Sazerac

You have made myself and a whole lot of people very happy with your decision to quit smoking because we know how great it is to be free of nicotine ! You will be amazed at your inner strength and your power ! and this will affect all portions of your life in a beautiful way. Take each moment at a time....each crave is just another opportunity for you to acknowledge and expose your power. Commit to NOPE and you will succeed. I know the first days/weeks/months will have their challenges but, it will all be worth it, I promise you. Post all of your feelings and thoughts...others will get great inspiration from you. Thank you so much for joining us, now, breathe the nice clean air and treat yourself to something special. You have just made one of the best decisions in your life. Love, S

Hello Blur, You communicate very well ! To have a successful quit you must educate yourself about nicotine addiction. Read all you can here and everywhere and watch all the gory movies. Commit to NOPE Not One Puff Ever You may find this thread helpful 10 Ways to Effectively Use This Forum I look forward to your presence here and will help you in anyway I can. We all will.

YAY ! I am so relieved to see your post, Linda. Go reward yourself for the incredible work you are doing for yourself. Make it something really, really special. Special enough so you remember it. 'This is my reward for beating an unruly and gruesome crave'

You don't have one good reason to smoke. Not ONE. You can power through any crave because you are not a smoker anymore. Read, Scream, Dance Do anything but smoke. You don't have one good reason to blow your quit. Celebrate your 18/19 days...reward yourself ! You quit smoking ! That is awesome, Linda!

There is debate on whether caffeine is addictive but, it changes your brain in much the same way as nicotine and the way I over indulged would signal an addiction. Quitting caffeine was gruesome physically/emotionally for two weeks and now I don't really care about it. Quitting nicotine was not physically gruesome but, it took more than a year to re-claim my thoughts and that was often a serious wrangle in which I was determined to triumph. Other drugs, psychotropics-amphetamines-soporifics, I did socially but, they never grabbed me. Oh wait....I did two weeks of Xanax when on a visit to my Mother and Evil Sisters. (ignorant of X's addictive properties) Quit cold turkey when I got home. That was fcuked up...awful, anxiety ridden crash. I found out later that you aren't supposed to cold turkey with X, you're supposed to Valium through. (and then de-tox from V ? ) The Blessed Herb is still my friend, but, I can put it down no problem and I'm not partaking in Demon Rum because of BP issues. but, hey don't mess with me ! I will have to kill myself if I can no longer sniff underwear.

Hello Niecie ! Congratulations on your quit ! There are many QSMB'ers here and they are awesome. Please jump right in and post to your hearts content, let us know if you need assistance of any kind.

Hi Tammy, I am so glad you have quit smoking and are beginning to really appreciate your freedom, your 'feel good' endorphins are starting to work for YOU and not being stolen by nicotine. Please remember to reward yourself ! Read this, if you will, The Significance of Rewards Please celebrate every crave you beat ! Soon, all this will be a memory and a memory that you will be able to harvest many lessons that will help you in all areas of your life. p.s. I hope you and yours stay safe during the monsoons ! The news and weather reports from your part of the world have been worrisome.

This morning, a Caterpillar leaning backwards on a Gardenia stem and will hang from its tail to become a chrysalis. Not sure yet of the butterfly it will become, right now it is eating itself into a coma.

Exactly ! Addiction doesn't go away. We must commit to Not One Puff EVER. That means Never Ever Forever !

Everyone here is on your side so, give us a chance to talk to you before you blow your quit. and Please post your own pre-response to your SOS this will help solidify your quit and teach us how to respond to any crisis you may have.

I am always so happy to see Linda's NOPE ! Now worried that Jackie is MIA. She'll be back, I have confidence in the lass and she knows we love her...right ?

The lashing was so painful, I was rendered speechless but, for the last few days every mutherfoya crossing my path has gotten an frigging' earful, I'll tell ya.

I was in complete denial about health issues (yes, I had a cough....la la la la la) and ignorant about addiction (I like to smoke...la la la la la). The issue of freedom was niggling at me. Constantly checking if I had enough smokes and fire, where they were and negotiating when/where I could smoke 'em... the slavery of it all was beginning to rear it's ugly truth. I quit on a whim to see if I had the moxie. I did. Anyone reading this should know that they have the moxie too. Education and Intent will set you free.

Hi Christa, Yep I am a cold turkey quitter. I am glad it is easier for you this time....at least for the first few days. Do not be surprised or afraid if some moments or days are gruesome...this is only temporary. Reality checks....health scares are brilliant motivators. I just quit caffeine after a BP event. Life without coffee IS possible. Getting smoking off your mind is the challenge. Replacing smoky thoughts with something life affirming, something beautiful was a key component to my quit. Education also. The concept of HALT really helped me. When you have a crave are you Hungry, Angry, Lonesome, Tired ? Distinguishing between a nic fit and a bona fide need made a huge difference. We neglected our real needs for so long. Here is a thread about HALT, be sure to follow Bab's link about HALT too. and have a look at how we managed the First Days Nicotine Free and be sure to add your own tricks too. Read read read read and know that you are stronger than any crave.

Welcome Christa and happy three days of freedom. How are you feeling ?

Jim. This is classic romance of the cigarette. You need to ferret it OUT. It isn't sexy or delicious. It signifies DEATH. It doesn't matter how long you have quit, time is no assurance of keeping your quit. It takes constant and frequent vigilance. As for coffee. I have just recently put it down. It was physically more difficult than quitting smoking. The psychological part isn't bothering me much. I learned so much from quitting smoking.

Oh dear, I was hacking back Jasmine vines the other day and one whipped me right across the eye. Ridiculous. Pain and suffering is soup du jour. Will get back asap. This is really ridiculous.

Happy Mom and Baby, Gem.

actually, a pleasant barefoot morning for the dog days of August. 9:45 am Fair 83°F 28°C Humidity72% Wind SpeedN 5 mph Barometer30.09 in (1018.3 mb) Dewpoint73°F (23°C) Visibility10.00 mi Heat Index89°F (32°C)

Welcome Gatisone. You may find this thread useful 10 Ways To Effectively Use This Forum

Thanks Jillar, for the excellent post. I will be happy to be a buddy. With nearly five years quit, I have experience, compassion and a healthy dose of tough love. Although I believe, any way you quit is the right way to quit, I only have my experience in a cold turkey quit and cannot advise on NRT's.

bumpity bump bump

Freedom is delicious. Self Respect for one's own body ! True corporeal inner strength and power. A new found trust in myself. The ability to change. Breath. Sex. Wealth. I love not smoking. and quitting has had no down side. Not a one. Well, the first year was a steep learning curve but, after that...it is a splendid way to LIVE.