Allen Quit Smoking One Year Ago

I had been looking forward to my 1 year milestone (which actually was Jan 24th) with so much anticipation and excitement. This week has been so busy; I haven't gotten a chance to post my 1 year milestone until this morning.

Looking back, it's amazing and wonderful to enjoy this milestone as there are so many obstacles that one must overcome to fight this horrid addiction. It wasn't until I made up my mind to stop smoking that I learned and fully educated myself on just how mind-controlling and body-damaging smoking really is. During the days leading up to, and then even more so during the initial start of my quit, I lived on this forum in order to read, understand, and lean on what others were going through during their quit. It made all the difference for me.

After 20 years of smoking (yes I started at way too early an age), I was resolved to the fact that I would be smoking until it took the life from me. I had wanted to quit and tried to quit several times over those years only to fall into the false trap that smoking "wasn't that bad", "I'll quit sometime, just not now".

The start of Jan 2005, I was in an airport that still has one of those smoking areas and just felt disgusting standing there trying to get as many cigarettes into me before my next two hour flight. I resolved on the flight home that I was going to quit smoking, come what may. I received information and a 30 day supply of Zyban and found this website. I spent hours educating myself; "Knowledge truly is Power", on how controlling nicotine is and what I would go through after my last cigarette.

After getting through the initial two weeks, I started to realize that this time I really could be a non-smoker, and continued with the goal of not worrying and stressing about being smoke-free for life. I focused on TODAY. "I won't be a smoker TODAY" was my morning and constant fix instead of a cigarette. My daily activities kept me around smokers which only added to temptation.

During mid-Feb I got a phone call that my "uncle", just shy of his 60th birthday, died of lung cancer after years of smoking. As I was celebrating my new "smoke free-life", I was mourning how nicotine robs us of not only our life, but those that we are close to. My step-family hadn't been around me during my initial quit, and as I was leaving to head home to VA, my step-sister told me how proud she was that I stopped smoking. I hadn't realized how much of a change it was for them not seeing me run outside from my first waking moment to "get my fix".

2005 would prove to be an especially busy and eventful year for me. I moved from Norfolk, VA to Augusta, GA to my current location in Stuttgart Germany. The month of May I once again mourned the loss of a close friend, my Priest for over 30 years, who during my past 13 years in the military kept me in his daily Masses and wrote to me often ensuring that even on 6 month deployments, I was never far from home. May would also be the month that my father, a smoker for over 40 years, broke free from his nicotine addiction.

Keeping busy and doing new things kept me focused on being "smoke-free" each day. I am so grateful to all those both known and unknown who have given me the strength to quit smoking. I love running (even with bad knees) and love the feel of fresh air on my "healing" lungs. Like most, I put on some weight, but eating healthy (carrot sticks all day long is much better than chocolate bars), drinking water, and staying busy or exercising have helped; a year later I'm lighter than before I quit smoking.

Thursday, as I travel from Frankfurt to NY,I will officially celebrate my entrance into the 7% club with my family and look forward to next year when I become part of the 80% club.

I am Allen and I have been smoke-free for One year, three days, 9 hours, 5 minutes and 32 seconds. 7367 cigarettes not smoked, saving $1,105.14. Life saved: 3 weeks, 4 days, 13 hours, 55 minutes.

Smoke-free since Jan 24, 2005
Proud member of the 7% club
Father "George" smoke-free since May 20, 2005

Published: 2-13-2006