By Debbie Elliott

Wow… it’s going fast. I don’t know why I thought 100 smokes was a lot….duuuuhhh! I’m good though! I’m ready for this and as we sally forth into this life-altering adventure I am thankful for the people that love and support me!

I find myself reminiscing about my past as a smoker – it goes a long way back – until I was like 13. It was so socially acceptable then and in fact, it fit in quite well with the image I decided to go with back then, cool and bad ass!

It was so socially acceptable then that you could smoke in airplanes and hospitals! My parents told me they would rather I just told them I smoked rather than hide it from them. I tell tell you what, that won’t fly with my kids!

I remember after family dinners – one of us kids would go on “smoke detail.” This is where we would go collect all of the adults’ respective smokes and ashtrays so they may enjoy their after dinner treat.

My how things have changed and as they should!

That’s all I have to say for tonight. I think about it constantly but am very excited to think I have set a ball in motion that can’t be stopped, and even more excited to think that this may be help even ONE more person to get there! Sure would be a way more cool adventure to share! 🙂

Down to 45 by Nov. 15

I am so grateful for the support I am getting from everyone! I really appreciate hearing all of the success stories from people I shared the “pact” with… those I have huddled with outside at various social functions as we high five each other for being smoking buddies! So many have left this circle of camaraderie and I look at these people with admiration and awe that they did it! They now get to be part of the world that I want to be part of… I don’t want to be a social leper anymore!

As I indulged in my morning smoke and coffee I made myself note the physical feelings…the slight light headedness, the increased heart rate, the little tremor in my hands that wasn’t there before I lit up. I gazed over what I have left to smoke…the one unopened pack and the open one stacked on top. I could just slap on the patch and be done with it…can’t waste them though because that would be a waste! Smokers understand the sick justification…the successful quitters sympathize…the non-smokers wait patiently for me to come to my senses.

It’s getting close…45 left…I choose to think of the hundreds of positive reasons to do this…out of those hundreds of reasons there are two that remain at the forefront for me…Delaney and Bailey…my daughters. The fact that I have not been successful for them before shows what an insidious sickness and addiction this is. I swear that I am not going to disappoint them this time!

To be continued…

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