It�s actually been a little bit longer than a year and I didn't get a chance to post on my one year anniversary. I still find it hard to believe that after smoking a pack a day for 19 years that I could actually quit. I never even pictured myself as a non-smoker before quitting.
This support group is what helped me get through the beginning stages.
All my friends and family smoked and I was the only one to quit. I felt very alone at times. The other quitters in this support group were here to cheer me on, congratulate me, offer advice and most importantly to tell me that my feeling, thoughts and reactions were all a normal part of quitting.
For any of you newbies, it only get easier as the days pass but you really have to want this quit more than anything (more than wanting to smoke). There is one thing that I knew when I quit and I knew that I really did not want to be a smoker anymore.
After quitting I learned that there is nothing you can do about other smokers but I did learn that there are many smokers who really want to quit too but are afraid to take that leap. If you just lead by example those who truly want to quit smoking will follow and will attempt to quit.
I went to a mother�s day BBQ last week and I sat in the house and gossiped with 4 other people who quit during this past year. Yes it�s true. My quitting helped other who wanted to quit.
I sat with my sister-in-law who quit 4 months ago, her mother who quit 4 months ago, her grandmother who quit 10 months ago, my mother-in-law who quit 6 months ago. It was a wonderful experience and I hope that all of us can keep our quit forever.
[B]My Milage:[/B]
[B]My Quit Date: [/B] 4/26/2005
[B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 385
[B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 7,709
[B]Amount Saved:[/B] $1636.25
[B]Life Gained:[/B]
[B]Days:[/B] 31 [B]Hrs:[/B] 0 [B]Mins:[/B] 25 [B]Seconds:[/B] 57
