Sazerac

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.

Congratulations roewwothorne ! It has been a pleasure to have you here and see your fine quit. You have done a splendid job and thank you for all your posts, I know they help everybody. You ! Go celebrate !

Congratulations ! and welcome to QTrain. I hope you will take time to share your experiences because all our stories are our strength and serve to help other quitters on their way. We also have a lot of fun.

Thought of you yesterday and forgot to post. Hope it went well. Even granting you an interview is likely at least an ego boost. You are a spectacular smoke free women.

try it with no booze just plain fizzy water. delectable. bitters, yum yum. you can make your own bitters.

Drinking cold water and sitting in air conditioned luxury on a break from hacking back the jungle in courtyard. You must know how much I love my machete. thwack thwack thwack. 9:30 am heat index a balmy 97 (36c) humidity 75% only 8 more weeks of this. I love sweat. It is nice and slippery and since I have (mostly) cut out salt after BP fuckedupness, I can lick my sweaty upper lip like a salt lick. That is how much I miss salt and also slightly perverse, I suppose.

I have a shaker full of Pegu Clubs and will quietly serve Doreen a hair of the dog (or Mastiff in this case) this morning. Would have thought all those sausages (ahem) might have soaked up more alcohol. Oh Well. If you are asking, I use Boodles Gin. PEGU CLUB How to make a Pegu Club 45ml Gin 15ml lime juice 15ml orange curacao 2 dashes orange bitters 2 dashes Angostura bitters Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker with half a cup of ice. Shake until cold, then pour into a chilled Martini glass and garnish with a lime twist. The Pegu Club is named for the bar it was invented in, which was built in Rangoon, Burma (now Yangon, Myanmar) in 1880 to serve British army officers. Harry Craddock’s The Savoy Cocktail Club Book (1930), he wrote that it was “one of the favourite cocktails of The Pegu Club, Burma, and one that has travelled, and is asked for, around the world.” I like to add Peychaud Bitters, they are from NOLA and very good (fruitier than Angostura) , very Pink.

Linda, You have the power to quit smoking and change your life. It is not miraculous. It is perseverance and intent. Just don't smoke. No matter what. Don't let big tobacco and addiction rule you, ruin your life and eventually kill you. Choose your life. After you have a few months under your belt you will be astounded at all the other things that can be accomplished. Believe in yourself and your decision to quit. We do.

Congratulations dear one ! Five years of Freedom ! and five years of your great company and support for all of us ! Thank you for all you do, Doreen, and I hope you celebrate wildly ! You are the best.

This is GREAT news, nikki ! Congratulations to YOU. and kudos to you for venturing out and treating yourself to dinner. You need to reward yourself at every opportunity because this will help to retrain your brain. You are doing great and moving forward exactly right. I am so happy you quit smoking.

Dear Linda, Quitting smoking is bringing you power and strength and self respect. If your parents don't show you love and respect you needn't expect it from them. They will never be the parents you needed or the parents you want them to be. Cutting loose of your expectations of them will do you a lot of good. I know it is really complicated and hard but, cut them loose emotionally. If you can do that physically, remove yourself physically too. Abuse is abuse and you shouldn't have ANY abuse in your life. I removed myself from abusive family completely and feel GREAT. Protect your quit. Protect your quit. Protect your quit. Every day you are a stronger woman, just look at how your quit is giving you your power back with every crave you beat !

yay ! nay gonnae go through hell week ever ever never again ! I am so proud of you for giving quitting another try, Jackie. You are tops. S

bump

Wow.

Teacher of The Century and great film

I was an obnoxious smoker and sneered right back at obnoxious non smokers. I smoked everywhere possible and as places to smoke became scarcer I became belligerent. Addiction turned me into a real arsehole, I only thought about feeding it. Being Free, like Ela says, is delicious and has made me a far, far more considerate person.

Hey GITW, Your experience helps others, there is no doubt about that and I am really appreciative reading your posts. It reminds me to stay the course and also brightens my day by seeing people consciously pay attention to their quit and themselves. You have a great quit. Nurture and protect it. Will rinsing surfaces with baking soda or white vinegar mitigate the chemicals ? Humans should never let Dow chemical into their houses, breathing that stuff is damaging.

hey Frezflops, You quit smoking...this should quell any performance anxiety. You are a friggin' hero to us and to yourself. Breathe deep and breeze through the interview. Will be thinking about you. S

I have read about the acronym, H A L T, in recovery paraphernalia and have used it to a great degree of success in changing my patterns from a nicotine addict to a Free person. Having a Crave ? H. A. L. T. Are you Hungry - Thirsty - need a deep breath of Oxygen ? Angry - Happy - Emotional ? Lonesome - Bored ? Tired ? In many, many instances, when I would reach for a smoke, my poor body was actually trying to alert me that it needed attention in some way. My addiction silenced these natural signals. I still catch myself these days...no, it is no longer a crave, it is my body hollering for water or food or something it really needs ! Now, groovin' in my new freedom, when these signals come up, my first thought may still be, 'Oh cigarette, dammit' However, it is followed immediately by, 'No, not smokes...you're Hungry, baby !' or, you're thirsty or, you need to go sit outside and take a big gulp of oxygen and figure out what your body or spirit requires. The piracy that nicotine practiced is still mind-boggling to me. Allowing nicotine to take over my basic human needs of sustenance and comfort was a grave error on my part. I am grateful my body is so forgiving . I am grateful to be free. Free and learning how to read my body's signals and remembering how to take good care of it. So, next time you have what you assume to be a Nic fit, have a think...what is your body really telling you ? It won't be hard to figure out. For me it has been obvious and I have to wonder, how could I have neglected my body for so long ? It is a miracle it survived. I would like to include our friend, Joel Spitzers' Do You Want A Cigarette....H.A.L.T.

What are your motivations ? Making a list of your reasons to quit can be a useful tool in your toolbox. and while I think of it, don't forget to also post a Pre- response to your own SOS, this is so helpful to you and also to the group, in assists us knowing how to respond to you and helps you to conquer any crisis you may encounter.