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Fantastic! You got the jest of my post. Jetblack on the other hand . . I think y’all should put the seat up. jes sayin..

I didn't nope here yesterday but still noped so NOPE

Thanks for the words of encouragement lol. Bring it!! I ain’t skeerd..

Amen to what Doreen said. I can remember not too long ago, the intermittent panic feelings that would rise up,when I would suddenly remember that I had quit smoking and I'd think, "WHAT?!? What did I do THAT for?!?" The idea that I would never smoke again was almost enough to send me right back into the arms of the addiction. I started to catch myself when I'd have thoughts like that and force myself to think of something else. Anything! Locating all the red objects in the room, then the brown ones, then the yellow ones, then the green ones,... You get the idea- Just break that cycle of thought. Eventually, I've noticed over the last few months that the thought of never smoking again feels just fine. What I've been saying to myself lately is, "I'm just done with it,". What this means to me is, yes, it was something I used to do and now I don't want to do it anymore and I'm more than fine with that.

Puppies. Puppy toys. End zones. https://www.animalplanet.com/tv-shows/puppy-bowl/about

While standing in front of the urinal relieving my bladder from the morning joe I noticed that I am performing this act inside more often. Used to be, I would go outside to urinate and smoke at the same time. Kill two birds with one stone, sorta speak. By my logic, anyway… Thought it odd that this trigger would hit me a few weeks in. As this was an act that I enjoyed very much. I can’t recall urinating outside since I quit.

I bet piggy doesn't go pee pee outside..it would be ice cubes whahah....or freeze and snap off.... Anyways...I had to learn how to do everything without my crutch....only time makes these tasks easier....the more you do something smoke free..it will become the norm... Oct !!!......hope your garden has a high fence...or the neighbours had a good blimp... Oh my mind is wondering again...!!!!!

JB - you are experiencing a hard time almost 4 months into your quit and we get that but, this is not necessarily what all will experience. Personally, I struggled mightily for the first 4-6 weeks before things began to settle down some for me. I had a huge challenge for a few days about 2 - 2.5 months in and since then, just maintenance and using the tools I had already developed in the early part of my quit to battle the cravings or urges to smoke that came along after that. Those who read and do their research will understand this as ALL quits are different in terms of what one experiences. Even the same person who quits multiple times will experience different issues at different times of their quits.

Our minds hang on tight to those old smoking rituals. It's amazing to me even now how much my life revolved around smoking. No wonder it's hard to feel "normal" after you quit. Nearly every move you made for years is altered because your life no longer revolves around when and where you will smoke next. So hey, welcome to inside plumbing! Don't forget to put the seat down. hahaha

Keep on keepin on. It’s easy. Thoughts always(ALWAYS) pass and you can control them. It’s a myth to think that one cannot control one’s thoughts. I can smoke, I simply do not want to. Not even one puff. I have zero desire…I’m convinced… I feel too doggone good. I love life and I love feeling good in it. And my wife(my best friend) can tell you, I feel damned good. I love to make people smile with my quirky little jokes, especially her. She’s been smiling a lot more… Quitting is easy, I should have done it years ago. It makes me cringe to think how much this drug has taken away from me over the years. It’s taken my health, my money and my time. It’s my turn, bitches…

For me, it is all about the food and the commercials...

NOPE!!!!!

NOPE!!!

NOPE!

Nope

Nope, not today!

NOPE!

Not One Puff Ever !!!!

-20!!! nice winning with you!

A relaxing cigarette? What I've finally learned is the only thing cigarettes "relax" are symptoms of withdrawal from nicotine. You can probably remember being relaxed when you took that first drag of a cigarette, especially after you'd been wanting one for a while. Ahhhh, what a relief! A relief to quell the edginess of withdrawal, that is. That's REALLY all it was. The only way you'll be free of having those cravings for relief is to never ever feed that insidious addiction again- that and really understanding how this addiction works. Sounds like you're getting something out of being a complete asshole, otherwise why would you say "I can?" This makes me wonder if you're feeding a negativity in the same way as feeding thoughts of loss about smoking in the form of thinking about how relaxing it was. Please understand... These are not criticisms! I hear that you're having a hard time and I feel for you. Parts of this are relevant to me also this last week, so I'm saying it for both of us. Kindness and understanding toward yourself goes a long way. I'm going to try to replace some of my self-defeating thoughts with ones that build me up as well as focus on the positives of people around me. As adults, we are the sole cultivators of our internal landscapes. If none of this resonates, don't give it another thought- just keep it parked here.

Never doubt yourselves Newbies !!!! So...it's been a while since your last smoke...you may be wondering if your doing the right thing, one won't hurt !!! Your one puff away from 1 pack...100 pks ..in other words right back were you started,and wishing you are where you are today.. Your absolutely doing the right thing...this is the best experience and fulfilling achievement you can do for yourself... I still feel that proud high five feeling... After all ...what we have done is nothing short of amazing....ridding ourselves of a killer addiction... Give yourselves a big pat on the back...

Watched this earlier while I walked on the dreadmill...was cute....makes me want a puppy then I remember I have 3 dogs and 2 5-month old kitties and I am fine. Love my pups and kitties.

8 need to speed this up...the game starts soon and we won't have time to be checking in! do I hear "18"??

NOPE!

I don't understand ...puppy bowl ??????

5 Hmmmm, are Joe and Bakon ever here at the same time ?

And the Puppy Bowl. Love that!

This time of year, especially with the winter we've had this year, we all deserve to have a little party and over indulge for at least one evening

Did more of the same today without the running....increased my reps for the squats and stuff.....what is everyone else doing today?

We don't get to see the commercials up here because they substitute them for good ol Canadian content - lol. It's a huge bone of contention here every year. Even the US cable feeds sub the crappy Canadian content commercials so we miss out on all that. I suppose I could figure out a way to stream it through my computer and connect that to the TV monitor if I were more industrious I'm going to be slow cooking some back-ribs and "special recipe" baked beans. The ribs were prepared and have been soaking in marinade for the last day and a half. Haven't had a good Rib feast in awhile so looking forward to that

This made me literally LOL! You can be a Azz all you want if that's what keeps you from smoking. I remember all too well the up and down moods in the first year. Some of us have EZPZ quits and some of us go kicking and screaming. I kicked and screamed. BTW-Cigarettes don't relax you. They never have. All it does is ease the withdrawal from nicotine for a few minutes and the moment you put it out you start the downward spiral again. To help get past this for me I used exercise, when I was able. Replace the smoking you did to "relax" with something else. You're doing a great job hanging in.

Thank you all, in all the years I never thought I would be here, who would have thunk. The journey is just beginning but the light along the way is much brighter now.

Packing, unpacking, moving boxes around, walked about 7 miles and up/down 23 floors yesterday with the office move and all that entails after 45-minute kickboxing workout in the morning. Today, the move continues. 4.7 miles walked plus 13 floors. Tomorrow, I'm getting a massage

Sheesh I'm so late but NOPE all day and night

I need a vacation LOL. Have a fun time, Tyme.

Keep your quit while you are gone! And, won't it be nice to not have to deal with traveling and trying to squeeze in smokes along the way?

That vacation is going to be twice as good, cause you don't smoke now Tyme!

Warmer weather....sounds fabulous.... Have a great time... Guard your quit Tyme ....xx

Yes, you most definitely can- and you get consistently better at it with practice, like Reciprocity said.

Yes, you brain will relearn how to live life comfortably as a non-smoker but that is the part that does take awhile to really get to the point where everything just flows nicely and you just don't even think about smoking/ At least, that's been my experience. In the earlier part of my quit I would try and force myself to think about something other than cigarettes when I got those mild cravings. It took a while but I got quite good at it after awhile. I could switch to thinking about almost anything in seconds as soon as I felt my mind starting to focus on having a smoke. It does work though. You can control your thoughts.

Oh the triggers... I am certainly not an authority on this but I go way out of my way to avoid those triggers. I have a enough during my daily routine that I can’t avoid. I most certainly don’t want to walk into any of them if I don’t have to. I try to the things that never involved smoking when I smoked. For example, go for a walk, have sex, take a shower and stay in the house just to name a few. These are all things that I do that did not involve smoking. My mind always tells me that a cigarette will make certain situation better. But I know this is not the case. This is just my addictive personality playing tricks on me. It’s cold, my ass hurts from driving, the person in front of me not using a turn signal, the radio signal sucks. Ahh, a cigarette will make it all better… Bullshit!! Last weekend was tough for me but I had to do it. My wife plays neighborhood tennis and I wanted join in on the spectator activities. It’s a good time, beer, friends, outside and food( everyone brings a covered dish of whatever food theme is pre-designated) Did I mention beer? It was a beautiful day weatherwise but this little activity used to involve a lot of smoking for me. I made it through relatively easily but I was thinking about it. Next time it will be easier. I drive for a living and I am on a time crunch. Talk about stress LOL. Granted, I am in and out of my truck several times a day but sometimes I find myself wanting to light up when I get into my truck, or do have time to smoke one before my next stop . Something I always did, all the time, every time. But even this is getting easier. I don’t find myself going for a cigarette as much anymore. It’s wonderful! Just keep in mind the thoughts will go away. They WILL go away. They always do, every, single, time... It gets easier… Cigarettes do nothing for us. They do absolutely nothing, NOTHING, except take your time, your money and your health??? It literally makes me sick to my stomach when I think about how much these things have taken from me over the years. They have taken my time, my money and my health.

2...aye...go spend a penny !!!

Time for the puppy bowl!!

Oh just wait. At first it SEEMS easy to quit smoking. We are motivated, gonna quit, get healthy, blah blah... But then, the craves start to hit a little harder and the initial motivation fades. And perhaps three to four months in you find yourself wanting one more than ever while some relative noobs are acting like it is easy. I did the same thing though, thought it was gonna be easy, could not understand why those with several months quit were relapsing. But now it is me who faces the hard part - KTQ without that initial excitement of quitting. Just be ready, the worst of the battle is yet to come. One thing you will hear or think often is about what rituals, habits etc made you want to smoke. That is silly though because since most of us smoked during and after everything, what are we gonna do? Avoid all those? Are we gonna not get up in the morning, give up coffee, not read the news, not play on the computer, not take breaks at work, not eat meals, not go to the bathroom, quit driving, not have sex, not take the dogs out, not beat the kids... But yes, a great battle lies ahead. The crave has hardly begun to hit. It is waiting for your guard to drop. Speaking of the crave, i wonder if White Castle still has 10 sliders for $3.99. BTW for those who do not know, White Castle is some fast food place. Their hamburgers give you gas. Not the kind for your car. No, the kind of gas you do not want while wearing a space suit.