Sazerac

Is it warming up for any of you geographically challenged quitters ?

I lurked for the first 10 months of my quit but, committed to NOPE. It was a big part of tearing down my denial and admitting I was an addict. I would holler, NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE ! and FREE YOUR HEAD ! over and over and over. When I joined, I jumped right in with the NOPE and have only taken a few hiatus' from it. There is a bonding, a feeling of camaraderie with everybody, also often great eye candy optics ! Throwing the 'likes' around is a nice heads up, 'I'm glad you quit' hit of support for quits of any duration. I love seeing 'tomorrow' today what with the time differential, @Cbdave It is always good to know that 'tomorrow' arrived intact and brings this song to mind,

Congratulations, Tocevod on your first month of Freedom ! Thank you for sharing your quit with us.

Congratulations on surviving the weekend and keeping your successful quit, Opah ! You must be prepared for a full year of triggers. Some are seasonal, some come from out of nowhere. We have a lot of brain receptors to wrench away from the addiction. While most of these triggers will not be as intense as they are now, while your quit is young, still some may come out of the blue and really knock you about. All you can do is NOPE your way and watch them fade away. Please reward yourself for your successful weekend, make a conscious point about this hard won bonus.

There is a ton of information here, good for you for educating yourself- this is not the actions of a weak woman. You quit, kenzie ! This is strength. Protect your quit with everything you have, you will not regret a thing and reward yourself for every battle won big and small. Nicotine stole the reward receptors in our brains and you have to re-train your brain to understand what true rewards really are. Plus, it feels good to be kind to ourselves, especially when we are beginning this great adventure. Here is one more link The Significance of Rewards Stay strong. Stay close to the board. We are all here for you.

You might like to think about writing a pre-response to your own SOS. It helps to remind you why you quit and helps us know how to support you. Pre-Respond To Your Own SOS

Learning about H.A.L.T. really helped me. It still helps me when I feel funky even though it's not about nicotine anymore.

I'm glad I was here for you too ! Glad you are feeling better. You are in the thick of it, Ice water and breathing nice deep breaths of oxygen are the first things to go to, for sure. Initially, the physical withdrawals require your attention, so keep an eye on your blood sugar, go have a piece of fruit or some juice. It was really great you survived the party with the smokers and the vapes. That is a big deal.

How are you doing kenzie ?

My Cigarette, My Friend How To Do Nothing Without A Cigarette Executive Assistant Maybe the links above will help. They will, at least, distract you for a bit and give you some more information about quitting. You are changing your life by quitting smoking, it is a quantum change and many, many things will never be the same. Some people feel a bit of grief over loosing the cigarette, the constant companion, the thing we always reached for whenever there was an emotional moment. The grief is replaced by a deeper understanding of ourselves, our wants or our needs. Check this out Riffing On H.A.L.T

All this is temporary but, you are in the thick of it. I'll find a post about 'missing something' hold on.

You just have to power through the irritability and anxiousness. These states of mind won't last long and you have the power to switch them up. Take some deep, deep breaths. Take a walk. Take a soothing bath or a screaming shower. Replace negatives with positives even if you fake it till you make it. You Won ! You didn't smoke even though you had temptation right in your face. Now, you must reward yourself and teach your brain what true rewards are. Congratulations ! You are a hero to yourself.

NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE

It sounds like you are understanding nicotine addiction, tocevoD. This is a great tool in your arsenal and a watershed moment. To pity and have compassion for nicotine addicts is an important transition from being envious about smoking like you are missing something. All you are missing is a likely painful life and death and slavery to big tobacco. Now, you are running with renewed life and vitality. How grand !

this is excellent news, Abby. As we sleep, the cilia in our lungs is busy scrubbing itself of tars and nicotine. This can stimulate our sense of taste and smell and trigger dreams. You have quit smoking ! Looks like your subconscious got the memo !

Book review and excerpt The Biology of Desire, Why Addiction Is Not A Disease by Marc Lewis A courageous and much needed voice in rethinking addiction — Lewis takes addiction out of a disease model and reframes it as a negative outcome of neuroplasticity. This model provides realistic hope, given that what has been learnt can be unlearnt by harnessing the principles of neuroplasticity. Through his intimate personal and professional knowledge of addiction, Lewis reframes our understanding of its mechanisms and nature in a way that is empowering.’ Through the vivid, true stories of five people who journeyed into and out of addiction, a renowned neuroscientist explains why the 'disease model' of addiction is wrong, and illuminates the path to recovery. The psychiatric establishment and rehab industry in the Western world have branded addiction a brain disease, based on evidence that brains change with drug use. But in The Biology of Desire, cognitive neuroscientist and former addict Marc Lewis makes a convincing case that addiction is not a disease, and shows why the disease model has become an obstacle to healing. Lewis reveals addiction as an unintended consequence of the brain doing what it's supposed to do — seek pleasure and relief — in a world that's not cooperating. Brains are designed to restructure themselves with normal learning and development, but this process is accelerated in addiction when highly attractive rewards are pursued repeatedly. Lewis shows why treatment based on the disease model so often fails, and how treatment can be retooled to achieve lasting recovery, given the realities of brain plasticity. Combining intimate human stories with clearly rendered scientific explanation, The Biology of Desire is enlightening and optimistic reading for anyone who has wrestled with addiction either personally or professionally. BARBARA ARROWSMITH-YOUNG, AUTHOR OF THE WOMAN WHO CHANGED HER BRAIN

The past is gone and cannot be changed. We learn from our missteps and our failures. Your future is before you and you can change everything with your power of choice. 'I just want this problem to go away' 'this problem' is nicotine addiction. It never goes away. We can only put it to sleep and commit to never ever smoke again. Facing the truth empowers us. You needn't be clean for days before speaking your mind here. Your journey is helpful to people quit and quitting, people active here and also anonymous readers. Fighting nicotine addiction is heroic work, Mona. Your story is important. Share with us, if you will, your story. Your story of a successful quit. All of us are on your side.

NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE

Congratulations, Abby on your First Month of Freedom. You will be feeling so much better by and by, please be sure to reward yourself. Rewards are important, they help in re-figuring the pleasure centers in our addict addled brains.

Freedom from Nicotine is Delicious, also Joyful. Happy Year of The Pig

We can make it easier on ourselves. We can mitigate the emotional toll. We have choice in where our brain goes. More choice than we realize. This is what quitting smoking has taught me. Quitting smoking does not kill. Smoking kills. When I quit, I learned all I could about nicotine addiction. I powered through the gunk for a year. I got better at changing my patterns, many of my patterns unrelated to smoking too. I had no doubt about keeping my quit, I still have no doubt, I am passionate about it. Tenacity comes in handy, ferocity too. We can never have too much education or review too much. I can't stress this enough, Mona. Study again and again until your eyes bleed. I am not kidding around. Addiction is malevolent malware, it has changed our DNA ffs, ! We need to stay current and informed. Current with ourselves also. You can never know too much. Ever. So, what is your plan ? Have you started with gum or are you doing the cold turkey dance ? I am an advocate of turkey but, know full well that successful quits are successful quits, no matter the method, and there are plenty with NRT experience here to help you. There are many paths to the centre.

Congratulations, Wantsit on your THREE months of Freedom. You have a fine and sturdy quit going, thank you for sharing it with us. Celebrate wildly ! Three months is a great accomplishment.

If you were already nicotine free, re-introducing nicotine into your body just establishes you addiction again. You can bluster your way free. I know you can. Embrace the suck. It is worth any discomfort and that is all this is....withdrawal is just discomfort....it won't kill you and you emerge a stronger, confident person. Our friend, Sirius says, 'Next time a craving plunks down on your face ask yourself, "What price you are willing to pay to own yourself?" ' Please educate yourself about your addiction, it is the best tool and we have great resources here. Also, here are some things that helped us in the heat of withdrawal. Your First Days Nicotine Free

Did I post this recently or did Boo ? No matter, this chick is great

aloud, these words sound quite Magniloquent