Once upon a time, there was a young woman by the name of Amy. She was raised in a loving home by one never-smoker and one ex-smoker, surrounded by good,
caring friends and family, the majority of them non-smokers.
Alas, our Amy had a bit of a rebellious streak. Sometime in the summer of 1990, she decided to try a cigarette. Jaws dropped, ladies fainted, and young Amy
was pleased, for now she had broken out of her eternal nerddom--or so she thought.
Fast forward to January 2005. After two kids, one marriage, one long-term relationship, a brief college career, and a long string of miserable factory jobs,
she was still smoking. "It's hopeless!" she cried out. "I was just meant to be a smoker! I mean, if I didn't enjoy it, I
wouldn't do it, would I?"
She had been "trying" to quit since at least 1998, using various pharmaceutical methods that were SUPPOSED to make quitting so much EASIER. Every
attempt had spelled out failure, simply because she just didn't get it. On January 3rd, 2005, it finally clicked. "This is IT. I'm
DONE." she declared as she put out that final cigarette.
There were moments of struggle as the nicotine left her body. At first, it seemed like the whole world was a trigger. But this time she had education on
her side. Thanks in part to the readings here and at Why Quit, she knew that this too would pass, that she would come through, and those triggers would
eventually fade away to nothing.
Okay, you all guessed it. I'm Amy, and this is my story of finding freedom after nearly 15 years of active addiction. I'm proud to say that I have
passed all my regular triggers (and a few oddball ones) with flying colors. I've said it before, but it bears repeating--quitting is as easy or as hard
as you choose to make it. Not only will you survive withdrawal, you will THRIVE. No matter what else I do in this life, I am proudest of my freedom from
nicotine. I consider that my crowning achievement.
Amy
Kalamazoo, MI
1 Year, 11 Months of SWEET freedom!
--Free
and Healing for 173 days
