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G’day Not One Puff Ever

NOPE

NOPE - I don't smoke anymore.

NOPE!!!!!!!!!!!!

NOPE...

NOPE

Nope !

Nope!

NOPE...

Try to calm down and relax. I know Christmas is right around the corner, but that's no reason to drive yourself crazy over the next three weeks. You may not find that "perfect" gift. The Christmas dinner may not turn out to be the culinary experience of the century. And that's okay. If you're like me, you are far from perfect the rest of the year. Why would the holidays be any different?

NOPE

One of the greatest gifts the process of quitting gave me was the opportunity to practice detachment on a daily basis. I started thinking about this earlier today after hearing Jocko Willink talk about detachment on a podcast. In fact, the moment I figured out how to separate myself from whatever emotions and thoughts I was having in the moment was the turning point in my quit. It was a struggle before I figured it out. After I figured it out, it has been nothing but smooth sailing. The cravings didn't magically go away when I turned the corner. The odd thought about "the good ol' days when I was a smoker" still popped up from time-to-time. The basic tenets of addiction were still there, I just changed how I reacted. Instead of surrendering to the chaos and allowing the emotional upheaval to dictate my actions, I just took a step back and observed what was really going on. Identified my thoughts as nothing more than a temporary feeling born of decades of addiction. Detaching yourself from the self-defeating thoughts and emotions of addiction allows you to observe what's really going on and make wise decisions. The cigarette is an inanimate object. You are not a smoker. You are someone who used to smoke. Your thoughts have as much or as little power as you give them.

NOPE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Have you found something to do instead of smoking? Hobby, exercise, video games? one of the things I did was go to the theater to watch a movie. As a smoker a shied away from theater because NO SMOKING for 2-3 hrs

My whole first year sucked too Lily, but it felt so good when that one year mark came. Smoking for me was kinda like a death in the family. After the first year things start getting better and the constant thoughts aren't so constant. Hang n there and thanks for posting. It's important to let others know that they're not the only ones feeling a particular way.....

Thank you both for the advice. It has really been a journey and a process. You read so many good things online when you quit, like in x amount of days you will feel this and in x amount of days that will be gone, but nothing really mentions the bad things and stressful things.

NOPE

I think they're onto something with this policy. The logic is infallible. I'd vote for it. In 1970 the Scarfolk Crime Commission embarked on the largest study into crime to date. After two years of intense investigation it found a startling correlation between the types of people who commit crime and their early life experiences. The findings were unequivocal: 100% of criminals had also once been children. The council immediately put into effect acts intended to reduce, if not entirely eradicate this insidious cause of crime. Thousands of children were rounded up in camps. Toys were burnt in massive pyres. Adults were sterilised. Anyone who had been in regular contact with children, or had ever been a child, was quarantined in vast bunkers specially built several storeys below the council building. Though Scarfolk was reduced to a ghost town, the scheme proved a success. During the first month that these stringent measures had been implemented not one crime had been committed. Consequently, at the 1972 Conference of Sham Utopias, a local conservative MP predicted that the most successful towns, and even countries, of the future will be those that eradicate all citizens who have any connection to, or dealings with, children or the adults they grow into.

Nope

Nope, I don't smoke anymore!!!

Did you know...we don't call freestyle Australia Crawl....it's just freestyle. Most Aussies are pretty good at bending the elbow.

Nope!!!

NOPE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

NOPE!!!!!!!!!!!!

So I'm nearing 9 months quit and I don't really even feel excited. Don't get me wrong I love being a non smoker but it's draining. I have spent the best part of a year concentrating on quitting and I can't help but wonder when I'm going to feel normal again. I want my life back. I want to spend a whole day where the fact that I'm quitting doesn't pop in my head. I'm bored of it but I can't imagine lighting a cigarette now. I rarely post on here because everyone seems so positive about their quit and I don't want to be the only one who isn't but I need to get it out.

Hi All, I am hoping for a little support and reassurance. I decided to quit smoking after 12 years of smoking 20 to 30 smokes a day. I was constantly out of breath and generally unhealthily. I used champix to quit, but after 4 weeks of taking champix I was having some tightness of the chest, I stopped taking champix. I have now been smoke free for six months. I still get a lot of discomfort from a tight chest and neck with a constant dry throat. I have been to the doctor who has run blood tests and done an exam and his conclusion is this is withdrawal symptoms. It is extrememly hard to believe this as I constantly feel fatigued and tired and irritable, after reading all the positive things that would happen after quitting and none seem to be happening to me it is very disheartening. Has anyone else experienced this?

The quit is not new anymore yet it is still at or near the forefront of your mind. That is a very common phase of the quit process. Most quitters have experienced it to some degree. I would like to offer up some inspirational quote that will put the wind beneath your wings. If I had one of those for your situation I would post it here. However, there is a lot to say for just punching the clock and getting the job done. Eventually you will get to a point where the quit is second nature. Difficult hikes often lead to the best views.

My dad taught me well...I did it on auto pilot. Dad made us all do a defensive driving course once we got our PS. Because I am stupid!!!...not supposed to drive for medical reasons but when the kids dad wouldn't pick her up and Noone else was volunteering I went.. 4hours each way on public transport (Sunday time table..requiring 3 buses and a train) or 70-80mins drive on mainly back roads and industrial areas.

I craved almost continuously. I think my normal jonesing period was about 15 minutes after I put out my last one--if that long. I have been known to light one cig off the other. Man, I don't miss being chained like that!

I smoked more or less when I wanted so never felt desperation until I quit. So for me the jonesing thing only kicked in as a non smoker. I like being a non smoker just waiting for my brain to catch up.

naw G! not today!!

G’day Jo least everyones OK. Smart girl! Remembered what a handbrakes for! And used it at the right time. I’m impressed

Welcome to our site, Dylan, and congratulations on 6 months smoke free. As Jill and Sammy said, a lot of this is normal. Recovery from some of these symptoms varies from person to person but I assure you that you are doing the best thing by staying smoke free. It is great that you went to see a doctor when you were concerned. Yes, there are great things that happen when you quit but there are stressful things as well. They will get better with time.

Hey Dylan, It has been 9 months for me smoke free and yes I still feel all same symptoms (from time to time). I tell myself it is a good thing even though it is annoying, It is good because toxins are leaving your body. When you smoked it numbed you from all these symptoms, symptoms that we created by smoking!!! Now smoke free we patiently(lol) wait for our bodies to restore themselves and it does make sense that it would be irritating. Good news is it gets better and better and if you were just beginning your quit, you would feel how far you have come and that it is getting better. Hang in there and look forward to it. What is happening is normal and you will recover.

Sounds like a wheel bearing broke @notsmokinjo. Thank goodness you're both ok! Xoxo

^^^ what the fruck @Boo get out of my bloody head. So the kids Chrissy is almost donski...just stocking stuffers etc to do. Everyone else, I have Nada. First official function next sundee...making 2 salads and peeling, deveining and cooking some prawns. Still gotta finish the little ones pressies.

I’ve been following. I have a dear friend - an ex-pat that has intentionally been transplanted to and has flourished in Oz- who posts regular updates w pictures. I grieve w Australia.

Yes, 30 or so minutes usually. Towards the end of my smoking career.....at times, I lit up another before putting out the one I was smoking!!!!

I'm bona fide, certified, and thoroughly vetted now. I'm in the process of setting up a new account at work with a company that has contracts with the military. To get clearance I had to go through a thorough background check. Received notification earlier today that I cleared every hurdle. For the record: the Federal Government of these United States of America has deemed ol' Boo a citizen in good standing and not a threat to the Republic. So...I got that going for me.

Nope!

Welcome, Dylan! Congrats on your 6 months quit! I concur with Lilly...I'd definitely get a second opinion. Did your doctor order a lung xray? Or a CT scan? I would push for one or the other, if not both. (A high-res CT scan is the best in terms of being able to see just exactly what is going on with the lungs. But a low-res CT is also a good place to start.) Just to be on the safe side. It's your continued fatigue that worries me. Everyone is different, and this may very well be quit related. But it's much better to be safe than sorry. Try not to stress, but definitely don't be afraid to advocate for yourself with the doctors. Sometimes they need a little push. (I have an autoimmune disease that causes a TON of problems, and I'm very used to having to push my doctors to give me the appropriate tests!)

Congratulations Abby x x x

Welcome Dylan, congrats on six months quit, that's awesome Yes, a lot of us experience what you're going through, I did. The lungs need time to clean out all the gunk from smoking and since it takes usually about a month for the cilia to grow back after quitting they are now hard at work trying to mend. I'm glad you've seen your dr. I would listen to him, they know best. I was also extremely fatigued, try making yourself get up and get moving. These are temporary symptoms from smoking but some of them do seem to linger. But rest assured, quitting is the best gift you could give yourself. And always if in doubt, check it out. Ask your dr for a chest xray or ct scan to not only give you piece of mind but to find anything that a blood test doesn't

Close call, Cbdave, Still hazy around here, visibility very poor, some of us had our lights on whilst driving. You are further North than me, but forecast says no let up on the hot temperatures, and no rain in sight either. Just a thought ...its good that I don't smoke, I could be in trouble with breathing problems. I hope its just a Smokey Christmas and not a Firey Christmas fingers crossed.

Why Do Smokers Smoke ?

20-30 minutes for me too. Unless I was going somewhere I knew I couldn't smoke, then I would be jonesing as soon as I put the last one out And yes, it's a terrible way to live!

This won't be an easy Christmas, dear one. Be kind to yourself and love well those you love.