
Smoking is unique to the smoker. What I mean by that is everyone does it for a different reason than another. Maybe your parents smoked. Maybe you use it to curb your appetite. Maybe you are trying to curb some other addiction. Maybe you *gasp* like the taste and the buzz. Whatever the case, there are reasons people smoke. It’s their right. It’s my right not to. So, we’re cool then, right? Unfortunately, no.
I’ve known other people that have quit smoking, and most of them forget what it was like to be a smoker. They forget the cravings that made them scrounge for change to buy a pack in the middle of the night. They forget the feeling of a cigarette after a meal, or at a stressful moment. What they most often forget is how hard it was to quit in the first place. Sure, you were able to quit, but that doesn’t mean everyone else can do it “as easily as you did.” Nor do they likely want to. For me, that made a world of difference. I had tried quitting in the past, but I never really, really wanted to quit. It was always some New Years resolution that lasted until the 3rd of January, or trying to please some girlfriend. If you don’t really want to quit, you’re not going to. If you really do, that’s the first step.
I feel extremely stronger having quit. I think about cigarettes less and less, but I’d say that I think about having one at least 4 times a week. I can still smell the difference between camels and marlboros. A neighbor smokes Sampoernas, a brand of clove cigarettes that are far better than Djarums, and the smell brings me back. Still, I am cigarette free, and feel great.
For you smokers out there, smoke one for me. If you’re trying to quit, fight the good fight. Waking up with a cold shower helps. Having someone you love that believes in you will also make it a lot easier.