Reciprocity

18 On a roll now boys!

lucky 13

DN 12 Me 13

In the early days for me, there were more tough days than better days (probably the first 4-6 weeks for me). There were up and down days from there on but the up days started to outnumber the down days as time passed. It all happens so slowly it's hard to discern exactly when it gets better more than not. My point is, if you hang in there for the long run (as you say Gus; making up your mind that you're done with smoking) then it will just happen for you at some point. I was reasonably comfortable with the whole quit thing after 6 weeks or so but it was probably 7 months before I really knew that I was done for good with cigarettes. That's when I started to look with pity rather than envy at others who were smoking. That's when I knew I'd really turned the corner for good. My brain finally got it .... cigarettes were my enemy - not my friend!

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Niners

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2 You just had your virgin chick slap

18 For sure

18 So ... you're PM'ing Nancy & Jillar for a full on assault

18 It's futile D

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I lived in the Valley for 11 months a long time ago and always wanted to go there but never did. Used to pile my surfboard into my TR3 and head down Topanga Canyon to surf at Malibu. Those were the days

That thought you have can soon turn into 'Those poor addicts, still smoking. I'm so glad I'm no longer chained to my addiction!' I'm serious, This is how I was looking at other smokers within months of quitting. I think it kind of goes like this: romancing smoking will lead you back to it. Realizing that smoking never did one good thing for you will reaffirm your passion for quitting and set you free forever!

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Welcome to Quit Train GB! As Jillar said, we've all struggled greatly when trying to quit. This is a very powerful addiction you're dealing with but it IS beatable! I'm sorry to hear of your medical issues but you know 2 things are true: 1. A large causation factor was your smoking. 2. You can't change what's happened in the past but quitting will give you the absolute best chance at improving your quality of life going forward! I would recommend you stick around this site and soak up all the information about quitting that there is here ... and there's a lot! You will also get a lot of non-judgmental support here from other quitters. It really is a very tight knit quitters community here and we really do 'get it'. Look at quitting only day to day or even hour to hour in the early days. It makes things less overwhelming. Everyone here has either quit successfully or is in the process of doing that so you have come to the right place. Take back control of your life GetBack!

Same here Barb63! I was climbing the walls and going out of my mind the first while when I quit. I thought having a smoke would end that feeling and it was VERY tempting but I also knew if I did not only would I have to do the hard withdrawal over again next time I quit but I might just decide not to quit again which would have been deadly for me. So I gritted my teeth and powered through the tough times and yes, in fact, it DID get easier after a while - not immediately but after a while I noticed it was not always as intense so hang in there. It'll be no different for you. I just passed my 4th year being quit (Jan 2017) and I don't ever desire a smoke these days. Haven't for years. Do I even have thoughts about smoking or as Jillar said "mild triggers" .... sure I do occasionally but they are laughable at this point. If someone told me tomorrow I had only two weeks to live, would I start smoking again? No I wouldn't because I no longer need to feed my addiction and gaining that freedom ... taking back MY life is very important to me and I would never want to give that up again - never!!

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