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DenaliBlues Quit Date: 2/10/2022 Posted February 27, 2022 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 Link to original post: https://www.quittrain.com/topic/17632-newcomer-check-in/

Nancy Quit Date: 07/07/2013 Posted March 23, 2018 · By tahoehal on May 13 2008 I seldom start a post, unless it is to honor someone's anniversary. But I feel compelled to share something that I seem to be sharing a lot of lately... and that is my thoughts on 'No Man's Land'. No Man's Land is a dangerous and scary place... and it is a lonely time during a quit. I call No Man's Land that period of time between about 1 month and 3 or 4 months into your quit, or about the time from the end of your first month.. This is a time when many people slip and go into a full relapse and have to start over... if they can start over, that is. I have some observations that may help some of you who are literally hanging on by your fingernails... or who may find yourself there tomorrow. The first month is an exhausting but exhilirating experience... you are locked in nearly daily struggles and you get the satisfaction of successfully beating your addiction that day. You go to bed a WINNER each night (as Troutnut would say), and you are justifiably proud of yourself. Your friends and family are also supportive as they see you struggling each day to maintain your quit. And you are being constantly supported here, whether or not you post... just being here is good for your quit. And so, the battles are won and it actually becomes easier and the battles occur less often as you finish 30 days or so. Around 60 days, you're starting to have some really good days, with very few craves and some nice insights about yourself... but then again, you still have some bad days. Those bad days can really be depressing... you begin to wonder if you're ever gonna be able to relax. Your junkie is whispering to you, telling you that 'just one' won't hurt. You've conquered your daily triggers, but now you start trippiing over the occasional ones... a death in the family, unexpectedly bad news, money problems, health problems, going on a long car ride, a trip to the bar, or whatever. You have a strong crave and you begin to doubt your ability to keep your quit. In addition, the 3D support that you used to get is pretty much gone... non-smokers figure you should be 'over it' by now, smokers don't like to hang around you much because they feel guilty and addicted (remember that feeling?), and people who have quit may not remember just how much love and support you need well into the first few months. They all think you should be 'over it', you think you should be 'over it'... and the temptation is to have 'just one' to see if you ARE over it. But of course you're not over it, are you? That 'just one' whisper becomes much much louder and becomes 'just one more'... and each time you give in to that whisper, the craves come harder and sooner. The one way to guarantee that your craves will never go away is to light up, to slide that old cigarette needle into your arm and shoot up. Those craves will be back and keep coming back. But if you protect your quit, your craves will eventually weaken and become even fewer and farther between. As you get to around 100 days or so (some will be a bit longer)... you will begin to really get a healthy perspective on your addiction. You will see the huge role that smoking played in your life, you will see clearly what that addiction really cost you. And you will understand that it was a very high price to pay... the loss of your confidence, your emotions, your self-control... your SELF. All enslaved to your addiction. And you will begin to see that you can look forward to a non-smoking future without romanticizing your addiction. You see it clearly for the life-stealing evil it was... and is. You see a much different future for yourself than your past has been. And it no longer scares the crap out of you to think that you are done smoking... in fact, you embrace that thought with joy every day. But you have to get out of No Man's Land first. How can you help yourself? And how can those of us who have been through it help you? First of all, you need to understand that you aren't alone. If you haven't already done so, make a pinky-finger promise with 2 or 3 good quitbuds and exchange phone numbers with them. Promise to call them if you're ever in trouble, and make them promise the same. These are your 'life and death' quitbuddies... you are literally trusting each other with your lives. Then call them... often. Just to see how they are doing, and to tell them you're doing well too. Be totally honest with them, this is life and death. Second, understand that you're going to have some unexpectedly bad days... but they are going to be further apart. Shrug them off, laugh your way through them, call your quitbuddies... whatever it takes to get through them without smoking. Some battles will be easy, some will be hard. Come here and post, send qmail, exercise, learn to cook, take up a new hobby. Whatever it takes, keep going to bed a WINNER each night. Third, ask some of the older qsters to keep an eye on you... to contact you to see how you're doing. I have been asked to do that for several of you recently and I am happy to do that, as I am sure that others are too. We know that you just need to hold on a little bit longer and change your focus just a little to make that breakthrough. And then you will OWN your quit, and it will be a very comfortable thing. Last, take a deep and honest look at your past life... your life as a smoker and compare it to what your life is like now... and what it will be like in the future. You have to develop that vision of your future, of the person that you are going to BECOME now that you have freed yourself. You have to believe in yourself. You have to love yourself enough to deny yourself your addiction. No Man's Land doesn't have to be so lonely and scary and dangerous. You need some company and some courage and some faith in yourself. And when you emerge from it, you will not be the same person that entered it. Never never never question your decision to quit! This is the most loving thing that you will ever do for yourself. A few days of discomfort in exchange for a lifetime of freedom. You will never find another deal like it. Protect your quit. Don't smoke, no matter what. Hal 08-20-2004 A puff is too much, a thousand cartons are not enough. Link to original post: https://www.quittrain.com/topic/10000-no-mans-land/

Or urn i should say.... Hi guys, don't freak out! I decided back in the summer of 2021 to make some blog entries to post in the future so you guys don't forget me Hopefully you all are well and life's treating you good. Congratulations to all the awesome new quitters! You will LOVE your new smoke free life. I'm so grateful for all the friendships, love, support and genuine caring you guys showed me and I thank you all so much for that I've decided to post this on what would have been my (fill in the blank) quit anniversary to surprise everyone and i hope you'll have a drink for me to celebrate my anniversary and my time with you guys. And if you're REALLY missing me then here's a couple threads to cheer you up Confessions: https://www.quittrain.com/topic/9863-confessions/ Red neck or Genius: https://www.quittrain.com/topic/10739-redneck-or-genius/ Love you guys!!!

Penguin Quit Date: 19 October 2023 Posted Wednesday at 08:08 I was in the hospital for my first four days, which made my quit a lot less stressful, apart from the whole "collapsed lung" bit. That said, I slept a lot, and I watched TV a lot. I tried my best to keep my mind busy. When I got home, I threw out every little scrap of smoking paraphernalia I could find. After that, I ordered a big bag of candy--Skittles, if I recall correctly--and used those for my oral fix. I let them melt in my mouth, rather than chewing them, for the most part. Anticipate that you will not feel great, but if you can think of it as the sort of discomfort that heals you, I think that helps. Just like your muscles ache during a workout and that doesn't feel fantastic, but you know you'll be stronger in the long run, you can think of the headaches, insomnia, stomach upset, and anxiety as something to endure--or alleviate, if possible. If you are successful in passing through that gauntlet, the good news is that you'll never have to go through it again, so long as you stay quit. Every little discomfort you face on your quit will get less and less intense as time goes on. You may have minutes that feel like hours and days that feel like years. Those are the days where it's helpful to stay busy, to avoid stress as much as possible, and be on your guard against the temptation to smoke. Eventually, the days will feel more like days again, and the minutes will pass, and you will feel less and less inclined to smoke. Then, you'll come up on a "first," and you'll feel like smoking again, seemingly out of the blue. Here's an example for you: I recently had to go to the DMV to renew my driver's license. The last time I'd done that, I was a smoker, and I sat outside the DMV puffing away, waiting for my number to be called. This most recent trip, I had been quit for 16 months, but all of a sudden I felt like smoking again. Why? Because it was my first time in 17 years that I'd gone to the DMV as a non-smoker. You will experience a lot of those. First holidays. First family emergencies. First heartaches. It can be frustrating, but with each victory, it will be easier and easier to say "no" to those cancer sticks. "If you're going through Hell, keep going." The way out is through. Put in the time, endure the pressure, and claim your victory. If you smoke, you won't have to face the discomfort of quitting, but you'll still stink, you'll feel the physical effects of smoking, and you'll have that worry in the back of your mind about every little ache and pain and bump and blemish that crops up, wondering if your habit has finally done you in. If you endure the discomfort of quitting for a little while, you won't stink, your body will start to repair itself (however slowly), and over time, you'll worry less and less about those aches and pains, for the most part. Today's the day to make your choice, for today. Tomorrow, rinse and repeat. One step at a time, one hour at a time, one minute at a time, one second at a time. Link to original post: https://www.quittrain.com/topic/29166-quitting-today/#findComment-540156

Nancy Quit Date: 07/07/2013 Posted April 7, 2014 · IP Bonnie, I looked and it did not originate there, so here it is... THE SMALL DARK ROOM; an analogy of a quit (Reposted from Laurap414 from The QuitNet ) Once, my existence was confined to a small, dark room. In the room was a button. When I pressed the button the room was filled with light. It was a warm, sunny light, which filled every crevice of the room with its brilliance. The light made me happy, and made me feel safe. The problem was, after a few minutes, the light would begin to fade. Soon the room would be completely dark again and I would have to press the button again. My life consisted of always getting to that button when the darkness began to fall. The darkness was scary. It was tiring getting to that button hour after hour. And in this life, it was always, always night. I heard people say that if you could endure one night in the dark, without pushing that button, you could experience Day. In Day, the button would not be needed. It would always be light, and there would be no dark to be afraid of. People said that when it was Day, you could actually leave the room. The button was still there, but you would not be reliant on it anymore. I remembered my life before the button, and looked at my friends who lived in the Day. And I knew that was what I wanted, more than anything. I hated it always being night; even though I had my button to light the world it was still depressing living from brightness to darkness, never being free, and never seeing the sun. And so one day I decided to stop pushing the button, to try and be free. At first, the darkness was a little uncomfortable. I could not see a thing, but then again the light had only been out for a short while. I knew what was in the room, no monsters there, right? Just the dark. But then, as the night progressed, scary things began to happen. I heard strange noises in the dark. Sometimes ghosts and apparitions would appear to me. And each time, no matter how much I wanted to be brave, something scared me so bad that I would reach for that button again. I never made it for more than a few hours in the dark. I would run screaming for the button, and give it a good smack. Thank God!!! The light would be warmer and more lovely than it had ever been. But then, as always, the light would begin to fade. And I would realize to my horror that it was midnight again. And I was even more afraid of the encroaching dark than ever. One day I heard of a group of people who had made it through to Day. I wanted to get out of my terrible night, and so I asked them how they made it to dawn, and then to sunrise and Day. And they told me some secrets. They told me how to deal with the ghosts who would appear in the dark, how the room would change and how all sorts of horrible things would happen. They warned me that it would be worse than a nightmare at times, but that I could do it. Best of all, they said they would help me make it through the night. This is the story of how it happened, one minute at a time. 11:59 pm. I push the button for the Very Last Time. I am very afraid.. 12:00 midnight. The room is dark. Not so bad. I can do this. 12:15 am Hearing scary noises. Scared, but Im ready for this. I can do it. 12:30 am A man appears out of nowhere. "Push the button!!!!" he screams. "Arent you afraid of the monsters? Arent you scared of the demons? Push the button! It will be light again!!!! Just do it!!!!". He is scaring me. I look at him fiercely. He goes away. He comes back many times during the night. 1:00 am The floor has turned to snakes. I am horrified. I can hear them slithering around. I want to turn on the light. I need to see them. I need them to go away. I ask my friends and they say this is normal, that it will get better. 1:30 am I can hear moans in the dark. The snakes are still here. I think this room is haunted. I am so scared of the dark. I want to push the button so the light will make the ghosts go away. I keep telling myself I am headed towards the dawn. 1:45 am Something cold and dead brushes my face. I scream. I reach for the button. My friends tell me Im doing a great job. They tell me the noises are just phantom noises. They tell me to think of the coming dawn. The snakes are still around my legs. I think the floor is getting wet and sticky, I cant tell. The noises are getting stranger. I am shivering with fear and revulsion. 2:00 am If it werent for my friends I would have gone insane or hit the button hours ago. I begin to think that the floor is wet and sticky with the blood of people who have killed themselves in here. My friends tell me its just my own sweat. I know that if I hit the button it will all go away. The noises are unbearable. My only comfort is knowing I have made it this far. I tell myself I can make it a little longer. I break down in tears from exhaustion. 2:15 am Its getting a little better now. The dark is still filled with bizarre monsters and strange sounds. 2:30 am I look out the window to see if the sun is coming up yet. It is still pitch dark. I cannot see a thing. 2:45 am The scariest part of night. I sense that I am surrounded by ghouls. I am trying to be strong even though I am beside myself with fright. Suddenly a woman appears in the room. She is holding a candle. She looks like a very competent lawyer or something, and looks very kind. I am so relieved to see her, and I invite her to sit down. She explains that she has contacted the owners of the room and that they have agreed to make an exception for me. Since I am experiencing so much fear, they will let me push the button once without setting the clock back to midnight (right back where I started). She said that they have been watching me, and since Ive been so brave, they will allow me a little bit of light to "get me through the night". "I thought that once I hit the button, I go right back to where I started no mater what", I say. "No, no, we have made a special exception in your case," she says, smiling. She looks so caring and professional. I begin to believe her. She seems completely trustworthy. I look over the contract she has brought. It all looks very legal and above-board. I get to push the button once, and the clock is not set back to midnight. It sounds extremely sensible. I am listening to the noises in the dark. There is a big bump from the darkest corner. "What was that?" I say. "That was a ghoul," she says pleasantly. "It will rip your throat out and kill you if it gets you. So not to rush things, but perhaps you want to sign the contract right NOW". I look into her eyes. I want to believe her. I reach for the pen. And then I see behind her smile, this evil green glimmer. And I smell death on her clothes. With horror, I realize that she has been sent by the Nicodemon. She is pure evil. She leans in closer, and hands me the pen. I pull back. "Get away!" I scream. "Get out of here at once!!!!". "Oh no, sweetie" she says in her pleasant voice of death. "You asked me to sit down. You read my contract. Im going to stay a while". I know she is in league with the Demon but I cant seem to move or scream. I am transfixed with her voice, her glinting eyes, her tempting smile. "Why dont we sit and chat awhile my dear?" she smiles sweetly. It seems like two hours pass. I cannot move. I have never been so scared. Crazily, I still think about signing the contract she is holding. I think of how hitting the button would make her go away. Finally I summon all of my strength, and with great effort I am able to make myself realize that she is evil and full of lies. Finally, when I admit this to myself, she stands up to leave . "Ill be back for you!!!!!!" she shrieks as she leaves. I smell her horrible stench after she goes and I want to vomit. I am shaking with the effort and terrified, but I realize I have won a battle. I am slightly proud. 3:00 am Still afraid but hanging in there. Telling myself Ive made it this far. Trying to ignore the snakes and ghouls. When I ignore them they are not so bad. 3:15 am The man keeps coming back. He is not as scary anymore. 4:00 am I think I can finally see the dawn rising in the far distance. I am completely exhausted. But I think , this is it! I have made it to Day! I am very excited. 4:15 am A little old lady appears. She is very sweet looking and gentle. "Hi honey!" she says. "Hi there" I say, glad for some company. "Rough night, huh?" she says. "Ill say", I agree. I feel relaxed, relieved, happy, so proud of myself. "And youve done such a great job," she says. I thank her for the compliment. "Such a great job, " she says, "that you deserve to hit that button one more time. Just to see it once before its gone. It was such a lovely light wasnt it?" she says sweetly. "It was a lovely light," I say. I look fondly at the button, and then look outside to the greying sky, which is filling with a dirty pale light. I think of my brilliant warm light and how it used to cheer me up instantly. "You do deserve it," she says. We chat for some time about what a great job Ive done getting through the night. She is a very sweet and understanding lady. We stroll around the room for a while, and then I look down. When I do, I realize my hand is on the button. I look into the nice ladys eyes, and suddenly I see the glint of evil green grinning back at me. "Why dont you push the button now?" she growls, in a voice that sounds like the grave. "AARGH!" I yell. I jerk my hand off the button. The lady vanishes in a puff of noxious fumes. But her words were powerful poison and it is a while before I can walk away from the button. I am terrified by the close call. 4:15 am Its getting brighter now. 5:00 am Things are going OK. I have survived a few more close calls. The old lady came back, and so did the lawyer lady, but I fought them off. The snakes and ghouls I realize were only in my head. Things are looking normal. I can see again! 6:00 am Sunrise! I never thought I would see it. Its only a matter of time before I get to see the Day. I realize I will never need my horrible button again. I am so relieved I could just cry. I am full of gratitude and thanks. I am so proud of myself, so humble. Ive come so far. And then I hear the voice. It is icy cold and gravelly, and sounds like a thousand monsters whispering together. It comes from everywhere and nowhere, it echoes through my brain. "There are monsters everywhere, my friend," it says. "There are monsters which can attack you in the grey light of dawn, monsters under the bed at sunrise, and monsters which will haunt you invisibly during the Day. These monsters can only be conquered by pressing that magic button. Did you think that daylight would protect you? Oh no. Never forget that the monsters are ALL AROUND, my friend. And the button is the only thing that will keep them away FOREVER. So watch out where you step, and listen wherever you go". I am chilled. I am terrified. I look to make sure the button is not far away. It is still there, and I am slightly comforted by this. The sunrise is not as safe as it seemed. 6:15 am I look around for day-monsters. Sometimes I can see them lurking under the bed. I had no idea that I would be afraid after sunrise. I miss my brilliant warm light. Just waiting for Day to come. 7:00 am. Sun keeps rising. Doing much better now. Monsters are less frightening. Really beginning to feel positive. 7:15 am Getting very bright. Feeling great. Knock at the door. Its the neighbour. "Hey lady," he says. "Howya doing in here? Listen, I dropped off because I noticed your light wasnt on. I just wanted to let you know that if you push that button over there, you can see a whole lot better!" "Yeah I know", I say, "but when you push the button, it stays night. The longer I leave it off, the brighter it gets, and eventually itll be as bright as Day." "Well, I hate to tell you this," he says, "but you know, it never really gets as bright in the Daytime as that light was. I mean, I tried that whole Day thing and it aint what its cracked up to be. Sure, the light gets kind of bright during the Day, but then there are cloudy days, and whatnot. And you can never really read a book with the same amount of clarity as you get with that button". "Really?" I say. "I did not know this. Because you know, I am a big reader". "Oh, yeah, that Day light, its never the same! You cant read by Day light!!! Not the way you can with this baby you got right here. I tell you what -if you want, I can jimmy this light so that it doesnt get dark at all! That way, itll be on all the time, and youll NEVER know its night outside. What do you think?" "You can do that?" I say. "I mean, I tried that before. I tried a LOT of different things to make it not seem so bad. But I still knew it was night. That light still kept going out." "No, no, no -- that was last time. I guarantee you I can fix it so that you will never feel scared that its night, and that light will always be on. Believe me, it beats the hell out of Day. I promise you. I mean look at this crappy light", he said, jerking his thumb towards the weak sunrise. "Well, OK" I said. "What do I have to do?" "Just push the button once, so I can get it going, then youll be all set," he said. "And if you dont like it, you can always try this Day thing another time, right?" He grinned pleasantly, and gave me a friendly wink. I looked him over to size him up. He was really a good-looking guy, so friendly and polite. It was obvious he knew what he was talking about, and he had a very honest face. Perhaps, I thought, my friends were wrong about this Day thing? I mean, here was a guy who could just rig up my button to fix it up just like that. And it sounded like he knew from experience that the button light was better and brighter than Day. Plus he had promised that it would work. Why would this guy lie to me? He was still standing there, smiling at me. "OK" I said, "What the heck". And I reached to shake his hand. "Excellent" he grinned. But as he smiled I got a glimpse of what was between his lips, and saw that his mouth was full of maggots. Suddenly I realized that he reeked of rotting corpses and death, and when I touched his hand, it felt like cold icy death. I looked into his eyes and saw that I was staring face-to-face with none other than the Nicodemon. "Nicodemon!!!" I shrieked. "Yes, my dear" he growled, and as he grinned at me, moving his face closer to mine, his breath smelled like ashes and cancer. "Just push that button and Ill fix that little button for you RIGHT AWAY". The maggots were still spilling out of his mouth, and to my horror I realized that his body was made up of decaying flesh. Every surface of his body was covered with sores, and from the sores leaked pus and phlegm. I looked down and saw that I was still clutching his rotting, deadened hand. "Argh!" I yelled. "You are a LIAR!!!!!! That stuff is not true! What you say is never true!!! You cant fix that button! If I push it Ill be back in the night! The button will not make the monsters go away! It never did! All it did was keep me in eternal night!!!!! NOW GO AWAY AND GET OUT OF HERE!!!!!! YOU BASTARD!!!!!" And I kicked him right in the balls. "AAAAAUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGHHHHHH!!!!!" shrieked the Nicodemon. With a cloud of poisonous fumes and toxic gases he began to melt into a puddle of phlegm, until nothing was left of him except a small pile of ash. "Ha". I said. I swept up the ash and put it outside. I had won this battle, and I deserved to be proud. I had outwitted the most clever villain of all. And I had done it all by myself (with a little help from my friends). But I knew he would be back. Epilogue Sometime Around High Noon Well the sun has finally come up and its Day. Its everything my friends promised it would be. The sun is out, the birds are singing, and its simply glorious. Eventually, I even walked out of that small dark room, and left the button behind. The best part about it is, the sun never goes down here. It just stays high noon all day long, and the sun is shining almost all the time. My friends are here with me, and we never have to go back into that horrible night. The Demon came back a few more times, in a few more disguises. He almost fooled me that night that I went through the dark, and he might fool me again. But Ive got my friends behind me and they tell me about the different tricks he likes to use. He is a crafty, conniving, horrible, evil spirit, and I know that he will always do everything in his power to try and get me back. But I will be ready, and waiting. And God willing, Ill keep outwitting that son-of-a-bitch. Link to original post: https://www.quittrain.com/topic/343-the-dark-room/

By DOCMarkC --- 03-12-2009 5:19 AM I want you to stop trying to quit. Yes, I said that. Even more, I mean it. I browse around here and see post after post from people saying that they are "trying Chantix" or giving the gum a "try". Some are "trying to quit" for the sixth or seventh time. Others are quite positive. "I tried to quit many times before, but this time I'm going to try something different." Any of you who have played a sport with a coach can tell you that the coach NEVER said to you: "OK, I want you to go out there and "Try" to win. Give it a good "Try". If they did, then it was for a pickup game or T-ball or something that was more about playing than winning. At a job interview, you never tell your prospective employer that you are going to "Try" to be on time and be a good employee. You don't "Try" to keep your kids fed. This addiction you are breaking isn't a game. "Trying" is what you do when failure is an option. As Yoda put it! "Try not! DO!... or do not. There is no try." When you quit an addiction you do just that. You QUIT it. It means that you put it down and you don't pick it up again. I see many posts about backtracking or slipping up. Invariably the replies are encouraging rhetoric like "It's OK, everyone makes mistakes. Pick yourself up and try again" (That "Try" word again). Now I understand moments of weakness, and I believe in getting back on the horse, but think about a relapse and about having a smoke again! It isn't as if you tripped over a slipper in the hallway and fell mouth-first on an errant cigarette that had been left on the floor next to the fireplace where an ember jumped out and set the smoke alight while the dog jumped up and down on your back forcing you to inhale. You made a decision that the cigarette was going to fix this intangible stress. Years of conditioning had made that feeling almost subconscious, but it was with a purpose that you got out the smoke and lit it. That was giving up. That was starting the quit counter back to zero. You may have gone a day, a week, a month. But guess what? that no longer matters. Now you have to do it all over again. Was that worth it? After that one smoke were you forever better? I say what you do by "Slipping up" is strap yourself into the rollercoaster again. The nicotine is back in the system and your body is going to scream at you to keep it there. When it was gone your brain still had conditioning telling you that smoking made you happy, but it was a lie you could ignore. Now that lie is compounded with physical withdrawals again. Was that better? I quit almost a year ago. It was the hardest damn thing I have ever done. I was an Army paratrooper! An infantry medic in one of the most combat deployed units in the military. All of my training, survival testing, and combat was nothing compared to the will it takes to just not put the cigarette in my mouth. But I'm not "Trying" to quit. (Reposted with his permission. He asked that I mention he is on tiktok!)

Sazerac Quit Date: October 23, 2013, A Good Day to be Free. Posted October 3, 2014 Our Nancy asked me to post this from my blog to 'Quit Smoking Discussion'. Thank you Nancy. Lifetime of Addiction I didn't want to hear this but, I am now facing this truth. Nicotine Addiction doesn't go away. You can put it to sleep. You can even put it into deep deep and deeper sleep for years ! but, it will awaken the moment you take one puff. One Puff. This is for your whole life. Mind boggling, huh !? This was the choice you likely didn't even know you were making all those years ago when you started smoking, I didn't understand the ramifications for sure. But, it is the truth. You will always need to be cognizant of your addiction even when smoking is a vague memory, because the moment you take a puff, the moment you take One Bloomin' PUFF, That's it ! It's all over and your enslavement will begin, again. What tenacity ! but, you need to understand, Nicotine is not as tenacious as You and Your Will. You can quit. I know you can. I quit and I am not a special snowflake, I am a Nicotine Addict, just like you. I have great resentment about my Nicotine Addiction. Damn....I didn't know it would be so invasive. I didn't know it was going to be a lifetime relationship. I am so angry about this and it is My Own Damn Fault ! But, my anger, it is a good anger. It is a righteous anger. It is an anger that will fuel my commitment to NOPE. Not One Puff EVER. Copping to the 'forever' part is a cold hard reality of the addiction. At some point, I had to quit fooling myself and accept it. It isn't just for today. It must be forever. If it isn't...I will continue to enslave myself. Some feel their addiction is so strong they cannot quit, This is wrong. You have the power. You always have the power to quit and you always have the power to stay quit. Make the commitment to NOPE ! As our friend, Sarge, says, 'Easy Peasy'. Easy ! not complicated ! This is not Rocket Science. If you make that commitment to NOPE...you will not fail. You Will Not Fail. The simplicity of it ! The Beauty of it ! Not One Puff Ever. Do it. You won't regret it. Love, S Link to original post: https://www.quittrain.com/topic/2927-lifetime-of-addiction/

AceWhite Quit Date: 2/7/2021 Posted March 6, 2021 Hi fellow NOPE'ers I've been thinking about how my quit is like being on an airplane. The first part of the quit is like a takeoff. A whoosh of a new feeling- some excitement even as I embarked on a journey and reached new heights. Slowly, as i've gained altitude, space between myself and that last smoke, I feel now at almost one moth in i'm hitting the cruising altitude, but with altitude comes pressure. I've hit some turbulence on my way to this height, but I kept climbing. For awhile, the clouds obscured my vision, and I felt like I could step off at at moment, back into my smoke filled haze, for just a quick moment and be ok, but that surely would've been an unwise move on my part, because instantly i'd fall back down and lose all my altitude. For now, i'm keeping my sealtbelt attached, ready for the bumps that may come with the cruise, but i'm prepared for the trip. In my lap is my reading material from Quit, in my heart is my desire, and in my soul is my strength. Headed off into the horizon where there are no more clouds Link to original post: https://www.quittrain.com/topic/15282-reaching-cruising-altitude/

Hello darling nicotine free creatures and those ready to be free. My anniversary...how many years? Twelve maybe. Forgotten as years of freedom expand but surely remember those first seconds that lasted forever turning begrudgingly into minutes before the next crave wave would hit. Craves did not capture me. I held my ground. But honestly, gave this, my quitting 'experiment' a year. If I didn't feel better after a year, I could always go back to smoking. Never would have surfaced sans nicotine had I not begun to learn about addiction, what addiction does, how to circumvent brain patterns. Information available on this site and others, Joel Spitzer's straightforward videos taking the voodoo out of it. I read voraciously as my understandings emerged as a reliable personal strength, learning what was going on in my brain, how to change. How to jump start clean endorphins by rewarding myself with joyous thoughts, sights, things. Life lessons applicable to many varied situations. I knew I would not smoke anymore; I broke the chains. After a year of nicotine free lurking, I joined QTrain to thank all the people that helped me unknowingly and pointed me towards needed materials. Being part of the community was rewarding, I count many as friends and think I helped some. Certainly, flooded the train with posts, sharing more information I drudged up. For newbies or those lurking, remember that freedom from addiction is well within your power. Yes, there will be gnarly times, but these will not kill you. Smoking will. And if not kill, make your living a slow breathless dying and for what? for greasing the pockets of corporations leaving your families bereaved? for indulging an addiction that robs you of Living? WTF ? You pay, if not with your life than with the quality of your life, the quality of your death! Those things are beastly HARD. But you know that, we all know that... some of you are ridden with guilt over it. STOP IT PLEASE! My purpose in this note is to inspire you to quit and hold on to your resolve because I KNOW your freedom is within your power. You CAN. You WILL. Beating addiction is temporarily difficult and profoundly rewarding in short time. Short Time. So, read up. Educate yourself. Know you are not alone. Realize you can choose Freedom in every breath, every day and bask in gratitude that you chose Life. Your Life. I smile about, my experiment in quitting for a year to see how I liked it. It is the best thing I have done for myself, hands down. There will be no going back as NOPE etches deeper into my grey matter. NOPE. Not One Puff. EVER. Never ever Never.

Sazerac Quit Date: October 23, 2013, A Good Day to be Free. Posted March 24, 2018 Deep in the archives, I found another gem from, our friend, Cristóbal Cristóbal's Quit Days % Some people are amazed that even though they may have several weeks or months quit, that they still do not feel completely "normal", and continue to miss smoking. When this happens, figure your "Quit Days %" and then you will see why. The way to calculate this is: Number of Years Smoked x 365 = Smoke Days. Number of Days Not Smoked = Quit Days. Then, Quit Days ÷ Smoke Days = "Quit Days %". --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I will go first, to be the first example. I smoked for about 30 years. 30 years x 365 = 10,950 Smoke Days. As of today, I have not smoked for 5 years, 2 months, 7 days. This period of times = 1904 Quit Days. Then, 1904 Quit Days ÷ 10,950 Smoke Days = 17.388%. This is my "Quit Days %". In other words, even at more than 5 years since my last cigarette, as of today I have been quit for only 17.388% of the total time I smoked. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Now, let us take as the second example, a smoker who smoked for 30 years, and has been quit for just 4 months. These 4 months might seem like a very long time to the ex-smoker, but it is nothing when compared to 30 years. This smoker who smoked for 30 years, has 30 years x 365 = 10,950 Smoke Days. Quit time of 4 months = 120 Quit Days. 120 Quit Days ÷ 10,950 Smoke Days = Quit Days % of just 1.096%, of the total time the smoker smoked. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Smoking had a deep impact on us physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. A lot of the physical damage can be repaired in a time period of about 10 years, but some of it can never be repaired - the damage is done !!! The mental, emotional, and spiritual damage can be repaired much quicker, since all of us at one time were never smokers. None of us started life with a cigarette in the mouth !!! We all know how to live life as non-smokers, we just need to remember how to do it again. And time is what is needed for that to happen. It is my experience working with others, that how quickly one becomes very comfortable in these 3 areas depends on the person and also their understanding of nicotine addiction. The more a person understands the process of separation from the active addiction, it seems to me the quicker the good comfort levels of being a non-smoker return. What is important to understand, is that the first year as a non-smoker will be spent confronting triggers, many of them that are seasonal. Once you arrive at your first year anniversary, most people can say that they are making very good progress adjusting to life as a non-smoker. Cristóbal Link to original post: https://www.quittrain.com/topic/10007-cristóbals quit-days/

johnny5 Quit Date: Nov. 16, 2014 Posted December 13, 2020 First off, I'm curious if these negative people you are talking about are smokers. I know that when I was a smoker, I often got defensive when one of my smoking friends attempted to quit. I didn't try to sabotage their quit but I definitely felt threatened. Looking back, I realize that I was envious of people who were trying to quit and might possibly be successful. If these people who are negative to you are smokers, fight past their negativity and realize that they might just feel threatened by you quitting smoking. If they aren't smokers and are just jerks, then try to use their negativity to prove them wrong. Don't let them bring you down. I know that is easier said than done but realize that smoking will not make anything better. The trap I always fell into when trying to quit smoking was feeling that smoking somehow calmed me or helped me cope. The reality is, the only thing it did was feed an addiction to nicotine. Introducing nicotine into your body actually makes you more stressed and doesn't make anything better. Nicotine really does nothing at all positive for you. It is all negative. Dealing with a--holes is tough but smoking will not make it any better. It is best to fight through these type of situations. Every time you fight through them, your quit gets stronger. Link to original post: https://www.quittrain.com/topic/14839-how-do-you-stay-in-control-and-handle-your-anti-supporters/

Doreensfree Quit Date: 7 /8/2013 Posted May 23, 2018 If you havn,t read this book yet...its a must... He has helped millions.... You can download it on the internet ,and read it for free... What have you got to lose.!!!!....nothing.... And could gain freedom !!! Link to original post: https://www.quittrain.com/topic/10456-allen-carr-the-easy-way/

Cristóbal Quit Date: 14 October 2012 Posted January 14, 2017 (First Posted 01 April 2014) A crave can happen because of 2 things: 1. Physical Withdrawl Symptoms. 2. Mental or Emotional Smoking Triggers. Craves can happen frequently early in our quits, because of physical withdrawl symptoms. They can also happen simultaneously with physical cravings and then later in our quits, much less frequently, as we continue to confront triggers which are mental or emotional in nature. The important thing to remember, is that craves are *NEVER* a command !!! You N.T.A.P. them (apply to them the concept of Never.Take.Another.Puff.....just for today) as they happen. Then what happens ??? Nothing. Absolutely.......*NOTHING* !!! Your head does not explode when you say "NO" to a crave. You will not die. Life will continue, and the sun will continue to rise every day.....and so will you....and the crave will be gone and soon forgotten. At the same time, you re-program you brain and emotions to react to life as a non-smoker again. Craves create F.E.A.R. in your mind and emotions, but it is a false fear. F.E.A.R. = False.Expectations.Appearing.Real. In the case of smoking, the expectations that some horrible thing may happen if you do not yield to the crave, are ***FALSE***. The fear that craves create can appear real, if you give them life and continue to believe lies the addiction may tell you, and can seem like a command at the moment they come to you. But the reality of this fear, is that it is a fear based on lies. This fear generates a false command....a empty command, based on the lies of a addiction that has no intelligence, is in every way illogical, and exists only as a ghost in your brain. If you do nothing when you experience a crave.....nothing happens. Ever. A crave based on illogical F.E.A.R. - False.Expectations.Appearing.Real.....is never a command. Do not listen to the nonsensensical illogical lies the addiction may tell you. Instead, N.T.A.P. these craves, and N.T.A.P. your way to the mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual freedom you so desparately want. Cristóbal Link to original post: https://www.quittrain.com/topic/7946-a-crave-is-never-a-command/

jillar Quit Date: May 29, 2016 Posted May 18, 2018 Why is quitting So hard by jwg » Wed Aug 29, 2012 4:01 pm So that is the question , why is quitting so hard ? I think there is only one reason quitting it so hard to do Or maybe two reasons , at most three to five ,, less then ten for sure.. Sadly I don’t think most here will agree with me nor will they aperciate my opion , and that really all this. My opion . A view from my porch and from my experiences , nothing more So there that’s the warning , take it with a grain of salt The reasons quitting is hard to do First off its hard because ,, You want it to be! And yes I think that is true most people want quitting to be the hardest thing thay have ever done in there life,,,WHY ? So they can then justify in there mind why on earth they smoked for so long,, after all if quitting was “easy” they would feel like quite the heal for not quitting years ago. So in order to live with them self in a balance of peace , quitting must then be difficult. Plus with quitting being so hard to do, it gives the quitter a boost in there personal moral on how “hard” they fought and won .. The quitter wants quitting to be hard to do , so they do not have to Accept loved ones could have prevented there suffering and death if they could have easily quit. And then there is the aspect of quitting is “so hard to do” because they have been told it was for years , and like the sentence above , have even been to the funerals that proved this to be true. If you want to quit smoking and fit in with others who quit smoking , then by god you have to suffer threw it just like they did too. After all no one gets a free pass when it comes to quitting smoking ,, “The hardest thing in the world to do” Well to each there own , but it all honesty . to stop smoking is not that hard to do it at all , In fact NO ONE that ever really wanted to Quit Smoking has ever failed.. To stop smoking dose not cause pain , where as healing from most other things in fact dose , A sun burn carries with it much greater pain then any one ever suffered to stop smoking. Mentally, a spelling test is harder then it is to quit smoking .. And lastly, why quitting is so hard to do ? , because before most ever start they go into already granting them selfs permission to fail. And then this failure only dose one thing , grants them permission once more , So this goes back to my point , quitting is only hard because most just want it that way. But I know first hand , that dose not have to be the way it is and in fact if focused on the rewards vs the discomforts , quitting hands down is the easiest thing any one has ever done for them selfs If smoking is a temp pleasure with long term consequences Then to stop is is temp discomfort with long term benefits Break the cycle , evaluate your quit honestly with out the desire for it to be “so hard” and not only will you see it is not as you have been lead to believe , but too you will learn to enjoy the process of becoming free to do all the things you once sat around and labeled “one of these days” 'jwg' Link to original post: https://www.quittrain.com/topic/10421-why-is-quitting-so-hard-repost-by-jwg/

IamDoingIt Posted July 15, 2014 I do not care who you are! You do not just 'Get off the Quit Train....' You throw yourself head-first off a speeding train to land in the track bed below the train. You bounce down the railroad ties, bumping, flipping, twirling after the train. A few of the train's car wheels run you over and you may stick to the steel wheel....spinning 'round and 'round as other riders in the car sit comfortably in their quit. Soon, you are flipped off the wheel. Whew, thank God you didn't die! Well, since you're off the train, may as well have a smoke to get over that horrifying ordeal of hurtling yourself off the quit train. But wait!!!!! The quit train is continuing on without you! WAIT QUIT TRAIN, W A I T ! ! ! ! "I'm back here," you scream at the top of your lungs. Hmm....may as well light up again. This is getting out of hand! You keep taking puffs of cigarettes as you desperately chase after the train. With each puff, you see that train that you were once comfortably setting on, pull a little further away from you. You trip on a rail spike and split your chin on the rail. You dust yourself off and start chasing that train once again. The train is further down the tracks, almost out of sight. You struggle so hard to catch that train but each time you stop to light that cigarette, the train just keeps getting further away from you. Soon, the train is out of sight. You get tired of chasing after the train, so you decide to go back to the depot and wait for the train to pass on the next round. While waiting for the train (what's wrong? It should be here any minute), you buy another pack of smokes. You soon hear the train approach. You hear the whistle in the near distance. You are so excited!!!! To celebrate the arrival of the train, you pull out what you say will be your last cigarette and just as you inhale the first puff, the train amazingly flashes right by the depot without stopping to pick you up!!!! Why?!?!?! Why didn't the train stop for me this time? You ask yourself. Feeling defeated, you go home. On the way home you stop to pick up a carton of cigarettes. If the train will not stop for me, I sure as heck am not going to run out of smokes! You think to yourself. Every once in awhile, you will hear the Quit Train's whistle off in the distance. You remember how nice it was to be on the train. You wish you were still setting with your quit friends talking about every subject under the sun with them. You are envious of the people still on the train. Sometimes, you walk down by the tracks. When the train whizzes by, you get glances of the people inside. Look! There's MarylandQuitter, the Sarge, and Nancy. El Bandito, Beacon, Bakon, PetraD, ChristaC! So many faces you see, you cannot name them all. All the friendly faces who cared about you. You see each and every one of them. They flash by looking so comfortable. You don't see a few faces you expect to see. You wonder where they are. You suspect they did the exact same thing as you. You feel sad for them, but you feel sadder for yourself. A few of those riders (Marti, Ava, and MarylandQuitter) actually reach a hand out to you. As you reach your own hand back out to grab hold, you realize you can't grab hold because that would mean dropping the cigarette you are holding. You drop your head and turn around to go back home, wishing desperately you were on that train with them. You feel so bad you light another cigarette. Perhaps tomorrow, you'll grab hold. The next time you hear the train whistle, you are on the way to the convenience store to get another pack of cigarettes. You listen for a second and continue to the store as the Quit Train whistle dies off in the distance. When you are in your favorite smoking space, you often think of the Quit Train as you take a puff on one of the many smokes of the day. You remember what it was like on the train. You remember the freedom from nicotine you had. Oh, why, OH, WHY did you through yourself off? You ask yourself. Everything starts repeating, over and over....going to the station, watching the train pass, seeing the riders, all while holding a cigarette. Then one day, in whatever manner that happened to work....the stars aligned, the magic spell was cast, the dice were tossed, 7's came up, the moon was full....no matter the reason, things worked to go to the station without cigarettes. You once again make the trek to the station. You anxiously sit in the depot, perhaps even with the lingering smell of smoke on your body. Then you hear the whistle.... It came up very quick. Much quicker than when you were just dreaming and wishing to get on board. The train engine whizzes by the depot. Oh, no! The Quit Train is not going to stop for me again, you think to yourself. Then, as soon as the thought enters your mind, the train slams on the brakes and comes to a screeching halt with the door right in front of you. As soon as you put your foot on the step to enter, the train takes off again. You are back on the Quit Train. Finally!!!!!! You tentatively step through the doorway. Inside you see many faces you know, a few new ones and a few you expected are not there. The emotions on the passengers faces, as they look at you, range from sheer elation to see you, to frowns, and questioning. With a few pats on the back, a few hand shakes, and a few swift kicks in the ass, everyone welcomes you as you set down in a seat. Yes, folks, that is pretty much the journey I took in these last few months, but I am back. I did not get off the Quit Train, I hurled myself off by taking a puff. IamDoingIt is now back. Link to original post: https://www.quittrain.com/topic/1969-you-dont-just-get-off-the-quit-train/

DenaliBlues Quit Date: 2/10/2022 Posted August 30 A lot of couples struggle when one person quits smoking and the other does not. I’ve been reflecting on recent Quit Train discussions on this topic, because for decades I was "the smoking spouse." I didn’t smoke in our home or in our car. But the smoke clung to me and was present everywhere I went. It caused a ton of tension with my mate. The stink. The health worries. The temptation to join in. She H-A-T-E-D my smoking. That felt like a very personal rejection to me. She knew I was a smoker before we got together (and even joined in sometimes), so why couldn’t she accept me for who I was? I was making my own choices. Why did she want me to give up something I loved? She had bad habits that bugged me, so why couldn’t I have a bad habit that bugged her? All of this felt very visceral and valid on the surface. But in actuality it was stinkin thinkin, and a rotten heap of rationalization. My smoking was not a mere “bad habit.” It was a raging addiction. And living with an addict is tough. Getting my fix of nicotine was always the priority, always the organizing principle of our lives, one that I superimposed on her without her consent. Smoking was how I spent a lot of my time and money. Over and over again, I’d walk away from her – literally and figuratively – to go smoke. Over and over again, I chose to put my own gratification first - above her feelings and fears. This de-centered and abandoned her in subtle but significant ways. Not the kind of spouse I wanted to be. My partner knew better than to try to force me to quit. She knew that breaking an addiction only happens from an internal commitment. But we still fought about it. And what I learned during those fights (eventually… begrudgingly… belatedly…) turned out to be important. It helped me recognize how my smoking affected her. I also became weary of all the tension around the issue. I had an ambivalent relationship with smoking anyway. Was it really worth all the crap it was causing? As this was percolating, I was also watching my father die. He was sick for many years, and my mother sacrificed everything for his care. It depleted her physically, financially, and emotionally. Watching that slow motion tragedy was instructive. I didn’t want that for my relationship. Getting old is hard enough, even without complications from smoking. There’s no predicting what the lotto of life will toss our way, but my smoking was unilaterally increasing the odds of a bad outcome that would affect her deeply. Again, not the kind of spouse I wanted to be. I ultimately made my own decision to stop smoking. My partner was not the only reason I quit, but it was a big one. To this day, supporting her wellbeing is something I can hold onto and use to protect my quit when cravings arise. Two highly independent people will always butt heads occasionally. I still annoy her sometimes, and vice versa. But quitting has right-sized our conflicts. Before I quit, small tensions absorbed extra energy from the major unresolved conflict between us (smoking). Refreshingly, now we just argue about dishes or yard work or whatever, without loaded subtext. I was fearful that I would feel resentful, but the opposite is actually true. Quitting is freeing. It's so much simpler. And the benefits for my partner are a beautiful part of my recovery journey. I’m grateful for the chance to be on this healing road, with plenty of help from the good souls here on the Quit Train. Link to original post: https://www.quittrain.com/topic/26752-i-was-the-smoking-spouse/

MarylandQuitter Quit Date: 10/07/2013 Posted April 2, 2014 What are some other excuses to smoke? Excuses to smoke JUNKIE THINKING: “One Puff won’t hurt” RESPONSE: “One puff will always hurt me, and it always will because I’m not a social smoker. One puff and I’ll be smoking compulsively again.” JUNKIE THINKING: “I only want one.” RESPONSE: “I have never wanted only one. In fact, I want 20-30 a day every day. I want them all.” JUNKIE THINKING: “I’ll just be a social smoker.” RESPONSE: “I’m a chronic, compulsive smoker, and once I smoke one I’ll quickly be thinking about the next one. Social smokers can take it or leave it. That’s not me.” JUNKIE THINKING: “I’m doing so well, one won’t hurt me now.” RESPONSE: “The only reason I’m doing so well is because I haven’t taken the first one. Yet once I do, I won’t be doing well anymore. I’ll be smoking again.” JUNKIE THINKING: “I’ll just stop again.” RESPONSE: “Sounds easy, but who am I trying to kid? Look how long it too me to stop this time. And once I start, how long will it take before I get sick enough to face withdrawal again? In fact, when I’m back in the grip of compulsion, what guarantee do I have that I’ll ever be able to stop again?” JUNKIE THINKING: “If I slip, I’ll keep trying.” RESPONSE: “If I think I can get away with one little “slip” now I’ll think I can get away with another little “slip” later on.” JUNKIE THINKING: “I need one to get me through this withdrawal.” RESPONSE: “Smoking will not get me through the discomfort of not smoking. I will only get me back to smoking. One puff stops the process of withdrawal and I’ll have to go through it all over again.” JUNKIE THINKING: “I miss smoking right now.” RESPONSE: “Of course I miss something I’ve been doing every day for most of my life. Bud do I miss the chest pain right now? Do I miss the worry, the embarrassment? I’d rather be an ex-smoker with an occasional desire to smoke, than a smoker with a constant desire to stop doing it.” JUNKIE THINKING: “I really need to smoke now, I’m so upset.” RESPONSE: “Smoking is not going to fix anything. I’ll still be upset, I’ll just be an upset smoker. I never have to have a cigarette. Smoking is not a need; it’s a want. Once the crisis is over, I’ll be relieved and grateful I’m still not smoking.” JUNKIE THINKING: “I don’t care.” RESPONSE: “What is it exactly that I think that I don’t care about? Can I truthfully say I don’t care about chest pain? I don’t care about gagging in the morning? I don’t care about lung cancer? No, I care about these things very much. That’s why I stopped smoking in the first place.” JUNKIE THINKING: “What difference does it make, anyway?” RESPONSE: “It makes a difference in the way I breathe, the way my heart beats, the way I feel about myself. It makes a tremendous difference in every aspect of my physical and emotional health.” Link to original post: https://www.quittrain.com/topic/31-junkie-thinking/

JH63 Posted March 11, 2021 I've spent the last couple of days watching the Big Tobacco video's and the Marlboro video again and I've read the Alan Carr book tree times. Got me to thinking back to when I was young and first started smoking. My first memories of smoking were some friends and me riding our bicycles about a mile to a little country store for cigarettes. This was about 1970 or 71 cigarettes were 28 cents a pack. We often pooled our money and shared the pack or two as we rode our bikes the rest of the day. I also remember stealing cigarettes from my mother. She never missed one or two out of her packs from time to time. I say packs because for some reason she smoked both Belair's and Salem's. She died young of lung cancer! Even when I was in the Army, they put a little box of four cigarettes in each C-ration. That was twelve stale cigarettes a day. But plenty enough to keep me hooked. Well I'll get on with it! Did the tobacco companies put profits ahead of my health? Yes Did tobacco companies add chemicals to the cigarettes to make sure I would stay hooked? Yes Did the tobacco companies know that cigarettes were killing people long before I started smoking? Yes Does our government, still to this day, allow the sell of tobacco products because of the lobbyist money and the money they get from the ever increasing sales tax, claiming that the increases are to get people to quit smoking? Yes I never thought of myself as a victim. I can remember telling people that "nobody twisted my arm to smoke" and that "I'm responsible for the damage I've done to my health". Well I'm starting to think differently about that. Even If I do have to take some responsibility for my situation, I was surely deceived to say the least. This change in thinking may or may not help me as I continue to try and Quit. But it can't hurt! Sorry about the long winded Post! Link to original post: https://www.quittrain.com/topic/15311-do-you-feel-like-a-victim/

SecondChanceSailor Quit Date: 20Sep20 Posted December 1, 2024 I know I’ve been really bad about checking in here. I’m a couple months past my 4 year anniversary and felt compelled to touch base and if I can help anyone struggling, to do so. If you told me 14 years ago, when I first quit, or any of the 10 years between then and when I actually did quit that I’d be here right now, I wouldn’t believe you. My journey started on the old message board, the one that shall not be named, and I recall reading SO much information. Posts, celebrations, failures, advice, tricks, tips. I remember getting compassion and tough love with every relapse. Every relapse that I would eventually tuck my tail between my legs and come back looking for some commiseration and a new plan of attack. There were also long bouts of staying away, while I was smoking, of course. It’s the normal cycle of a relapse. After enough times, you sort of even stop feeling sorry for yourself. At least I did. At this point though, I feel that I’ve gone from “I used to smoke” to “No, I don’t smoke.” Like, it was a part of my life for about 15 years but where I am now people are surprised to hear that I used to smoke, they would never guess if I hadn’t told them. And for me, that’s a good feeling. The battle with nicotine was mine, and mine alone, but as far as anyone else is concerned, it makes me so happy that I have severed that connection with the cigarette. I don’t have any tips, tricks, or other advice that made this quit stick when the many, many others did not. I just knew, my body knew, my mind knew…I was done. It was like I had never smoked before at all. No withdrawal, no cravings, no triggers…I was free. And that’s where I am today. I am as free as I will allow myself to be, which is honestly why I DO make an effort to come back. To celebrate and to remind myself that I got lucky. To remind myself that before this quit, I struggled countless times. And to remind myself that I can NEVER go back, no matter what. Because it’s easy to go back to it. And it’s easy to stay quit for good…as long as you NEVER TAKE ANOTHER PUFF! If you’re struggling, on the brink of relapse, don’t give up. Speak up, reach out, don’t give in, don’t give up. This to shall pass. Stay the course, shipmates. Link to original post: https://www.quittrain.com/topic/28047-it’s-as-easy-as-you-let-it-be/

DenaliBlues Quit Date: 2/10/2022 Posted March 2, 2022 Congrats on completing day one @JustinHoot99! And thanks for raising the topic of action. I can relate. A fiendishly clever aspect of my addiction is how it takes habituated behaviors + emotions + physical/chemical dependence and ratchets them into a really tight knot that seems impossible to untangle. As I start to pry those strands apart, I find that each one wants to smoke for different reasons. Each one has the power to sabotage my quit. I suspect that each part of my addiction needs its own attention, reprogramming and healing. Thinking about my behavioral habits or my “action” strand: until not smoking becomes my baseline (which I am months and miles away from) I need substitutes. The vacuum of not smoking is just too much to deal with. Also, at this stage in my withdrawal the reward centers in my brain are still pretty fried and screwed up, so things designed to make me feel good - taking a walk, breathing deeply, noshing on snacks, etc. – can irritate the bejezus out of me, instead. Depending on my mood. A new coping mechanism I started this week is a “Mini Honey Do” list of small tasks that need doing around the house. Nothing arduous or time consuming, or else I’ll procrastinate and it won’t help me combat an immediate craving. Simple stuff that can be done in 15 minutes or less, things I know I can’t fail at. Tighten the loose screws on the recycling cabinet door. Scrape whatever that sticky goo is off the laundry room window. Change the light bulb that’s been flickering in the bathroom. Swap out the HVAC air filter. I have to write these down because when I am stressed or sunk emotionally, my mind goes weirdly blank. I’m so used to meeting that moment by smoking that it’s hard to remember or imagine doing anything else. So I get up, look at the list, pick something, do it, and cross it off. It feels sort of silly, but it’s better than picking up a smoke. It adds a little novelty to my coping routine. And there’s the silver lining of stuff getting done around the house… Ditto on your comment about writing here being helpful, too. Reading your post and responding helped me ride out a nasty crave wave this morning, so thanks! Link to original post: https://www.quittrain.com/topic/17681-giving-up-my-car-for-3-weeks-this-time/#findComment-466935

Sazerac Quit Date: October 23, 2013, A Good Day to be Free. Posted July 20, 2016 *Want better Health immediately ? *Want extra Money in your pocket now ? *Want more enjoyment from Sexual encounters tonight ? Well then, it's Time to free yourself from nicotine addiction ! You can start by giving yourself 72 hours because in three days nicotine begins to leave your body. Take the weekend and pull the covers over your head if you need to. Strengthen your resolve and understand that any discomfort is temporary. Give yourself another three days...give yourself Time. What else are you doing that could possibly be more important than saving your life, liberating your sovereigns and making you better in bed ? You only have to go through this ONCE so, enjoy the ride. Soon you will be seeing astoundingly positive results. You are evolving into a new person, more honest with yourself, much more confident, happier, healthier, wealthier, and wow ! out of this world in-between the sheets. No kidding. Link to original post: https://www.quittrain.com/topic/7322-sex-health-money-time/