The hardest times for me to not reach for a cigarette are when I am alone. The family is gone, the house is quite and I have “me” time. That’s when I really want to smoke.

I think that I wouldn’t be hurting anyone else, and no one else has to know. I realize that this kind of thinking is ridiculous, but in that moment it seems to make sense to me because that’s how bad I want to smoke.

It’s best to keep busy at that time when I feel no resolve for my mission. A lot of times I journal, or call a friend, anything to keep my mind off of smoking. Sometimes it’s hard to imagine that this desire to smoke will ever truly go away, but I’ve been told that it will leave, so I press onward.

I suppose the thing that keeps me the most motivated is my family. My daughter has begun to ask me if I will die from smoking. This really stung me to my core. I’m doing this mostly for her. I want to be a good example and I don’t want her to constantly be worrying that her mother is going to die.

Everything that is said about quitting smoking is so true. It’s extremely hard to do, and if you’ve never smoked then you do not understand what a struggle it is to quit.

We are not just talking about the weak-willed here either. This is really hard to do.

Studies have shown nicotine is as addictive as cocaine, and other highly addictive drugs. I am not surprised by this study. I suppose the only true difference is that smoking and chewing is socially acceptable and even then, it is becoming less and less acceptable in this current society.

Many places are banning smoking altogether, if smoking is allowed, it is in only designated areas and it would not be unlikely to get a dirty look from someone who happened to pass by through a cloud of smoke on their way to the restroom.

Smoking bans are another issue altogether. In several states across the United States you could be fined in for smoking in the car with a child. The law would actually be protecting that child from the dangers of second-hand smoke.

The smoking population is certainly dwindling. Those of us that are left are having a harder time be militant in the face of reality. Reality being that there is really nothing positive about smoking. Not to the smoker or to those around the smoker.

I think it really is a losing battle and maybe we should not be sore losers about the matter.

I recently read a forum post wherein a young lady suggested there is a difference between an addict and someone who is dependant. I rather liked her angle and wanted to share it for readers of this blog to consider.

I totally agree that former smokers (even those of us who have successfully stopped and remain smoke free) should consider ourselves addicts in the sense that we are unable to control our smoking, and need to completely abstain from smoking altogether. Very few people are able to “smoke one every now and then”; most of us end up smoking one right after the other.

However, this young lady made the comment that “there is a difference between an addict and somebody who is dependant”.

Her reasoning was this:

Anyone’s body can become dependant on a substance after prolonged use. But an addict is somebody who will stop at nothing to get their fix, and is not interested in getting help with their condition.

So if you know you have a problem, and are actually putting a strong effort into correcting this issue, you should pat yourself on the back and acknowledge the fact that you are not just giving in and accepting your addiction.

Give it some thought. You can do this!