A Non-smoking update

Who knew the day would come when I don't think about smoking on a daily basis anymore. Well, I'm here to say, the day does actually come! I had to stop and think of how long it has been since I became a non-smoker. 7 months!! And a big fat WooHoo for me! I don't normally pat myself on the back for stuff, but throwing out the smokes, is worthy of a major pat on the back. I have found that when I spend time in some bars that still allow smoking, I almost can't stand the smell on my clothes when I get home. I actually put all of my clothes in a separate area so they don't stink up the closet. How Alisa tolerated that smell for so long, I have no idea. How did I tolerate that smell? It's amazing how things change. I feel like I should wear an air freshener around my neck just to make it up to Alisa. She sure wins the tolerance award for the last 5+ years. I finally rounded the corner and realized how bad it smells, so I won't go back to smoking. I am very confident of that. We have been mostly living separately since the end of January, so if I haven't picked up smoking again because of that, then I won't pick it up again. And you know what? I never even wanted to. And that is AWESOME for me. If you never had to go through the stop smoking process, then you won't understand why this is such a big achievement for me. Although Alisa never smoked, I know for a fact she knows how hard it was for me, and she appreciates what I've gone through. She saw me slap on patch after patch for the first 8 weeks, and if we left the house and I forgot a patch? She turned that car around so I could get my patch. She was as dedicated as I was. Thank goodness for her support, she really helped me to become a non-smoker. And now she finally gets to reap the rewards. We now have a smoke-free home. Don't get me wrong, I still have my ashtrays here, but they are outside. Smokers are welcome in my home, but they just need to step outside to light up.

I won't lie. I did have to avoid smokers for a while. But I'm finally able to be around them again. I can smell the sweet goodness of a cigarette, and just enjoy it without wanting to smoke one. I liken it to enjoying the sweet goodness of coffee brewing, but I don't want to drink the coffee. It took a while to get to that point, but I'm finally there, and I am so proud of myself I can't stand it. I pass my old stores where I used to buy my smokes and I see the prices. No thanks.

7 months!! I am awesome! Usually Alisa would roll her eyes when I say something silly, but she will agree with my awesomeness about becoming a non-smoker. She's the main reason I was able to do it :)

Stay tuned for updates during the move :)