I never thought I'd be able to quit, so now that I have...I don't want anything to endanger that. Who's to say I'll ever be able to quit successfully again? Who's to say if I'll get a relatively comfortable one like I did this time? I have to keep it. ~Maddie

I would say that I am a happy non-smoker. I don't miss smoking. I can go out and party and not crave. I feel sorry when I watch smokers because I know what they are doing to themselves. I watched my (now ex) mother-in-law die from cancer. Literally. That picture on the web page.... "He wanted you to know"..... yeah, that's what a person looks like at the very end. She was a strong and wonderful person.... I don't want to do that to myself.... I don't want to do that to my children... I don't want my children to do that to themselves.
That's my motivation. That's what keeps me quit. And how do I know that even if I Could socially smoke again, that one of those smokes wont put me in that boat. That's just not a chance I am willing to take. Even if I Could smoke just one, I know that I can't smoke even one. That's been my hardest lesson to accept. But I have. And it aint all that bad.
As a matter of fact, it's pretty damn good! :-) from my one year post.... ~August

what keeps me quit. the thought of what it does to me both physically and mentally. i don't need to smoke so why would i want to. ~Richard

What motiviates me to stay quit is twofold, both involving memories.
First, I remember how bad I felt sometimes when I was smoking.
-- The shortness of breath after climbing just a couple of flights of
stairs (though I usually just took the elevator).
-- The discomfort whenever I was snow skiing or scuba diving or
performing any activity that required lung capacity.
-- People asking me, "Are you OK?" when I'd go into a coughing spell.
-- Missing parts of movies so I could go outside and get a nicotine
fix.
-- The wheezing that would keep my wife awake at night.
-- The fear of the diseases and other long-term health problems that
are caused by smoking.

The other motivation is the memory of how damned hard it was to quit. It is probably the hardest thing I have ever done in my life. I've
never had anything rule my life so completely as nicotine did. Nor
have I ever found it so difficult to stop something. I have made
several serious attempts at quitting, but have never made it more than
a month or two. Until now, that is. And as late as just a month or so
ago, I was still having strong urges to smoke. I never, ever want to
go through that again. Ever. ~Billy Bob F

What motivates me to stay quit? The day-to-day things that happen -- waking up and rolling out of bed without having to stop for a cigarette first; surfing without the smoke yellow-ing up my screen and my windows; coughing from allergies and remembering how harsh the cough was when I smoked; sitting in a meeting at work and concentrating for the whole hour instead of clock-watching for when I might be able to smoke; eating and having an appetite; the fresh smell of everything (pleasant or not); sleeping soundly; and many many others. Smoking, for me, was selfish, and my reasons for staying quit are selfish -- they don't have anything to do with kids or husbands or friends being proud or living healthier. They only have to do with me and my comfort. And one thing I never realized is that when I am comfortable, life works much much better all around. ~Lizzie

What motivates me? The thought of inhaling toxic smoke makes me shudder. I still can't believe I did that voluntarily for so long. I'm motivated by the freedom of not having to schedule my day around a stink stick. I'm motivated because I never want to stink and not know it ever again. ~BessieBee

What motivates me to stay quit is a *VERY* healthy hatred for all the damage and death smoking has caused. That hatred is alive and active... and I'm happy. ~Keven

I would hate to give up this wonderful freedom. I never cease to be grateful that I no longer have to find somewhere to have my fix. ~ChrisB

My motivation for staying quit? I'd have to say it's the memory of why I quit. At times I have had to force myself to remember, but as soon as the recollection of how much I had grown to hate my smoking returns, the stayin quit is easy. ~tj

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