MarylandQuitter

Abby, For right now, this very moment, make a firm decision to quit and no matter what, protect that precious quit of yours. Once you put out your last cigarette, you become a non-smoker. Then we need to learn about this addiction so we can prepare ourselves for cravings and other issues that may or may not arise. The key to staying quit is education and commitment. Right now you're believing in the lies of the cigarette. In reality, you do not love your cigarettes and you don't enjoy smoking. That is the nicotine addiction talking. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qVEyGdqwjmQ This is my quit journey. :) Stay active here and post away. Post what you're struggling with, watch the videos in Joel's Quit Smoking Library, the documentaries here on smoking and tobacco and read, read and then read some more. We're here to help 24/7. Once you quit and you feel like you're going to slip up and smoke, post an S.O.S. so we can help. Myself, the moderators and several members get instant alerts to their phones and email whenever an S.O.S. is posted. Just remember that anybody can quit and that Abby, includes you. :)

I Know I'll Quit Again Video discusses the risk of allowing yourself to relapse using the logic that you can always simply just quit again. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tHp8yFnHbZQ Get Right Back In The Saddle? Still quit right away but figure out what went wrong and what happened so it doesn't happen again. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BcEzzFM6c7A "Well at least I attempted to quit smoking. That's better than not trying to quit at all." This comment was stated by a clinic participant who, after five days of not smoking, gave in to an urge and took a cigarette. It was only going to be one cigarette, he thought. But by the end of the day, he was up to his old level. So what about his logic that at least trying to quit smoking is better than not trying at all? If this was his first attempt, it could be said that it was a learning experience. Maybe he just didn't understand the concept of addiction. He did not believe one cigarette could reestablish a physical dependency on nicotine. After taking one cigarette, he lost all control. So now, if he would ever quit again, he would not question the concept of one cigarette causing a total relapse. But this was not his first attempt quitting. It was his second time in our clinic, as well as multiple previous attempts at other programs, hypnosis and on his own. He once quit for two months before relapsing. At that time he broke all physical dependency on nicotine. Also, after two months he successfully overcame many trigger situations which cause many smokers to initially relapse. Work pressures, family problems, and social situations are obstacles that all ex-smokers initially face when quitting. He overcame all of these trigger situations. But then, one day, out of sheer boredom, he took a cigarette. In that attempt, too, he relapsed right back to his old level. Obviously, taking that cigarette was a serious mistake. This attempt, too, he chalked up to experience. But when considering his latter attempts, it is apparent that he learned nothing. Unless he objectively evaluates what causes his relapses to smoking, he is wasting his time trying to quit again. Because instead of recognizing his past attempts as failures, he rationalizes a positive feeling of accomplishment about them. This type of rationalization all but assures failures in all future attempts. Don't allow yourself to get into the same rut as this man did. On again, off again, one withdrawal after another. Quitting smoking is only the first step in smoking cessation. http://whyquit.com/joel/Joel_03_11_at_least_i_tried.html

I Know I Will Quit Again Video discusses the risk of allowing yourself to relapse using the logic that you can always simply just quit again. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tHp8yFnHbZQ Related article: I Know I Will Quit Again http://www.ffn.yuku.com/topic/22978 Related story: http://ffn.yuku.com/sreply/425017/I-K... Related videos: "If I relapse I will smoke until it kills me." "Get right back in the saddle" The lucky ones get hooked Get Right Back In The Saddle? Joel's views on the common phrase of "Just get back in the saddle" being used when a person relapses. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BcEzzFM6c7A Related article: I Know I Will Quit Again http://www.ffn.yuku.com/topic/22978 Related videos: "I know I will quit again." http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tHp8yF... "If I relapse I will smoke until it kills me." http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UCRLo9... The lucky ones get hooked http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8XvSi...

Tiffany, although smoking may be a bad habit, it's without any doubt an addiction. We are all addicts and that's all that matters. Smoking is not your friend, not a coping mechanism or an escape and so long as you believe these lies, you're going to continue to make this much harder than what it really is. These false notions will cause you to needlessly suffer and make you think that your missing out on something when in fact, you never got any of these things from smoking. These are the same things that people say who relapse. It's the very reason that I relapsed. I thought it would help me cope and it didn't. I'm not talking out of my ass, I'm talking about of experience. Both of my quits were relatively easy but staying quit proved to be very difficult until I finally accepted that I was and am an addict and smoking did not benefit me in any way shape or form. Jesse doesn't need to internalize anything. All he needs to do is be committed to quitting.

I don't know if I pledged already today or not but I'm going to now anyway. Nope!

Every time I forget about that song I always seem to bump into it again. lol I needed a laugh and this was it. :lol: :negative:

I'd like to know why he threw in the towel again and smoked so we can help him. To me, relapse is not okay. I understand it, I get it, I've been there but I also came very close to getting addicted again, so bad that in fact I was concerned that I wouldn't want to ever quit. Relapsing is no more okay than smoking is. What's the difference? Not a single person needs to be a non-smoker to be here. Those who relapse are just as welcome as anyone else and need to be here as much as anybody. When I say that relapse is not okay I say that out of a caring place, not a critical one. Like I've said, I've been there and I get it. However, there is not a single reason why somebody cannot quit and certainly no reason to continue the cycle of quit/relapse/excuses/smoke/quit/relapse and so on. This addiction isn't like cutting sweets or carbs out of your diet as it's firmly taken root in our bodies and even more so our minds. Everything we did from the time we woke up until the time we went to bed revolved around smoking in some way or another. That takes time and vigilance to undo and the only way that we can start to learn to live without cigarettes is to first quit smoking them. Jesse doesn't need to keep coming back over and over again as all he needs to do is bite the bullet and quit. Wherever it is he's failing, we can't help him when he disappears. Until he's honest with himself and us about his addiction, we can't help him. We'll always be here of course, but he may not. The time to quit is now because anybody could wind up that person who dies with a cigarette in their hand or gets stricken down with cancer like Bryan Curtis who died at age 34. I'm quite sure he never in his wildest of thoughts ever gave consideration to dying at age 34 with his little boy at his side. Jesse, if you're reading this, stop making excuses and quit. We'll always be here to help and support you but you have to first make the effort to quit and let us help you when you struggle. I understand that quitting can be hard as I smoked for more years than you are old. So, it's hard. So is being a kid, going to school, work, being a parent, walking away and saying goodbye. All these of these things, quitting smoking is easier. I could make a list of things from just today that I had to do that was harder than quitting but I think you understand. A college professor told me some 20+ years ago that anything worth having in this life is going to take hard work and sacrifice. I'm sure he heard it from somewhere as there are countless variations of the same but that one stuck with me and carried me through to where I am today and that includes quitting and staying quit from smoking cigarettes. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3gtXGwu3uC4&list=PLCDB8BA311D538113&index=6

If history repeats itself...

Thank you. :)

Sorry, Nancy. I misread your post. I thought you said that a cheat meal has disastrous results for you. Enjoy those cheat meals! :)

Here's a few places. http://sincemylastcigarette.com/ http://www.tickerclub.com/ http://www.tickerfactory.com http://alterna-tickers.com/

I'm not smoking today. It's not the answer for anything and never was. NOPE.

Welcome! It sounds like your quit is coming along very well. Keep educating yourself and never let your guard down. :)

This is great to hear! Who would of thought that you could smell shampoo in your hair all day long? One of the little things that I still enjoy. :)

Looks like the scientist dude that supposedly had the cure was full of crappola like I thought all along. Don't worry, DD, Michonne will take care of business and Daryl will be just fine. She just told me to tell you guys that.

Those are the most realistic, bizarre and colorful dreams I have ever had.

I don't know why Ava hit the like button for your question but yes, drinks are still on me. :)

Congrats, Gemzee!!

I'll be back in 24 hours to respond to this thread. If you haven't posted 6 more times by then, you're gone. lol :on_the_quiet2:

Why you gotta eat like a 95 year old?

What would Paul say? Just askin'.

I had one of those dreams at my 9 month mark and when I logged on that morning (before I had my first swig of perfectly brewed coffee) I was still under the impression that I had lost my quit. They sure can seem real. A very interesting video about smoking dreams. Very interesting. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_gZx_6hq0I

There are more ex-smokers than there are smokers. There is no inability to say no to smoking. Anybody can quit, can do so instantly and can stay that way all by way of making a firm decision to quit. The right to sell cigarettes does not send anybody to an early death. The smoker puffing on a smoke does that. Guess what? Before 7-11's dotted the landscape, people grew their own tobacco or bought it from their neighbor who grew it or they traded some pelts to get their baccy. The onus is on the individual to quit. Besides, "please don't sell me cigarettes" isn't going to stop anybody from smoking. It's much more involved than that. /thread.

If you weren't thinking about smoking at this stage in your quit, you'd probably be in trouble. Good video below explaining what you're dealing with. http://www.quittrain.com/topic/2096-joel-spitzers-quit-smoking-video-library/?p=46870

HAT, do you consider yourself a nicotine addict? I'm asking because the words habit and addicted are tossed around a bit loosely and although smoking can be considered a nasty habit, we must all admit that we're addicted to nicotine and always will be. This is why we can never, ever for the rest of our lives take another puff.