Today is March 30, 2018 (10 Farvardin 1397), and it’s been exactly 5 months, 150 days, since that afternoon when I smoked my last cigarette in front of the barracks and walked away. Looking back today, even using the term “smoking” makes me uneasy, let alone the act itself. This time, I made the firmest decision and executed it better than ever before. The only effective approach was to imagine what a normal non-smoker would do in any tempting situation, and do the same. Although these temptations have now reached their minimum, I can safely say I’ve returned to a normal, smoke-free life.

I had planned to attend CODA group meetings to help others, but for now, I feel I’m not ready to be in such a setting. That will have to wait.