Reciprocity

You've clearly been "bakonized":!!!

Boy oh boy, for 18 days in, you've really done your homework PS! Your experiences to date so remind me of my own. I think you'll do just fine and yes, the support of a place like this make a huge difference too. Always nice to communicate with others that are going through the same life experience as you :)

-6

Everything you said sounds exactly right - the way most of us feel in the early part of our quit. That first week is something I know I never want to go through again. That thought alone kept me on the straight and narrow for the rest of the first month. I still don't consider myself having this thing completely licked but it is a lot easier now than it was early on. Just keep your guard up along the way and you'll be fine :)

-6

It makes me sad that I did that everyday for so many years :( Can't take back the past, can only control the future.

Welcome PS :) Wow, your intro is fantastic in that it really does capture the essence of what it takes to quit smoking and say NO to this addiction. I can completely understand your concern about quitting because it would completely change your life. It does that for sure but, for the better. I too quit cold turkey and can tell you that you are through the really difficult part of your quit. There are still challenges ahead for you though so please remain on guard. Life has a nasty habit of throwing things at us suddenly and those are the times your junkie brain will try and lure you back - don't listen!! Freedom awaits you if you just remain resolved to your quit. Stay around and let us know how you're doing. Pledge your NOPE every day with us. I think you've got a real handle on this quitting thing :)

-5

NOPE!

I just got a real bad mental image of #459 - lol That would REALLY suck :(

-2

-2 what's going on :wacko: :wacko: :wacko:

Yes, even my wife who quit many, many years ago admits she occasionally has an urge to have a smoke but, it's nothing like the stronger urges we get when we first quit or I suspect the occasional urges you get PP. She gets more of just a passing thought than an actual urge to light one up so it does get easier even years after we quit. The progression is so slow that we can't really even perceive it's happening but it does. Will our minds ever be like a lifetime non-smoker - no but we can get to a pretty comfortable place I think :)

Yup, that's the way to do it. Just kind of sucks that the urge to smoke will never really leave us. Fortunately as we get deeper into our quit time, it gets easier to push those thoughts aside :)

Yes, trying to help an addict of anything is extremely frustrating when they just don't want to put in the effort themselves. As they say; "you can lead a horse to water but you can't make it drink." And ExTex mentioned "comfort zone"; well yes, this quitting smoking takes us completely out of our comfort zone and that makes things very uncomfortable for us. It's always tempting to just go back to where our comfort zone is or at least, where we think it is. The longer we stay quit though, the more we are building our new comfort zone. I'm just getting to the point now where I'm starting to feel it. It won't be too long now where I think I will feel quite at ease as a non smoker :)

-1

Congratulations Jackie - that;s great!! Can't wait until I too can start measuring my quit in fractions of a year rather than weeks or months. Keep going and soon you'll get to that 1/2 year mark. Tell hubby to get you a couple dozen roses :)

-3

NOPE !

-1

Nice to know you have my best interests at heart :P :P :P

-2

Dreary day here too. That time of year I suppose. Isn't there a saying; "April showers bring May flowers?"

-1