I thought I'd keep this under wraps until I had made some progress and am amazed at how well I am handling it.
About a month ago, I began to notice that I wasn't feeling well. Slowly I began to notice that it was always shortly after I'd come in from having a smoke. Hmmmmm.
So, when I moved into the main house from the bungalow, three months ago, I maintained the "No smoking" policy in the house and setup 2 little areas to puff, one in the carport and one out in a garden area. This alone, got me from 1-1/2 packs a day to a pack every day and a half. So... feeling emboldened... I took the plunge...
I have now passed the 36 hour mark, and am on my second patch and have not had a cigarette since 8:20am yesterday. That's a first in OVER 30 years...
I have the strangest feeling I am gonna do this.... and... I am already feeling better and no longer short of breath... go figure, eh?
I do miss the behavior... or going outside for a smoke (the ritual)... but simply have no desire for a cigarette.
It is amazing that, for me, this is now over 4 years ago, and I never did pick up another cigarette after this time.
Oh, and that day I finally threw out the cigarette I was saving? That's easy. I'll never forget it. How could I, really?
It was the day I was arrested in Jan. 2019. Hours later, once I got back home, I passed the cigarette stored in its usual location and carried on into the kitchen. I paused, turned and went back to the cigarette package with its last surviving resident, picked up the package and crushed it in my hand without a second thought.
I figured that if I didn't want a cigarette after being grilled by police officers for several hours, I was probably OK.
Four years later, I made the right choice, even as new vistas were opening.
