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G’day NOPE .....Not One Puff Ever.

I am not going to smoke today. NOPE.

NOPE

NOPE…

I am saying NOPE to smoking for today.

Nope

NOPE for wednesday

NOPE!

N.O.P.E.

NOPE!!

NOPE for today!

NOPE!

NOPE

The stark difference from heatwave in Australia to ice storm in the US! I hope you're all staying safe! UK here so just misty, cloudy rainy days. I can't remember when I last saw the sun! Stay safe all! I'm glad you're looking after the wildlife! There are 3 squirrels that chase each other in my garden. I find monkey nuts everywhere, they're well fed and I love how cheeky they are!

Me too! Weather, climate, I find it fascinating. I won't tell 'my birds' about the heated birdbath. At the moment their bath is filled with ice.

NOPE

NOPE for tuesday

The question to ask yourself is not do you want a cigarette but rather do you want to be a full fledged smoker again. It's never "just" one. They always travel in packs. You already made the choice to quit. No reason to rethink it. Do anything but smoke. The want will pass if you let it. You can stay quit.

I know I’m late to this post, but as someone who is on the first day after my 1,999,999 quit… I would give anything to be in your spot right now. You are truly an inspiration, and I hope I can make this one stick at least as long as yours. I hope you keep the quit. It’s so worth it.

Hi, @j3nny3lf! I’m coming up on 3 years quit and I still have big “crave waves” from time to time. As others have said, I took smoking off the table. Period. No negotiating, no increments. Just NOPE. But cravings still happen. So very aggravating! For me, 2 things help. The first is mentally “reclassifying” the cravings as nostalgia, not anything I have the option to act on today. The second is not to focus on them. Don’t give them the power of my attention. I wouldn’t chase a noisy, smelly trash truck rumbling down the street… I’d let it pass on by. Same with the cravings. Just a trash truck… a noisy commercial for junk I don’t need. Change the mental channel. Focus on something else. You have nearly 2 years of proof that you don’t need to act on the urges. Good on you for keeping your precious quit intact!!

Gday 10 years quit for me now. Start the nope pledge every morning to be a super superior ex smoker bloke……., No way. Bullshit. Big lie. Just like the nicotine lies. I remind myself I’m an addict. Yes like you about 50 years an addict. Im always 1 smoke a day from 40 a day. That close? Really done that too many times. I face it every day. I like my world. I’m an addict but I don’t smoke. I really enjoy my life as a non smoker.

I'm 16....right now I'm a teen, i'm having fun. I enjoy smoking. I can quit at any time. So, I'll quit when...... I'm 20.. but life is a little stressful right now...I have 2 babies, working full time..saving to buy a house....I'm still young and won't be affected long term by this smoking...no big deal...right? I'll quit definitely by the time... I'm 25.....still a lot of my family and friends still smoke...they seem to be okay. That must mean I'll be ok..My parents both smoked for years and they are both still healthy and vibrant...look at all these people outside..taking a smoke break with me...we are all ok right??? I'm 30.....starting to get a little nervous...my dad quit, my sister quit, handful of friends are jumping ship,. I've had 15+ years of smoking now and fear is creeping in a little. Fear of quitting..and never enjoying life as I know it...and fear of never quitting and suffering a horrible disease and feeling the effects of smoking. Time to dig that hole in the sand deeper and put my head in there...I'll quit when... I'm 36..Dad is diagnosed...Stage 4 lung cancer..inoperable. :blink: :( My smoking has now doubled! I know...he's dying and I'm smoking more...what is wrong with me? As dad lie in a coma taking his last breaths...I whispered in his ear "I promise daddy, I'm going to quit smoking". I purchased a copy of Allen Carr's easyway to quit smoking and I did it...I quit smoking!! Yay me!!!! :) 3 months later...I start getting restless...cravings are coming left and right...I read the book again but the words aren't jumping out at me like they did when I first read it...I felt like I was losing my mind. I looked at the back of the book and called a number they listed as support...It was in London. The book was old and the number was for the publishing company, not a support line. I was losing my strength...and ultimately relapsed. :( I will probably be a smoker for life....I can't do this again.... The next 8 years are a blurr....that book remained on my shelf collecting dust--every once in a while I would glance at it with guilt and say...some day...maybe in the spring when it's nice out, maybe the summer, maybe the fall, after christmas,...new years resolution, after my birthday....ok..after spring again..one excuse after another. I was smoking more than ever. I did quit a few times during that time...few days or weeks..only to smoke again...always started with one puff. Finally...at the age of 44...after all that struggle, relapse, disappointment, denial, and thousands of excuses....I finally picked up that book..knowing this was it...I was either going to quit for good this time...or I was going to remain a smoker till my death. I knew I just didn't have another quit in me otherwise. I can't keep going through the torture of quitting over and over..it's exhausting..and the pain from relapse is too distressing. So, my final quit began. Only this time...I knew that the quitting journey was a roller coaster and even though I feel strong in my quit one day...doesn't mean I will still feel that way the next. I proved that on my last quit. I Googled quit smoking support and got it. Best thing I ever did to ensure that I would never smoke again. I introduced myself and became a member. Point of the story is....time moves so quickly..and the excuses are just that....excuses. Before you know it...nearly 30 years have gone by. The best time to quit is TODAY....tomorrow has a way of always being that carrot that dangles out in front of you...never able to reach it. Addictions are design to hook you for life. I do wish I quit sooner, I do wish I never smoked. But wishing for something that is in the past, is a waste of time. The only thing I can change is what I do from now on. My quality of life is so much better today. I am healthier, happier, and confident. I have quite a smoking history and am full aware it may come back to bite me in the ass...however I will not die a smoker chained to addiction. No matter what. I am free. If you are reading this and still smoking, please.....sign up...join today. Read all the information here and in the blog and educate yourself about nicotine addiction. Don't just read once..read again and again and again until you "get it". You will never regret that you quit smoking but there is plenty of regret when you don't. Quit today....no more excuses.

Great post babs.... I have 52 years of excuses...... How many times did I say ....I'll quit tomorrow.......far too any....

Oh Babs....wonderful post! Today is Easter...look at the kids running around playing in your yard...do you want them to remember you as a smoker who just couldn't quit...not even for them? I smoked for 35 years....I quit 2+ months ago........IF I can do it...so can you!

Awesome, out of the park! No more excuses. Carrot and stick? No matter how hard you run, you'll never get the carrot. That's what the stick is for, to beat ourselves up with. Love the post!

Babs what a truly great read, and you are so right, no more excuses, otherwise another 2 or 5 or 10 years will have passed and before you know it its too late, WHAT IF and WHY DIDN'T I can't turn the clock back. Your dad would be proud of the strength you have

Brilliant post...as you say no more excuses, folk will ALWAYS find an excuse to smoke....stop looking, start quitting.

We live to make excuses for ourselves. Being accountable is something we all struggle with. I have watched people with COPD and emphysema struggle to breathe, yet they continue to smoke, convincing themselves that they NEED their fix; that they possibly couldn't quit, even if they tried. I watched and heard my mom suffer for the last few years of her life. The doctors told her she NEEDED to quit to save her life. She didn't and now she's gone at 59. All of these are excuses.. lies we tell ourselves to make us feel okay about smoking. But it's not okay, because time does go fast. It's not worth it! Value your life. Give yourself more time with your loved ones. You never know how much time you actually have, so appreciate every moment you have. No more excuses. :)