Sazerac

Right on, babs ! Remember the exit door is always open....you can walk out at anytime you want...you are FREE.

@Doreensfree is right. Quitting Smoking is a journey. After the first year of triggers and craves it spins into a time of self-discovery apart from identifying yourself as a smoker. You learn who you are. All you can do right now is live through this with the understanding that you are not alone and that it is not impossible to quit. @Paul723 is right on and gave me the same advice four years ago ! "Stop giving smoking any of your head space. When a thought comes to you immediately dismiss it. When it came to me. I would say "not an option, move on." The faster you do this, the less these types of thoughts will bother you"

Welcome Sailor, Congratulations on your quit ! Eighteen days of freedom is a big deal. Reward yourself ! As everyone has said, educate yourself about your nicotine addiction. This is your most valuable tool. As @Doreensfree says, "You fight this demon with knowledge...you outsmart it ..."

I am here and happily back on my laptop with reliable internet.

Congratulations, Weeg, on your first YEAR of Freedom. Thank you for all you do here, you are a real pleasure to have around and I am so happy to call you friend. Please be extra good to yourself today and I raise a toast to your second year of freedom !

Congratulations Farmgirl on your 10 months of Freedom !

Congratulations on your First year of Freedom, Ela. Thank you so much for sharing your quit with us, by doing so you have helped innumerable people. Please celebrate wildly and know that the Tardis is here should you need a jitney.

Congratulations on your EIGHT YEARS of Freedom, JOD !

Congratulations on your first month of freedom, time4change

Congratulations on your FOUR months of Freedom, Jayhawk !

Congratulations Octain on your TEN months of Freedom !

Congratulations Roopy on your NINE months of Freedom !

Congratulations on your TEN months of Freedom, Martian5 !

Congratulations, RoryPlog on your TEN months of Freedom !

Congratulations CAquitter on your EIGHT months of FREEDOM !

Congratulations Gabes on your 10 months of Freedom. Please reward yourself !

When you decide to quit everything will fall into line. Check out this post, 10 Ways To Effectively Use This Forum To Quit Smoking. If you follow the 10 steps, I guarantee you will quit smoking and love your new life.

One month into your quit is not a long time. Please be kind to yourself, nurture yourself and reward yourself ! The receptors in your brain are being re-fitted one by one with each thought you have that isn't accompanied with a blast of nicotine. This takes time and I was really fed up with thinking smokey thoughts. I wasn't going to smoke, I was just weary of fighting the thoughts about not smoking...the issue of addiction etc... etc...etc... You can start replacing smokey thoughts with other thoughts. I had to make it simple. I started to replace smokey thoughts with a visual prompt of beauty, like 'that light on that leaf or, that shadow from my hand, that beautiful cloud'.... I also used aural prompts by putting on a favorite song. Be sure to reward yourself in some way when you replace a thought. This helps getting your receptors back, working for your rewards. I guess, my reward was finding something pretty to look at or listen to but, slowly opening a Satsuma was a sensory reward too.

Thank you so much for sharing your trip, Shane. The canyons you visited are magnificent. You and the whole crew look blissed out. I remember that feeling visiting there, it was an experience unlike any other and I was too awestruck to communicate the feelings I had.

Prior to this quit, I only refrained from smoking when pregnant, fully intending to smoke again asap. This quit feels rock solid but, I know that I can throw it away with one puff. I think the realization that I am an addict and the education about nicotine addiction that is refreshed consistently helps to solidify my quit. Also, the horrifying thought of re-living another quit quells any junkie thought that might creep in. I never ever want to go through that again. Being an addict is a curious thing. It never goes away and is instantly awakened with ONE puff. This is why vigilance is fundamental.

Not One Puff Ever

Congratulations on your ten months of freedom!

Hey c, Congratulations on your four years of freedom! You built a great quit and were really fun to be around. Thanks for all your support here. S

NOPE

Great news, tocevoD ! Congratulations on your Ten Months of Freedom !