Chrysalis

Stompin' at the Savoy! What would you sing if you were trapped on a desert island?

Wow! Looks like somebody made a cat with no bones. How weird is that??!!

During my first quit (oh so many years ago) I thought that if I could quit smoking for one month I would be free. Ha! I was wrong! During the next couple of quits I thought that if I could just get to 3 months I would be free. Ha again! Wrong again! Relapseville again! Then I quit for a year-- a whole year-- surely I am free now, I thought. Uh, um... no. Not yet. I was still romancing the cigarette and hanging on by my fingernails. I relapsed AGAIN! :( Finally, when I joined the forum I "met" many people and read many posts from those who had quit for more than one year. Many "Olde Pharts" crowned and welcomed to the lido deck. Best of all, these people were not struggling and hanging on by their fingernails every day like I was. They really were free. And every one of them told us that they had made a commitment to themselves to keep participating on the board regularly for at least one year. It's really important. I pride myself on learning from others. I took their advice and promised myself that no matter what, I will stay close to this board for at least one year. Thank you, Action, for reminding us all about how important this is.

Subtitle: The Romance Is Dead! This is the time of year when many people quit smoking. Most especially, people who quit before but relapsed are trying again. I think that is wonderful (that they're coming back, not that they relapsed). Reading their posts has made me realize that in very many cases, people relapse because they are still romancing the cigarette. That means that they still WANT to smoke even though they know that smoking does nothing good for them. They still remember those quietly satisfying evenings on the deck smoking. They remember that a-a-a-h-h-h! of satisfaction with the first long draw on a cigarette. And they want that again. And so even if they are weeks or months into a quit-- even though the PHYSICAL addiction is long gone-- they essentially choose to go back to smoking because of the pull of these romantic fantasies about how good smoking was. Well, I was the poster child for romancing the cigarette. Throughout this quit and all my previous quits (of which there were several) I always wanted to smoke. I didn't smoke-- I controlled myself-- but I wanted to smoke. All the time. Almost every day. It seemed to me that after 4 or 5 months quit, almost everybody on the board was way done with smoking and happy about it. I still missed it. And that was frustrating because my rational brain KNEW that the "pleasure" of smoking was vastly over rated and mostly imaginary. I KNEW that I was romancing the cigarette and I really did not want to go back to smoking. But the seductive thoughts were there. Maybe not every day, but often enough to be very annoying. I'm here to tell you that today, more than 9 months after my quit, I realize that I am not desiring a cigarette hardly ever! This is a first for me. And this death of the romance is not just a matter of time-- I quit smoking before for periods of up to a year and still suffered from romancing. I think that the difference this time is that I educated myself about Nicodemon's lies. It's as though my rational brain has told my junkie brain over and over and over again "No, smoking is NOT pleasurable! And such small, brief pleasure as you feel when you smoke comes at way too great a cost! Forget it!" and finally, FINALLY junkie brain is quieting down. What a relief! Now I do admit that during these "romancing episodes" that I'm talking about-- those days when I really, really wanted a cigarette-- I had to remind myself over and over again about why I quit smoking in the first place and remind myself over and over again that I wanted to quit more than I wanted to smoke. I had to FIGHT to keep my quit many, many times over the months. The urge to smoke wasn't constant, but it was frequent. Sometimes it was quite miserable. I'm still jealous of people who seemed to have it easier than I did. I often thought that I was a "special snowflake" and I had it harder than other quitters-- few people admitted that they still wanted to smoke many months after a quit. But whether I had it worse than anyone else or not, I hung in there, reminded myself about why I quit, and that I was DETERMINED not to smoke. Now, at last, I can look back over the last few weeks and realize that the romance is dead. I finally, finally am at the point where I do think about smoking once in a while but it's like a vague thought that is easily dismissed, not a serious desire. I have heard others describe this "vague thought" phenomenon many months after a quit and I finally understand what they are talking about. So I guess I am writing this to say that if you are many weeks or months into a quit and you still want a cigarette, you are not alone. What you are experiencing is real. It does happen to some people (like me, for example). You are romancing the cigarette and you have to use your rational brain, your smoking education, and your strong desire to quit to fight the urge. And eventually, sooner or later, you will turn around one day and realize that the romance is dead. You really don't have to fight to keep your quit anymore-- you just have to remain vigilant and committed. Hang in there, folks! You can DO this!

Jackie, I am very, very offended by your post! How dare you say that using Chantix is "cheating"??!! Are you telling me that because I used Chantix to quit that my quit doesn't count? That my 9 months smoke free is meaningless? Are you telling me that I am not experiencing (or at least don't deserve to experience) my better health, saved money, improved social relationships and reduced stress? I can't believe that you sneer at and disdain those of us who used Chantix to help us quit smoking. Or that you think our quits are "less good" than other people's quits! Do your rules apply to all the people who used nicotine patches or gum, too?!! Please explain.

berserk

You know it's love when... :D

OK. I placed my order. What time is dinner?? :)

I'm so glad that you are home and that your nerve/leg pain is almost gone already-- that is a very encouraging sign! Be patient and give yourself plenty of time to heal. And read some Nonsmoking Cats and Dogs posts! :)

One time I had bronchitis so bad that my upstairs neighbor complained about the noise of my coughing. I still smoked. I knew it was wrong and stupid but I felt sorry for myself and couldn't deal with the withdrawal cravings on top of my illness. (Then, of course, once the bronchitis finally cleared up it wasn't NECESSARY for me to stop smoking so I didn't. You know the drill. :( )

Good for you, Colleen! I know you had a rough couple of months but I'm happy to see that you are finally able to get ack to your exercise. You and El Bandito are both inspiring me to work on my fitness. Thanks!

Oh, yeah! I heard of that show! That's the one where the TV screen stays black until you engage the "mute" button, right? (ROTFL! :lol22: ). Seriously, though, this was originally a 3-picture film series and is now a TV series. You can view the Wikipedia write-up here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Librarian_(franchise)

What do you love? :huh:

Sarge, thank you for sharing this excellent news! Your good example must have inspired her to try again. Hooray! If she doesn't want to join QT that's fine. But I suggest that you set up a separate ticker for her and once a week you tell her how many cigarettes she has avoided and hand her the cash that she saved by not smoking. I bet that will encourage her a lot.

Be of good cheer, Beth! I know this is very scary but after it's over you will have a new lease on life! And don't forget to sign up for your free month of Netflix and Amazon streaming for your recovery amusement. :)

How are you doing, Joe? I assume that you are home by now. Are you feeling OK and able to get around at home? Wishing you a speedy recovery.

Hi, Jenny. I'm not a big pickle fan, either. I will occasionally eat a dill pickle or some pickled cauliflower, but not often. The beauty of pickled eggs is that you first make a brine that you like. Then you use it to pickle your eggs. Some egg recipes add sugar (white or brown) for a sweet and sour taste, some are just vinegar and water (yech!). Some use dill weed and onions for spices and some (like mine and Karen's) use cloves, cinnamon and black pepper. Some use beets for color and sweetness and some don't. It's all a matter of personal preference. So if you are interested in trying pickled eggs I suggest that you read some recipes until you find one that contains ingredients that you tend to like. Make the brine first and taste it as you go along. Adjust the ingredients to your liking. Then add your eggs and marinate them in the refrigerator for a few weeks. Look at it this way... if you like the brine, you might like the eggs but if you don't like the brine you definitely will NOT like the eggs! Let us know how yours come out.

Karen, I can't get your link to work. Can you post the complete URL rather than try to insert a link?

OK, having thoroughly researched EVERY pickled egg recipe and method known to man (or so it seems). Here is what I decided to try for my first attempt. I chose this mostly because I love McCormick's Mixed Pickling Spice. 12 hard boiled eggs, peeled and pierced with skewer or toothpick 2 c white vinegar 2 c water 2 Tbsp McCormick Mixed Pickling Spice 2 Tbsp pickled jalepeno peppers 2 Tbsp jalepeno pickle juice 4 -6 Tbsp brown sugar (add according to taste) 1 tsp salt 2 tsp garlic paste (or 2 cloves finely minced fresh garlic) Bring pickling brine to a boil. Simmer 5 minutes and cool to room temp. Put eggs in glass or ceramic container, add brine, cover and refrigerate for 2 weeks. Here are photos of the component parts and then the final assembly. I'll let you know in 2 weeks how they come out.

I agree, Colleen, the kitten just wanted to get down. It often amazes me how well our pets learn to communicate with us although sometimes (as in this case) even well-meaning humans can be pretty dense, don't you think? Poor kitty. :(

Don't worry, Colleen, no pity-party here. I think you did great! You took a job that wasn't your dream job (or your dream salary) to start to dig yourself out of a hole. Turns out that you did the job well, made some friends, and spiffed up your resume as you had intended. Yes, it sucks that you didn't get any advance notice about the contract termination, but I bet you can use a couple of weeks off to rest and relax. You have brains and drive and determination and I'm sure you will land on your feet.

Sonic, why don't you volunteer to be Humbled's wingman as he searches for the perfect Jersey girl? :)

Joe, I'm glad that your surgery went well. You can now look forward to soon living without pain for a change! You may not have diabetes (too soon to tell) but even if you do, you caught it early (120 fasting is not that bad) so you should be fine. The most worrisome is the COPD. Thank God that you quit smoking already! That will help a lot. And, although they say that COPD is not reversible, I clearly remember a forum member saying that she had early COPD. When she quit smoking, her lung function tests started to improve until at the end of 2 years, her lung function was normal for her age. So don't be too freaked out. All in all I'd say that you are reasonably healthy and are taking the smart steps to stay that way for many years to come.

Thanks, Sharon. This sounds like a good recipe and I love Jamie Oliver, so I'll try anything he recommends. However, I think that I will leave the spices in the brine rather than strain them out. I like it when flavors get stronger over time.

Actually, Marti, pickled eggs come in many shapes and sizes. (Just kidding-- they're all the same shape and size. :) ) But they do come in different flavors and colors. The best I ever had were dark, dark brown on the outside and white on the inside. I think that there were cloves in the brine. Really good! Pickled eggs and pickled sausage are old fashioned bar food in the States. It used to be (and maybe it still is) the law that no establishment could serve only alcohol, they had to serve food, too. But people go to bars to drink not to eat, so there was no point in bar owners stocking food and trying to cook and serve meals. Nobody wanted it. So to meet the letter of the law, bars started keeping preserved foods on hand-- for some reason pickled eggs and pickled sausages became the standards. You don't find them in upscale yuppie bars but you do still find them in working class neighborhoods, mill towns, farming communities, etc. Now I would like to make my own. (Yes, Bakon, the lesson of the day is finished. :) )