Post by Ann on Jul 19, 2006 7:30:01 GMT -5
A New Beginning........
I was drawn here today because someone asked me to pray for them to have the strength to quit smoking. In doing my prayers for her it has stirred up an awareness inside of me that I wanted to share.
......I remember clearly back in the days when I knew I HAD to quit smoking, but I kept loosing quit after quit. I never lost faith that maybe somehow, someday I would really quit. Looking back tho, I am not sure that I believed that totally. I wanted to quit....... I would give most anything in my life to quit, but it seemed the challenge to live without smoking was just to great.
I was a serial quitter. Always quitting, only to fall off in desperation and have to someday try again. I was so tired of this cycle. Yet, I kept trying because I didn't know what else to do. I bet some of you can even relate to those feelings.
For me, even getting ready to quit was a process. I had to kinda sneak up on it very quietly. Didn't want *the addiction* to know I was going to try to quit again. My gut would be in a knot just knowing I was going to try yet again !! Anyone ? Can you identify ??
What turned it around ? How did I finally get a quit and keep it....... the first thing that comes to my mind is that I am a non smoker today, as long as I do not take the next puff. This is a journey, not a trip with stops along the way. One day at a time I choose not to smoke ~ that is how I got as many days as I have. They just kept adding up, each time I turned away from the next puff, I got stronger, the desire to smoke became less.
It is the next puff that will take away your quit. It could take away my quit today if I took a single puff. Do not take that next puff. Bottom line......... walk away, just one step at a time.
I learned all kinds of things about myself, my thinking and behavior along this journey. So many things I needed to change so that I became emotionally stronger in the weak areas of my personality. Like ~ if I had an argument, ...... how can you have an argument without having a cigarette ? I didn't know that answer !! There were lots of other questions and answers I had to learn along the way......
How can you have a cup of coffee without smoking a cigarette ?
How can you be at your computer without smoking ?
How can you drive without smoking ?
How can you put on makeup without smoking ?
How can you cry without smoking to calm down again ?
How can you cope with fear without smoking ?
...... the list of questions goes on but the answer remains the same: do not take the next puff, and you will become a non smoker. Along with that victory you will discover a whole new person emerging into a bright good smelling YOU.
NOPE
~~ Billi
found on QuitNet
I was drawn here today because someone asked me to pray for them to have the strength to quit smoking. In doing my prayers for her it has stirred up an awareness inside of me that I wanted to share.
......I remember clearly back in the days when I knew I HAD to quit smoking, but I kept loosing quit after quit. I never lost faith that maybe somehow, someday I would really quit. Looking back tho, I am not sure that I believed that totally. I wanted to quit....... I would give most anything in my life to quit, but it seemed the challenge to live without smoking was just to great.
I was a serial quitter. Always quitting, only to fall off in desperation and have to someday try again. I was so tired of this cycle. Yet, I kept trying because I didn't know what else to do. I bet some of you can even relate to those feelings.
For me, even getting ready to quit was a process. I had to kinda sneak up on it very quietly. Didn't want *the addiction* to know I was going to try to quit again. My gut would be in a knot just knowing I was going to try yet again !! Anyone ? Can you identify ??
What turned it around ? How did I finally get a quit and keep it....... the first thing that comes to my mind is that I am a non smoker today, as long as I do not take the next puff. This is a journey, not a trip with stops along the way. One day at a time I choose not to smoke ~ that is how I got as many days as I have. They just kept adding up, each time I turned away from the next puff, I got stronger, the desire to smoke became less.
It is the next puff that will take away your quit. It could take away my quit today if I took a single puff. Do not take that next puff. Bottom line......... walk away, just one step at a time.
I learned all kinds of things about myself, my thinking and behavior along this journey. So many things I needed to change so that I became emotionally stronger in the weak areas of my personality. Like ~ if I had an argument, ...... how can you have an argument without having a cigarette ? I didn't know that answer !! There were lots of other questions and answers I had to learn along the way......
How can you have a cup of coffee without smoking a cigarette ?
How can you be at your computer without smoking ?
How can you drive without smoking ?
How can you put on makeup without smoking ?
How can you cry without smoking to calm down again ?
How can you cope with fear without smoking ?
...... the list of questions goes on but the answer remains the same: do not take the next puff, and you will become a non smoker. Along with that victory you will discover a whole new person emerging into a bright good smelling YOU.
NOPE
~~ Billi
found on QuitNet