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NOPE

Nah...NOPE!

Not toaday !!!!

A wild stewie appears just for pig lover! https://ibb.co/iOnhr6

NOPE!!

Hang in there JKPK! 1 month is huge and those urges to smoke can't last much longer. Force yourself to think about something else when you find yourself focused on thoughts of smoking. You CAN control your thoughts. Don't let the addiction drag you backward. You've worked too hard and long to go back to the start!

NOPE!

As of tomorrow I will be smoke free for 1 month, but really feeling shaky for the past week. I have not smoked, but the urges are strong and have become an obsession; I can't seem to think about anything else. :( I know that the nicotine has been out of my system for a long time, this is purely psychological. Wish that my brain would shut up! Still a NOPE today, not sure about tomorrow......

Well I can definitely say that this is not my first quit but by far the longest I have gone and I do not want to do this again so I am making this my actual quit. As to the ideas presented above about most smokers not being to quit on the first try I think that web sites and written material for smoking cessation give smokers an easy way out of quitting by saying that most people do not quit on the first try. It is almost leading the smoker to denial, I know I was there and that was my thinking. Thought I could never quit. Then I saw I was in complete denial about the addiction and what it was doing to me. Almost 4 weeks ago I woke up and really saw what this addiction was doing to me (along with the help of some others).

I quit smoking more than 5 years ago and it was the first time I ever attempted it. To be honest, I was testing the water really when I started, just to see what it was like. As suspected it was quite horrid! Once I'd gone a day, two days without smoking I was motivated to keep it going and started searching for information leading me to this board. Two things made the difference for me personally. 1. I knew if I started smoking again that, eventually, I would to have to quit again. I didn't want to set myself back to the beginning because I didn't think I had the energy to start again. 2. The support of the people on this board. Whether it's your first attempt of your 20th, you have to want to quit more than you want to smoke in order to be successful.

Take note, lurkers and newbies... Reciprocity is living proof that it doesn't have to be several attempts before you can be successful. Sometimes that idea alone is enough to weaken someone's quit enough to cave in on their first attempt. When one is in the throes of withdrawal and strong urges, it could be easy to say, "I'll never do it. No one quits on their first attempt. It's too hard!" Wrong!!! It would be great to hear other success stories on the first attempt to quit. I can't say I was that smart. This is my third quit and so far, so amazing.

I quit one time and one time only. So far, it is intact and I plan that it will be that way for the rest of my life. So; if you are a new quitter trying to say NO to this addiction for the first time in your life, I say .... it is possible! You just have to want to do it badly enough. Like everything else in life, it's really about how much you want it and are you ready to put in the work to get there?

Aww Stewpot sweetheart..it's really you......you are a darling !!!!....nice to meet you .xxxx

NOPE!

NOPE!

+4 If you will refer to the rule book in Section VI, Article III...SPANK!

+1 as chairman of that board I rule in your favor..... sticks win win by default!

Oh !!!!!......I get it...language barrier again....your not sick...!!!!!......I'm glad !!!!!..... Shhhhhh......I'm whispering ....!!!!....no I'm not ...I'm SHOUTING....!!!!!

Massive congrats for your 1 year celebration. Welcome to the deck. xx

That nico monster is whispering down your ear...have none of it..he knows he's losing the battle...reaching 1 month is a massive quit... Go back to reading and watching the info here...refresh your memory... The reasons you quit.... Keep climbing that rope !!!

NOPE!!!!

Later on, he may need some quite time. And mints.

Bakon, "flu" is not the past tense of "to fly" "Flyed'ed" is the word you want

Sheesh, I know I'm late to the party, but this is what I find?!? OK, RECI! Whatever.... I just hope this shot is from another day when you had several too many and that tonight you are being feted in the style you deserve. I am soooooooooooo happy for you to be celebrating this first of many anniversaries as a free man. You've been such a wonderful support to me personally on my own journey and a HUGE part of what makes this board the friendly, low-key, no nonsense place that it is. I want to thank you for all you've done for me. I hope you are very happy as you deserve to be on this special day and every day. Reciprocity goes both ways, buddy so I hope you're getting the most out of what's bouncing back to you.

On the eve of my 1 year quit anniversary I couldn't help be reflect on what brought me to this point. I remember 1 year ago today standing beside my car in the cold and damp, subconsciously reaching into the pocket of my coat for a cigarette. Like the thousands of others that had gone before it, I lit that smoke and took my first drag. I had just finished a coughing fit from the bronchitis I had for all of January 2017 and that first drag on the cigarette launched me into another coughing fit. Struggling to even take a breath after that, it finally dawned on me that what I was doing was completely insane!! That was the moment that literally changed my life. I knew I had to quit smoking! For whatever reason, this event had grabbed my attention. This time it was REAL. I suddenly knew I was no "special flower" who could escape the ugly fate that many years of smoking clearly had in store for me. The next morning at 8:30 AM with no real plan in mind, I had my last cigarette. The days that followed are a murky blur of what I perceived to be at the time, unwelcome feelings and sensations, as my body purged itself of the drug that had been present on a daily basis for over 4 decades. The highs and lows of that first week or so are indescribable to me now. I wish I had kept a blog of it all. I remember feeling like I wanted to crawl out of my own skin at times the anxiety was so pronounced. And the time ....... God Dammit!! Time was standing still! I was trapped in a never ending series of mental and physical withdrawals. I was unsure as to what was happening to me. I was even more unsure whether I could weather this storm I was caught up in. After a week or so of this crazy roller coaster ride, I found this place and signed up. I was welcomed, as all of you have been and was given the first glimmer of hope through the encouragement that others were extending to me. This was good! I started to read and read and read all the pinned posts and a lot of other posts. I watched numerous videos about quitting. This was the perfect distraction for me while my body and mind rebelled against the path I had chosen to take. I was on this site sometimes almost 24/7 it seemed. Sleep patterns were interrupted to say the least so here I was on the site at ungodly hours of my day and night sometimes. Everything I read from these people who had gone before me sounded the same! It was like a broken record, repeating itself over and over. Pledge your NOPE every day. Take smoking off the table. Watch out for the Nicodemon because he will attack you at your weakest moments and try to lure you back to smoking. Every battle you do with the Nicodemon, you get stronger and he gets weaker. This all sounded like some sort of cult like lingo to me. Could I take this seriously? Dare I believe them all? I read some more. I read how the people before them had been telling them the same things. I was ultimately convinced and decided that I too had to abide by the same critical rules if I had any hope of being successful. Blind faith had overcome me and I was all in! From that point onward, I read and read about every phase of my quit. What had others experienced when they were at the stage I was at? 1st month, second through 3rd and fourth months when I was in No Man's Land. What had others experienced and how did they cope? This was what became my guiding light through to the time I finally became aware that I would never smoke again. I would never smoke again by my own free choice because I now knew what smoking really was. It was an addiction. It was my enemy - trying to kill me. It was certainly NOT my friend. And in the end, it's my belief that this is the point one has to reach in order to know you will be permanently quit. You need to be able to gladly choose not to smoke. So on the eve of my 1 year quit anniversary, I don't feel a lot different than what I felt after probably 5 or 6 months quit but, this 1 year landmark is still a very special one because I have weathered the storm through all the 4 seasons and experienced all the temptations I can imagine and I know that providing I just don't ever put another cigarette in my mouth and light it on fire, I will be permanently quit I sincerely hope to be still around and able to help each and every one of you newbies celebrate your own 1 year anniversary celebration (Sorry for the long winded post but ......... I've earned the right to be annoying )

No way I could live without a velocity TV and Pandora.

I quit one time previously, for about a half a day. So technically, this is my first serious quit. What I have come to realize, with most substance addictions you get something from them. Cigarettes give you nothing. They only take…

fore So it is written, we shall abide by the book! Sticks count 2 for each post, chicks count only 1. It's "in the book"! Five!

JT, It can take some time for the cravings,thoughts to diminish. The time frame is different for everyone, but for me it was a very very gradual process. The first few months I thought about smoking almost non stop. It was mentally exhausting and I was desperate to not have to think about it anymore. Around 8 months quit I started to notice that I was going much longer periods of time without thoughts of smoking and from there, month by month, it just got to be less and less. Honestly at this point the only time I think about smoking is when I come here! Anyway, hang in there. It does get better and I can promise it is so worth it!

Speaking honestly, my last quit was not my first quit. BUT IT BLOODY WELL BE MY LAST QUIT!

^^^ Yes, none of us were in complete denial but we just needed that one moment that brought the full impact that smoking was having on us into crystal clear focus. That;s what is required for us to finally decide to do something about it. At least - that's my take on it because that's what it took for me to realize I HAD to quit. You have it in the bag this time PT! I know it to be true because of all the things you post and the progression you have made since you became a member of our family. Smoking is so in your past now! From here on to the lido deck, you just gotta be on guard for and "sneak attacks", which are highly unlikely at this point.

Intellectually he knows that smoking is bad and so his advice was accurate enough. He's not completely in denial. Most smokers know, deep down, that smoking is bad. Really bad.

I can so relate...I too have a friend who I would have loved to have joined me here...but not too be.. No matter what I said...she is in denial She is now battling pancreatic cancer...and has sepsis twice since Christmas...and still struggles to smoke.... My heart is broke.. I feel your disappointment...we can only hope he, after smoking and reolizing he doesn't want to be a smoker..he will quit again... We are the lucky ones ...who have found the strength.... The support....the means....to rid our selves of this killer addiction...x

Did some leg and core work this morning. Finished up with some mobility drills. I'm hoping to get in at least 45 minutes of running on the trails close to my house this afternoon. Skipped my planned boxing work this morning because my left shoulder started hurting when I was doing dips yesterday. Not a serious injury by any means, but a couple of days resting the shoulders would probably be a good idea.

Good thing you posted. I was going to appeal to the international board of "Chicks & Sticks"! OO

-20...just to be sure!

-14

"Don't make me angry, you wouldn't like me when I'm angry." That guy had fair warning.

1

I saw what you did there Boo.....one is not amused..!!!...

Oh geez...he's still going !!!

Strangely I’m going to Rome Saturday lol

Woke up late yet again on a Monday but did 20 minutes instead of the usual 1/2 hour on the elliptical. Better than nothing.

Well done! Not only did you quit smoking but you have supported so many others in the process. We are blessed to have you here with us. SALUTE!

I'm jogging in place behind my desk at work, planning to do an outdoor walk this evening provided that it's not too far below freezing.

There are only three things that would divert me from my vacation frolics. · A volcanic eruption · A missile launch by Kim Jung-Un at the Hawaiian Islands · Reci’s one year smoke-free anniversary So happy it’s the latter. Congratulations on your big day! You’ve been such a positive force here. Enjoy this fantastic milestone! Aloha from the Big Island Paul (BKP)

Hello Latoya: Check out the resource page http://whyquit.com/joels-videos/boy-do-i-miss-smoking/ A number of the links at the bottom of that page can help you to minimize the likelihood of going through a day or days of such feelings. Also the videos on top of the pages http://whyquit.com/joels-videos/i-want-one/ and http://whyquit.com/joels-videos/fixating-on-a-cigarette/ can help to stop these kind of thoughts in their tracks. Realize I should have attached the following comment as a quoted reply as opposed to a new reply to insure that you are notified about the response. Still trying to get the hang of the board.

They have to smoke B !!!....you don't have too...your a fabulous non smoker ... I'm proud of you ...