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Pick of the Week

A blog by jillar in General

  • Entries

    215

  • Comments

    197

  • Views

    32244

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

Are You a Believer?

babs609 Quit Date: 07/13/2012 Posted September 20, 2016    Life is really so simple...WE are the ones who make it complicated   Because the truth is....if you BELIEVE the cigarette will give you any kind of comfort or joy...then you will suffer a great deal.  Not just in the early part of your quit, but for YEARS after...if you can stay quit that long.   This is where the education part comes in.   If there is something you want that you believe will make
General

Disabilities and depression associated with smoking

Tink Quit Date: 22/11/2013   Posted November 10, 2015    It's a sad fact that they are related to each other I can only speak from what I see or I know maybe others can relate a story?   My story is my mum she is a heavy smoker and absolutely convinced she will not quit as its her only comfort!! Which is ironic as her discomfort, disability and depression is all born by smoking!!   She has blocked arteries from smoking, this has been medically confirm
General

No Matter What, Right?

Ramona Quit Date: 1/29/2017   Posted September 1, 2015    In 4 days I will celebrate my 10 month mark.  I've not had a single puff in these 10 months.  I did not sacrifice a single inhale to death sticks.  Astounding!!!   To quit smoking has been my number one, most important goal.  Nothing has come before it.  I've made it this far because I've made this quit my top priority.  If the choice is between smoking a cigarette OR:   punching myself in the
General

I Tried to Climb the Mountain Today

beacon   Posted May 12, 2016    I TRIED TO CLIMB THE MOUNTAIN TODAY.   I tried to climb the mountain today. As I inched my way up the path, I felt overwhelmed, so I had to turn back. I tried to climb the mountain today. On my journey, darkness started to fall, and I was full of fear, so I had to return to a safe place.  I was ready to climb the mountain today. But it was so hot outside, I thought I better stay in my nice air-conditioned house and rest up f
General

Lies

Nixter Quit Date: 6/7/15   Posted June 27, 2015    So basically what I'm figuring out is that cigarettes and nicotine are big fat liars. For all those years they kept me at their beck and call by making me afraid. I was afraid to quit because I thought I wouldn't be able to have fun without a cig. LIE. I was afraid to quit because I thought it would be too hard. LIE. I was afraid to quit because I thought every day would be like day 1. LIE. I was afraid to quit because I
General

10 Steps to Relapse

beacon   Posted June 11, 2014    Saw this some where else, not sure if it has bern posted here or who wrote it...   Ten Steps to Relapse 1. "Try" to quit.   2. Idealize life without smoking.   3. Associate your daily problems and disappointments with the fact that you're not smoking.   4. Begin to buy into the idea that you are more miserable now than before you quit.   5. Start responding to your problems with, "If this
General

No Man's Land

Nancy Quit Date: 07/07/2013 Posted March 23, 2018 ·    By tahoehal  on May 13 2008    I seldom start a post, unless it is to honor someone's anniversary. But I feel compelled to share something that I seem to be sharing a lot of lately... and that is my thoughts on 'No Man's Land'. No Man's Land is a dangerous and scary place... and it is a lonely time during a quit. I call No Man's Land that period of time between about 1 month and 3 or 4 months into your quit
General

Old Dogs and New Tricks

Boo Quit Date: March 9, 2016   Posted August 26, 2017 ·    "You can't teach an old dog new tricks."  I'm not one to nitpick over semantics, but I've heard that old cliche twice today.  How many phrases do we mindlessly repeat without ever really thinking about them.  Maybe I'm overthinking the phrase.  Or perhaps when you begin making a conscious effort to make positive changes, you're a bit more sensitive to the kind of self-defeating limitations we place on ourselves.
General

To all of you quitters... new, and not-so-new:

ChristaC Quit Date: June 18, 2013   Posted May 30, 2014    First of all, congratulations to all of you.   As I'm sitting here reading some of the posts of some of the struggles quitters go through, especially those with fairly recent quits, I remember my own battles in the early days, and I get the chills....   How did I ever get to this point of being wonderfully free from this nasty, deadly addiction? I smoked for over 50 years... I did EVERYTHING w
General

World Health Organization Tobacco Facts

Key facts      •Tobacco kills up to half of its users.      •Tobacco kills more than 8 million people each year. More than 7 million of those deaths are the result of direct                     tobacco use while around 1.2 million are the result of non-smokers being exposed to second-hand smoke.      •Over 80% of the world's 1.3 billion tobacco users live in low- and middle-income countries.   Leading cause of death, illness and impoverishment   The tobacco epi
General

Filling the Voids

Posted 30 March 2015 - 09:14 AM by hermine (qsmb)   Quitting smoking leaves us with a terrible emptiness that, for a while, we don't know exactly how to handle. And we may even ask ourselves if we will ever be able to fill these voids with anything. What helped me to get over this was eventually understanding that the source of the problem wasn't the absence of cigarettes, but the mere existence of those terrible feelings I was dealing with.    They were there all along, but
General

One Year Commitment Completed - and now...

Sirius Quit Date: May 27, 2014   Posted May 23, 2017    ...and now you don't get rid of me that easily.   :rtfm:     When I started my quit I found that time was my enemy.        I fought for each moment to stay nicotine free.   :hunter:   The moments became day-to-day issues.   Then just occasional cravings.  :unsure:   Eventually time becomes your friend again.     More time in the day to do things other then
General

Expect, Detect, Reject

MarylandQuitter Quit Date: 10/07/2013   Posted March 14, 2017    When I first quit I found that I could obsess about wanting to smoke, if I let myself.  You'll drive yourself loony if you fixate on this.  I expected to have craves.  Expect, Detect, Reject.  Turn your thoughts to something else and by that I mean do something physical.  I would get up and start doing something because it would force me to focus on what I was doing, instead of what I wasn't (smoking).  I c
General

Too Late to Quit

El Bandito Quit Date: 27/01/2014   Posted April 5, 2014     I have smoked for 30 years, Man and Boy.    I started at 13 years old. Usual stuff - I wanted to be cool, grown up.   I quickly got into my stride - comfortably putting away 2, 3 packs a day throughout my twenties and thirties. I had a couple of goes at quitting - the usual stuff - girlfriends nagging, a health scare or two. A couple of times I was quit for months at a time.   Then,
General

So you want to stop smoking ..

sherry Quit Date: 2-28-2014   Posted November 28, 2014 · IP    Good for you!   After 9 months smoke free, I can tell you it will be the best decision you ever make - Hands down.   Will I tell you it will be easy? No. Will I tell you it can be easy? Yes. My dad put down his cigs about 20yrs ago and never looked back, for him it was easy, maybe you will be one of those who can just walk away, .... if you're like me, some days will be better than others.
General

Stupid things that smokers say

action Quit Date: 12 Oct 13 Posted May 6, 2014    I think this would be a useful thread to remind ourselves what we used to be like when we were smokers…   There is a person in my office, who is probably mid-twenties and is a smoker.  Our cleaning lady (an elderly lady who I believe is an ex-smoker and always says exactly what is on her mind!) was speaking with him about him smoking and asked him (as you do) – when are you going to give up smoking?  What happens whe
General

The Secret

cpk Quit Date: 02/04/2015     Posted March 21, 2015    What will I do today?   There's a smorgesbord of things ... Because it's officially Spring and I don't have to think about not smoking every minute.   This is real freedom.   (The Secret) I don't have to white-knuckle it. Just apply light attention. Vigilant, but not heavy-handed.   I have earned this freedom.  But this day? ~~~ it's a gift. How many da
General

COPD and Smoking

jillar Quit Date: May 29, 2016   Posted May 28   As many of you know I was officially diagnosed with severe emphysema and COPD after I had respiratory failure in January of 2020. Most of you also know that for years I was struggling with breathing issues that I was told was asthma. In the two years leading up to my respiratory failure I went from 110 pounds on a 5'5" frame to just 79 when I was admitted into the ICU. My prognosis at that time was pretty grim, get better
General

So, let's have that chat about change of seasons

babs609 Quit Date: 07/13/2012   Posted March 5, 2015    I am so looking forward to Spring...and as much as I complain about winter and wishing I lived in a more Babs friendly climate..I love Spring Fever!  It's a feeling that those who live in milder climates don't experience.  Seeing colors come to life, the birds singing a lovely tune at 6:00 am, the sound of lawnmowers, the smell of rain and fresh cut grass.....oh , i could go on and on!!!    With this chang
General

The side effects of quitting smoking

Jenny Quit Date: 05/24/2012   Posted May 24, 2014    There are many side effects of quitting and some can be really uncomfortable.  You may experience some or all of the symptoms below but rest assured it's temporary.  These symptoms won't kill you,  but continuing to smoke most certainly will.   Headaches or a general heaviness. This is a classic smoking withdrawal symptom, often caused by your sinuses clearing out. Shaking, sweating or feeling very cold.
General

Quitting cigarettes is like climbing Mt. Everest

REZ   Posted October 19, 2015    A lot of people try but not all of them make it!   When the climbers are in base camp, they are excited, anxious, and ready to start, just like us smokers when were getting ready to quit, we are excited, anxious, and ready to start!   As the climber pack up for the trip, they pack food and supplies, and maps, Us smokers pack our gum, patches, pills, and the Quit Train!   Some climbers practice to get the
General

Quit Buddies

Tink Quit Date: 22/11/2013   Posted April 23, 2014    Quit Buddy -   A member you can talk to, share things with, talk to about quitting, share worries and woes someone who is there personally for you   checking in on you   that someone who can really get through to you   listen to you   it can be someone who has the same quit date as you or someone years ahead of you - it matters not    A QUIT BUDDY - Is pricel
General

How I Quit Smoking

timothyadam Quit Date: 11/18/2004   Posted January 21, 2016    It was November 17, 2004, the eve of the 28th Great American Smokeout. I was sitting at my desk in my home office around 11:00 PM. I had ten cigarettes left in my second pack of the day. Cigarettes were getting very expensive, and I started asking myself why I smoked and if I could quit. I had been conditioned to believe that I smoked because: It was a "habit", I "enjoyed it", it "calmed my nerves", and it wa
General

Removing the Fear of Relapse

Jonny5 Quit Date: 2011-12-21 Posted April 10, 2014    I'm not afraid of relapse one single bit. It ain't ever gonna happen. Some of you are. And there's one huge reason for that.... You have not closed the doors on your smoking past and evolved into a never again smoker, you have a lingering belief that smoking does give you some benefits and are abstaining through many methods.  Abstainance looks like my quit but it is fundamentally different.  There is n
General

Rewarding Yourself For Not Smoking

Colleen Quit Date: 6/2/13   Posted June 16, 2015    How do you reward yourself for not smoking?  It's okay to spend some of that money you saved from not smoking.  In the very beginning of my quit, I rewarded myself quite a bit because it was important to me.  Nothing extravagant really.  When I hit a year quit, I purchased a pair of spin shoes.     Two years quit now, my how time flies.  I have a Jawbone UP and have had to send it back more than once.  They se

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