Skip to content
View in the app

A better way to browse. Learn more.
Quit Train, A Quit Smoking Support Community

A full-screen app on your home screen with push notifications, badges and more.

To install this app on iOS and iPadOS
  1. Tap the Share icon in Safari
  2. Scroll the menu and tap Add to Home Screen.
  3. Tap Add in the top-right corner.
To install this app on Android
  1. Tap the 3-dot menu (⋮) in the top-right corner of the browser.
  2. Tap Add to Home screen or Install app.
  3. Confirm by tapping Install.

Sazerac

A blog by Sazerac in General

  • Entries

    15

  • Comments

    36

  • Views

    60985

About this blog

Living Nicotine FREE

Entries in this blog

Twelve Years of Freedom

Twelve Years of Freedom

Hello darling nicotine free creatures and those ready to be free.   My anniversary...how many years? Twelve maybe. Forgotten as years of freedom expand but surely remember those first seconds that lasted forever turning begrudgingly into minutes before the next crave wave would hit. Craves did not capture me. I held my ground. But honestly, gave this, my quitting 'experiment' a year. If I didn't feel better after a year, I could always go back to smoking.

The Significance of Rewards

This is an old post of mine that still resonates with me and I thought to stash in in my blog so it is easy for me to locate.   Nicotine stimulates the reward path in our brain and by replenishing ourselves with nicotine, we were rewarded with Dopamine. Many times a day we went from the panic of, 'I've gotta have a smoke' to 'Ahhh', the brief relief of satisfying addiction.   We were jerking our own chain every twenty minutes or so....for years.  
A Decade of Freedom From Nicotine

Ten Years of Freedom

Hello darling Nicotine Free creatures,   I forgot about a 10-year anniversary. Earlier this summer, remembered in a conversation with Joel Spitzer and an email from our marvelous Doreen and then forgotten completely.   Now a compelling reminder... Must never get blasé about my quit as memory of smoking recedes into the past. I ignore my struggle and success at my peril. There are far too many stories of carelessness leading to a resumption of the addiction after a
Simple Guide To Freedom

Simple Guide To Freedom

In celebration of my Six Years of Freedom, I wrote this little piece, now at seven years I re-visit my commitment to NOPE.     Sazerac's Simple Guide To Freedom   Desire:   You must want to quit more than you want to smoke   Decision:  Make the decision to live life without Nicotine.    Commitment:  Commit wholeheartedly to live without Nicotine  and intend on standing by your resolve.   Choice:    Choose to never smoke again, EVER.  This c

Sazerac's Third Annual Soiree

Three years ago, I quit smoking on a whim which quickly grew into a personal challenge to myself. A trip out West, where cigarette smoking made you an instant pariah, an aeroplane coughing fit and a horrible cold precipitated this life changing decision. I quit Cold Turkey not wanting to mess about with quacks or, spend dosh on NRT's.   My ignorance about nicotine addiction was absolute, in fact, I likely didn't 'believe' in addiction or some such denial tactic. Although, while in Califor

Sazerac's Second Annual Soiree

Darling, Darling, Nicotine Free Creatures !   You may remember, back in January... I stopped posting after falling backwards off my stoop, waking in hospital stitched and concussed. All has been well for a while now (I won't be needing any more head wounds, fgs) although, it did take longer to recover than expected, reading was especially tricky. "...old age is no place for sissies" (B. Davis) However, here we are together again and I am delighted... ney, jubilant, to announce a fete.  

Riffing on H. A. L. T

I have read about the acronym, H A L T, in recovery paraphernalia and have used it to a great degree of success in changing my patterns from a nicotine addict to a Free person.     Having a Crave ? H. A. L. T.   Are you Hungry - Thirsty - need a deep breath of Oxygen ? Angry - Happy - Emotional ? Lonesome - Bored ? Tired ?     In many, many instances, when I would reach for a smoke, my poor body was actual

Quitting Smoking Cold Turkey

I quit almost seven years ago and have become an advocate of Cold Turkey but, believe me, I support and encourage everybody in their precious quits. Any Quit Is A Good Quit.   Seven years ago (and still seek today) I sought information (in a galaxy of  Misinformation) and was dismayed after googling around finding numerous instances of 'responsible experts' recommending to  NOT quit cold turkey. Health professionals are quick to prescribe NRT's which actua

Please, Take Your Lives Seriously !

Please, Take Your LIVES Seriously ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ In 'real' life and here on the QTrain, I see people being careless about their lives and their quit, like they have all the time in the world ! 'I'll quit next week, maybe tomorrow, I'll quit again sometime'.   Are they not understanding how dangerous smoking is ? It's a friggin' Slow Suicide ! The ramifications are Horrible. This is no joke. Ask our beautiful friend, Doreen !   I, too, used to be casual about quitting, c

NOPE & NTAP ~ Never/Ever/Forever

(filing post in blog)   Some quitters may have trouble with the never/ever part in NOPE  (Not One Puff Ever) or NTAP (Never Take Another Puff)   To tell you the truth,  in the nascence of my quit, I  bluffed my way through never/ever land. I remember @Cristóbal and @El Bandito    qualifying never/ever with the caveat,  'just for today',  and that was the truth too, it is about here and now.   As days and weeks passed I absorbed the truth about addic
Sazerac's Blog

Nine Years

Hello, my darling Nicotine Free Creatures! In days I will be starting my Tenth Year of freedom from nicotine. I will never smoke again.   At times, with smoking friends, I think...I used to smoke. Do I want to smoke again?  The answer is always a ferocious, NO ! to the virulence of nicotine. I didn't have an easy quit.  It took a full year for some serious craves to abate but, I never lost my Resolve.  That was the ribbon of truth weaving through my whol

My Life as One Big Smoke Trigger

Have A Listen to Tex Williams, 'Smoke, Smoke, Smoke' , won't you ?       If I was ever without a cigarette between my fingers, you would find one dangling from my lips since 1969 (?). I smoked stogies I rolled mostly, until I was working as a Deck Hand in the Gulf of Mexico which made rolling problematic. I smoked tailor-mades, an occasional cigar. I smoked snipes and dog ends. I smoked walking, talking, bathing. I work from Home and You know I smoked Inside. I smoked cooking, c

Lifetime of Addiction

Lifetime of Addiction   I didn't want to hear this but, I am now facing this truth. Nicotine Addiction doesn't go away. You can put it to sleep. You can even put it into deep deep and deeper sleep for years ! but, it will awaken the moment you take one puff. One Puff.   This is for your whole life. Mind boggling, huh !?   This was the choice you likely didn't even know you were making all those years ago when you started smok
Eleven Anniversary, Sazerac

Elevenses

Eleven Although Ten years quit was the milestone, in this eleventh year I have utilized the lessons learned by quitting nicotine/dealing with addiction in another profound way. My body was rebelling after my years of abuse, from smoking, from defying gravity for 69 years ! Arthritis was making for painful days. No surprise. I was lucky I could still breathe after so many years smoking like a whore in church.   After experiencing symptoms of an autoimmune disease, I de

9 (now10) Ways To Effectively Use This Forum To Help Yourself and Others Quit Smoking

9 (now 10) Ways To Use This Forum To Help Yourself and Others Quit Smoking ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~   1. Learn about Nicotine Addiction ~Watch Joel Spitzer Videos HERE ~Read Allan Carr's, 'Easy Way To Quit Smoking' HERE ~Browse through THESE pinned QTrain threads and other threads filled with our quitting testimonies ~Watch THESE Big Tobacco Documentaries   2. Know You Are Not Alone In Fighting Nicotine Addiction.   3. Start a thread

Account

Navigation

Search

Search

Configure browser push notifications
Chrome (Android)
  1. Tap the lock icon next to the address bar.
  2. Tap Permissions → Notifications.
  3. Adjust your preference.
Chrome (Desktop)
  1. Click the padlock icon in the address bar.
  2. Select Site settings.
  3. Find Notifications and adjust your preference.