Writing Essays

So I am 100 % engrossed in my English Class and the instructor has us writing every day it seems.  I love the challenge and I wanted to share some of my writing with you.

Here is my first essay, the topic was something you were successful at.

A Successful Quitter

            Quitting is rarely synonymous with success, but being a quitter is my greatest success to date. After thirty-four years of being a slave to smoking cigarettes, and many unsuccessful attempts at quitting, I was able to quit smoking cold turkey on April 19, 2012. I did not get up that morning and just say today is the day and that was that. Seven months before that I began to plan, network, and research how to be a successful quitter once and for all. 

At first I had to honestly understand and recognize the hold that my addiction to nicotine, and smoking cigarettes, had over me. The last time that I had tried to quit smoking, I didn’t even make it one day quit. I can remember crying on my back porch as I lit that cigarette and thought to myself that I would never be able to give them up. I was a slave to nicotine, every day, every hour, a little voice in my head would say “time for a smoke” and I would oblige or else that voice was relentless. I often would have to check my supply to make sure I would not be caught without a cigarette. I would not leave the house without my pack of smokes, even if I was just going to the corner drug store, because I could have a flat tire or a car wreck and then I would really need a smoke. It was beyond ridiculous when I thought about it, but this was how I lived my life. Nicotine was in charge not me, but I became determined that day on my back porch, that I was going to change that some way, somehow.

My next step was to get some help and figure out how others had been successful and make a plan for me, but first things first I needed to set another quit date. Six months out was my son’s birthday, it would be an easy day to remember and I would have plenty of time to figure out a plan. Next, I made an appointment with my doctor; after all he had been nagging me for years to quit smoking and said he could help. I started taking inventory of when and why I smoked and how I felt, and I began to change things up working toward my goal. I reached out to my family, friends, and co-workers; I made sure everyone knew so I would have lots of support and accountability.

  It has been a year and half since I quit smoking and some days I still can’t believe I did it. I didn’t need a reason to quit there were literally hundreds of reasons to quit smoking, what I needed was a plan and support to achieve my success. Quitting smoking was the hardest and most gratifying successful goal that I have achieved, and I am very proud that I am a successful quitter.