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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?

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!

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.

It just doesn't seem real that I am coming up on 10 years quit! To all who are considering quitting...you CAN do it...and it is so worth the discomfort (and yes, some times misery) you have to go through. I smoked for 40 years, and I know if I can quit, anyone can!! Happy 10th to us!!

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

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!

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.

I’m a newcomer pinging in to say hello. I’ve been lurking on the site for a while, but I set up a profile today so that I could participate. Thanks for the experiences and the compassionate, nonjudgmental encouragement shared here. Reading the info and comments has helped me through some white-knuckle moments. My last smoke was 17 days ago. It was not a planned quit. I was having oral surgery, and at midnight the night before I learned that smoking through the post-op was a really bad idea. (As if all the other harms of smoking for the last 40 years were somehow a really good idea?! Yeah, go figure.) Anyway, I slammed into this quit bass ackwards… unprepared mentally, emotionally or physically. I didn’t have any tools to hand, and hadn’t thought through how to be intentional to set myself up to succeed. Just boom. But I’m trying hard to make it work. There’s more than just a dental emergency at play. I want this quit and the suffering it entails to count for something. I’ve been ambivalent about smoking for some time, have been living in denial about the consequences, and have let smoking control my life for too long. Cold turkey was not an option for me, personally. (Did that before, didn’t stick.) So I’m using the patch on a step-down system. I’m constantly fiddling with silly putty. Trying to stay busy. Doing a lot of wall pushups. Attempting to stay positive. Getting a grip on my triggers. Making lists of alternative things to do in those moments. Re-reading the science. Doing more wall push-ups. I’m struggling with feelings of despair and intense physical discomfort as my body adjusts to a lot less nicotine. But this week, on average, was a bit easier than the last. So maybe that’s progress? I think addiction likes to hide in the dark. It feeds on shame and distortions, and whispers false justifications to us. So I guess part of why I am joining this QT community is to fend off those shadows by reaching out for reinforcement, to try to fill my brain with something different. I need to banish that voice from the dark that says nicotine is my best friend (it’s not) and says that I can’t exist without my smokes (I can, and I have 17 days of evidence to prove it). Today I am grateful for having your voices in my head, instead. You are helping me to rewire. Thanks for listening and bearing witness in return. DenaliBlues

Talked for a little while with a guy who started out as a professional acquaintance but has become a friend. He is a mechanic and shop owner. We send any company trucks that need repaired to him. He's a good mechanic and a great guy. He's also a smoker, a heavy smoker. Every time he would take a drag off of his cigarette, he would cough and clear his throat. Then he had a terrible coughing fit that went on for a while. He was out of breath. His face turned red. His eyes watered-up from coughing so hard. I have noticed a change in his demeanor lately. He seems tired all the time. He doesn't laugh as much as he used to and when he does laugh it sets off a coughing spell. The cigarettes are beginning to take a toll on him. He has asked me about quitting before and I was more than happy to tell him about my experience. Unfortunately, it never really took with him. His "quits" would start in the morning and be over before noon. It's a damn shame. He could quit right now, but I seriously doubt he ever will. He is beginning to feel the heavy burden of smoking and that load only gets heavier going forward. I quit four years-ago. Smoking is a distant memory and I am a bit complacent about my quit most days. However, today was a reminder of how grateful I am to have quit smoking.

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

A new month ... It's time to see who's still sitting on the Train .... Of course the Crazy Frog Woman is still Here ....

hello all! since I quit over eight years ago, a lot has happened in my life. I’ve gotten divorced, I’ve endured my son‘s not talking to me for a few years which now we have re-connected, I bought a new house, I dealt with some health issues which are now resolved hopefully for good. I’ve had some issues dealing with relationships and ups and downs in life, financial struggles....and then Covid hit and since then my life has really been turned upside down and tested my strength as many of us have. But in all of this ....not one puff ever!! no matter what that is all. miss you guys !! stay vigilant!! Babs xoxoxo

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.

NOPE

I'm here

Nope

NOPE!

NOPE...

nope

Here

Nope!

NOPE

NOPE!

Over my four years of being on support forums I've seen a few people who just couldn't seem to get their sticky quit the first time. They start so gung-ho and post daily getting and even offering support from and to fellow quitters. Then one day they are gone...…….. When they resurface it's usually with tail between their legs hoping for the same support they received before they relapsed. And with the exception of some tough love, because some people just need that, they get the same level of support as they got the first time. We get it, quitting is hard for a lot of us and it sucks. Some even make new accounts out of embarrassment of their failed quits thinking too that perhaps a new account will help them get their forever quit. The problem with this is two-fold. One, you MUST OWN YOUR RELAPSE. It's the only way you can look back and see what you can do differently to help get your sticky quit. Two, it's not fair to the members who welcome you as a new quitter instead of who you are. You see the support you are going to be offered as a relapser compared to as a new quitter is quite different. Yes, we may get short at times but it's only because we care and don't want to see anyone have to continually put themselves through the hardest first few weeks of quitting over and over again. Yes, it may be embarrassing but we can offer you tips and clues based on our own relapses or on how we saved our quits from a relapse. There is nothing better for me than to see a chronic relapser finally get their forever quit. So own your relapse, come back on and lets get this done!

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.

No more breath mints, no clothes smelling awful, more money.

Love ...I can hug my family ...my grandkids ...knowing I'm not a stinky Nana.... Now I don't smoke I understand just how bad that stale smoke smell is .....

I now love the thing I secretly used to dread when I was a smoker. Going on date night with my wife. More often than not we’d do dinner and a movie. I would always flag down the waiter to bring our check the moment I took my last bite so I could dash out and smoke a cigarette. And the movie would be even more torturous. I could never focus on the last hour because the cravings were so strong. Now I love our night out. I’m totally present in the moment. And I see more than ever how fortunate I am to have such a wonderful and loving person in my life.

This ^^^ Everything I did had to be in 15-20 minute pieces between smokes.

I am over here now....home and staying safe!

G’day NOPE .......smokings not for me

NOPE