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I haven't been around that much but I was here yesterday and was glad to see all of the long quits. I haven't written in a few years but would like to post a few thoughts about the quit process. Looking at the new and young quits, and the never-ending fight to gain a foothold on the sticky quit, I just wanted to let the newer quits I see on the QT know, that you'll get there too, by sticking to your plan and what you will learn as you stay quit. This is only a mind game, where your self control is being tested constantly. It wears on you as you overcome the triggering of craves through attrition, trying to process them simply as your mind/body healing itself naturally through recognition and reaction. That someting so elementary is so taxing is hard to understand sometimes. It really requires no action other than acknowledgement of the particular craving and the processing of it. Repetition is the key. The first triggers and craves that you will defeat are the ones you encounter the most. The most infrequent ones are the last to fall, and they do, through repetition. If you will just keep doing your normal daily and nightly activities sans the nicotine delivery, eventually you'll roll over the addiction and leave it behind. Sounds overly simplistic reading this but remember that you will trigger and crave and try to understand what caused it. Don't be alarmed and dont make a hasty judgement, because sometimes you can't put your finger on the particular cause to your effect. Could be romancing the cigarette subconsciously and missing that old smoky life, since things have changed and you don't know who you are sometimes. I mean you were this... smoker... and now maybe scared and are wanting to go back to what you see as normal. That is when you get tough and remember that you control your own mind and heart and that you call the shots. It's okay to feel weak, but know that you didn't get this way in a few days so it will take a few months of honest work to get out of the hole. You will make it, even if you feel like you won't. This will not kill you but it will make you unbelievably strong if you'll just stick to your quit plan and your back up plan, and allow yourself some time to heal. So be militant anti smoking, and remember that you are in a fight and that you are unwinding your whole being from the addiction so walk like it and act like it. Once smoking and cigarettes were every part of you, and now...well now they are not. That hurts and that is painful, but it is the work you have to do, so let the process work. Pay it forward, and stay as strong as you can as you use what you have learned. And if you fall, it isn't the end. You start again. A dream becomes a wish, and that wish becomes your reality as you work the quit. Time is on your side now, so dont give that addiction any more of you. You're in control of your mind and body and you've taken the chains off. Don't put them back on. KTQ,

*A lifetime of freedom from nicotine. *Worldwide support from members in all phases of quitting and who know and can relate to what you may go through at any given time in your quit. *Tons of educational material about our addiction to nicotine. Be it by reading, watching videos or asking other members. We have it all So what do you have to lose by becoming a member?

So you've relapsed again for the umpteenth time. You come to the board admitting your failure and get a mixture of responses. Some positive and it makes you get right back to your quit. Some negative and you're afraid to post or start again because you'll only fail and upset people. But the truth is, who cares what we think? It's your life, your quit. You decide when you're ready to quit. We offer the support, along with a huge library of education. We also offer a ton of socializing topics to help distract you and keep your mind off smoking. Please remember that we have lots of "chronic" relapsers who finally found their forever quit and so can you. Never Give up giving up.

Gday NOPE for this day C

nope

NOPE....

Nope!

Just got back from donating blood. As a person who is at least 28 days from getting COVID-19 and now fully recovered, I am eligible for donating plasma that researchers will test on people who are critically ill. Would be great if it helps....fingers crossed.

Did I smoke today? It is the one and only question that matters when quitting. I've seen some recent posts in which people call themselves "bad quitters" because they craved and/or romanced the cigarette during their quit. There is no such thing as a "bad quitter." There are only successful quitters and smokers. If you craved a cigarette but didn't smoke, you are a successful quitter. If it took you a while to rewire your brain about the realities of cigarettes but you didn't smoke, you are a successful quitter. Smoking is an addiction. Cigarettes are something we conditioned ourselves with for years. Quitting is a process. If the process was a bit more difficult for you than others. If it took you a little while longer to turn the corner than others. If you really, really, really wanted to smoke a cigarette. If you were grouchy, bordering on homicidal, during parts of your quit...If any of these conditions applied and you stayed true to your commitment and did not smoke, congratulations. Your quit is every bit as much of a successful quit as anyone else's. To smoke or not to smoke...it is the only question that matters when quitting.

Nope. Happy weekend!!

G’day NOPE starts this day C

I'm not smoking for today

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

G’day well it that time of the day, time to think about smoking.... NOPE thats it, all done, till tomorrow morning C

G’day short, sweet, simple.....NOPE C

Good morning fellow NOPErs.... and welcome to the New Year... happy Hogmanany for our lovely Scottish contingent, you guys do this changing of the year better than anyone else in the world. So as we close the door on 2018 and reflect on all the joys, sadness, hopes, achievements and new friendships and memories made just think how much better 2019 will be. Did you know that 1 January is Commitment Day??... celebrated since 1960 Commitment Day as an extension of the tradition of New Year’s Resolutions—however, commitments are different from resolutions in that they are more often made to people, so they can benefit others as well as you! So you might take 5 minutes to turn to your significant other and repeat the commitment you made to them even decades earlier... or you may turn to your kids and commit to spending an hour with them a day.. every day... for the year... it may just be sitting down and having a chat in a cafe... or taking a walk in a park, or doing a jigsaw or a project together... or you may like to commit to a charity, commit to writing 1 letter a week for amnesty international, or commit to participating in Relay for Life, or a trek or a marathon.... or you may commit here to your fellow quitters to NOPE... and if your lurking, you may commit to not smoke... however you celebrate commitment day may you gain from your commitment. NOPE.... lived it every day of 2018.... gunna live it every day of 2019

G’day Never took a selfie before. Had a try tonight. Suppose I had this idea that I’d look great .....like some of those shots of my niece with the big eye shots. How do they do that? chucked most in the bin! Finally used the last one. Well... would be better with a full beard, but I’ll have to keep it short till the next OP. The Tam well why not... 6 generation Aussie Scott. That beard was ginger once.... Now it’s pretty much silver. The little wee one next door, little miss 4 is a little worried about the loss of the beard might have an impact on her presents at Christmas... Plus she’s off to New Zealand this year to be with extended family... ive promised Christmas will happen even in NZ. Just my luck someone going to tell her the truth... and she’s old enough to understand.... C

It's an addiction Kdad, plain & simple and we are all nicotine addicts. Weak moment years down the road - too much to drink at a social gathering & someone offers a smoke and you momentarily think; "I beat this smoking thing for years. I can have one .... it won't hurt". You have one or even a few drags and it awakens your junkie brain. A day or two later you buy a pack thinking you can just have another one. Surely you could smoke just one a day and not 20 or 30 like you used to. Within a week you're back up to a pack a day and the regret over what you did is crushing. It's really easy to maintain your quit once you have a full year or more under your belt but you must always guard against doing something foolish on a whim. People don't smoke years after they quit because they have some overwhelming urge to smoke again. It's always something that starts out very innocently but ends up badly. The circumstances vary but the story is always the same ..... I thought I could have just one!

G'day NOPE for today C

NOPE!

NOPE!

NOPE

NOPE!!!!!!!!!

NOPE - nothing good comes from smoking.

** WARNING ** - I am about to talk about the death of friends and loved ones so if this is a sensitive issue for you please don't read. I was Quit 26 days... and struggling with the quit, that third week had been hell on earth. It felt like every other minute I was fighting the urge to light up. There were two voices in my head Notsmokin Jo (NSJ) who does not smoke and Smokin' Jo (SJ) who does and boy was that Smokin' Jo loud and persistent about being heard and fed her addiction... and then at 10.30pm on day 26 my phone rang... and I dropped everything and went to my friends place... her husband had gone for a drive with his brother 3 hours early and not come home.... the internet was full of news of a horrific accident in our area..... the footage looked like it might be the car.... so while we went to the police station and my daughter stayed with her besty and her grandparents and we went to the cop shop.... the whole time SJ is in my head... "OMG this is serious shit, you can't do this you need a smoke. Like now. If you smoke you will be able to focus on what you need to do... you are such a selfish friend, how can you help if your don't have a smoke to calm the f down... enough of this quit bullshit, you need to get your act together and have a smoke then sort this stuff... you can't help if you don't smoke" ...on and on it droned along the same theme... I heard it as I sat on the floor of the cop shop cradling my friend who had collapsed.... I heard it as I drove her home.... I heard it as we sat at the table and she chain smoked and we watched my daughter hold her daughter in her arms and rock themselves to sleep... I heard it as we realised her lovely, smiley, beautiful husband was not going to come through the door any minute and laugh at us for being so silly.... I heard it as I pried his half melted keys from her hand... and as I washed and dressed her hand where the jagged edges had dug in because she was squeezing them so tight... and as I waited for the girls to fall asleep and then put out her kids chrissy presents because she couldn't go into her bedroom.... as I drove home and got my kid's pressies from Santa and put them out at her house.... as I watched her four year old ask again and again when daddy was coming home... as I watched her throw her laptop across the room so she did have to read the filth and vitriol of internet heroes trashing her dead husbands name..... as I said goodbye and drove my daughter to her dads, then my dads, then back to her dad's..... as I missed my family christmas to drive to the airport to get her mum... and drove home with her mum chain smoking in the car re-living the night before the whole time.... holding my baby while she wailed at life being unfair and how could this happen and why her friends and then after she ignored me and looked it up on the internet why people were saying horrible things about him and then the day she really broke, the day someone told her he was still alive and banging on the window as the car burnt and she had watched the footage on the internet of the car burning....and the months of nightmares..... SJ begged and pleaded and wheedled... "go on have one, just one, you know you want it, you need it".... and every time I fought the urge because that was the only thing I could control.... then on the morning of my one month anniversary the phone rings.... my uncle overseas, the oldest, has fallen and hit his head and is a coma.... so I had to watch my dad contemplate the first of his siblings to die since he was an adult... and know he couldn't for health reasons fly over.... every phone call... he is getting better.... he is worse..... come now.... every call that awful, whiny voice was begging me to smoke... but I held out... one New Years Day when the phone rang and he was gone.... watching my dad shut down... watching his other siblings who couldn't go fall apart or turn into agro nutcases.... it was just too much... but I fought the urge... and I kept my quit. It was hard, it was a battle, and truthfully it was a close call. These were real craves, not just passing thoughts... these involved sweat and determination to beat.... because my brain had been programmed that when the shit hits the fan you have a smoke (or 3) and then deal.... but I had none... I sat surrounded by smokers and did not have one... I did not increase the number of NRT I was having... if anything I decreased it.... but it was hard and for 3 weeks it felt constant. But I was not going to cave because it was the one thing in a time of chaos I had control over. I think the whole second month of my quit was one big, long, agonising crave... constantly, all day, go on, go on, go on, go on, every waking moment and if you were around the first 5 months of my quit you knew there was a hell of a lot of waking moments... on average there were 20 of those in a day..... but I fought every single one of them and I don't even really know why.... wait yes I do... it was the only thing I could control. Then yesterday morning I get a phone call... and I just knew it was bad.... so my little cousin (35) had died of an overdose. I don't know yet if it was deliberate or accidental. But he didn't deserve to go out that way.... no one does... well maybe the real scum of the earth... but he gave back, he cared for his mum... drove over 3 hours each way every couple of days to check up on her or have dinner with her or make sure she was doing ok... he spent his weekends with her most of the time... he had been clean for years.... it just doesn't make sense.... but what did I do... I went about doing a load of washing and going to softball and cooking tea and chatting on here and doing a painting and going to sleep and going to a party and then I left the party and headed home and I lost it... bawled like a baby all the way home from the farm, I dunno how I even saw to drive my eyes were so red and swollen when I got home.... and the whole time my baby sat next to me and didn't know what to do.... she said the silent tears were the worst... but do you want to know what I didn't do? I did not fight a crave.... not one..... not once did I even get an inclining to have a smoke... not one smoking related thought at all.... HOW COULD THIS BE???????... earlier in the year I had faced a constant barrage.... like bullets from a machine gun those craves pummeled me... sure it was much earlier in my quit.... but nothing, not one single thought, whisper, suggestion for anything smoking or nicotine related. You see those of us who have been on the quit train for a while tell you rewards are important its all about re-wiring your brain and the nicotine receptors.... teaching your brain that smoking isn't how we reward ourselves or celebrate... in the same regards the reason the first year is so important is because we have to experience so many firsts without nicotine... season changes, holidays, stresses..... and we have to rewire our brains, rewire the triggers.... so why was there nothing this time.... its because the silver lining of the horror I ended and started this year with rewired every single receptor in my brain and trigger to do with dealing with death... all of them... so this time when the idea and concept of smoking and a nicotine fix didn't even exists... and so the silver lining of this horror is that I know how strong my quit is... I know I can face death and loss and not have to worry about facing my addiction at the same time because those receptors have all be erased and rewired to something else... a new inner strength, maybe? .... but I don't really care what it is because this is the final proof I needed that this time, this quit, this is the forever, sticky quit and while I'm only 11 months free.... I feel way beyond... whole, major sections of my brain don't even recognize nicotine's existence.... sure I'd rather still have my friend, and my uncle, and my cousin.... would probably even trade my quit for them to be here.... but giving up my quit wasn't going to bring them back or help me cope.... silver linings people... they are in any and every situation... mine in this instance are purely selfish.... but I would rather think that its the last gift these three amazing men gave me in their lifetimes... and I will treasure it always. So newbies, and lurkers.... and the in-betweenies.... sometimes the re-wiring hurts, it cuts a deep raw wound straight through the center of your being... but those nicotine receptors do get rewired... so its up to you... are you going to do the work to re-wire... it starts with the rewards... oh yay I went an hour without a smoke... I'm going to eat this lovely strawberry / candy / celery stick.... whatever... but do something... every hour.... every two hours...every 12.... every day.....every week.... every milestone you pass.... because regardless of what shit life throws at you there is a nicotine receptor in your brain waiting to exploit it.... and you need to take the control back and re-wire those. Because it can be done.... it is done.... every day by the members here who travel this train.... get rid of the smokes and the vapes and start re-wiring.... you have the power within you to totally change your life and your brain... how fricking amazing is that!

Gday NOPE gets this day started C

Hello, I managed to stay smoke-free for almost two days, but unfortunately smoked 3 ciggarettes today, as the brain fog became unbearable at work :(. I threw my pack, lighter and ashtray, and I am ready to jump on the Quit Train! My story: Smoked since I was 14, now I'm 23, and decided I should end this addiction for good. I'm happy to find this community and I am confident that I will manage to stay quit with the help and support provided by this forum, and hope that when the time comes I can help others quit as well. I will no longer smoke and punish myself everyday with this addiction!

It's not just a case of ..!!!!Oh well I'll try again.!!!!..... I've seen people with good quits ,smoke one or two ...and just carnt get back to quitting for good ,and go back to smoking full blown . It can take years before ,they get in the right frame of mind to try again ...and still fail..... The only reason a quit fails is because ,folks still believes the cigarette offers you something...you still believes the lies...... This means you still haven't read and understood the nature of this killer addiction ... If you carry on smoking ,your more than likely will contract a smoking related illness....some are irreversible...... If your here ...you have a quit .....all you need to do now ,is keep hold of it with everything you have .... I live with someone who ,if they could would turn back the clock ,and do exactly this ...emphysema is something you don't want ....

Nope! Because smoking is bad for all living creatures!

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

Hubby quit!!!!!! Was three weeks Thursday!!!! And........I am still alive He did a patch for 4 days, nrt gum for 2 weeks..... I am so HAPPY!

NOPE

#NOPE

It passed. I definately won’t smoke. Not sure when I’ll go home....but I definitely won’t smoke. Truth: I can’t imagine being chained to those godforsaken things again!

Hello everyone, I'm Tammy (Tamanna) from Mumbai India. I started smoking pretty late in my life (not that I'm complaining) and smoked for around 10 years roughly attempting to quit twice along the way before realizing I'm just kidding myself and I need to admit I have an addiction. Quit cold turkey on a hot, sultry June afternoon in Mumbai (I think the heat did have something to do with quitting, wasn't worth getting roasted while setting a stick on fire in my mouth) and have been quit ever since. Had more than my share of scares and triggers along the way, but this dedicated, amazing, supportive, funny and shiny bunch of people always picked me up when I was down. Made good friends along the way so really I have won big time with QT. I try to get on and take the pledge daily (it really helps me) and be a part of the celebrations, because every day spent saying no to this filthy addiction is a win and should be celebrated.

Hi I'm WeegieWoman. And i am a weegie ie a Glaswegian. I smoked from around 14 to 33. Quit date November 6th 2017. Why I quit - I quit on a whim at the end of a week where three people I know got diagnosed with cancer. I'd had 6 planned quits before this quit which never lasted more than 22 days. I used patches and lozenges for the first few weeks and after a while just didn't need them. Advice- don't freak out about being on NRT, how long you'll be on it, how you'll get off it. Just don't smoke. And hang around here a lot, get yourself a quit gang. Reach out and pm members. You'll only really find me in the games now, in not too good at paying it forward! But come and say hi in the games anytime ?

The oh ? a cannae see the button without ma glasses and a didnae get them off quick enough before i pressed the button selfie..?

So its time… this is kinda a confessional and kinda a thank you….. and I didn’t cry so it was worth waiting…..there really is no significance to the order this appears in… I just did it to the order of posts…. So, to may amazing fellow travellers on the best train on earth thank you and…. @jillar – the first person to say hi to me, to reach out a hand and to tell me that it was pretty normal to feel worse week three than week one… others had been there too… it gets better…. Thank you for holding my hand for my whole quit… for being my friend, IRL not just on a screen because you are right there is no difference…. We may never meet, what with your aversion to flying and my lack of documentation, physically but we have met, we know each other and in real life we are friends. When I ventured back onto the boards after my horror Christmas/New Year you took the time to congratulate me on my first month of freedom (I hadn’t even realised) and then you took the time to ask where I had been and if I was OK… thank you so much for reaching out to a virtual stranger… your kindness touched me and changed me… made me a better person than I think I was… thank you my friend for all your help and support. (Oh and thanks for me fairy bread... see not just a quit guru but a true friend) @BKP– every wobble along the way you have taken the time to give me some advice, or some support or crack a laugh… and the support you give others has always held things I took on and applied to my own journey… thank you for telling me I was worth it, because you were right and that became a mantra… because I am worth it, we all are. @reciprocity – So me Canadian mate… thank you for passing the woohoo torch to me… don’t think I have ever told you but checking that bloody list every day and having the honor of starting the woohoo threads stopped me lighting up more than once. So that first trip you took when I was “just filling in” …. I was really bumpy with my quit then, didn’t let on but it was a tough time and having to hold the fort for you kept me coming back each day… do you know, I nearly turned you down when you asked me to take over… because I was scared if I said yes you would have a free pass to vanish from the boards and I’m a selfish b1tch and I didn’t want to lose your support…. Remember that time I went to the 7eleven in the middle of the night and the guy had the smokes on the counter ready to push over once I paid… the biggest thing that stopped me from handing over my money and taking those smokes…. I had 3 annis to do in the morning… and I had Fluffy’s one year coming up in a few days and if I smoked no one had the updated anni list and who would do them and….”sorry mate changed my mind”….. you gave me the success of this quit the day you said to me can you take over the woohoos…. But its more than that… smoking and not smoking dramas you’re there to support me, and prop me up, to listen (well read) my whinging and to tell me to pull me head in if I need. You and Lord Kent share the Jiminy Cricket roll… and the sanity check roll… thank you, even if you do think pizza is the bomb… I promise to never, ever listen to a Celine Dion song again without cursing on your behalf. I don’t think people realise how much of yourself you give to others to help them quit…. I’m forever grateful I got just a little bit. @Nancy – when I first stumbled onto the train as a refugee from QSMB thank you for welcoming me and helping my find my feet. For being worried about me during the time I was floating without support…. And for being in my corner over there. And thank you for my av… pretty sure I got the Booby idea from a post you made over at QSMB.. Another who has supported me from the start. @Jordan7 – Thanks for your positive, silver lining approach to the advice. You are another who’s posts I always gain from regardless of who’s thread they are in response to. You are a wonderful balance here and I am so glad you are still paying it forward to those coming behind. I have certainly benefited from your contributions. @Rozuki – Well, not sure if I ever told you but your NOPEs were one of my favourite things on QSMB… every day I would hang out to see what you would post for your NOPE… beazel always did something sparkly… but you always found something original and quirky… I stalked that NOPE thread for about 3 weeks before I had the courage to post …. Because I was convinced I was going to fail and I was scared to post NOPE – Not One Puff Ever… I was terrified that if I swore NOPE in front of everyone when I didn’t really believe it was true it would be a false promise, a big fat lie… but then I started searching NOPEs trying to guess what you would come up with… you and Green Meanie…. and I was finding things I wasn’t see either of you post and it was that aussie competitive gene that kicked in and I started to NOPE… to (I know this is mental) compete with you…. And my quit got stronger… and then I didn’t really care about competing with you I wanted to make my NOPE my own so I stopped the pics and started odd little facts and then it evolved into the craziness it is now… so firstly, anyone who doesn’t like my NOPEs should be blaming you ? and secondly, and much more importantly…. Thank you for showing me the beauty of NOPE and that it could be fun and a gift to others and therefore making my quit stronger and so much more likely to succeed… see you never know what post you make will effect and help another’s quit or their journey. Oh I noticed your confused face at my bogan party playbook comment… so Bogans are like the Aussie version of rednecks but we are more based in the suburbs than the bush… anyway bogans in particular have a habit of getting drunk and then doing a Shoey… this is sculling a drink, usually a tinny (can) of beer, from a shoe… yes disgusting…. Anywho… in Australia there are many brands of beer… but most beers have one place they are like over others… so Melbournians tend to go for VB (Victorian Bitter) or Melbourne Bitter, or Crownies (Crown Larger) if ya a bit fancy… Tassies have Coopers and Boags…. Western Australia has Swan, SA probably has something but it will be shit and none of us really care…. Queenslanders have Xxxx (four ex)… and NSW, especially Western Sydney (The bogan capitol of NSW) have Toohey’s which is the shittest beer after Fosters which no one drinks because its shite and we just export it to you lot and the poms…. So we what I was saying was Jordan had footage of someone doing a shoey but I’ll bet it wasn’t Tooheys in the shoe unless the boat was in Western Sydney… bet you’re even more confused now. @Joe7 – Lucky Joe … your support was amazing… you kept me going and you are another who always comes running for those having a wobble. Your posts both to my sos’s and to those of others always have something that makes my quit grow. You are another I didn’t want to let down. SO what you probably don’t know is that your words the last time I had a serious wobble… those words were the biggest ahh ha moment of my quit… those words were like the final nail in the coffin cementing this quit…. Right up until the moment I read them a little part of me was still waiting for me to fail, to give up the quit and smoke, not believing I could do this… and you changed that internal voice of doubt with a single post… yep time to re-think…. Thanks you so much. @Doreensfree – Well where to start… thanks for, well …. EVERYTHING…. Thanks for getting me, even when you need me to translate … seriously though you have been a rock, and a guiding light, and a very dear friend, even if you barrack for a shit soccer team ? and think union is better than league… well actually I kind of agree with you there….seriously though, thank you for the threat of the frying pan, for tellin me what for when I needed it… for giving me your support…. And for being an inspiration… you have shown me that no matter how many horrors you have to deal with daily you can still give back and give of yourself to others and through doing that you grow stronger and feel better not only about yourself but about your situation…. You are a shining example of who I want to be when I grow up…. You are who I want to be now…. Regardless of what is happening away from the screen you make the time for everyone and you can still see the beauty and the joy and the laughter in life and you still have time and pieces of yourself for every random that comes along…. You my dear are a true hero…. And you always find the best eye candy… so lickable likeable. The best big sister anyone could ever wish for. @Sazerac – My kindred spirit… we are so similar in so many ways but so different in others… a true friend who has been the barer of home truths and wise words… who has given me a shoulder to cry on and has been cheering my name for a while now. Your dedication to spreading the quit word and to helping others experience the gift of freedom from our nicotine addictions is amazing. I am so very grateful to the time you spend searching the archives for those old, forgotten posts that are the exact perfect thing for someone experiencing these things for the first time. You read our posts and you go hunting because you know the post that’s out there that will help us. Oh, not sure if I told you but my little Birdie says thanks too… she used the nuggets clip you found in her presentation on how addiction works and got an A+ … she even had the QT and Sazerac in her references. I love your art, I love your sewing, I love claiming you as my friend. Thank you for just being you. @MLMR – Well our little dutch princess, I know you are still fairly new to your quit and you are struggling at times but your beautiful posts, in a language that is not your own, are an inspiration to those coming behind, and those ahead of you also. Sharing your journey is such an honor, and every victory you have I cheer and do my happy dance. You are showing those out there lurking what some dedication and perseverance can achieve. You are the proof that someone needs to know they can overcome whatever hurdles life gives them to succeed and be a smoke free wonder diva…. And you have been able to give Doreen’s garden some wonderful contributions. I am sorry I have been a bit slack with the NOPE posts lately… it’s a time thing… to early to post when I leave and the day is over when I am home… I really do need to make the effort more… or find my phone, charge it and do them on the train. @WeegieWoman – Weegie…. My Scottish mate, well one of the Wonderful Wees my two favourite Scottish lassies…. even if you do think I sound like Gina (still slightly shattered over that one)… I defo wouldn’t be here today without you in my corner… you fired me up when that was what I needed… you called me on my bullshit when that was the case… but always, always you had my back, you were in my corner and more than that you are the champion of the underdog…. You keep giving and giving long after lots of us give up and you do it with such class. You make this quitting thing look easy and I really do owe you a massage, your shoulders must be killing from holding up my fat arse. One of the best things to come from quitting…. Getting you as a mate…. And I always knew I’d be able to call on you in a barney but now you are getting boxing fit… defo want you in me corner. And yes my dear… you really can pick them… your radar is spot on… and I should defo pay you more heed. @Linda Thomas – What an honour it has been to share your journey. You are so inspirational. From when I first joined a quit site to now you quit is the one I have enjoyed sharing the most. It really is a thing of beauty. From the very first post I was hooked, you journey has been one of multiple levels… remember early on when your father’s birthday was looming… I know how worried you were and you flew through it… with class…. I was so happy for you. You have come so far and you always have a kind word for everyone. You are an inspiration. You are pretty frickin amazing actually. If you ever feel wobbly re-read those posts you made in your first month and see how much you have grown and the beauty of that is someone is coming behind you and they are going to read your posts and say OMG that’s just like me… and they will find the courage and strength to join us too. You know one of the reasons I can’t go anywhere any time soon… I am so looking forward to posting your Lido Deck party. @Lilly – Lilly, you know what would be awesome… being able to give you 11 monthly woohoo threads and then a big huge Lido… I’d love to do that… would be the best 1 year anniversary present you could give me. I totally respect that you stay here and keep trying… because eventually everything will click, the quit will stick and you will have the best charm bracelet on earth… there are like 20 chicks here hanging to see that charm bracelet…. Pretty please KTQ @Paul723 – Thank you for being another long termer still here paying it forward. And you are right I did find an inner strength I never realised I had because it was hidden by a cloud of smoke… but I also had a group of really amazing friends propping me up and then an amazing group of fellow quitters from all over the world who came running when I needed, who kept me sane and laughing and taught me how to be smoke free and happy. @Martian5 – Can’t wait until you join me Martian5…. I can’t really say what I want to say because it will be half of my Lido party speech for you… but you are a quit master… one of those people who even at only a few weeks in you seemed so balanced and set with your quit… I know technically I’m leading the way for you but let me tell you the reality is you lead me with your example of how to be wonderfully smoke free. @johnny5…. another one who always came running when I hit rock bottom, who made me realise I was worth it and who’s opinion I respect and someone I didn’t want to let down. … well I kinda hated you over at QSMB… always with the +2 in the flippin Old Phartes verses Newbies number game… it was like a form of torture but the hope that we (the newbies who only got to -1) could beat the old phartes… OMG that was such an ambition…. And I’d think it was doable and then that bloody baby with a fist av would show up and rain all over me parade. LOL… and there you were giving out this wonderful advice and cheering everyone one and how could anyone hate Johnny5….. @Boo – Can I confess in part I made the Lido deck just to spite you… in a friendly kinda way… dunno how to explain it but when I first arrived here as a refugee you pegged me straight away as the crazy one… which I think I kinda took as a challenge (and kinda read as you sayin “well this one wont make it”)… which may just kinda prove your point… so anyway, I just don’t get some of your music… you have introduced me to some new stuff (well knew to me) that’s pretty bloody good and above all that… you give some the best advice in with the least amount of fuss… its to the point but not blunt and pretty damn inspirational… so while I may claim I get my daily exercise by reading your fitness posts… the true gift I got from sharing my journey with you were the wise words you shared not only with me but others too. We are pretty luck to have you here to pay it forward…. Now learn how to take a pic with ya phone and post it so we can all ooh and ahh over Cash. @Pearlie– Wow thanks for popping in to share my celebration. Thanks also for helping me though those early days with the playing of the games. Those games, here and over there kept me going in the early days and you were a big part of that. I miss you being around more but am so glad you were more active during my early days. Thanks for all your support during this quit. @Tammy– My favourite Indian Princess…. Each month when it gets to the 20th I say to myself “no way is Tammy only #months”…. You may be coming behind me but you are an inspiration. From the first time you took a sledge at Sslip… the first time you talked about your friends, the stray dogs, I knew you were destined for success and I knew I wanted to have you call me your dearest friend. Being you friend and having you in my corner is something that would never have happened had I not quit. Your posts are a work of art and you writing so uplifting… I love that you have started blogging and you are another one who’s command of the written English language puts me to shame and its not even your native tongue. I am touched that you think its fortunate to know me because the reality is I am the fortunate one. @Jet Black – Well we did it, in different styles and different ways and with different comfort levels but we did it, we both successfully took on our addictions and won. Thanks for your support and while we may not always agree when we do life is good. @Sslip – 7th mate… 7th generation and bloody proud cos my convicts didn’t steal no bread, nope we were the trouble making politically inclined Irish catholic convicts to be sure, to be sure, to be sure. Thank you for seeing the AFL for the thing of abject class and beauty that it is… the gladiators of modern sport… and I do think I gave you a decent steer in the team barrack for even if one of your players did have a Ken Bruce moment. Thanks for persisting with trying to teach me soccer I am trying and following it but I just can’t work out what the games are for and its just all hodge podge all over the place cups and what not. But more than anything, thank you for a) quitting earlier this year… b) joining QSMB then taking refuge here... it was actually googling Sslip that lead me here… c) the sledging, cos wots the point in a pommy mate if there’s no sledging.. d) being a competitive bastard… I can 100% guarantee that if it wasn’t for you I wouldn’t be here still quit…. Initially because there was no way on earth I was smoking while you weren’t…. then it was because I valued our friendship too much to throw it away with a smoke… because you know me and you know if I tossed my quit I’d be gone… but also thank you to you and beazel particularly for nagging me to go to the doctors all those months ago… because I would probably still be whinging about things and not have bother having them checked without your push. So the day Johnny5 gave me my biggest ahh-ha moment you made me feel like I had let you down… you told me you were disappointed…. Because lets face it I was being a snowflake and a bit of a sooky sooky lah lah and totally self destructive and I broke a promise…. And I never wanted to feel that again…. So you too cemented this shit. And I don’t care what anyone says… Gladstone Small is a frickin famous person… lol. @joe Jo-with an E…… lover of chicks and one very special little bloke. I have loved having you share this journey with me… making me laugh and being so generous to share you family with us too. I am so glad you got your little fella, eventually… dunno why you persist in that silly counting game, lol…. But thank you for the support and the laughs. Oh and the Aussie NOPE….. probably Yeah-NAH. @Cbdave – I love starting my days with G’day. OMG the first local mango is a true gift, those northies just don’t understand the sacrifice you just made…. Frickin love me mangos, although they cost a mint down here. So glad to have had you on this journey… your wit has been a blessing and the one day you didn’t nope… when you drove half way across the continent to pick up a trailer for a mate my day just didn’t go well… no g’day…. Then throughout the quit there have been other g’days and wise words of wisdom, which is really rather odd considering your banana bending status.. I mean real wise prosaic short and sweet gems to guide and support ... but…. Jokes aside, your support smoke and personally has been a true gift and something I have clung to in the dark moments when the side effects of medicine hurt and make me feel like crap... you just make it seem so hopeful. So get bloody better because I expect at least 40 more years of g’day starts my day…. You make me laugh, you’ve made me cry… in the good way not the mean nasty way…. And well it just wouldn’t have been the same without you help and support. So hurry up and get your matching scar before some dag deports you to Tassie. Well grab ya tinny of Gold Xxxx.... and as they say in only the classiest of circles... Up ya bum! @bakon - You only just worked out I’m a chick????? Seriously??? I hope you’re just a traffic cop and not a detective cos that’s a bit scary for the poor peeps of Pittsburgh. Thanks for the congrats, the laughs and the wise words that you try to disguise as jokes. Oh and thanks for that game I love to hate… frickin numbers. Look I don’t normally do this but considering the special occasion and the fact you were so kind as to share yours… here is a pic of meslef…. With my pouch on clear display as a girl bit I think I covered your request. @catlover – so glad you found your way onto the train. It has been fantastic having you in my corner and it has been a blast being in yours. Can I just say every time I look at a bag of popcorn I think of you… then I think of dancing cats. So one time during my quit I had one of my smoking dreams… now my smoking dreams are not like everyone else… oh no I don’t dream about smoking… me I dream about the people on the train…. So one time you were in my dream… so I know it was you because every time you spoke popcorn would fly out your mouth and then I asked you for something, oh all right if you must know I asked for a lighter because I was going to smoke and you kept checking all your pockets and you had about 50 pockets and in every pocket there was a cat or a kitten and you kept taking them out and giving them to me to hold and well you never did find a lighter…. So thank you for helping me to KTQ… even in my dreams. @Lin-quitting– thanks for being in my corner from way back when…. And thanks for sharing the journey. Tell you what the class of 2017 quitters was pretty bloody impressive. @StewieTech – my Pork Chop… my long suffering Portuguese mate… thanks for being such a huge part of my quit. Thank you for persevering and trying to translate my very bad English. You have inspired me when I have struggled. You have made me laugh and you have given me a very red arse… and I have loved every minute of it. I am so happy I had you to cheer me on. Thank you for being my Bigus Dickus. You were often the light in my dark days. @Lust4Life– Thanks for sharing the journey. I have to pick up my 12 month anni t-shirt… and once I do there will be pictures of them all… my NOPE shirts… in all their glory. @beazel… thank you so much for popping in to share my celebration. You were the second person ever to respond to my first post. You and Jillar are vital components to me making the first year milestone. You kept me on course in those early weeks and post Christmas. I am so very lucky I had you and Jillar to show me the way. I looked up to you both and was dependant on your support to prop me up in those bumpiest of bumpy days. I really wish you could spend more time here, you have so much of value to share. I love your flying visits… always seem to miss you but love that fleeting touch… always you will have a fond place reserved in my heart. You used to think you didn’t do enough to help others but you did so very much… playing the games and keeping them going and being quick and witty and sharp was a major part of how I kept my quit in those early days… if you were not there to keep the games chugging along I would have had nothing to fill the void, all the spare time I suddenly had. So thank you for being there when I was lost and scared and not sure if I even wanted to quit…. Things would have been a whole lot different without you and Jillar in my corner. @Fab – Cheers mate, to our other Queenslander… look at you, less than a month to go and you too will be a year free. Great to see you still with us and popping in from time to time. So thank you one and all for the support. So there are some who haven’t found there way in here for a woohoo and that’s cool….. but I need to shout them out with thanks anyway…because they played important parts in my quit… @Wee fluffy me– Thanks for being there from the get go, for the laughs, for the care, for the advice both about quitting and life and mumming…. Thanks for the awesome Scottish slang lessons…. For the talk of kilts and gardens and rats…. Ahh the great rat invasion of 2018… but most of all thank you for being my friend and leading my way… and all those awesome celebration cakes you made for me during my journey. You are defo a huge reason I’m still here, your are heaps more than a wee influence on me quit and I am glad to have you in me corner any day of the week. @c9jane29 – you were all quiet for a while while you dealt with ya quit and your sick bubba and then in a cloud of sparkly glitter you were back…. Leading the way keeping an eye on the newbies and the renovations you instigated to the stick thread… the stuff of legend. Sort out the phone thing soon…. 5 days by my count… and I am counting… thanks for all you do.

Nope! Happy Thanksgiving to all the American peeps

Hey all I was thinking of why this Forum works. As you participate you are building something over time. You can form relationships with individuals, hear advice from the group, help others maintain their quit, and make a daily NOPE pledge. All this adds up to a meaningful "thing". The "thing" begins to act as a counterbalance to the urge to smoke. When I have cravings I think of this forum first. It is not guilt, (they will judge me), but more of a feeling that I would be sacrificing all that I have done. It is making this quit different. During other quits the urge to smoke was meet with abstract ideas of negative consequences. These were often flimsy and wouldn't hold up. This is a strong, positive, structure we are building. And it works.

G'day NOPE for today C

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I have not smoked, not even a little cheat poot puff puff, in 2 weeks!!! It feels good. It's the second longest quit I've had. Still walking on egg shells and having mad cravings, but minute by minute I am making it as a non smoker. N.O.P.E.

Nope. tomorrow will be my 4 week cigarette free anniversary.