5 months have passed since I quit smoking: It's not easy to start doing the right thing...
A habit is the repetition of a process. Basically that is having a vice. For more than 20 years I repeated one that, frankly, was total madness: smoking cigarettes. I learned from my mother. You know what they say about children who see adults smoking, then imitate that behaviour and normalise it? Well, I was a child of this statistic. So, was it entirely mum's fault? Absolutely not. I watched her as a child and my whole life smoking but it was me who decided to take the next step.
When I was 12, I started ‘stealing’ a couple of cigarettes from her, individually from the packet where my mum used to leave them. Since she smokes more than a pack a day, she hardly noticed. Also, a ‘benefit’ of living and growing up in a smoking household is that the smoke, so typical, hardly ever leaves the walls or the home as such... Adolescence is a period of extreme change. One summer you love playing with your toys as a child, and the next you are out in the early hours of the morning with your friends, drinking alcohol and partying...
And I know, I know... It's easy to judge and point fingers. But believe me, I had a very strict childhood, 1⃣, full of traditional Christian values and conservative morals. But as a former universe teacher of mine used to say: ‘Whatever social, economic and political context we come from, we ourselves are not isolated islands in the sea. We interact with others on a daily basis...’. In cigarettes I found friendships that last to this day. Many good moments in my life had a few smokes as part of the script... And without wishing to romanticise a practice that is so harmful to health, frankly, beyond the chemical and physical characteristics that make you addicted, what is most challenging about quitting smoking for good is that you already know the (momentary and toxic) pleasure of this habit.
Physically, my decision to quit smoking 5 months ago was the right one. I wasn't feeling well, I'm a mother and I'd hate for my daughter to do it because she saw me, and also my health is something I'm worried about... That said, last December 31st, New Year's Day, I bought a bottle of wine and put some music on YouTube.... There I was with my boyfriend, welcoming the new year together. Getting drunk with the person I care most about after my baby girl, and I felt again the urge to reach for a cigarette and smoke. I was no longer chemically addicted to tobacco. The tachycardias, headaches and anxious manias had stopped months ago, but I still remembered the feeling of reward and pleasure....
There are definitely certain pleasures that will always be subject to our own self-control. In my 30's I became a more hedonistic woman. I understood the value of self-pampering and the pleasures of life. I always lived at the expense of other people's opinions. I mixed everything in terms of desires and rewards. Cigarettes, faithful and harmful accomplice, were always by my side... It wasn't very cool to have that dose of I don't know what (seriously, it's hard to explain what I no longer feel with every puff) but, I guess, what I'm trying to say is that there is no better act of love than making decisions that are difficult for our well-being... One Thursday in August I decided ‘no more cigarettes’. Five months later, I am still true to that prayer.
Hola Christy un gusto conocerte, puedo entender muy bien tu relato, primero porque la dependencia psicológica que se crea es tan grande que termina siendo difícil (como todo mal hábito) alejarse de ello por el efecto placentero que se genera. Ciertamente tenías la predisposición por tu mamá y te cuento que las probabilidades de caer en ello así no lo quisieras iban a ser muy altas porque había ya mentalmente, una correlación muy fuerte de "bienestar" en lo que viste desde adolescente con respecto al cigarro.
Aplaudo tu decisión y te motivo a que sigas manteniéndote ahí, creo que ya estás muy consciente del daño y peligro que implica retomar el cigarro. Un consejo es que tengas mucho cuidado con el nuevo sustituto del cigarro, sea cual sea, como bien dices, el autocontrol es importante y si la ansiedad gana, existe la ayuda profesional precisa para ese tipo de conductas. Saludos y muchos éxitos en esta nueva etapa, sé que lo lograrás 🙏❤️... You Rockkk!!! 👍😎🔥❤️
No lo sustituì por la azúcar o algo similar. Quizá sí el estrés de esas primeras semanas de férreo auto sabotaje, adaptándome a lo cambios bruscos desde lo físico; quizá aun continúen conmigo pero siento que tengo control. Lo que sí es curioso, y también lo sugiero en mi post, es que ya que conozco el placer detrás del cigarrillo, lo que extraño es esa sensación... A veces, no siempre ni en tofo momento pero vivir adultamente sin "vicios" es bacante nuevo.
I’ve noticed how much we’re influenced by what we see around us, especially from adults. It’s a reminder for us to be mindful of the habits we pick up and how they can affect our future.
Thank your for your kind words! I didn't expect any of this and you guys are so cute and warm with me. Definitely it was a good is write about this thing...
Taking such decision such as this is not an easy thing at all. Children truly learns fast from what they see us doing that's why we need to be careful of what we do around them.
I do wish you well and pray you have a healthier life with your family
I did it (quitting amoking) mostly because of me and my health. But yes, I feel now it was one of the best decision I've ever made in thia life.
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