Quit Smoking Success

You cannot believe what you see. You stare upwards into the bluest sky that you have ever seen. After your dark experience in the tunnel, you had almost stopped believing that there could be anything so bright in this world; but here it is - the bluest sky ever.

You sit up. There is a perfect freshness about everything. The grass seems greener, the air seems cleaner, and all around you there are smiling faces. For a minute, you wonder whether you are in heaven; but it takes you only a moment to realize that you are still on earth. And yet it seems to be a very different earth. You get up to walk, and you feel fresher than you have felt in a very long time.

A Second Chance

You have done it; you have managed to stop smoking, and what you have now is a whole new life. It is almost as if you have been given a second chance. This life of yours is like a new gift. You know better than anyone else what you have been through, and how difficult it was to get through that horrid tunnel. And yet you have survived - as many others have done. You shudder at the very thought of going back.

As you walk on, you can see the other end of the tunnel as well, and standing in front of it is an endless queue of people. They all seem to be waiting to enter the tunnel, and they all have lighted cigarettes in their hands. Just beside this long queue there is another small line of people who are walking away from the tunnel.

They are obviously the people who failed to make it through the tunnel. They walk away with their heads hanging low. If you care to take a closer look at them, you can see that their eyes are listless, their faces are glum, their teeth are stained with nicotine, and as they breathe they let off a wheezing sound. Every now and then they let out a rasping cough that seems to hit at the very vitals of their bodies.

They are the ones who failed to stop smoking. You feel sorry about them, but there is very little that you can do for them. They too know that their days are numbered, and they smile glumly at you - flashing their nicotine-stained teeth.

You realize with a shiver how close to death you were, and you thank your lucky stars and the forces that formed you for giving you the will power to get over the addiction. You are now free to start your life all again. And this time there will be no mistakes. Life is too precious a gift to be wasted at the end of a cigarette.

Do not underestimate yourself. You are perfectly capable of having a good time - or maybe I should say a wonderful time - even without the help of any external stimulant. You can work as hard as you want to, and you can go through stressful situations.

Understand that you do have a choice, so choose wisely and live life to the full. Once you get over the habit, you will realize how different conditions are now compared to when you used to smoke. You will realize how it feels no longer to be dependent on tobacco.

The next section is: Smoking Relapses