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Showing content with the highest reputation on 07/23/21 in all areas

  1. First a sausage picture for Doreen: In the first year of my quit (seems like yesterday) I wrote this: The Great Escape We were in prison. We weren’t sure of it, but we were on death row. We had seen others killed. The rules requiring a swift and humane execution were not guaranteed. In fact, the torture of slow poison was in motion. What bugged us most was not the prison or even the death sentence, but that the punishment seemed way out of proportion to our crime. It was unfair. There had been rumors of escape, but even so, our cells were solid brick. They happened somewhere else. We had run at the walls before to no avail. If we escaped, surely we would be recaptured and our imprisonment would be made even more severe. We were comfortable in our cells. It was our choice. We heard a whisper. It was so soft we could barely hear it. “If you say NOPE and laugh in Spanish like this, jajajajaja, you can walk right through the wall to freedom for ever.” That’s crazy, feel how thick and hard these walls are – there is no way we could walk through them. We’re not strong enough. What’s on the other side anyway? Tomorrow, maybe. Finally we tried it, and it worked! We ESCAPED! The wall wasn’t solid, it was made of smoke. We passed right through it. We were free. Now we help others when they escape and are blinded by sunshine and overwhelmed by fresh air. And we whisper to those still in prison, “If you say NOPE and laugh in Spanish like this, jajajajaja, you can walk right through the wall to freedom for ever.”
    9 points
  2. Huge Congratulations my fellow Quitter .... You were a massive part of my Quit .....and always knew when to throw the sausages on the Barby ... Do something special my Friend !!!!
    6 points
  3. G’day NOPE .....Not One Puff Ever.... (replace Ever with Min,Hour, Day as required)
    6 points
  4. Way to go window licker. You rock. Hope all’s well. Weird I popped in on your day. Like a calling for clowns to all come to big top
    5 points
  5. 5 points
  6. Well done, Paul! Hard to believe we've been friends for 8 years! (even though I got your quit date wrong for months!) Hope all is well with you and yours!
    5 points
  7. G’day NOPE .....Not One Puff Ever.... (replace Ever with Min,Hour, Day as required)
    4 points
  8. 4 points
  9. Still sticking to my guns . No matter what it's not one puff today . Vision is for tomorrow . Living is the present , The past is the past .
    4 points
  10. 4 points
  11. 3 points
  12. Congratulations Paull. 8 years smoke free is awesome!
    3 points
  13. Great job Paul. Congratulations. Thanks for being one of the quitters who showed the way to those of us that followed your path.
    3 points
  14. Not sure… big number. Higher than 20.
    3 points
  15. Great post Abby! I do believe that some of us just have addictive genes. If not one thing is could be another. I did not know this was a thing when I was young. I have learned thru therapy some of us are naturally inclined to have depression, anxiety and addictive behaviors. If you've got it don't be ashamed just deal best you can and learn as much as you can. Will not go away but you will find ways to cope. K
    3 points
  16. 3 points
  17. Congratulations Paul, on 8 wonderful years quit.
    3 points
  18. Addiction will be something to be cautious of for life . I have come to that realization for me anyway . I'm an addict and can easily go back smoking by choice and by spontaneity. If I don't choose smoking , I'll choose food and if I don't choose food it may be yo yo diets . Thank goodness alcohol has not been a consideration , nor has drugs but I can see I could easily rationalize another substance and justify it . So I have ten years quit . I do not struggle with my quit unless by choice or reaction . It would be nice to talk to a tobacco cessation specialist . I still after ten years quit have a lot of questions . I have only one brother who smoked and once he quit that was it . Does he ever think of smoking ? Never he says and it's been thirty years maybe more than that since he's smoked . I often wonder does how long we smoke attribute at all to how successful a quit might be ? Is it easier to quit if you've smoked casually or only a few years compared to a two packer and many years ? I know people who have smoked fifty years who quit no problem and others who just can't seem to get there . How much of our quits is attitude ? My brother quit in his late twenties started at 19 but was up to two packs a day . Just thoughts this morning . I guess I will just continue on focusing on making sure I never go back to it . I can say this . I had two Quits . One eight year quit was a cinch .. easy peasy . I gave it away . This ten year quit (after several more years of smoking ) was very hard but I learned a lot of lessons this quit that I didn't with the first . No no matter what , smoking is not my go to .. Have a good day everyone. Off for my walk , a new addiction . Healthier and free .
    2 points
  19. Yes I know Jillar thank you . Perhaps he has a video on this , well I'm sure he likely does. Thanks for pointing it out . Great resource as well .
    2 points
  20. Abby, Joel Spitzer is a smoking cessation educator. We have a whole forum of videos he's made on this addiction Here.
    2 points
  21. The addict brain comes about as a result of his or her addiction. The addiction, itself, causes chemical changes in the brain. Those changes result in addictive behaviors. Put simply, habitual use of an addictive substance, causes one’s personality to change. It is the addiction that causes the addictive personality, not the other way around. There is a lot of literature on this subject. I have studied this subject, intensely, and even treated addicts during my professional career.
    2 points
  22. Thanks everyone for your responses . They are all great and I appreciate everyone's very thought filled responses and even points not mentioned . Awesome . I love discussions . They also spark curiosity in me to do research and I did ... I hope others will as well . I would post links but I always like to encourage others to do their own little investigation . It can even be fun . It's very helpful and educational for sure if this subject interests you . It also helpful for your quit , to do research . This post involves what you will often hear here , and it involves the four five or six Ds which are .... Distraction which hopefully this helped distract you from a crave Delaying , cause you've had an interested in what others thought . Delaying even a short amount of time can see you over the hump of a crave . Discussing as we can see here there are lots of thoughts on the topic . All are valid and well thought out responses by each individual . Thank you . Deep breathing , well not sure bout that one. I'm just glad we are alive and breathing . Drink water .. always good have to water handy when you are quitting .. I am guilty here not drinking enough .I hate water lol . And most importantly Don't smoke while reading this or at any time from the day you say " I quit " . It's the short cut to success . So , I walked , I got groceries , having tea now and soon out for another walk because I enjoy walking in the summer . I feel good when I do . The breeze is just right , the smoke has dissipated and the temps just right . I hope everyone has learned a bit from each other here as well . I know I have .
    2 points
  23. For me, sometimes seeing a butt on the ground, especially a long one, triggers a desire to light up. But, it is a fleeting thought, dissipating quickly, like a puff of smoke….
    2 points
  24. Your spot on BKP ... I'm here everyday helping others others quit ...talking about smoking nearly all day of every day ... I don't think about going back to smoking at all. Even when I went through the loss of my hubby....lighting up a cig ,never even entered my head ... I didn't think of it at all... For our Quests watching ....you can have a smoke free life where you completely forget about them
    2 points
  25. We have had people here who are just addicted to a couple of cigerette,s ,as someone who smoke 60 a day . Thier struggle was just the same.... Same as a person who had only smoked for a couple of years ..to that of a person like me who smoked 52 years ..... It's the nature of Nicotine ...and what is added to it ...to make us stay hooked .... I never took to another substance ....I had control of everything else in my life ...
    2 points
  26. Congratulations on eight years of freedom @Paul723, that is fantastic! I love your first year post. I wish I'd have seen it when I first quit, I would have definitely tried it lol
    2 points
  27. I am scared of where this might go just like many of you. I am vaccinated but continue to isolate as much as possible and still wear a mask when I go out. I will continue with all the safeguards going forward. I still think things are not safe yet as so many of you feel. I am concerned about financial issues as prices continue to rise. I am building safe pantry just in case, not hoarding but making sure I have the basic needs are covered in case of another lock down. Just dry goods, flour. yeast, sugar, tea, dry beans and canned veggies and meats. I of course have bought plenty of dog food for the pets as well. We all need the TP of course. I don't think it will come to that but we never expected this in the first place. These are things I would buy anyway so they will get used. I think for those of us who live alone and on a fixed income it is better to be prepared than not. At least we are saving money not buying smokes, there was a day that would be at the top of the list but not anymore. Something good has come out of the bad. K
    2 points
  28. Happily toss in my 38,000!! In honor of those lost, and in hope those still addicted will someday choose freedom
    2 points
  29. A Not sure… big number. Higher than 20. 64320.
    1 point
  30. Hi John, glad to meet you! I am only a month into my quit and I must say it has not been as hard as I thought. I have my bad days where I want to smoke but I refuse to cave. If all these people can do it we can too! I like you had a health wake up, hip replacement due to smoking killed my hip joint, then cat scan showed the start of emphysema. I did not pick a day, cried for a few days knowing what I had to do. I bought my cigs by the carton and decided when there were no more I was done. So that was it, I have been using the nicotine lozenges to help but have already been able to cut that way back. That may not be the way to go, for some no nicotine is best. I like you have been in extreme caregiving role for about 15 years and I know how much that takes out of you. I will say the last hard one was also my Mom. Moved her in with me. It came to the point after 2 years I could not keep her safe at home and had to place her in care. Please don't feel bad if you have to do that, sometimes it is the best thing/ You have had the strength to do all of those things, now you need to use it to take care of you! K
    1 point
  31. Katgirl ....changed it for you ....
    1 point
  32. Yea a lot of us did @Opah, looks like everything's well now
    1 point
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QuitTrain®, a quit smoking support community, was created by former smokers who have a deep desire to help people quit smoking and to help keep those quits intact.  This place should be a safe haven to escape the daily grind and focus on protecting our quits.  We don't believe that there is a "one size fits all" approach when it comes to quitting smoking.  Each of us has our own unique set of circumstances which contributes to how we go about quitting and more importantly, how we keep our quits.

 

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