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*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.

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.

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!

Ok, that was just to get your attention.... My sister is going to quit smoking - she just started Chantix. She has the normal fears, alright....she's scared out of her wits. She calls me with her new "fear" OR "I was wondering..." I am able to give her an intelligent answer! Imagine that???? I guess two and a half years of reading, reading & more reading not only helped me but just might help my sister reach her sticky quit. KTQ

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 ....

Myself and my fellow Quit Train Buddies are in our Decade Year We have a few who have more years smoke free . So i am throwing a Big Party for us all... Oldies come and tell you how you are doing ..would love to hear from you Doreensfree xx

To all the newbies who are active or lurking, I can tell you that quitting smoking is definitely something you can do and it is worth the early struggles. I quit after roughly 20 years as a smoker, and the last few years of my smoking life was spent struggling with short quits, trying to cut down, relapsing, etc. What helped me was joining a site like this and reaching out for support and reading about others' experiences in their quits. I also tried to take it one week, day, hour, minute at a time.....whatever it took. Don't worry about craves that might happen a day or two from now. Just focus on pushing through and defeating any craves that you may be currently experiencing.. Each crave you fight through makes your quit stronger. Quitting smoking is very doable and I encourage anyone who wants to quit to take the leap. It is worth it.

Still around sometimes……

Woohoo, six years quit today!!! I couldn't have done it without all the support I received, especially my first year quit. I've been fortunate to be able to be here to pay it forward and have made great friendships with people all over the world and for that I feel so grateful

So I finally pulled the trigger on replacing a storm door that's needed replaced for about 6 months. It's one of those tedious, sometimes aggravating projects, w/ lots of steps that I really didn't want to do but it had to be done. From tearing off the old one to installing, then cleaning up the mess took about 6hrs. I was having huge cravings multiple times. This is the kind of project a cigarette would have given me a reason to take a break from the job. In the past, multiple times I would have come up w/ a reason to leave in my car (need a fresh fountain drink, probably need a tube of caulk, etc) so I could go have a cigarette and give myself a break. Instead, I just worked on it for 6hrs straight, forgetting to even eat lunch, just because I wanted it over with. So many times I thought how much I wanted to leave and go smoke. So many times I thought how when the project was done, I could tell my wife I was going to go hike, but buy a pack on the way. Nobody would know. And darn straight I would have enjoyed every last puff. But I made it through. I wanted to smoke about 6. But I did not want the 7000 that would come with the 6. And I didn't want to spend $4000 for those 6. I know full well I would lose all my mojo if I have even 1 and it always takes me well over a year before I can bring myself to start a serious quit. Should have taken a break and gotten on here cause it was getting real. But, it's good to get some experience learning how to deal w/ an aggravating situation w/o nicotene. OK, that's my whine.

When I quit smoking on Sept 7, I printed a Sept calendar sheet so I could put a red X on something each day I didn't smoke. Today marks 23 days and is the last day of the month. Felt great to have to print out a new sheet for October. Not a month of not smoking yet, but just the action of having to change the calendar felt so good. And taped at the bottom of my calendar is a small sheet that says: "If you quit now... You'll end up right back where you first began. And when you first began, you were desperate to be right where you are now. Keep going." Those red X's remind me of all I would be giving up if I take even one puff.

Why not take a seat and join us .... You,ll be surprised how better it is ,with friends who understand your fears and concerns ... Quitting can be fun ... What you waiting for

As many of you know I was officially diagnosed with severe emphysema and COPD after I had respiratory failure in January of 2020. Most of you also know that for years I was struggling with breathing issues that I was told was asthma. In the two years leading up to my respiratory failure I went from 110 pounds on a 5'5" frame to just 79 when I was admitted into the ICU. My prognosis at that time was pretty grim, get better or go home on hospice. But either way I was also going home on oxygen. Since then I have put most of the weight back on and continue to feel myself get stronger each day. So then what's the point of this post you may be asking and its this.... I found a great group for people with COPD on Facebook which is ironic because I never used Facebook pre pandemic but the group is awesome. So many people that can relate and answer the many questions those of us newly diagnosed have. Much like our community does. Here's the sad part, I read post after post from members of that group still smoking. Some are on oxygen and still smoke! I of course pass our site on to them and I hope they find their way here. Its just really sad to see. There's even a few who's Drs have refused certain procedures because they're smoking. Life saving procedures too I might add. COPD is a progressive disease with no known cure. It can be slowed with proper medications and quitting smoking. Sadly we can have it for years and not even know it until we get an exacerbation. Mine was thought to be asthma. My day consists of trying to keep my 50' oxygen tubing out of the walkways and from getting caught in the doors. I'm embarrassed to go anywhere because people will be whispering things like "that's what happens when you smoke" etc. My poor dog and cat also have to dodge it while I'm walking down the hall to feed them. Its no way to live. I'm not looking for any sympathy I just want to put a brutal face to this terrible addiction in the hopes it helps someone quit or keep their quit.....

G’day NOPE .......and a pinch and a punch for the first of the month

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

Hello, everyone I am still here lurking and reading. I make sure I come here everyday to pledge nope for the day. Then I check it periodically throughout the day. I am still smoke free. I Haven't had a cigarette in 11 days. I have been keeping busy cleaning our the house and car. Going fishing, and hanging out with family and friends. Dealing with everyone and everything. Like I said I am coming here when I need to, sometimes reading, sometime posting on my blog or on the forum. Just wanted to let people know I am okay.

I haven't been smoke free all that long but I am slowly seeing some of the benefits. For example, I've started to breathe better and I believe my blood pressure is at a much better level. I still get cravings but they at a totally manageable. I don't miss worrying about wether I have enough smokes to last the day. I think I smoked the most when I was bored but I realize that I got better things to do in my down time. It's quite a revelation to know that life's tough moments don't involve smoking to get through them.

Rozuki In 25 days, I will celebrate 3 yrs quit!! I have had a few health issues in those 3 years, but survived a stroke in 2017 and CABG x 3 open heart surgery in 2018. No complaints and my doctors are happy with how I am doing. Gained quite a few lbs\kg (due to the heart surgery, not the fact that I quit smoking!!) but have managed to lose a few of 'em...will be doubling down on the exercise as I need to fit into a bathing suit the week of May 1st!!! I retired January 2019 and in process of getting my house ready to sell this summer...fingers crossed it goes quickly and smoothly. Here is a cute pic of one of my dogs, his name is Panda....he is a Morkie (Maltese/Yorkie) and is a sweetie-pie of a little tuff guy!

Me !!!l.... Horney Toad,Doorbell,Boos Soddy Daisy..... Over 6 years Quit...thanks to the good folks here ...after puffing myself through 52 years.... Just done a round trip to Australia and back ....alone .....another massive achievement.... On arrival back ...I see my grandson is bigger than me .....

Linda 537 days quit I have entered the next phase of my life. I turned 65 yrs old yesterday.. My husband retired on December 31st. I do find he is a little hooked to my hip but it is wonderful to pick up and do what we want. I hope we can navigate this new period of our lives with little bumps. Hopefully quitting smoking gives us more time together and we stay healthy. I did gain quite a few quit smoking pounds but started the new year dieting. My husband and I have both lost 8 pounds each.

Hello, Unless you were on QSMB years ago, you probably do not remember or know about Jonny 5. However, this very inspirational poster is celebrating his 8 years anniversary today !!! Happy 8 Years, Jonny 5 !!! Below is a re-post of one of Jonny 5´s famous posts from QSMB - Enjoy !!! YOU AND I ARE NICOTINE ADDICTS, THESE ARE THE RULES Posted 26 January 2014 - 02:48 PM If you smoked, and continued to smoke, even knowing it was very dangerous, then like me, you are a nicotine addict. YOU WILL ALWAYS BE ADDICTED TO NICOTINE, CHANGES HAVE TAKEN PLACE THAT CAN'T BE REVERSED because you are a nicotine addict, you can never casually use nicotine without reawakening the addiction THE GOOD NEWS IS YOU DO NOT HAVE TO CONTINUE TO USE NICOTINE BECAUSE YOU ARE AN ADDICT You can put the addiction to sleep, and live as if you have never smoked, never troubled, or distracted by cravings. TO ESCAPE YOU MUST NEVER INGEST NICOTINE EVER AGAIN, OR YOU WILL GO THROUGH WITHDRAWAL AGAIN sure, the habit part of the addiction may have been disrupted or broken through your quit time, but following relapse the physical withdrawals could lead you back to full time smoking again. I UNDERSTAND THAT MY BRAIN CHEMISTRY HAS BEEN ALTERED. I UNDERSTAND THE CONSEQUENCES OF INTRODUCING NICOTINE INTO MY BODY, I UNDERSTAND THAT I CAN NEVER TAKE NICOTINE WITHOUT MY ALTERED BRAIN RESTARTING THE ADDICT CRAVINGS ALL OVER AGAIN DO YOU?

Still loving my badges! Well I made it though the first 30 days! There have been some cravings. But all in all not to bad. I have the habit I think the most at this point. But I’m finding I like not having cigarettes running the show! I don’t have to worry did I remember my cigarettes and lighter, when am I going to get to a smoking area etc. I feel free when this happens now! And the times I think about smoking are becoming less and less. And thanks again to everyone who has supported me in my quest to become a non smoker! This forum has been invaluable to me and my success! I may not always post but I’m here everyday reading.

A New Month ... Who is still sitting on the Train .... Of course the Toad is still buckled up !!!!

I'm still on the train

Wouldn't miss old cobsie's anniversary month....especially when we all pretend to forget and he gets his blue tighty whities in a twist..

Cheers!

I'm here!

Day 13 here, day 2 with no nicotine gum. It took me a while, but I finally made it. There's really no withdrawl to speak of, just substituting regular gum and it works just fine. I'm really glad I quit this way, it worked well for me now the rest without nicotine at all is up to me. Luckily, I forgot to bring the nicotine gum to work with me a couple of times and I didn't smoke so I have no fear of relapsing at work anymore. This quit will be as long or short as I make it, glad to be back in the drivers seat. Thank you all for your support.

It certainly has been a long and winding road for me on this quitting journey. I am definitely in a much better place now...both physically and mentally. I still remember those early days of my quit and how I thought "Will I ever get to a place where I am not constantly fighting the craves?". It was so exhausting but I kept trudging forward, ever so slowly! I am still here to let you know you eventually will get to that place and it will be a source of immense pride!! I truly think I couldn't have done it without the online support of a site like QuitTrain or QSMB (my first support group which is no longer around). Thanks for acknowledging my 5 yr (!!!!!!!) milestone, Rozuki the Rockstar

Ohhhh boy do I have a story to tell. Some of you know me and some of you don’t. However, I can’t expect you to remember me. It’s been an incredibly long and arduous journey. But it’s been my journey and it’s been a decent one so far. I’ve gone by many names in the past; some born from shame, some merely from forgetting my login information. Probably the most prominent username I’d been known by was HonorAmongstThieves; although many of you endearingly referred to me as HAT. Well, I could not pinpoint any username on this website, so I had to make a new one some time ago, which, as per usual it had remained dormant due to being a smoker. You see, my quit smoking journey unintentionally began on 1 January 2011. It was New Years and I only hd a couple cigarettes left but I didn’t want to go out so late to buy more. I decided to see if I could quit. And I did for about 4 months. I relapsed; which I would soon learn would be a recurring theme in my life. On the first night of my quit I came across a now defunct website, the QSMB, which is where I met many of you trying to accomplish the same thing that I was. I didn’t make an account until I was 72 hours free of nicotine in case I couldn’t hack it. I learned many techniques and coping skills that did help me through my initial 4 month quit. But alas, I was weaker than the cigarette and I fell back into my old ways. This is much how the past decade had gone for me. When I got wind of wanting to quit again, I’d lurk around, quit, be active for awhile, and then eventually relapse again. I met so many wonderful people through that website. I was even around during the great migration to this website, though I relapsed and when I came back, that website, to my surprise, was completely gone. But that’s alright because change is good. I began doing the same things here, lurking, quitting and being active here, and then relapsing. So many amazing and wonderful things have happened in my life over the past 11 years that I have tried to quit. I have worked incredibly hard to make changes in my life and I’m proud to say that I am not the same immature young adult that I was 11 years ago. Even then, I still kept smoking. Quitting. Relapsing. It’s a vicious cycle. Through all the personal struggle, the drama on the QSMB, the difficult and often painful pangs of growing and maturing, it’s all been worth it. But like Frankie said, “Regrets, I’ve had a few, but then again, to few to mention.” Still, if there was one thing I could change about my life, I would never pick up those first cigarettes. They took too much of my life, my health, my money, my looks; too much of everything. I always wondered if I would ever be back to this place, other than lurking. Even now, I still do. It’s been hard. So many countless, blurry nights where I told myself that I hated myself. That I would never change. That I told myself I didn’t have what it takes to be a better person. Even those days aren’t that long ago. But I made gradual, sometimes baby-step, changes in my life and I’m a better man now. A better husband, father, provider. I often look back to that fateful night, 11 years ago and cringe with regret. If hadn’t relapsed, I’d be preparing to celebrate 11 years of freedom from nicotine. It was exactly that thinking that kept me bogged down, unable to advance. It seemed so far away. So impossibly out of reach. I’ve honestly had to fight myself from coming back to this board and posting, and being active. Not because it’s bad, lol that is NOT the case. I learned so much about quitting smoking from the people here…but I also learned about myself. I didn’t come back because I wanted to do it on my own. With my support group at home; my wife and children; my family and friends. My mentors and peers who believed in me. But I did tell myself I would be back. I told promised myself that I would not forget the people who helped me get to this point in my life, which certainly consists of many of you who tried to educate me. For those who believed in me and never gave up on me. I came back for you. Because I believe that I owed it to you to let you know how things have been. How much my struggle with nicotine impacted my life and my decisions to this point. But most importantly, I believe I owe it to you to tell you that, as I submit this post, for the first time in my life since I began smoking, I can openly and honestly say, unequivocally, that I am happy to be here to celebrate with you that I am officially one year free from nicotine! I have waited more than a year to share this post. It is literally 11 years in the making. I don’t expect to be a full time poster here, but I will try to check in from time to time. Just know that I am finally free from this beast. It’s an amazing feeling and I cannot imagine going back to it. I know it happens. I know that people who are many years quit sometimes relapse. Just know that I am doing well, I am happy, and I am nicotine free. What a time to be alive. Thank you for never giving up on me after my many relapses and thank you all for teaching me how to kick this habit. For any new quitters, it gets better. Take it one day at a time, or one minute at a time if need be. It’s invigorating to finally be on this side of the quit. For anyone lurking, what are you waiting for? The water is perfect, come on in. As Sarge always used to say, “eazy peazy.” Very Respectfully, Your old pal HAT

I had to go in for prostate surgery last Thursday and was discharged over the weekend. It was nice when they asked if I quit smoking and I could answer a confident yes! It will be a couple of weeks til I feel normal. Except for a couple of "smoking dreams" during the last week, I still have no desire or cravings. Thank goodness.

I'm here

NOPE...

nope

Here

nope

NOPE

I live alone so I smoked in the house and vehicle. I love not worrying about how the house smells when people come over, which I was getting more and more self-conscious about as very few people smoked indoors by the time I quit. And yep, those butts added up fast and really were disgusting, even outside in a can waiting to hit the trash can.

NOPE It's lovely to see the dollars that I have saved mount up on the ticker

NOPE

If it wasnt for quitting smoking, I wouldnt have been... • gradually, over the past year, deep cleaning my house to the point where I feel at home and at ease again • succesfully negotiating my job position and salary • taking up yoga classes (and even liking them) • saving money for a piano ánd being able to deal with some unexpected financial surprises • picking up writing again • losing 22 lbs • re-doing my bedroom And on a more subtle, but very meaningful level: • accepting and adjusting to some major changes in my personal life • coming to a new understanding with anxiety • learning to say 'I need some time. Let me get back at that'. • learning to be less (self)judgemental • slowly gaining back some concentration, which I use to read. Thats major, after years of depression and fighting for my sanity. The other day I ran into someone I havent talked to in a long time. She said these unforgettable words: 'its like you are more at peace now, not being haunted by some invisible raging inner critic'. And thats exactly how it is! At the time it all seemed to go sooo veeeeerryyyyy sloooow. I nearly lost patience and kept complaining about the time it took for the patterns to, well, die. I clearly remember my desperation at smokey thoughts: "does this ever stop?!". And now I am almost three months into my second year and Im able to look back at that time, with nothing less than satisfaction and an insane amount of gratitude. To the hero strugglers, keep going. You will feel better at some point, you will get there. Every day done and dusted is another promis for change. Thoughts about smoking will diminish, unrest will settle and you will find ways to give different meaning to whatever personal issues this addiction forces you to work with. It is doable and more than worth it, for me as well as for you!

Hi, new here. Glad to have found the site. I’m home today from work and didn’t have a plan to stop smoking until this morning. I’m tired of wheezing and stinking, and have been thinking of stopping for months. What pushed me toward a decision this morning is I ran out of cigs and don’t feel well to go out to buy more. So I figured now’s the time! A part of me doesn’t want to stop - I have to be honest. Yet I know I must. I’ve stopped before for many years but it didn’t last. This is it. I have to be done. I’m always exhausted, have a very stressful job, and don’t exercise much since starting to smoke again a few years ago. I’m headed for a heart attack, stroke, COPD, etc., if I don't wise up now. Thanks.

Nope!

Eight months done and dusted. Its been 25°C for some days now, probably too hot for this time of the year. I am so happy that it doesnt affect me at all: it means I did a good job dealing with these craves last summer, when I quit. In terms of seasonal triggers, I think I am safe to say Ive had the worst. Pretty uplifting idea! Time is starting to speed up. I dont know how to describe it, but thoughts of smoking are turning into soft whispers in the background and the days that I hardly think about it are adding up. Its facinating, because I know Ive been working towards this and yet it strikes me as, well, relief? That it really was true, what everyone here said? And that it also works for me..? Working on it, fighting for it, studying on it, all that hard work is starting to really, really pay off now. More and more I am able to let go of holding on to quitting, if that makes sense. Ofcourse I could make a giant list of pro's, but right now these are the most important: * I saved money for more than half a piano (hence the picture). * I save and still have extra money to spend in daily life, which makes me feel more independant. * I feel so much better physicaly, its shocking. * I take care of myself way better. What started as time biding and routine changing, became daily rituals: making ginger tea instead of coffee in the morning, tooth picking/brushing 3 times a day and discovering all sorts of new toothpaste, deep breathing (only managed to do that since i was at 6+ months. So glad I kept trying, its brilliant) and last but not least: slowing down when I am tired, mourning when I experience loss and need to proces and cheering myself up when I know thats what I gotta do (I used to be the person to sít in my sadness, put on Nick Drake and drown myself in it). I really hope this helps you, if youre struggeling at the moment. Things will be better. Every day, even every minute is part of the bigger story. You WILL feel good again, you WILL feel proud eventually and you are doing this for a reason. Cling to it, write it down. Do what you need to, when you need to do it and know that there is never ever a genuine reason why you could not become a nonsmoker.

G’day NOPE ( did you know HOPE rhymes with NOPE.... sorry I get amused by the small things sometimes) C

NOPE

Nope!!