Tiffany Quit Smoking One Year Ago

Oh my, what can be said about this journey? To mention that it was completely different than I would have imagined is without a doubt an understatement! It was harder, easier, more fascinating, more life altering, more exciting, and even more mundane all wrapped up in one! It doesn't make much sense I know, but I think everyone who goes through a year of smoking cessation probably knows exactly what I mean.

I was the one with the fancy cigarette case, the cutesy lighters, the carton of cigarettes always on hand in the cabinet, and the need to have my "smoke time" in order to recover from an argument, pay bills, give advice to friends, cry, calm down, whatever! It was everything I did and everything I wanted. I did not know who I was without my smokes. I truly didn't have an identity that didn't include my smoking self. It was my life! And, it was stealing my life away with every puff.

Smoking didn't just hurt my health, it took time from my daughter, my husband, my friends, my responsibilities, my sleep, my eating, my shows, and of course from my exercising capacity. I had no idea that a person is supposed to be able to walk a mile without gasping for breath. I have literally been exposed to smoke or smoked myself since the day I was born. This past year is the cleanest my air has ever been!

Oh guys, it can so be done! We are all here on this forum because we awakened one too many times in the morning coughing, or we were tired of feeling trapped and obligated to feed the demon. It is a trap you know! It isn't freedom to smoke. We are/were slaves and nothing more.

I have watched two grandmothers die because of their enslavement. My paternal grandmother even went to the extent of hiding her heart pills under her pillow at the hospital after a heart attack because she wanted to die rather than quit smoking and drinking. Now somebody out there tell me we weren't in bondage with this crazy addiction. That is bondage my friends.

I remember waking up each morning coughing my way outside to get that first fix. I would stare off into dreamland as I felt a sinking feeling with each drag I took. I always had the thought "I need to stop this." As I did this, my then 1 year old daughter was in her walker with her beautiful young impressionable eyes watching my every move out the glass doors. She used to walk her way over to the door as far as she could go just to be close to her addict Mommy. She was inside though, so I allowed myself to believe that I wasn't hurting her. As if spending time outside without her wan't bad enough, she had asthma, ear infections, constant colds, and trouble sleeping. You know, besides the sleeping, all of that is gone now. Go figure!

Now, along those same lines, let me tell you something that would bring tears of joy and pride to any mother. Yesterday, as I was exercising (yep, I can do that now with a vengeance), my daughter pulled up her little stepstool (because I had one), grabbed a small weight, and began doing everything I was doing. She wanted to be just like her Mommy. Do you know how that makes me feel? She is learning to exercise instead of smoke. She has no memory of my smoking at all. And, my son has never been around smoke in his life! Freedom!

Every person reading this is in one stage or another of this process. Whether you're thinking about quitting, in the horrible first weeks, the unsure six month mark, or the almost peace filled first year, you are here because you don't want the bondage anymore. Read everything you can about quitting. Knowledge is power. Hear those words! Knowledge is power! Change your mind. You are not depriving yourself by quitting, I promise! If I can do this, oh my gosh, anyone can. Trust me!

I am so blessed and thankful that I found a place that is so magical. We're all here because God wants us to be, and I believe that with all my heart. I am so excited because I never thought I would get to the point of being excited. I "faked it 'til I made it" and here I am. No more faking it guys, this is the way life should be!

New quitters, you can't hear it enough. Yes, it does get better! Yes it is doable! My advice is to come here when you can, read about the addiction, and know that all you have to do is not smoke and give yourself the time and patience to heal. You can do those things, you know you can! Your peace is just around the corner!