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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.

G’day Not One Puff Ever

That was my thinking also, Lily.....when would I ever stop thinking and obsessing over the fact that I quit sticking poison sticks in mouth and lighting them on fire? Something that also happened to me when I first quit - I was constantly thrusting my tongue against my front teeth to the point where it was sore!!! Took about 3 months for the tongue thrusting to fade away and shortly after my appearance on the Lido deck (the one year milestone)...woo hoo, the obsessing about being quit also faded away!!!! Everything takes time and your time will come....eventually!!

I don't really have anything new to add. You've gotten some great responses above. The only way to get rid of nicotine addiction is to starve it to death. You do that by not consuming nicotine in any form.

NOPE

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EZPZ

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NOPE - I don't smoke anymore.

Crickey Jo ....I carnt leave you for five minutes.... Sorry this happend to you .... So glad you and Birdy are ok ....that was scarey Sweetheart...

NOPE

You're not alone Lilly lots of us had some degree of being fed up with the whole process...it takes a brave soul to post it.. I know I only wanted to post the positives because I didn't want to put those coming behind off which is stupid thinking. So much better and healthier to put it out there. Just remember you're not quiting.. you have quit, you quit 9 months ago, you are just protecting that quit. ...and doing a bloody good job of it too.

Welcome Hunter, in short answer, NO there is no way to ration nicotine. It will always creep back up and you'll always crave for more and more. Either you smoke or you don't there really is no other options....

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.....

I have daily contact with smokers and almost daily contact with cigarettes themselves. My in-laws live upstairs from us, and they both smoke. They leave packs of cigarettes everywhere. I often find them in the garage or on the patio table by the pool. For many months, just the sight of them was enough to trigger me. They don't bother me anymore. Thank goodness!

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

NOPE...

There’s a big difference between feeling better and feeling comfortable. At 9 months quit I was feeling better in many aspects. I was not coughing all the time. My breathing was better. I was able to take the stairs without gasping. My sense of smell and taste were greatly improved. My circulation was better. But did I feel comfortable? Had my cravings gone away? Was I at the point where I forgot about smoking for days on end? The answer to all those questions is no. It took a long time to get that point. After all, I smoked for 39 years. That makes for a very strong physical and mental addiction. I had to accept that it would take quite a while to break those bonds and feel completely comfortable again. You mention that people here seem positive and you don’t want to be the only one who isn’t. I can assure you that you’re not the only one who still has some difficulty at nine months. I think the reason people seem positive is that they don’t want to discourage new quitters from keeping up the fight. Because it is worth it in the long run. I remember feeling very disappointed that I still obsessed about smoking after I had quit for a month. That seems ridiculous now. All I can tell you is that one day you will feel comfortable again. You will go days, weeks, even months without thinking of a cigarette. There will be no void. There will only be the normalcy of life without smoking with all its ups and downs. The only difference is you’ll be free from the shackles of a deadly addiction.

No. Either you smoke or you don't smoke. There is no in-between. It's that simple. You're an addict and are making excuses to keep your habit. Replace nicotine with "heroin" and it sounds pretty ridiculous, no?

JO JO JO JO JO. I am glad you two are OK. You two could have been DEAD.

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You'll feel better when you accept that you are never going to smoke again. You are not abstaining, you are done with it. You are really close to that point, please wait for it. Come back and tell us when your thinking changes.

NOPE!!

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Nope, I don't smoke anymore!!!!

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Oh jo he shouldn't have put you in that position. Please be careful and look after yourself. I'm glad you and little one are safe x x x

Nope!

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.

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

I learnt the power of detachment a very long time ago...maybe 40 years ago now, it is also related to Art because "I do Art" and used this when I was in family gatherings, where the chitter chatter drove me crazy. I continued Art in my head, and took photos with my mind, when I couldn't stand the strain, I took photos with my camera. For the simple reason I was quite capable of observing, but the only difference in this scenario is that, the distraction lasts for the time it belongs to this particular event. The concentration of a particular object, is for me paramount to other than beauty, its like a seed of understanding that I wish to explore further. So unfortunately this is not one that I can use very often because my wave length is too long. What I am learning is that the power over myself and understanding of myself needed to be put in order as I was used to listening to my own drummer and no on else's. Now I realize that my common failure if you like is through not listening enough, and the detachment has progressed to a physical shield around me, which doesn't let me get caught in the trap of trying to solve everything. I now can observe and join in with love to my fellow man rather than as the thought of "Family" this works for me now, and I think I have become a better human being than before. So to cut a long story short, its been a tough thought process of learning to understand my reactions to myself. so maybe tough love is the answer for me. I have to learn to hate the thought of smoking without hating myself in the process. A bit deep but there you go I like philsophophy too.

Scary stuff Jo, so glad you and your daughter are ok. i,m knitting a hat for my grand daughter, don’t know how to post a pic tho, grrrr how to post from an iPad, it’s soooooo frustrating.

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

Tell you what, I was a disaster up until about 9 months. I was angry, edgy, moody and a general pain in the arse. I NEVER thought I was going to feel "right" again, but here I am, almost three years quit and all that is now just a very distant memory. I'm totally normal now (relatively speaking, of course). Sure, there are some people that are fine after a few months, but they're the exception to the rule. You need to believe it will get better, because it will. I promise! And congratulations on 9 months. That really is the hardest part.

I love this post, @Boo. I have a prompt to help me, a deep breath and feasting my eyes on something of beauty. As soon as I could recognize the thoughts of the addict, I was able to first, distract myself from them with a deep, deep breath and replacing the thought by looking at or listening to something of beauty. This distanced myself from them further and further as time went on and clarity ensued. I use this exercise whenever I am stressed or confused or upset or in a conundrum. The breath and finding something of Beauty now stimulates my endorphins quite quickly. Creatures of habit, are we.

NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE

Welcome, Hunter. You have something very good going for you...you acknowledge your Nicotine Addiction ! Now you must learn everything you can about nicotine addiction and build yourself a successful quit. NO. You cannot manage an addiction by feeding the addiction. Either you feed the addiction or you starve it and free yourself. The Law of Addiction How Nicotine Works and you may find this helpful also, 10 Ways To Effectively Use This Forum To Stop Using Nicotine

I am a positive person by nature and v. positive about the fact that I quit and amassed power because I did quit. Was it bliss ? of course not ! Was it a slog ? of course it often was. I ranted, FREE YOUR HEAD, over and over for the first year. When I started to actively replace smokey thoughts (thoughts having anything to do with smoking or not smoking) by turning my eyes or ears to experience Beauty, this was when things turned around and the thoughts abated. It was mind over matter. Smokey thought ? I would find something of Beauty to look at. That light on that leaf, the color of the sky, the shadow making a pretty shape. Or, something of Beauty to listen to. A favorite piece of music to immerse myself in with headphones or decibels entertaining the neighbors. You must actively change your thought patterns and reclaim yourself completely from addiction. Do not loose hope or focus. You want to know how many smokey thoughts I have now ? NONE. But, if I am stressed or disconcerted you know what I do ? I breathe deep and find something beautiful to look at and my, how the endorphins rush in. When you think you should be over this by now, have a look at Cristóbal's Quit Days %

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

Having a cuppa and breathing a sigh of relief. Finally got contact with relos holidaying in NZ and on the cruise ship. All safe, saddly many others won't be as relieved as I am.

I normally prefer the old classics, but this newer song grabbed my attention last year. His voice has the quality of the old crooners, like Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin.

@catlover at the bottom of the reply box you'll see a paperclip, click where it says choose files then pick your pic and it should download and attach it here

Not one Puff Ever to keep in my mind loud and clear

@Lilly I don't always feel positive about my quit, either. The first year is the hardest for almost everyone. We face the majority of our usual smoking triggers throughout that first year, and that requires us to be extra vigilant. That vigilance can be exhausting, I know! I'm about to face my first Christmas in several years without smoking, so my nagging thoughts have returned. It's annoying, but I can deal with it. Because I know next Christmas will be so much easier. AND because I'm not having genuine cravings right now. Just nagging thoughts. There's a huge difference. I can ignore the thoughts much easier than I could the actual cravings. I remind myself of that any time the thoughts of smoking become intrusive. I'd rather face a nagging thought than a constant craving. You will feel like yourself again. You will. I will. We both will. I've read that it can take quite a long time for the brain to adjust to being a non-smoker. It takes a while for the brain chemistry to balance itself once the nicotine is gone, especially if you struggle (like I do) with any sort of chemical imbalance. My doctor has had to adjust my medication to increase dopamine absorption since I quit. That has helped a lot. But I still don't feel quite like myself. Not yet. I know I will, though. I had a long quit in the past, and I remember what it was like. I remember I felt SO much better after that first year. We gotta hang in there. I'm here any time you want to talk. You can be as open and honest with me as you want to. I'm never more than a private message away. We are both in the thick of it. We might as well make the journey together!

During a normal work-day, probably 45 minutes to an hour. Sometimes less, depending on the situation.

Prolonging Nicotine Withdrawal Nicotine is Nicotine is Nicotine

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

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!