Reciprocity

6

I'm glad you're still with us Kdad! Would hate to see you lose your battle at this point. Good lesson though. Never be complacent - never! There's no "just one" for any of us. It's just NOPE - always!

WOW Wantsit! You're hangin' with the double digit crowd now; congratulations! Stop by and let us know how you are enjoying your smoke free life!

Congrats on Day 1 Juan! Don't forget to NOPE in the daily NOPE page Waiting to hear about your successful completion of day 2!

5

Man! Those poor people on the Abaco Islands! Next looks like Freeport will take a direct hit as well! Even though they're thinking it will likely not cross Florida, it will still have a vast impact on so many along the entire eastern seaboard. May even still be damaging when it reaches Atlantic Canada, although the icy Canadian waters tend to kill those storms pretty quickly!

3

The emptiness of it all. Sooo much more time on my hands and nothing to do but think about how I wanted to have a smoke. I did no planning on getting into some new activity to fill all that extra time I suddenly had. Had I to do this all over again now, I probably would have bought some puzzles to do or joined a gym or something that I could have thrown myself at. The early days were tough ..... no question. Feel your way along a day at a time and remain true to your own self commitment. Those are the thoughts that got me through I think. That and the fact it was so uncomfortable, I never wanted to go through it again! Had I failed that first time, i'm pretty sure I'd still be a smoker now.

Mentally, I quit on a Sat. about 10:30 AM when I was loading groceries into my car on a cold, damp January day. I was coughing hard and what did I do .... I pulled my cigarette pack out of my coat and lit one up. That initiated another bout of harsh coughing. Probably not the first time that had happened but for some reason, it clicked in my brain ; "You gotta quit this bullsh*t"! Next morning I had my last smoke on waking up at about 8:30 AM. I was convinced I would fail so did not tell anyone I had quit. I kept the mostly full pack of cigs I had - just in case! I have no idea how I made it through those early days. It was pretty overwhelming so I basically just became a nico-zombie! Not knowing what to do or what to think but I did know I just couldn't smoke even one or my battle would be for nothing and it was too disruptive to my entire being to have to ever go back to the place I was on that Saturday. There were a few pinnacles in those first few months where I had to really focus on what I wanted my future life to look like. I guess it was maybe 6 or 7 months in when through whatever circumstance I was in then, I just suddenly knew .... I would never smoke again. Since then, It's been pretty smooth sailing. I still think about smoking at times even though I can't imagine myself as a smoker yet I have enough respect for myself and for the fact I am a nicotine addict for life to ever consider lighting up another smoke for any reason what-so-ever! I know I have to live the rest of my life by the same principal I have done for the past couple of years - NOPE! And, that doesn't bother me in the least

Xai-Xai, Mozambique; Africa

Sorry but I'm completely lost as to where this quit is at. You are saying that you have been quit for 17 hours now?

2

Virgin, Utah; USA

🐫 Two

Yes - dreadful indeed! It's a Cat 5 storm now with winds at 185 mph (that's 300 km/hr). It's right over Great Abaco Island in the Bahamas (just north of where my friends live) Noting withstands those winds and then there's the tidal surge plus the volume of rain. This isn't good. Prayers to those in it's path 🙏

You love it really - right 🤣

+1

+1

-2 Where's D? Painting her shelf?

Those islands are pretty small places compared to the mainland and there's just no where safe for people to go unless they get off the islands and leave their homes behind and most don't do that or don't have the where-with-all to do it. I can't imagine having to go through that kind of horror on one of those islands 😮

Ooops - screwed up!

Emotions run on ultra high for quite a while as we are reshaping our lives to function comfortably as non smokers. Just don't let those emotions lead you back to smoking. Remember to put your quit first over everything else, as you clearly did this time. Learning to do that no matter what life event is unfolding will get you to where you want to be. We've all gone through similar issues and we all came out as solid non smokers. You can too!

I was just looking at that image - lol. Beat me to it!

Love your post Roark! You really have your head screwed on straight, as the saying goes - lol. Learning to create that new nonsmoker lifestyle is what takes the longest and I also believe it's where many fall by the wayside because they simply can't exist in that void for very long and don't make the effort soon enough to create a new life for themselves. You will get used to doing things you used to do as a smoker. It takes some time is all. Fighting off the cravings you get initially will make those things easier to do in future without smoking but having "new" interests to immerse yourself into is a great incentive to continue on with your smoke free life! Great stuff Roark

Great work Abby! Hope you drop by and let us know how you're doing. Celebrate today because you're two-thirds of the way to the Lido Deck - Yay!