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Nope!

Welcome aboard the train, Shezi! Good for you for quitting smoking! Six weeks is huge, and you've already done the head-shrinking part. This is an excellent place to get support through the long haul, and a wealthy resource for information and distractions. I too highly recommend Joel Spitzer videos for counseling and reinforcement. Once you get off nicotine altogether, just remember that the reward for not smoking is not a cigarette. Plan for that. We are here to support you on days 45 onward! Enjoy your happier lungs forever and welcome!

So far you've had replies from a Bunny, an angry, defiant baby and now, a Pig. That should tell you something. People on the train are a little odd but, we're all quitters like you! We all went through the whole deal, like you are doing now. Yeah, we "get it"! And because we all do, there's a wealth of information here. Read as much as you can. There's a lot of support here too if/when you need it. It can be fun to quit with other quitters and it helps to keep you accountable (to yourself)! Knowledge is Power; power to quit! Congrats on a great start. 6 weeks is awesome. A lot of the tough stuff is already behind you. Keep building on that foundation

NOPE!

Hello and Welcome ... Take your seat on the Magical Train ,that takes you to the land of Freedom .... Congratulations on your fabulous Quit ....You have been given some great advice to keep you on the track ... We have a daily pledge....a great tool....it's a promise to yourself you don't smoke that day ... you'll be surprised at the power that has ... Get your self a ticker ...watch the days smoke free clock up....as well as the money .. My advice is ..Just enjoy being here amongst fellow quitters....supporting them ..helps you ...it makes you stronger.. Read and watch ... Knowledge is a great tool... I smoked 52 years ....you can do it ....all you need is to want it bad enough .... ps....A Bunny ,a pig ...and a Toad ....the Goat will show up later I'm sure ....

NOPE...

There's a lot of people both ex smokers and never smokers who hate when I suggest this clue but I tell you what, it really did work for me and a lot of others. And I got the clue from another member of the forum I was on. I really missed the hand to mouth thing too and this did a great job until I was strong enough to let it go as well. And fyi, my husband is a never smoker too and he also asked me all the time that shouldn't I be "over it" already. And this was only after a couple months quit. My point being that people who have never smoked can never really understand what we go through when quitting both mentally and physically. So cut your hubby and any other never smoker some slack but keep doing whatever works for you to stay smoke free

Welcome Shezi, You have come to the right place for support. Everyone here is a former smoker and we are all in different stages of our quits. I personally quit cold turkey but they're many who quit with the patches and some who are still in the process of using them. I am closing in on 6 months quit after being a smoker for over 35 years. So, grab a seat and enjoy the ride to an happier and healthier life as a non smoker.

It's funny you should say that, I'd never heard of an air cigarette but right before I joined this forum today, after looking up nicotine mints and rejecting them (I'd never heard of those either), I read about this air thing on Amazon and ordered one! It'll come next week, one of the reviews said the size and weight felt right. I really miss the 'hand to mouth' action. Crazy right? So here's the thing, I showed it to my husband, who promptly said 'do you not think it's a step in the wrong direction?' Well clearly not, since I just ordered one, duh! But now I feel a bit stupid, I'm embarrassed that I 'need', if that makes any sense at all. As I said in my first post, people are proud of me, even the doc, but I feel like I have to live up to that, show strength and I really feel like I am... but jeez I miss it. Guys thank you so much for your brilliant welcome! Shezi

So glad you found us Shezi! This is such a wonderful place for friendship and support in quitting. You are doing great. The first month is the toughest. I would not bother with the nicotine mints. It is best to get the nicotine out of your system. Stay focused on your life of freedom. I promise you will get stronger and more powerful as you travel this journey. I smoked for 42 years and tried every quit method. I wasn't successful until I found this forum. Stay close to the forum, educate yourself and have some fun playing the games. You can do this!

Welcome aboard, Shezi! You have the right mindset, so you will be successful with your quit...but do lots of reading here and watching the Joel videos to educate yourself about the nicotine addiction. Congrats on the 6 week mark! Reward yourself and KTQ! PS I quit using NRT - patches and gum

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Hi everyone, I've spent ages looking for a support forum and you guys look the best fit for me, so here I am. I quit smoking about 6 weeks ago, the psychology of the decision took more than 2 years, the decision took 2 weeks, smoking the last cigarette took 6 minutes... it's a work in progress. I bought nicotine patches before I quit, took a short vacation (can't go on vacation and not smoke, I'll be stressed and miserable, yada yada yada), so made every effort to cut down until we got back. Thought about it some more when we returned home, and began to realise why the psychology takes so long! Eventually, let myself run out of cigarettes and decided the last one in the packet was the last one. And it was. I'm still using patches (21mg down to 14 mg, with a pack and a bit to go before I finish the program). Spoke with my doc this afternoon, she's thrilled. She suggested getting some nicotine mints in, for when I'm done with the patches, but I don't know, that feels like I'm still feeding a habit. I just want to think about next steps and avoid having a major wobble when the patches are finished. I think what I need is to hear from others about management. How did you manage quitting long-term? For those of you going through it right now, we can be travel buddies - how are you managing cravings? I haven't had too many cravings, in the early days of quitting, I would sometimes realise I was really thinking about smoking (not actually thinking to do it, just thinking about cigarettes) and then realise I forgot to put a patch on today. So off I'd pop and put on a patch and the thoughts would subside. I guess that's what craving is, right? Other days, I'd be so irritable that I'd pick a fight with my husband and then realise I had nowhere to stomp off to... that was hard. Its not been an easy journey so far, but it's not been as hard as I thought it would be either. I'm feeling strong, I'm feeling healthy. We walk around the block most days, it's just a mile and the elevation back up the hill is, according to my tracker, 18 floors. There's a point midway where I'd always stop and pretend to be admiring the view but, in actuality, I was doing a quick cardio recovery. I don't stop now, my chest feels clear, my breathing is good and there's no coughing and throat-clearing after exertion. I'm at a point where I don't want to give that up. Right now, I don't desire a cigarette. I don't want to be a smoker anymore. I've smoked for 30 years and never seriously tried to quit. I've always been able to last for hours between cigarettes without it hurting. I take several trans-Atlantic flights a year and can do that no problem. Having said that, I can go through bouts of near chain-smoking too. Depends on the situation. Got it all under control... so why am I here? I live in a world of non-smokers and they don't really 'get it' - that sounds ungrateful for their genuine support, but it's true. Sometimes, 'well done, I'm proud of you' isn't really what I need. Soon it will be 'you don't still need support do you?', in the way that people have when they don't realise the depth of something. You know? Well, I wasn't really going for 'War and Peace', so I'll stop there - just wanted to say 'hi'.

NOPE!!!

Welcome aboard, @Shezi and congratulations on 6 weeks smoke free. You are doing a truly great thing. I can't give you any advice on the patch as I did not quit that way but there are many people here who can and I am sure you will hear some great advice about it. I do think it is great that you are noticing positive changes in your overall health and life since quitting. This is very important. Having the mindset and desire to "not be a smoker anymore" is also very important. Quitting is very doable. I smoked for 20 years and towards the end, I noticed that I had fewer and fewer smoking friends. When I was quitting, I didn't have many ex-smokers around me who "got it" when t came to quitting either. I joined an online quitting support forum similar to this one and the support and knowledge I gained really helped me and I'm sure it can help you too. There are a lot of resources here to educate yourself about nicotine addiction and a lot of people who will help support you. Keep reading. Write about your experiences. Reach out for help if needed. Participate. Quitting is a great thing. It is good to have you here.

Hi Shezi welcome to our train full of quitters and congratulations on six weeks quit already We have quite a few members who have successfully quit by using the patch so you're in good company. I agree with you that reintroducing nicotine after you're done with the patches is a step in the wrong direction. I quit cold turkey but what I would do when I got a bad crave was use my air cigarette. I just pretended I was holding an actual cigarette in my fingers and then went through the motions of "smoking" it. I can't believe how well it worked at tricking my mind into thinking it was getting the real thing. Some people use cut straws, pens, even licorice whips lol. We also have a great social section to help get your mind off smoking for a while so check those forums out as well

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G’day NOPE .....Not One Puff Ever.... (replace Ever with Min Hour Day as required!)

Hi Shezi, welcome to the Quit Train and congratulations on your decision to quit smoking! Like you, I used nicotine patches to help me quit. They were a godsend and made quitting so much easier (I had one other quit that was cold turkey). Personally, I don't think I would continue with nicotine (mints) after finishing the patches. I was very nervous at each step down in the patches. I had a little brain fog when I stepped down from 21 mg to 14 mg. I didn't notice any physical withdrawal symptoms when I stepped down from 14 mg to 7 mg and same thing when I went from 7 mg to no nicotine. So, for me, there was no reason to be nervous at all! I know we're all different though so you should do whatever you feel most comfortable with. Sounds like you are doing really well. Best wishes to you for a successful quit!

G’day NOPE .....Not One Puff Ever.... (replace Ever with Min Hour Day as required!)

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Gosh guys... I'm really sorry to hear the price you paid. I guess I got off lightly, it didn't feel so. In 2004, I randomly developed asthma. My then doc said he thought the damage had been done - he was as surprised as I was when the chest X-rays came back clear. Did I stop smoking? No, I didn't. In July this year, after a routine physical, my doc called to tell me blood pressure was up and I scored 121 on my bad cholesterol (good being 0-99). So please stop smoking. She's been saying this for 6 years now and I've learned to filter. I bought a blood pressure monitor so I could present my readings to her at my September follow-up appointment... day 2 tells me I have hypertension stage 2 and an irregular heartbeat. I can tell you this, I now know EXACTLY what it will take me to get me to stop smoking. Fear. Pure and simple. But like I said, I probably got off lightly.

Hi Shezi Welcome and congratulations on your six week quit. Sounds like you're doing well and keeping a positive attitude. Of course there will still be some bumps along the way and you'll just need to address them as they arise. Come here and vent, chat, or just browse. Others may start to think you should be "over it" by this point, but you have a new group who know better and will support you all the way. Keep up the good work. I seem to remember that Amazon eliminated their Return Department years ago because no one had ever made a mistaken purchase and all products worked beyond every customers expectations.

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

Ok, I'm sorry - that was a mis-direct. I actually live in TN, the 'stuck' part refers to the fact that there is nowhere really to go and I can't go 'home' just now. Hopefully soon.

Unfortunately, most of Merritt's videos are blocked here in America. I'm sure I've mentioned it before but I hate the practice of Sony and UMG blocking music videos...now is not the time for that rant. Here is one video I found that those of us in the States can access...

Welcome Shezi. I think I know what you're referring to, when I started my quit I saw an ad for 1 of those "air cigarette" too, so I showed my wife and she immediately asked "If you really want to quit, why would you still want to pretend smoking?" I didn't order it, and I'm so glad I didn't because I now have true FREEDOM! If I have 1 of those air cig, I would still be mentally addicted. Take a seat and enjoy this wonderful train ride to Freedom Shezi.

Very sad news from the land down under...the wonderful Max Merritt has joined the chips on the otherside....so sad...i had a real to reel tape of him and the meteors that I literally played until it snapped....western union man is one of my all time favourite songs....too sad to listen to it tonight..

What a truly great post!

Way to go Mona. You;ve got this. Keep that quit going!

Smoking has lost me the life I should have had ...instead of the life it gave me .... My Hubby and me both smoked ..so the cost was unthinkable...we both smoked over Fifty years ... The amount of money would be enormous..... Paying for the privilege to ruin our health .... Watching someone suffer for approx 15 years fighting for every breath with Emphysema....watching them slowly lose the ability to even go the bathroom unaided ... wash...needing 24hour care ... In and out of hospitals ...phumonia never too far away .. While this was happening I was warned by my doctor ..if I continued to smoke ...both my feet would probably have to be amputated... Wow!!!....consider what that sinario would entail...both of us in a wheel chair .... That never happened ..because Hubby died before he could even enjoy a retirement ... What should have been our happy retirement years together was never to be ... I found Quit Train ...and managed to Quit and save my limbs ....and stay to warn others of the danger It's not always your lungs that get effected...it's every part of your body ....just because you don't cough ,doesn't mean there is nothing going on somewhere else ..I'm proof of that ... Well you decided what smoking has cost me ....

So the problem with Newbies? They're constantly resurrecting old posts because they're still relevant! I relate, I relate... My timeline is a little different, dabbling as a teen, meeting and marrying a non-smoker in my late teens knocked it on the head. I was safe, I didn't develop, I had my children as a non-smoker... I divorced at 27... I socialised with my smoker brother, remembering the illicit drags on a cigarette, feeling rebellious... oy. By 30, I'd been 'smoking' for 3 years, calling myself a 'social smoker', don't smoke in the house' etc. The fact of the matter is that I'd never once inhaled the smoke from a cigarette - I simply didn't know how. Never thought too much about it. Until a 'friend' laughed at the way I smoked and so I asked her to teach me how to inhale. I know, I was 30. Please don't judge me. So I'll quit before I'm 40.... ok that didn't go as planned... I'll quit before I'm 50, since I started so late, what harm? Right? No, that didn't work either, but I'll definitely quit before I'm 60. Honestly. I turned 60 last Christmas, in Merry Old England, my husband and daughter threw me a party, I spent much of my party, where friends and family had come especially, one guy leaving a family celebration to spend an hour at my party - on Christmas Saturday - outside, having a smoke. By the way, my smoker brother? He gave up when I was only 37... he's never touched one since. I've been the only smoker in my circle for a very long time. I can't tell you how proud I'm going to be of myself, when I reach my 61st birthday. Smoke-free. So babs609, good on you for calling out the excuses. That's all they ever will be - reasons not to.

9 and happy Friday to you, too! Lots of rain, here.

awesome thanks you bunch of window lickers...remember nope

Some background: Lots of smokers in my family...two of my close cousins recently gone from cancer/heart issues (both long-time smokers), another one (long-time smoker) lost his larynx (throat cancer) and now breathes through a stoma in throat - luckily, he was able to learn to speak by swallowing air but his voice is very different now!) Both my parents were long-time smokers and eventually each lost a lung to smoking. Dad made it to 61 after his surgery but his quality of life after losing the lung was not too good for his last 7 years due to complications from the surgery. Had to retire early. 33 years ago, this month, was the anniversary of his death. My Mom was diagnosed a year or so after my Dad died and psychologically she had a very hard time dealing with the loss of Dad, loss of her lung and quitting smoking. She also retired early. Over the ensuing years since the removal of her lung, she was diagnosed early stage COPD, had 2 strokes (no lasting damage from either one) and a double heart bypass (CABGx2) after a heart attack. She was able to recover and is still here with us, although she now suffers from Parkinson's disease (last 10 years or so) and macular degeneration (she is vision-impaired now) (smoking related?) which is taking its toll on her. We (her 5 children) were fortunate to be able to keep her at home with home health aides for 9 hours per day/7 days a week. She had a fall a few weeks ago and started hallucinating so had to make a trip to ER. She is currently in a nursing home/rehab and we now have to consider that she may have to become a permanent resident there. Due to Covid-19, we can only visit her once a week by appt, have to have bring proof of a neg Covid-19 test with us. She will be 87 next week. All very stressful, as you can imagine..... Yes, while all of the above was going on with my parents and cousins I still kept puffing away...but my day was coming! What has smoking cost me? Smoking has done a number on my health along with others in my family . In early 2017, 70% stenosis in my left carotid artery which caused an ischemic stroke which occurred while at work (fully recovered now). Received a stent in neck. After much testing to see what other damage I might have done to myself with 40+ years of smoking - CT Scans revealed first stage of emphysema (told to stop smoking immediately and no further damage, cardiac intervention revealed blockages to cardiac arteries told needed a bypass which would happen immediately-I wasn't allowed to leave hospital!). In early 2018, underwent a CABGx3 - which means having a triple bypass to avoid having a massive heart attack. Surgeon initially thought I might need a CABGx4!! I got lucky "only needed a CABGx3" ! I was able to return to work after a 3 month cardiac rehabilitation program. I retired in early 2019.... On a lighter note: Had my exercise/nuclear stress test last week along with an echocardiogram this week and my cardiologist is very pleased with my progress...won't have to return to his office for 6 months for normal followup. My thoughts: It's important not to put your head in the sand if you have been a long-time smoker...bad things could be going on in your body and you have little or no symptoms. Get an annual checkup and stress test. Ask for a referral to a pulmonologist and get a baseline low-dose lung ct scan! I am so glad I did those things.... It took me 3 tries to finally quit smoking, spread out over a 25 year span. 1st time was cold-turkey...lasted one month, 2nd time was hypnosis...lasted 6 months and the 3rd time was through sheer terror at finding out what smoking had done to me and now my chest was going to be cut open (along with NRT and finding an online no smoking support group that is no longer around (QSMB) and eventually here at QTrain...been quit over 3 1/2 years now! Never thought I would be able to do it yet here I am...enjoying my freedom from that nasty addiction. Hardest thing I have ever done but sooo worth it!! Here's to carrying on and being smoke-free!

This is one of those, "if you have to ask, you already know" kinda questions. As smoking is messing with your sleep schedule, interfering with your work, and taking the glitter from your sparkling personality, I would have to side with the majority here that smoking is adversely affecting you. Definition of addiction: Knowing something is harmful and continuing to do it (for no other reason then it's a compulsion).

3 years 1 month

Run. Not long - 5 minutes - as long as smoking the cigarette would have taken... as fast as you can keep it up for 5 minutes. Guaranteed you won't want a smoke for quite a while afterword. Want to kill the craves for all day? Go on a 10-miler. Easy Peasy