One month without cigarettes.

It's been one month since I've put down cigarettes cold turkey. I've been blogging on steemit since day ten of not smoking, and have been overwhelmed by the amount of support that I've received from our steemit community.

It hasn't been easy. Some days have been better than others, but I'm determined to kick the habit for good. I've spent twelve years of my life smoking cigarettes everyday, and I had no plans of quitting. I'm a healthy thirty year old male, and have always tried to make the right choices for my body when it comes to food and exercise. It really seemed counterproductive to be healthy and continue to smoke, but I would tell myself if that's my only bad habit I'll be ok.

On July 9th, 2016, I woke up, and knew something wasn't right. My body was tingling and sore, and I barely had energy to move. I forced myself to get up, and put some clothes on. My wife was in shock when I asked her to drive me to the doctor because I never ask anyone for help. When I arrived at the doctors office my temperature was 103F, and the doctor mentioned admitting me to the hospital if my temperature didn't decline. I was given Motrin, and the staff continued to do tests and x-rays on me. My temperature did drop to 101F, but I was diagnosed with lower left lung pneumonia. I was forced to take a week off of work, and honestly it was the best choice.

My lungs felt like they were on fire, and I couldn't even dream of smoking a cigarette. My first three days of recovery consisted of sleeping, sweating, and breathing treatments. I never thought I was going to get my energy back, and was in a lot of pain. On the forth day I finally made it out of bed, and felt decent. I walked through my house just happy to be able to get out of bed with a little energy. I had a full pack of cigarettes sitting on my bar, and I hadn't smoked since the day before I was diagnosed with pneumonia so out of habit I grabbed them. I headed to the front porch swing, and held the cigarette in my hand to light it. Something felt different this time though. I didn't want to light it. I truly think my body was rejecting the thought of cigarettes, and I listened to it. I threw away that pack of cigarettes, and haven't looked back. I started blogging about my journey to stop smoking since day ten on steemit, and today feels like a big accomplishment. I know it may not seem like a lot to some people, but a solid month without a cigarette for me is a big deal.

I would like to thank the steemit community for helping accomplish where I am now. I've received so many encouraging words, and good advice! Also, my family and friends have been more encouraging than I could ever imagine, and most of them are smokers. It feels great to be smoke free, but I have gained around 5lbs in the process. I actually started a raw vegetables and fruit diet yesterday that is suppose to help heal the damage I've done to my body, and help manage healthy weight. Once again thanks for the support! Take a look at my other blogs on quitting cigarettes if you would like!