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Pick of the Week

A blog by jillar in General

  • Entries

    215

  • Comments

    197

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    27060

About this blog

A weekly blog featuring well written posts from members of our community. Each week I'll pick a post and add it to this blog along with the link to the whole thread for anyone wanting to read more. Hope you like it 😊

Entries in this blog

General

Isolation Of A Widowed Smoker

MarylandQuitter Quit Date: 10/07/2013   Posted August 2, 2014  This is sad, but it hit home for me.  Different circumstances and a generation gap, this was me.  How lonely I really was and smoking was never the friend I had thought it was.  This could be any one of us should we ever take another puff from one of those death sticks.   Life had become a boring routine. She had just been going through the motions of maintaining a normal semblance of existence. Waking u
General

Why a Quit Sticks.

El Bandito Quit Date: 27/01/2014   Posted November 5, 2014    Now then, let's be perfectly clear   My only expertise is a little experience in smoking and quitting smoking. I have watched some videos, read some books and shared with some fellow quitters. I have zero medical experience or expertise, in fact I look away when they show operations on medical dramas. No knowledge whatsoever of brain chemistry.    There is some true expertise knocking aroun
General

SHE WAS 16 AND BEAUTIFUL

Cristóbal Quit Date: 14 October 2012     Posted on QSMB Jul 25 2010 by JWG.   She was 17 and thought it was cool She was 18 knew she was in control She was 19 living in the fast lane She was 20 and would quit before hitting 21 She was 21 and thought new years eve was better She was 22 the new job was to much stress right now She was 23 and her fiancée smoked anyways She was 24 the baby would be fine, what’s a little nicotine She was 25 what else is t
General

My Friend Nick

NADA Members   Posted October 25, 2017    When I was thirteen years old this new kid, Nick, moved into my neighborhood.  At first I didn’t like him at all.  In fact, you could even say he made me sick.  But after a few weeks he started to grow on me and before you knew it we were hanging out daily.   Nick seemed like the coolest kid on the planet…so much more mature than my childish peers.  And hanging out with him made me feel cool too.  Before long I found th
General

Is Smoking Stopping You From Experiencing All That Life Has To Offer?--MarylandQuitter

Many if not all smokers believe that smoking relieves stress.  It doesn't and in fact causes it.  Nicotine causes your heart rate to increase, your blood pressure to rise and sends adrenaline pulsing through your veins.  This happens each time you smoke a cigarette.  It's an illusion that smoking relieves stress because as smokers, we've conditioned ourselves to believe this.    Look at it this way.  After we put out a cigarette, the average smoker starts to experience mild withdrawal
General

Summer's Here - Have a Plan

reciprocity   Posted June 30, 2017    Over the next week we have Canada Day on July 1st and Independence Day in the U.S., July 4th. That means lots of parties with friends and relatives. Time to celebrate summer and rightly so!   Just have a plan in advance for how you will handle these get together occasions if they are your first since quitting. You deserve to have a good time but you need to think about what the dangers might be to you so you can avoid them. Ther
General

My Cigarette, My friend......

Soberjulie   Posted April 16, 2014    How do you feel about a friend who has to go everywhere with you? Not only does he tag along all the time, but since he is so offensive and vulgar, you become unwelcome when with him. He has a peculiar odor that sticks to you wherever you go. Others think both of you stink. He controls you totally. When he says jump, you jump. Sometimes in the middle of a blizzard or storm, he wants you to come to the store and pick
General

"Just one rule - “No nicotine today!”

Aine Quit Date: 2-26-2014   Posted April 17, 2014    I love this bit by John Polito on the nature of a relapse; I need the reiteration of some of these basic ideas of addiction and the dangers of romanticizing the smoke.   "Just one rule - “No nicotine today!” There are hundreds of quitting books with millions of words and scores of quick-fix magic cures promising near painless and sure-fire success.   There is but one principle that affords a 100% guarant
General

For anyone that is struggling

Sunnyside  Quit Date: 02/01/22   Posted August 24, 2015    I thought I would put my thoughts out here today, my pointers that may help someone out there. If it helps at least one person then I will be happy. When I started out on this quit journey I had no confidence at all that I could pull this off. That this quit would probably go the same as all the others did, a DISASTER I always felt that smoking was apart of who I was. That is how people know me! I couldn't c
General

How to silence the inner voice....

Ladybug Posted April 9, 2014    I have no idea where I got this from, but it's in my quit diary and I thought I share it with you guys!   As to silencing the inner voice:   The secret is a repeated conscious choice. If you draw a saw across a log one time, you may make a scratch in the bar. If you draw it across the log a few more times you may scratch the surface of the wood.   If you keep drawing the saw across the same place on the log, the scratch
General

KNOCK KNOCK

Cristóbal Quit Date: 14 October 2012     Posted on QSMB Dec 17 2013 by JWG   When my son was young he would walk to the end of the drive to wait for the school bus. I would stand at the bay window off the side nook of our home where I could look down the drive and watch until he safely got on board.  Sounding like a good father this may be. But in actuality I found I enjoyed the heat off the glass and watching the life outdoors from the birds to the ever changing le
General

Will i always miss smoking?

Sunnyside Quit Date: 02/01/22   Posted July 6, 2016  I found this article on another website and thought it may help someone here. By Terry Martin "I quit smoking seven months ago. I do feel better, and I don't struggle all of the time now, but I still have days when I find myself missing my cigarettes. I sometimes wish I could have just one now and then. At times, the urge to smoke is so intense. I wonder if I'll ever be free of this habit? Will I miss smoking f
General

Why do we "Pay it Forward"?

soul Quit Date: 11.29.09   Posted April 8, 2014    I have taken the liberty to borrow a writing from a great man and modify it (may he forgive me) to fit the principle of "Paying it Forward" in the smoking cessation world......................   Here below is what I stand for, in all my affairs.............   "I stand by the door"     I neither go too far in, nor stay too far out. The door is among the most important doors in the w
General

If you still need that nudge to quit...read on !!!!

Doreensfree Quit Date: 7 /8/2013   Posted August 14, 2017    I'm here to tell you exactly what it's like to live with C.O.P.D/emphysema.. It starts with a cough..that get alot worse and persistent.. People put it down to a smokers cough..the time scale can differ, as were all different...all of a sudden it gets herder to do the things you could do easy..take the stairs,walk to the local shop,shower,ect... You get help with inhalers,clinic,s ,rehab,but nothing s
General

When things get crunchy, remember...

DenaliBlues Quit Date: 2/10/2022   Posted January 21    Reading and re-reading is a great strategy in the early hours and days of your quit. I did that, too. What else will you do to support and distract yourself? You might try making a list of things you can do instead of smoking when the cravings strike. I know it sounds corny to make a list, but it helps to be prepared (things to do with your hands, things to do with your mouth, mindless tasks, exercise snacks, physic
General

Quitters Remorse

Jenny Quit Date: 5/24/2012   Overcoming Your Quitter’s Remorse. september 20, 2012 by      cameron kellett      If you have ever attempted to quit smoking, there is a good chance you’re familiar with the notion of quitter’s remorse. You may recognize it as the occasional feeling of regret we have over making the decision to quit smoking and cause ourselves to suffer the healing process.   It is a feeling that leads us to envy those care free smokers,
General

MarylandQuitters Quit Smoking Story

I started smoking when I was in my early teens and continued off and on for the next 28 years.  During that period there were a couple of quits which lasted several years.  My last major attempt at quitting smoking was in 2005 in which I was able to stay smoke-free for just under 6 years.  In 2011, I made the decision to throw my quit away one evening when I was in a stressful situation and decided that smoking a cigarette would relax me.  When I took my first puff that evening I felt like I was
General

Add this to your toolbox...A Letter To Loved Ones

Repost by Sherry Posted 07 April 2009 - 11:31 PM     Dear ___________, I am about to try and change my life for the better. I have quit smoking. I just wanted to write this letter to you so you know what to expect for the next couple of weeks, since the process of withdrawal can be very challenging for me, and for those around me. (Most people do not realize it, but nicotine addiction is literally one of the hardest drugs to kick, even harder than heroin). Everyone
General

Take Your Freedom Back! Quit Smoking & Stay Quit

In honor of Quit Train's anniversary the first post written by our founder MarylandQuitter......   MarylandQuitter Administrators Quit Date: 10/07/2013   Posted March 28, 2014    Remove the desire to smoke and you will never smoke again.  Practice on removing the desire to smoke until you firmly believe that you get nothing from it.  Until then, use your smoking addiction to help you quit smoking.  That’s right, you read correctly.  You, me and millions mo
General

Reclaiming Our Comfort

DenaliBlues Quit Date: 2/10/2022   Posted 16 hours ago    So sorry you are ill and feeling skunky, @Linda.  I’ve felt the same way. This wily addiction sure likes to try and strike when we are feeling low or unawares. Stay strong!   Bear with me as I try to express something for you, for me, for all of us who suffer… there is something important about “comfort” that quitting requires us to reclaim. I think smoking hijacked our ability to feel comfort. Instead o
General

5 Secrets for quitting smoking

Jenny Quit Date: 05/24/2012   Posted December 26, 2014    1. It’s never too late to quit. While it’s best to quit smoking as early as possible, quitting smoking at any age will enhance the length and quality of your life. You’ll also save money and avoid the hassle of going outside in the cold to smoke. You can even inspire those around you to quit smoking! 2. Learn from past experiences. Most smokers have tried to quit before and sometimes people get discouraged th
General

Junkie Thinking

MarylandQuitter Quit Date: 10/07/2013   Posted April 2, 2014 ·    Excuses to smoke JUNKIE THINKING: “One Puff won’t hurt” RESPONSE: “One puff will always hurt me, and it always will because I’m not a social smoker. One puff and I’ll be smoking compulsively again.”   JUNKIE THINKING: “I only want one.” RESPONSE: “I have never wanted only one. In fact, I want 20-30 a day every day. I want them all.”   JUNKIE THINKING: “I’ll just be a soci
General

Breaking Free of this Bondage

DenaliBlues 2977 Quit Date: February 10, 2022   Posted December 26, 2022   For years I thought that I was making a free choice to smoke. But my dependence was much deeper than that - chemical, emotional, ritual. I cannot be a casual smoker because I, too, am an addict. I know this because I exhibited many of the classic signs of addiction: I kept smoking even though it made me feel terrible and was harming my health.  Whenever nicotine ran low in my system
General

More Thoughts on Triggers

d2e8b8 3579 Quit Date: Oct 17, 2016   Posted December 15    I recall a post explaining triggers which I'll try to paraphrase in case it helps someone as much as it helped me.   There are 3 kinds of triggers -    - Daily triggers.  These happen daily e.g. coffee, lunch, in the car driving to work, returning from work, etc.  When we quit smoking, these are the triggers that we tackle first and overcome within the first few days.  Having overcome these,
General

Nobody Understands What I'm Going Through (while quitting smoking)

MarylandQuitter Quit Date: 10/07/2013   Posted October 17, 2014    I know for me, my family truly had not a clue about the addiction much less what it was like to quit.  This is why I suppose my doctor told me to get involved in a support group.    Nobody Understands What I'm Going Through Video discusses what family members can and cannot do to help their loved ones to quit smoking.       Link to original post: https://www.q

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