Freeeedom!!

As many of you know, April marked a great success in my life; I quit smoking. I chose to use Allen Carr’s EASYWAY method and my success was incredible. The feeling of courage and power over my life was unmatched. I was healthier, happier and far better equipped to deal with everyday stress in my life. Unfortunately and to my own shame, over the last few months I have once again been struggling with the nicotine trap. Many of you knew this, many more did not, and I’m certain that many of you knew but, with the best intentions, kindly kept your mouth shut. Worst of all I worked very hard to keep the truth of my shortcomings from many of the people who mean the most to me. It seems strange to me now and through the entire time I had fallen back into the subtle trap of the cigarette how, after several months of pure elation at being an ex-smoker, I was able to fall so easily back into my old destructive habits. I would like to stress that it was not the fault of the method. Reading “The Easy Way to Quit Smoking” is easily one of the best decisions I have made in my life. Reading it a second time as I once again struggled with cigarettes was again a great choice and my best shot at overcoming this particular demon. The downfall of my attempt in April was my blatant disregard for some of the instructions of the method. I made the mistake of loaning the book to somebody who also needed the instruction it contains. This meant that when I needed it most, I did not have it available to turn to as a reference and a reminder of the filth I had left behind. The second instruction I failed to follow is that I kept cigarettes in my house. I tricked myself into thinking that this would not be a problem as I knew that I had escaped the trap and I would not need another cigarette. On the evening I smoked my last cigarette, I decided that I would seal the pack, mark it with the date of my last filthy cigarette, and keep it as a reminder of what I had overcome. Unfortunately, what I truly had done was ensure that in my weakest moment, I had cigarettes available to make my failure easily accessible. 

I have moved past these mistakes and others that lead me back down the path of nicotine addiction. Having gone for months at a time as a non-smoker, nobody is more aware than myself of the incredible benefits of not smoking and the hideous drawbacks of the filth. I have re-read the book and am once again committed to a successful escape from the nicotine trap. This morning, I proudly smoked and extinguished my last cigarette. It has been less than an hour since that moment and I am beyond excited to already feel the filth of smoking leaving my body. In a few short weeks I will be completely recovered from my recent struggles and ready to move on with the remainder of my long, healthy, non-smoking life. I am beyond excited to be free of the control of nicotine. Each day as more and more of the drug leaves my body I will battle each craving with the glorious realization that I no longer need to poison myself. 

Please do not mistake this post as a cry for attention. It is more for my benefit then that of anyone else. I am posting this so that I have a record of my thoughts and feelings somewhere easily accessible to me. I am not looking for attention, pity, or congratulations from anyone. If you choose to comment on this post, please make it positive. Do not belittle me for my mistakes. They are mine and no one could possibly realize fully the negative impact they have had on my life. I realize that no one is as sarcastic as I am and many of my good friends share a love of teasing each other. I beg you to not take that attitude now. I do not need negative reinforcement. In the coming weeks and months, please feel free to ask me about my success. I will be excited to tell you how wonderful it feels to again escape slavery from cigarettes and how elated I am to know that I have quit for the last time. To my smoking friends, if you are interested in quitting. I would highly recommend the EASYWAY method. As I mentioned before, my struggle of again falling into the nicotine trap was not any fault of the method. The fault is my own. If you are interested in reading it, I would strongly encourage you to do so. Although I feel it would be dangerous for me to once again loan my copy of the book out, I will gladly buy a copy for you. 

Thank you to everyone for your support through my struggles and my shortcomings in this effort. Please realize with me that every failure is one step closer to success. I am excited to be tackling this beast with every expectation to defeat it; this time for the last time.