Updated June 08, 2015.
A moderator for the About.com Smoking Cessation support forum, Michelle recently celebrated 10 years smoke-free. In her milestone account, she shares the fundamental concepts that helped her achieve lasting success. From education and support to the blessings that come when we are freed from the bondage of nicotine addiction, Michelle's tips can help you leave smoking behind you for good as well.
Congratulations Michelle, and thanks for sharing your thoughts.

It’s been a rough year for me on several fronts, and in some ways that fact brings a feeling of having come full circle on my cessation journey. That’s not to say that the journey is over or that there is no more to learn about this process, but there is a sense of completion that comes with celebrating this particular milestone. Before this last year, probably the most difficult year of my life had been the year that I quit smoking.

As I look back now, there were several times in the first year when I could have given up and made myself believe that I’d had good reasons to put my quitting on hold. I had some health issues, and I lost my job, among other stressors. It was difficult to push through those times smoke-free, but I am ever-grateful now that I did.

I, like most people who quit smoking, faced any number of triggers during the first year, and it was a great challenge sometimes to keep the quit. With the support and education I had on my side though, I marched on until I got that first year under my belt.

I was very proud to celebrate that first year smoke-free, and by then, I had decided that I wanted to help others find their freedom from this merciless addiction.

Now, I find myself working through what has undoubtedly been the most difficult year of my life. I have been tested in ways that I never imagined, but one thing that has never wavered is my resolve to remain smoke-free. In fact, after 10 years, it is simply a non-issue. Not once in the last year was it an effort not to smoke. Not once did I have an urge to smoke. I can recall over the last year thinking, "If I were ever going to relapse, this would be the year." The stresses and tests of this past year have only reinforced my sense of freedom from nicotine addiction.

I started this journey with several solid, lasting reasons for quitting smoking, and by now, I have at least 100 reasons to never light another cigarette.

So now, at 10 years smoke-free, I’d like to share some of the most important things I’ve learned along the way, in the hopes that anyone who might be reading will take away something that helps when the chips are down and triggers to smoke strike.
Find a plan that works for you and stick with it. There is no one right way to quit smoking. Every quit journey is as unique as each of us is. What works for some may not work for others, and there are any number of combinations which can make up a quit plan or program. Don’t let anyone dissuade you from what you believe will work for you. If it doesn’t work, try something else. More often than not, I believe it is not what “works” for us, but the “work” we do that brings about long-term recovery.
Use every tool at your disposal that you find beneficial to you. For me, it was using the nicotine patch as directed, educating myself about the process, accepting and offering support, and praying for strength every step of the way.

List your reasons for quitting smoking. Don’t fret if you’ve already quit and didn’t make a list before you did. I didn’t make my list before I quit; I was a few weeks into the quit when I wrote them down. I think it’s most important that at least several of your reasons be those which will never change. For example, while quitting smoking when pregnant is an excellent reason, it is also a temporary reason. Quitting smoking before a surgery is also important, but again, this is a temporary situation. Adding other reasons which will remain constant over time is advisable. Keep adding to your list as more reasons come to light for you, and they will.

Look to those who have been there before you. Their guidance is invaluable. Whatever you’re thinking or feeling as you make your way through the process, chances are excellent that someone else is, or has, felt or thought the very same. Reach out to those who have been in your shoes and to your peers as they walk beside you. There is nothing worse than feeling as though you are alone in your thoughts or feelings, and knowing that others are with you can be a great comfort along the way.

Celebrate! Celebrate every milestone. They come in all shapes and sizes, and some are very personal. There are the chronological milestones which occur weekly, monthly and yearly, etc., and there are the milestones that have been even more satisfying to me over the years. The first time took a long road trip without a cigarette was HUGE for me. As a dentaphobe, my first dental appointment without a cigarette was a significant milestone. For at least the first year or two, all the big triggers that we manage without a cigarette are a reason to celebrate, and I think it’s important to do just that.

Invest your time wisely. Some might say that simply putting smoke-free time behind you is enough to fully recover from this addiction…that abstinence alone, if maintained long enough, destroys one’s desire to ever smoke again. This may be true for some, but I have found from my own experience, and in my observations at the smoking cessation forum over time, that just putting in the smoke-free time is not always enough to ensure lasting, comfortable recovery. That is to say that there are people who have abstained from smoking for many years, but who will say that they still want to smoke sometimes. I think that the more we invest in our own freedom from addiction, the less likely we are to experience a desire to smoke several years after quitting.

My recommendation is to take every opportunity to reinforce your decision to quit smoking, beginning with day one and continuing indefinitely. I don’t think there is any such thing as too much reinforcement, whether it’s reading educational and reaffirming articles, or maintaining a support schedule of some sort, however infrequent, or offering a hand to someone you know is interested in quitting smoking. You won’t regret a minute of time you invest in your smoke-free future, and in the process, you just might help someone else find the same freedom you enjoy.

Remember that the discomforts that come with the early weeks and months of cessation are TEMPORARY. It is so easy in the early days and weeks to lose sight of this fact…to get caught up in the moment and think that things are never going to get better. It is during these times when one is most vulnerable and at risk of losing focus and balance.

Count your blessings. This can be a difficult task in the early days, but I think it’s a worthwhile exercise, not just for daily life in general, but specifically in the process of cessation. In the early days, it can be so easy to become overwhelmed by what we perceive as pain, anguish and deprivation. These elements become magnified because we dwell on them and give them more weight than they really warrant. It’s only natural, but I think counting blessings is a great way to help counteract this. I promise there are things more difficult than quitting smoking. The proof is in the reading. Please check out these links:

• Gaylene’s Cancer Journal
• Jacki’s Quit Story – A study in Courage

Let yourself feel. For many, smoking serves as a smoke-screen. As smokers, many of us masked our feelings with our addiction…suppressed emotions for any number of reasons. Early cessation can bring with it some raw emotions, and it can be startling and disconcerting. My advice is to let yourself feel it all and react to it all. Cry, shout, whine, moan, groan. This is not part of everyone’s process, but if you feel it, don’t brush it aside or try to fight it. Recovery takes many forms, and all of the above can be very healing.

Everything in its own time… For the last several years, I have carried these words in my signature.

What if you abandon the journey today, and the peace would have come tomorrow?

I think one of the most common questions asked with regard to quitting smoking is,

"When will it get better?"

It’s a question with as many answers as there are people who ask it. The truth is that it takes how long it takes. The level of comfort as an ex-smoker that one person reaches in 3 months, might take another 6 months or another 9 months, or even a year to reach. There are more factors than I can enumerate here, but I believe with my whole heart that if you resolve to give yourself whatever amount of time it takes to successfully change your relationship with smoking, that the peace will come. If I didn’t believe that, I wouldn’t have written this milestone post.

If you’re celebrating long-term cessation yourself, CONGRATULATIONS! If you’re just starting out, then I hope that something I’ve written has resonated with you and that you’re feeling strong and ready to embrace another smoke-free day.