The one-year mark is an
extremely important event in the life of an ex-smoker. It is at this point that strong feelings of
freedom and accomplishment manifest themselves.
A life without cigarettes is now an attainable goal. In the support group, a party is held in
honor of the member reaching the one-year mark, and he/she is bestowed the
honorable title of Old Fogey. The new
Old Fogey is asked to make a speech (bulletin board post) sharing feelings and
emotions about the accomplishment. This
is intended to serve as inspiration and encouragement to those members who are
just starting out. What follows is my speech to the group posted the morning
of my first anniversary.
One Year!!!
Posted by Michael on September
12 at 08:12:37
One year… It almost seems like it’s not real, like it was
just yesterday that my daily routine included the phrase “Pack o’ Parliament
Box, please.” But I know all too well that it has been 365 days or 8760 hours
or 525,600 minutes etc, etc…
One year… I’m celebrating freedom from smoking, yet only the last three months or so have
shown the great life change I was looking for.
This summer I went to Vegas without smokes,
went camping without smokes, countless family day trips without smokes, had our
annual big BBQ without smokes, even went to a couple weddings and funerals
without smokes. Through it all, I’ve
noticed that my wife, two sons and I have become more of a family. By that I mean I have learned to focus on
them instead of smoking. We do more
together because I don’t have to leave them every 30 minutes to smoke. We even play board games for hours now
without interruption. It’s so hard to
put this into words - the best way to say it is: Not smoking feels GOOD!
One year… I know in my heart that I am free from cigarettes
and that I will never smoke again, but I also know that I will always be an
addict. I don’t care what anyone else
says, I have an addictive personality and so do most of you. Research has shown that there IS in fact a
gene that makes us more prone to addiction.
The key word though is prone. Being prone to addiction means you could be
addicted to anything given the right circumstances. Booze, drugs, smokes - they’re all in the
same family for the addict. We just
happen to focus on smokes here. If we
took a poll, though, I bet that there are a bunch of us that are, or were,
addicted to booze as well. Why is it
that AA meetings are always taking place in a thick cloud of cigarette
smoke? It’s because the alcoholics are
still feeding their addictive personality, just with a different chemical. I too am still feeding my addictive
person. Although I’m not using
chemicals, it’s the PC and the support group that I’m addicted to. It’s good and bad at the same time - good
because giving and receiving support keeps me smoke-free. The bad part is that computer time also takes
me away from my wife and kids. That’s a
big reason for me cutting back on my posts as of late.
One year… The word pride comes to mind. I have accomplished something very big here,
and for that I am damn proud. It is
something that a year ago was an unattainable goal, yet I have done it. Though I received help and support from many,
it was me who did not smoke for the last twelve months - me, the addict. I have fought my addiction and I have
won. It is the addict who has the power
to stay clean. Some people rely on a
Higher Power to stay quit, but I believe in the power of the human brain. Relearning life without smokes and fighting
the battle with every ounce of brainpower we have - not smoking NO MATTER WHAT
- fighting the good fight… You all know my slogans. They remain with me as reminders of my
accomplishment and of days when I would sit at my PC mumbling them amongst the
curses…
One year… The first step to a better future. My father died at age 52 from his third heart
attack brought on by booze and smokes. A
few short weeks ago my friend Bud
Ellis
One year… Time to party!!!
Sorry the post turned out so serious… J I really am celebrating today,
but it’s hard for me to let go of the newbies and their struggles and how easy
it is to slip and on and on and on… So
on that note, let me just close with my usual - no, wait - one more thing:
I just have to say how much
you all mean to me. This support group
is made up of the most caring, thoughtful and just plain wonderful people I
have ever known. Thank you to each and
every one of you for all you have given me over the past year. I truly love you all!
…Ok, that’s it! J
Peace!
Fight the good fight!
I have been quit 1 year, 7
hours, 54 minutes and 43 seconds.
I have NOT smoked 7306
cigarettes, saving $858.52.
By quitting I have added 3
weeks, 4 days, 8 hours and 50 minutes to my life.
September 12th
marks my second anniversary of freedom from smoking. Words cannot begin to describe the wide range
of emotions I'm experiencing. If I were
to make a list, though, it would be topped by words like joy, elation and, most
importantly, pride. I have accomplished something that I never
thought possible. I have learned that it
is possible to be an addict and NOT feed my addiction. Many crises and stress situations have come
and gone over the last two years, ranging from simple things like missed
appointments to dealing with a severely dysfunctional family history. Two years ago any one of the crises would
have caused me to reach for a smoke. As
a member of the support group I've learned that is entirely possible to
separate the act of smoking from crisis/stress management.
Unfortunately, as an addict, I still harbor affection for
smoking. Setting the physical addiction
to nicotine and the health hazards aside, I can honestly say that I used to
really enjoy smoking. It was something
fun, mysterious, and even somewhat rebellious as more and more people frowned
on smoking. There was something about
playing with fire that was intriguing and mildly exciting every time a
cigarette was lit.
I believe it is this love
for the act of smoking that may cause an ex-smoker of one or more years to pick
up again. Consequently, the freedom we
attain by quitting smoking must always be guarded. "Once
an addict…always an addict” That saying rings true now more than ever. There are times now when having a cigarette
seems like it would be really nice. You know, the one you have while kicking
back on the deck at sunset with friends and a few drinks… When those thoughts come I start to chuckle
at myself. It amazes me that after two
years my mind still thinks that way. I
then calmly remind myself that I am an addict as well as an ex-smoker, and the
thought becomes a fleeting memory.
Those same thoughts may still appear in stressful
situations or during crises. It is
during these times that you must be even more diligent about guarding the
freedom, because often during crisis the mind will more readily accept and
rationalize junkie thinking. Remember
always that smoking is a crisis in and of itself, not a remedy for one.
Quitting smoking and learning to guard the newfound
freedom for the rest of your life is by far the hardest thing you will ever
do. There is no job or family challenge
that could ever match the intensity of a quit. Sharing your quit with a support
group, be it online or otherwise, improves your chance of success
immensely. Taking a helping hand from a
complete stranger may be intimidating at first, but the support and
encouragement that is found in a group of fellow ex-smokers is well worth the
risk. Join a support group today if you
want to improve your chances at beating this addiction.
Don't quit
smoking alone!
*******
I have fought the good fight,
I have finished my course; I have
kept the faith…
2
Timothy 4:7
