Goodbye and Good Riddance

Saying goodbye to an addiction that has held us prisoner for decades involves more than just recovery from the physical need to smoke. For most of us, letting go of the habit signals a powerful emotional release as well.

Over the years, About.com Smoking Cessation Forum members have contributed personal accounts of the psychological clearing that smoking cessation brings, and they've done it in the form of goodbye letters.

Fix yourself a cup of tea and settle in for a little inspirational reading.

The Seduction

From Leslie Bainbridge:
"I have learned through the years that what I don't acknowledge mentally, manifests itself physically and emotionally, and I could really tell that our relationship was becoming unhealthy. But your lies were so effective, the illusions so blinding, my reliance so complete. I was just too uncomfortable without you, I feel panicked and weak."

"I thought I couldn't face the world without you. You had been there for everything, and I knew I wouldn't be able to deal with anything if you weren't by my side. But I was getting weary of paying for you all of the time. I couldn't afford alot of things I really wanted because I had to pay for you, and you just kept wanting more and more every single year; more of my money, more of my energy, more of my time. It's like you stole the very glow from my cheeks. Maybe I was the one who started inhaling you, but by the end, it was I who felt drained. And then you became possessive."

More Goodbye Letters