On this occasion, I was very interested by the methods used to clearly separate smoking out of one’s life. Previously I have tried to stop smoking using the “cold turkey” method. This has served me very well in the past. It’s nice to not kill myself on a daily basis any more.īy nature, I am a sceptic. Mostly I’m grateful to myself for giving myself the break and having the courage to try. I will forever be grateful to this program, its principles and what it allowed me to do. I started to spiral back down into my “vortex of self pity/self obsession” and thanks to my higher power, a good friend and my facilitator, it was short lived and since then the desire to smoke has gone completely. Last week I relapsed and smoked a couple of cigarettes. Within a few days of stopping I’d started to eliminate things in my life that were hurting me…and pursuing things that were good for me. Taking the cigarettes away has forced me to feel and it’s wonderful. For my whole life I’ve been too scared to stand up for myself and say “No – I’m not OK with this” or whatever. I’ve learned that smoking wasn’t the problem it was the symptom of a bigger problem, and that problem was me suppressing my own feelings.
Courage is not the absence of fear it is actually acting in spite of fear. This course has taught me that it’s OK to be nervous about going through life without smokes. Partly due to my own lack of willingness, partly due to my parents who have been smoking for 40 years plus, but mostly due to fear. Stopping smoking was the one thing in my life I never thought I’d be able to do.