Just a note to say that I am still here and still nicotine-free and hopefully that fact encourages those who are in their earlier days of this very important
journey. I was a pack to a pack and a half day smoker for the last 25 years with the exception of a few brief periods of prior quits, which were always lost
by the idea that I could have "just one." The support here at this site has helped me to keep in my mind the knowledge that to an addict, one is
too many and a thousand is never enough! And when it comes to nicotine, I'm as hard core an addict as there ever was.
There is no question that ridding my body of nicotine and all of those other toxins have made a huge difference in my quality of day to day
life. This past month especially has really highlighted some of those changes - my breathing capacity is DRAMATICALLY improved. I now run on the treadmill
for almost an hour with hardly a thought about it. Before quitting, I was laboring after less than 20 minutes at a lower level of intensity.
Best of all, I can sing well again! I now participate in a weekly singing group as an affirmation of the dramatic difference in my lung power since quitting.
That is a great way to celebrate my freedom and gives me an incentive to maintain it!
I love that I don't wake up coughing anymore, I love that I don't have to constantly clear my throat anymore, I love that I don't smell like
cigarettes anymore, I love that I don't have to check on my "supply" anymore, I love that I don't spend hard-earned money on poisoning
myself anymore, and I love that I don't worry about offending others anymore (at least with smoke).
Do I still have urges and thoughts of smoking? Yes, at times. But they are now days apart as opposed to minutes apart as they were in the very beginning. And
they are totally manageable thoughts. I try not to indulge those thoughts too long but I notice that if I do think too long about it, the fantasy of smoking
now falls apart pretty quickly. Someone here once suggested that if confronted with an urge, to think about those last 2 yucky drags instead of the first
ones and that has been working like a charm for me. So I'm sorry I don't remember who posted that suggestion but THANK YOU for it! It really works!
My husband, for those of you who have been following along, is still not completely convinced of the NTAP philosophy. As a result, he has turned into
"PermaCrab," & is in a constant irritable state b/c he keeps having one or two here and there. By watching me, though, I think he is beginning
to see that I am so much calmer and more relaxed than he is and that he is just unecessarily prolonging his discomfort. He's proud of me, though- I can
hear him on the phone to other people - "She hasn't had a single puff!" So I guess the idea of NTAP is starting to sink in for him!
Anyway, happy to be Bronze and I have come a looong way from day two or three where I was literally jogging in place and punching the air to ride out a
craving! It DOES get easier and more sane, I promise! I am going out now to buy myself a big bouquet of flowers to celebrate (and I'll be able to
actually smell them!) 
And to those ahead of me, thank you, as always, for your support and inspiration. See you all at Silver by taking it one NTAP day at a time!
Heidi - 91 days Nicotine Free

