Your First Smoke-Free Holiday Season

As you work your way through your first smoke free holiday season, you may face a number of triggers to smoke that are associated with this time of year specifically. Simple things like holiday baking and trimming the tree might leave you feeling edgy the first time you do them smoke free.

Take heart -- recovery from nicotine addiction is a process of gradual release over time. The work it takes to navigate the season smoke free is a necessary step in clearing old associations out and making way for the new.

• Your First Smoke-Free Holiday Season

Keep your perspective in line with your intentions, and by the time the holidays roll around next year, smoking won't even register as a concern.

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Take The Quit Smoking Monday Pledge

Healthy Monday encourages us to think of for ourselves. If you're still smoking, put your cigarettes down and get started on your quit program today.

• Quit Smoking Monday Messages Archive

We all have the ability to quit smoking successfully, and we all deserve a life that is free of addiction. Honor your life by choosing Monday as the day to start and reinforce your quit program.

You can quit smoking ... and we're here to help you, one simple Monday at a time.

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With a little knowledge of what to expect and how to manage the discomforts that come with nicotine withrawal, you can weather this phase of smoking cessation successfully.

More on Nicotine Withdrawal

• Insomnia and Nicotine Withdrawal

• 5 Minutes to Curb the Urge to Smoke

• The Balance Between Nicotine Withdrawal and Healing

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Did You Know...

One of the 599 possible ingredients listed in the manufacture of cigarettes is ambergris, more commonly known as whale vomit. Ambergris is a fatty, waxy substance that forms in the intestines of the sperm whale.

Chemicals in Cigarettes

• Pesticides in Cigarette Smoke

• Chemicals in Cigarettes and Cigarette Smoke

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Gratitude Heals

Of all human emotions, gratitude is one of the most beneficial for our bodies and minds. A grateful heart knows no bounds, and for people who are recovering from nicotine addiction, gratitude plays an important role in the health of their quit programs.

With Thanksgiving just about upon us here in the U.S., it seems like a good time to take stock of the blessings in our lives. Members of the About.com Smoking Cessation support forum are quick to share those things they're most grateful for since quitting tobacco, and I've included a sampling of their thoughts below:

"I'm thankful for the chance to slow my COPD. If I were still smoking, I might be on O2 continually. The pride and thankfulness I feel by taking control are tremendous." ~Gaylene~

"I am so thankful to be free of cigarettes and to be a non-smoker. My life is so simple now compared to the way it was, always trying to find a place to smoke and hiding behind the smoke." ~AnotherLinda~

"I'm thankful to be able to laugh again without worrying if it will bring on my asthma symptoms; I am thankful that when I wake up in the morning, my chest doesn't hurt; I am thankful that within just a couple days of my quit, I have not had to use an inhaler or any asthma medication." ~Cap'n~

"I'm thankful for the feeling of freedom, peace and empowerment quitting tobacco has given me, and I know it is going to get better with time. I can breathe and have more energy, plus much more." ~Dar~

"I am thankful to be smoke-free today and to have the confidence to tackle my holiday jitters without depending on nicotine to be my substitute backbone. I have restored my dignity and boosted my self-esteem 1000% percent." ~Trish~

"I am thankful for today! I am here, healthy, alive and feeling strong. I am thankful for my family who have stood by me and encouraged me to quit smoking. I didn't think I had the courage to do it!" ~Sheba~

"I really like who I have become since I quit smoking. There's no more shame! I'm proud to be a healthy woman, wife and mother!" ~Carol~

"I am grateful for the inner strength that I have found to battle this addiction, which gives me power to battle so much more." ~Sue~

"I am grateful to my son who loved me enough to ask me to quit. I took a long hard look at that request and said to myself..."I can and I will do this for Daxie." ~Daxie~

"I am grateful for my good health, and for the awareness of how precious that really is." ~Terry~

If you've quit smoking, breathe deep and be grateful. If you want to quit but haven't done it yet, there is no time like the present to get started. Grab hold of our hands here at About.com Smoking Cessation -- we've got the tools and the support to help you put tobacco behind you...permanently.

Have a grateful, smoke-free Thanksgiving!

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