Now it is truly onward and upward for me. No more looking back at what was.
Only now, what can be.
6 yrs and Bliss
Dear AS3 family,
: Does one ever get passed being in awe of each milestone? I hope not.
Each
: year quit seems to bring me a greater sense of security, it allows me to
: renew my commitment to me and gives me a chance to visit with all of you.
:
: My smoke-free journey began on 5/25/98 and it was shaky at best. I had
: decided to try one last time to quit. Like many of you, I had tried to
quit
: many times and failed all of them. I did have one sustained quit for 2
: years but that was just a smoker who didn't smoke for two years. I hadn't
: changed any of my behavior so when the times got tough, I *constantly*
: struggled with not picking up a smoke straightaway. What finally did it,
: though, was not a tough patch but a friend of mine showed up and we
stepped
: outside so she could smoke. (I bet you know what's coming!) Being tired
of
: the struggle, I thought I could bum one smoke and not have it be a
problem.
: Yeah, right. I was back to my 2 pack a day habit within a week.
:
: Then I found AS3. I can't even begin to think of this quit without
thinking
: of this newsgroup. In here, I found the support, the information that led
: me to a secure quit and friends who have since become family.
:
: The support was unprecedented, in my experience. There was always someone
: to listen to the tears, the anger, the depression, the joy!, to whatever
: emotion I was experiencing on my first year roller coaster ride. It was
: great to have folks walk with me every day of my quit. You can't buy that
: kind of support.
:
: Information... No matter how one decides to quit, there seemed to always
be
: someone who had an idea that would help get you from one point to the
next.
: In my quit, I had a quit coach who taught me cognitive quitting.
: (
www.cognitivequitting.com) The cognitive way to quit gave me the
: information I needed. It took me away from just hanging on by my
: fingernails, hoping like hell it would get better (it never did) to
thinking
: my way through my quit. It gave me options versus picking up a smoke.
: ddsteve, you are the premier quit coach. I can never thank you often
: enough.
:
: And friends... I am still in touch with my 5/25'ers, of course. We met
in
: AS3. We quit together and we've stayed together. They are the finest
human
: beings. We'll be together for always, of that I am sure. 7 quit, 6 of us
: are still quit. That's quite a statistic, eh? Selma, Harry, Franz and
: Mark, you are the very best. And then there's Melly and Maggie and Steve
: (slackr) and Paul (my Irish buddy) and ddJacque and Bob C. and so many
more.
: I also want to thank Ian and Bob Christofferson. I can't imagine what
this
: newsgroup would be like without them.
:
: What's it like at this point in my quit? Well... I'm off to Vision Quest
: at the end of this week again. I won't miss any part of my once smoking
: habit/addiction as I'll be able to wander the hills in support of my
fellow
: questers without a loss of breath. I can be in Sweat Lodge and smell only
: the steam and earth instead of the horrible smell of cigarette smoke. It
: won't matter how long I am in ceremony, how long I drum, how long I am in
: prayer. It won't matter because I've reclaimed my life. My time is now
all
: my own. It no longer belongs to a pack of smokes. And my grandsons still
: celebrate every milestone with me. I imagine they'll be calling tonight
as
: they have every year. We still love hugging and smooching each other a
lot.
: What's the price tag on that? Invaluable.
:
: Do I think you can do this? Absolutely. I have often said there is no
one
: way to quit. I think we each find what we need to get us from here to
smoke
: freedom. I think it is important to make a commitment to oneself and then
: to honor that commitment as if your life depends on it (and it does).
Once
: you've made the commitment, then you need to find a way to once and for
all
: get yourselves quit. For me, it was cognitive quitting and the options I
: learned to deploy. I can't quit for anybody else but I do know that, for
: me, I had to think my way through to freedom. Is it hard? Omigawd...
How
: many times have we said, If only we had known...??? If only. Well...
that
: doesn't help the pain of the moment but think of this.
Nicotine is out of
: your system in 3 days. After that, it's up to you to find a way to keep
: walking forward. The bottom line to all of this is that *it is* doable.
Of
: that, I am a testament.
:
: Last and certainly not least, the freedom I gained when I gave up smoking
: has come back to me in a myriad of ways. I am as grateful today as I was
: way back then for my smobriety. I no longer live day by day. I am not
: reminded of the pain I went through to get to here. I don't wish for or
: think about what it would be like to smoke again. I know, deep inside
know,
: I am free... for all time. I never knew I could find that kind quit
: comfort. What bliss! Come join me.
:
: I am... 6 years quit today.
:
: Pat/Yukpa hashi/Laughing Moon
:
www.talkingstick.net
:
: Six years, 29 minutes and 27 seconds. 65760 cigarettes not smoked, saving
: $13,316.52. Life saved: 32 weeks, 4 days, 8 hours, 0 minutes.
:
6 yrs and Bliss - Repost 
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