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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

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 !!!!

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!

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

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

You know today I was reflecting on smoking and quitting and it dawned on me that 7 years ago today I could not imagine not lighting up upon awakening in the morning, after a meal or after finishing any task yet today, after 7 years being smoke free I can not for the life of me fathom why I ever smoked those damn things. They did absolutely nothing positive for me! Quitting brings about a complete metamorphosis in your life! You come out the other side as a completely different person free from the chains of addiction and able to live your life to the fullest.

Me too?

After being in touch and supporting each other as quitters since the summer of 2013, I had the pleasure of stopping by and meeting Paul and his lovely wife, Janet! They were so kind and welcoming to Dennis, me, and my Mom. Hoping they will share the recipe for the wonderful ginger cookies!

N.O.P.E……

Present

This Wonderful Train has been going at full speed for 8 years today .... It would be impossible to count how many smokers have been on board and found Freedom ... Thank you a million times MQ....for designing and building this place .. I know ,without you and the folks here ,I wouldn't be free today ... 3 Cheers for the Engine Driver !!!!

I had my blood test and it came back normal. It's great news and really nails home the quitting smoking theme. For those just tuning in, I had a high white cell count and the doctor said to cut down on smoking and take another blood test in three months. So now I have proof that smoking was to blame for my abnormal blood test and as long as I don't smoke anymore I will probably not have to get a bone marrow biopsy. I am so fortunate that this was found in it's infancy stage when quitting smoking now can make all the difference.

The magic cigarette. I had to smoke one first thing in the morning because it woke me up. Also had to smoke one right before bed so I could get some sleep. I had to smoke when I needed to focus on something. Also had to smoke when I just needed to clear my head and zone out for a bit. Finally figured out that attributing so many contradictory "benefits" to identical cigarettes was ridiculous. I need to relax or I need to focus sounds better than I need another fix. Facing the fact that I smoked because I was addicted to nicotine and I was addicted to nicotine because I smoked was important for me. Helped me recognize the futility of smoking.

I am 73 and began smoking right out of highschool. Never had a solid quit. It would be a week here or a few days quit and then re do the process over and over. When I decided to quit, this time for good, I had read and re read Alan Carr's Easy Way over and over until I finally got it. Smoking is doing nothing for me. It is killing me slowly. Being here these past few days has helped me stay the course. In a few days I will have a week into this forever quit. Being here has helped tremendously.

It was five years ago today that I snubbed out my last smoke. I remember it like it was yesterday, now that I really think about it (which I rarely do anymore). I was standing in my usual smoking spot on the side of the house. I looked at my last smoke and said "I'm done". At that exact moment, I made the commitment to never smoke again. I promised myself that no matter what -no matter how hard it was or how angry I got - I would never EVER take another puff of a cigarette. Now here I am and all the withdrawals, obsessing, stressing and general madness that went along with the first days, weeks and months of my quit are all just very faded memories. I rarely even think about cigarettes anymore and when I do, it's hard to believe I ever smoked at all. It's just such a foreign concept. My girlfriend honestly forgets that I ever smoked and if I happen to tell people I've met that I used to smoke, they can't imagine it. I never thought I would NOT be thought of as a smoker. It's a pretty amazing feeling. I smoked a pack a day for thirty years and was as addicted as anyone and if I can quit, anyone can. YOU can! If you're struggling, stick with it. If you feel weak, post an SOS here. Make the commitment to never smoke again and honor that commitment Every. Single Day. Your life depends on it! YOU CAN DO THIS!!!!

Thanks for the shout out people!! 5 years is quite a milestone for sure and I have never regretted having made the commitment to quit despite the difficulties in the early days. All the newbies need to know it's possible for all who put in the work to find their freedom from nicotine addiction. The difficulties and doubts fade away and are replaced by rewards that last a lifetime! As for me - the wife & I are livin' the good life on the beach in Mexico playin' in the sun

I am here

Growing up in So Cal ive always been athletic and enjoyed outdoor sports. All of them. Smoking interfered with my performance so it had to go. Successfully quit once for almost 10 years, then took a puff and was hooked again for 7 years before my final quit in Feb 2021. I own a contracting company that deals with fire protection and im sure I looked stoopid puffing on a grit I now own the fact im an addict, and I can never ever take even one puff and im good with that. Now that im smoke free im back to playing ice hockey and running triathlons at 55+ years old and in great shape & kicking butt This site is key to my quit-

Ok.... Listen up !!!! This is not a crime ...more of a Dam Shame.... What IS a Crime is you not coming back and trying again ... Never Give Up....Giving Up.....Smoking Kills....People die far too young Risking your Health ....That's A Crime .... We have plenty of seats ...just pick one ,let's try again ... You know deep down Quitting is the most sensible thing to do ...

Hey Guys ...yes ..you ....the Newbies ... Where are you ???.... Come and tell us ....were missing you around here .... Us Oldies ,sitting here twiddling our thumbs ...we want to help... Give us something to do .... And if anyone else wants to take a seat ..there is plenty ...just jump on ... You won't regret it .... Make the move ...Change your life .... See you all soon

Severe engine issues revealed today and I was having trouble coping. Out of nowhere or maybe that somewhere in the mind that tells you that you can’t cope, that there is some nameless something you need to get through this and then just as quickly it’s gone and your left thinking or maybe yelling it aloud in a rage, “I KNOW WHAT I NEEDED!” The addict is always there. It’ll show up when you least expect it to. It enrages me. Leaving me feeling weak and less than. But I am NOT! I’ve been kicking nicotine to the curb for almost three years and I will not release it from the chains that had me bound. The chains that I worked so hard to bind it with. I can’t and I will not. It’s why I still hang around here. Y’all helped me so much and still do. Almost everyday I get some kind of help here. Oh, well after some deep breathing and grounding myself I have gone on about my day. Without that crutch I used to have to carry around with me. It’s good to breathe freely!

To all new quitters !! Dont let the holiday season give you a excuse to throw your life saving quit Down the toilet ... Your life may depend on it .... Please use the SOS thread ,if you feel your quit is in trouble ... Or PM either me or Jillar .... I'm sure we will not be too far away .... I will have my frying pan at the ready ....be warned .... Be careful of your alcohol in take ....I've seen many quits fail due to thinking they could handle the booze .... Merry Xmas Newbies ,not so New ,and Oldies ...

I got locked out- couldn’t remember my password etc. So- I updated my name from Lust4Life to Lust4Life2016 and I’m back on the train! My quit year- 2016!!! Thrilled to say still smoke free. No relapses. No close calls. Easy because non-smokers don’t smoke. Ever! I look forward to poking around the site and catching up! L4L

Dear Molly, your Mum died suddenly on 10th February 2013, you were not smoking at the time, it was during your 9 month quit. You quit because your mum was a heavy smoker all of your life as well as an alcoholic. You were so worried about her, even though you were going down the same path. She was self destructive, so were you. You made a decision to stop smoking as the first step down a road of showing both of you that you could change. It wasn’t in time. You should have done it sooner, she might still be here if you had. You started smoking again, you fool. You looked after your Dad, remember? He had stopped in 1998 when he had his leg amputated because of smoking but you carried on. You watched him die from clogged up lungs despite having been quit for 20 years. He was in hospital in 2021. It took 7 days in hospital and 7 minutes in the end. You have scared your brother so much since then, he has lost his parents to smoking too. He didn’t say a word to you at the time but you saw the look in his eyes, you knew how scared he was of losing you too. You know how proud he is of you, how relieved he is that he doesn’t have to watch you kill yourself too. I know that you feel so alone sometimes, I know that on bad days you miss people so much that you feel like you don’t care if you die. I know that life feels empty a lot of the time but just think a minute, remember. You have had so many beautiful times lately, you have played with your nephews. You are loved, and you love. You will ALWAYS feel better in the morning, and you ALWAYS will. Remember that every day has the potential for something good: of a smile, of a laugh, of a special kind of happiness. Of a perfect beauty. Of nature, a song, a comedy show, a story, of a new friend, of so many things. There is so much to look forward to, even if you can’t always see it. There are days when you don’t even see the “good” until you go to bed and think, or when you wake up the next morning and recall. Promise yourself that you will always wait until tomorrow before you do anything silly and regretful yours Molly

Hello everyone. Hope all is safe and sound. Staying healthy, I hope. Today I am celebrating my 90th day off Cigarettes! I am doing just Great and feeling terrific! I want to mention that w/o my beautiful wife of almost 27 years and the people here, that I don't know where I would be. A very big Thanks!!! SAL and Anita

Good for you Happy Passenger. You have the power and strength to quit. Keep telling yourself you no longer smoke and power through the cravings. The nicotine is gone after a couple of days and then you learn to redirect those thoughts. Stay close to the forum, educate yourself, play some games and get to know us. We would love to help you along your journey.

Hello HappyPassenger Welcome to the train. I stayed logged on the boards when I quit (even if I was not always reading something) it simply made me feel safer and saner to know I could reach out at any time. notsmokjo is correct there a lot of resources available here. Please do take advantage of that and the fun ones too (songs, games ect) Best wishes!

9 years free today for me and quita wow

Still on the train! Day 21.

I'm here

present

Here.