If you care about an ex smoker, you probably felt a rush not unlike the thrill of holding a newly born baby on the day that they finally put down their terrible former habit. However, smoking is a lot like a war in a variety of ways. Just like with a war, there are undoubtedly going to be some flashbacks involved in the recovery process, which is a very slow thing. And just like with the veteran of a war, the wounds which you can see on the surface (which may be completely invisible to the casual observer) may run exceptionally deeply in the recovering smoker. Taking it day by day is a must in a situation such as this one.
For one thing, the ex smoker is always going to wonder a few things. Would they have gotten COPD or lung cancer, or would they have been among the lucky ones who were able to skip out on such problems? While they might never voice this kind of thought, it is going to echo in their minds a lot. They are also going to wonder if the whole idea of “clean living,” at least through not smoking, is a benefit in any way. Were they not fine already with the life that they were living beforehand?
Of course they were not fine. But the wounds of a former smoker’s life are more than just the tar which will continue to stain their lungs for years to come (as they very slowly work it out through continuing to breathe out increasingly healthier breaths). After all, it is very hard to go from an active addiction to the life that you can live once it is not in your face constantly. But while the act of putting down a cigarette is a fairly simply physical activity, the act of quitting reveals a lot of deep scars.