Good day to quit? You bet!

The American Cancer Society's Great American Smokeout is 27 years old this year.

Everything on my search was not updated for this year so I had to look a little deeper to find the above note saying how the date will be staying the same every year. That helps !

Everyone that still smokes always has that thought in the back of their mind. The one that says "I will quit. Just not yet." Well, when? I enjoyed reading where Wanda says how if you do not succeed, just keep trying. I looked the other day and I still have the name and address of a girl who had asked for help last year. She had tried several times and found the journals written to be most helpful. It sure wouldn't hurt to send a message and ask. The worst that will happen is that the message will bounce back and I still won't know. Everyone who has quit knows it is not easy. You spend so many years telling yourself that "oh I can quit whenever I want." Yeah, sure !

I found that with this passing year without cigarettes, I have no dreams of smoking. I encounter no stray thoughts of wishing or wanting.

No longer do I feel the need to provide kind and wise words. They have already been written. Promising to quit is one thing but it must be done internally. There will always be someone you know to say, "yeah, sure. You're quitting AGAIN." In a sarcastic voice. Just do it and wait for no praise. Write to me and I will praise your effort because I know how difficult the project.

You've heard of comfort foods? Well, cigarettes and the smoking of them are a comfort not just to the nervous system but to the mind and hands and mouth as well. They all work together to give that pleasant, soothing feeling. To not take a cigarette and light it, then inhale and relish the pleasure, well it's a comfort indeed. For so many years, every time I was not smoking, I would look at the clock and note how many minutes it was until it would be time for another. The cycle must be broken and new habits provided. Many writers claim that they cannot function with out a cigarette. The feeling fades and new joys are found. You will be so glad you kept trying to quit. Not smoking any at all ever again is a very good feeling and you will get there. Like our friend Wanda Lynch says, just keep trying. Success with be the reward.

Nita 11-09-03