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

NOPE

NOPE

Nope...

NOPE…

Nope!

NOPE!!

NOPE!!

NOPE

NOPE!

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

Nope!

NOPE!

NOPE…

NOPE!

NOPE

nope

So true!

Yesterday, I celebrated 10 years since I quit smoking. Except celebrated is a bit of an exaggeration on what I actually did. I remembered the anniversary at around 7pm, promptly texted my eldest son to say “hey it's been 10 years” - he congratulated me - and logged onto Quit Train to log my 10 years on a little section in my profile. I’ve done that almost every year (usually a couple of days late and my 6th year anniversary I totally missed and didn't realise until the following year) since quitting for reasons I struggle to articulate other than it feels important to do so. Anyway, that was the extent of my ‘celebration’, other than the thought of “what shall I have/get as my reward?” And that started a little trip down memory lane. Sort of … This wasn’t my first quit attempt by any stretch of the imagination. I struggled for a few years, cold turkey or with aids, always finding a reason to abandon the ‘attempt’. Eventually a mix of hypnotherapy and Champix did the trick. I had planned to quit on the 20th but on the morning of the 18th I had run out and made the decision to not buy any more, bringing forward my quit day. Still, it wasn’t easy and there were some really hard days. What did I do to get through those hard days? I honestly don’t remember, I don’t have any words of wisdom, but I think I did the 4 second breathing thing through craves, after meals I would have fruit flavoured chewing gum and I found rewards to be really important in those early days, weeks, months. Things I would buy with the money saved. Never anything extravagant and honestly I don't even remember what they were - maybe a chocolate bar or a donut? I think for my 6 month and 1 year anniversary I bought some jewellery. Maybe a ring and a necklace? Ooh maybe perfume! Are you sensing a theme here yet? I also rewarded myself on my 2 year anniversary - I think I bought a kindle or a tablet? I also made the decision that I would next reward myself when I got to 5 years. But when I got there I didn't feel the need for a reward. Smoking was no longer part of who I was that would need rewarding for not partaking. So my almost immediate thought of “what shall I have/get as my reward?” at 10 years made me chuckle. I think I just wanted an excuse to treat myself! The only ‘reward’ I have these days is a square of chocolate after a meal but that’s more a reward for doing the clean up than anything else. Sometimes I’ll have grapes. My point is, ‘smoking’ is just something other people do and has nothing to do with me. I know quitting was hard but I don’t remember it, even the once so important rewards. I barely remember the anniversary. If you are down in the trenches of your quit and holding on for dear life, I salute you and I congratulate you. You will find that one day, almost without realising, you can do everything without needing the crutch of a cigarette. I have lived celebrations, deaths, vacations, going for a walk, writing a letter, drinking a beer, drinking coffee, reading a book, watching a movie, eating a meal, waking up, going to bed, and everything in between, all without smoking and it was absolutely fine. (I actually struggled to come up with this list of what I previously couldn’t do without a smoke because … you guessed it … I don't remember!) I implore you to keep the faith, keep your quit. Because one day, you will not remember this stage of your life that clearly or with the focus it currently has. Congratulations to all, wherever you are in your quit, 1 hour, 1 day, 1 week, 1 month, 1 year, 1 decade … wow, time sure does fly.

Hi @Kdad... I think we do have to quit the desire to smoke. I think Joel is partially right. Long term non smokers occassionally want to smoke BECAUSE they have not truely addressed their inner desire to want to smoke AND they still believe that smoking can somehow make them feel better. Here is a snippet of a quote from my quitnet library that sums up this idea. You should not be trying to quit smoking. That's only a symptom. You should be trying to quit craving, because craving is the only way that smoking can happen. But even craving is only a symptom. The real problem - what you must "quit" - is your belief that an instant spent with a lungful of poison is superior to the same instant spent with fresh, clean, pure air. That belief is an error, and it's the source of every craving you've ever had. You have an awesome quit @Kdad... keep posting and keep reading.

Don’t rush to stop your gum , if it helps your journey it will take , as long as it takes The only time I think of smoking now is when I come here , Not to smoke … but to help you not to… Im so proud of you …

LOVE it!! Congratulations @Kdad, you're doing great. I also get a thought to smoke pop into my head. I stop short of calling it a crave because it has no power when it comes.

I think it definitely helps to reframe the way you think about cigarettes. Every time I failed my quit, it was because I thought, "I'm missing out on something smokers get to do." These days, I do have times when I miss certain aspects of smoking, like the measured routine of lighting up, breathing in, exhaling, feeling the tension abate. I don't miss the addiction, nausea, stench, health problems, and worry that came with all of that, though. I don't desire cigarettes. I hate them. I can't stand the smell of them. It irritates me to see people smoke openly and endanger the health of others. I do desire the stress release, tactile feel, and the breathing routine cigarettes provided for me once upon a time. Thankfully, I've found other avenues for those things. One reason gum is often recommended is because it gives you something to "play" with as you roll it around in your mouth, stretch it out, and blow bubbles with it; that's all tactile response that keeps you busy. They recommend coin flipping, card twirling, and toying with straws for the same reason, because it gives your fingers something to do. I'm not sure I agree willpower isn't enough, but I'm also not convinced Joel isn't correct on that point. I do know one of the key differences between this quit and my previous attempts is that I think of cigarettes as unhealthy, nasty, cancer sticks, not a treat I'm missing out on.

Personally, I think my inner nicotine addict will always be there, ready to pounce if I let it. But it’s how I relate to those impulses that counts. Abstinence is essential - but not sufficient. I say this as someone who lost a 7 year quit… 7 years of merely not smoking was not enough to protect me. What I lacked then, but am building now, is a deeper understanding of addiction and a commitment to recovery from it. So yes, I still experience the desire to smoke sometimes. I probably always will. But I can see it more clearly now, I know it for what it is (no good), and I don’t let the thoughts take root or give them any power. Kind of like a fart cloud. Sometimes unpleasant, sometimes funny, sometimes, “Where did that come from?!” But you wave it off and get on with your day.

Congrats on making it over a month @Kdad! That’s awesome! How does it feel?

Still no smoking! Been over a month. I have been chewing plain sugar free gum though. Plan is to stop that at some point. I feel that this is a new quit still so I am cobbling together all kinds of ideas into a quit smoking philosophy of sorts. I came across a video for the CBQ method. It states that willpower won’t work in the long term. We need to no longer DESIRE cigarettes. What do you guys think? Joel says we always want a cigarette for long term nonsmokers, is he right?

Well done Kdad, feeling so happy and positive for you.

Thanks for your support. I really feel that this is my forever quit!

You are doing great @Kdad

Congrats bud! Carry on as the smoke-free person you now are!