Today, I am a Non Smoker.

I can finally, almost legally (as far as insurance purposes go anyway) say that.  Today has been one year to the day, since I last lit up.  

I never thought it would be me.  I thought it was a "crutch".  I have an addictive personality and I needed it to "cope".  Well, all not true. 

I have had just as many stressful moments as the year before, and I got through them.  I have just as many reasons to have a cigarette, and I didn't.  Maybe I just went outside for a minute.  I've had an apple (I've developed an addiction to Red Delicious apples now- a much lesser evil).   I've surfed the web for 2 minutes to "get away".   I've done many things... but I have not... not even once, lit up.  

I'm not a preacher now.  I understand what it's like.  I know how friggin' hard it is and I also know that people don't quit, unless they've had it.  Really had it.   I've been going to the gym for 2 years now.  I was disgusted at the smell coming from my coat in my gym locker after a workout.  It was gross.  I would leave the gym and light up in my car on my way home.  Nasty.  I saw smoking friends my age with the little lines forming around their lips.  I saw my non smoking friends without those lines.  I could see them starting in me.   I saw my money FLY out of my wallet... to the tune of $2500.00 a year... and I didn't even smoke that much!!!!   I was tired of sinus infection after sinus infection.  I was tired of EVERY cold starting in my head and ALWAYS ending up in my lungs.  I hated the cough I had every morning.  The smoker's 'hack'.   I hated ending up in Emerg. for asthma attacks and having the doctor ask the dreaded "Do you smoke?", and having to say yes.  Oh, that was humiliation-- because they were right.  One year and not ONE trip to emerg. for asthma since.  I had made a list and all of the above (and a few more) were on it.  I carried that little list around and the damn thing worked.  I would pull it out in moments of doubt.  

I LOVED smoking, oh, how I loved it.  But I HATED quitting.  I don't want to have to quit ever again.  I watch people around me struggle with it, and I don't want to go through that again.  I'll stay where I am thank you very much.

I am a non smoker.  :)

I'm gonna miss you little bitches....

Donna's Quit Stats:

Since Wednesday, January 16, 2008,  I've been smoke-free for:

1 Year(s), 1 Days, 23 Hours, 23 Minutes, 40 Seconds.

I have saved $2,517.33 by not smoking 5137 cigarettes.

By not smoking I have added

33 Days, 3 Hours, 6 Minutes, 28 seconds.

to my life expectancy.

Flush.