I stopped smoking on 3rd January this year, and I was doing great up till the full moon eclipse time on 3rd March. Since then I've been hit by intense cravings, and my thoughts seem to revolve around the whole issue of to smoke or not to smoke. I can't sleep at night for the overwhelming ache. Can't write, can't concentrate; I'm spaced out, tearful, with no appetite. It's like I'm heartbroken over the end of a relationship.
So thank goodness for a no smoking day. It stops that feeling of isolation, it puts you back in touch with the reality that there's thousands of others going through the same thing, and thousands of others who've gone through it, come out the other side.
Only thing I don't like about the whole anti-smoking brigade is the use of the message of fear. Bless them, I'm sure they think they are doing it for the right reasons, but I don't think it helps at all painting smoking as the devil's work, or trying to guilt trip or patronise people into stopping. In fact if I had one tip to offer people who are thinking of quitting, it's to keep away from the fear/guilt based stuff, and concentrate on the joy of experiencing what you dreamed about while stuck in the smoking cycle. Feel the joy of fresh air and more cash, of breathing easier and being free of such a high maintenance relationship. It's all good stuff, and you deserve to feel good.
Hopefully I'll be able to write more when I'm through this stage of it (I have high hopes for the new moon in Pisces that is coming up), but for now I'm just following my feelings and going with their spacey, wistful, but defiant flow.
The No Smoking Day website is here
And the About.com site is here, which I found helpful, especially the forum
4 comments:
Sorry to hear the going is still tough, Barbara.
I agree on the fear factor. I think the best thing about being free of cigarettes is the independence - you're no longer at their beck and call. Tobacco is an expensive and demanding boss !
You've given in your notice and you've quit.
I hope the going soon gets a lot easier.
Thankyou!! That's a great way to look at it! Yes, the self-sufficency is my favourite thing.
Hopefully these feelings won't last too long. I have no intention of going back to it, so I hope I get the message soon :-)
The photos are great! Glad you posted them.
About smoking. Yowie. I quit about 12 years ago when I had no choice. It's not easy, but you CAN do it. I know you can. I did.
I think it helped me to figure how many yachts I was buying for other people. And I couldn't even float a boat of my own. LOL
Keep on keepin' on.
Congrats on your decision!
Thanks for the encouragement!!! yes I'm still hanging on in there, and it helps to hear from those who've done it :-)
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