Lust4Life

Hi Wana!! Congrats on 3 years smokefree! My activity here ebbs and flows- what a delight to see your post! You might find some familiar themes in the Games thread ... ?

Congratulations on 3 weeks Kate! Your taste buds are glad you quit too- hot pastrami sandwiches are way more delicious to nonsmokers!

Bassman- I miss you so much!! You were my “chord” that helped me stay the course in 2016. Congratulations to you on another year. I hope you are well & family too.

I had shame too, Doreen. Now, I live life without pause. Sure, I need a break. A mental break not a smoke break. I confused the two for many years. I shamed myself into quitting after having a family vacation at a popular theme park. I missed too much because of the addiction. So, I quit. For that & many other reasons.

Might be TLTR for some: Big Quit Day for so many. Congratulations for resolving to quit this nasty addiction! The first few days & weeks might be easy or horrific. If your chosen Quit method looks like it might fail- choose another. That is, if cold turkey ain’t cuttin’ it- chew some nico - gum or suck on a lozenge. Slap a patch on if needed. Talk to your doc & get some meds. Your Quit is your quit. Own it. Protect it. Do it & be done with it. You will find support here. Do not smoke today. Wake up tomorrow and do the same. Wake up the next day and do the same. One minute at a time will become one hour that will become one day that will become one week that will become one month... Take it one day at a time. Wake up declaring you won’t smoke this day. Go to bed screaming “ heck yeah, I didn’t smoke today!” Wake up. Repeat. You can do this. It SUCKS and that’s OK. Your will to be healthier for yourself, your spouse, your child(ren), your wallet... IS stronger than your addiction! Let those reasons fuel the fight. Happy New Year!

Cheers to a Happy & Healthy New Year!

The first of the year is a popular quit day. Are you lurking here, counting down the days? If so, bravo! Stay close to this site. My last cigarette was 9/26/2016. I know the angst, excitement, fear, determination, grief, etc that often accompanies a quit. If your quit date is Jan 1 2019- you have time to prepare. What is your plan? What quit method best suits you? Cold turkey, patches, gum, meds...? Then...what will you do when that first wave of a crave crashes over you? How about the next one that nearly drowns you? I have had multiple failed quit attempts. Maybe the reason I failed is because I was not honest w myself. When I was honest w myself, I succeeded. My honest mantra went something like this~ quitting sucks. Quitting really sucks. This sucks. It won’t suck like this forever. I will not smoke today even though it really hurts. My head, my nerves, my whole being hurts. Quitting sucks. Addiction sucks. Quitting will not be easy. I will not smoke today. Play, rewind,repeat until the deed is done. You can quit. You have support & resources here. Use them. You will quit. Welcome to the other side! -L4L

See and be seen hey y’all ??!

Hi lilac- I was a closet smoker too. When you check back in here - I’d love to chat w you about how great it feels to hide nothing & live honest.

Congratulations jo! I’m so happy for you! You are a great support to so many here at QT- this thread saturated with good wishes shows how much you are appreciated!! I hope you treat yourself- mind & body- to something fantastic to celebrate this milestone!

I’m sorry to read about the passing of your dear friend. She looks like a fun gal to pal around with; her frames are awesome! I’m glad you turned to us for comfort rather than those stinky “friends” we have all expelled from our lives. As you grieve, please be sure to find some quiet moments to take care of yourself.

Congratulations on 7 mo Albert!

Congratulations h2n and welcome to Lido 2.0!!!

Good to hear from you Rory-sorry to read about the blockage. Could it be contributing to the headaches and feeling off balance? Please have a physician keep an eye on it! That would make me anxious as well. What a wonderful gift you’ve given yourself with your ever growing quit! Please keep taking good care of yourself.

Yay GITW!! I’m sooooo happy for you! Congratulations and welcome aboard!!!

Congratulations sazerac! You are a wealth of information & support to fellow quitters! Rock on, Superstar! ??

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Congratulations barry & welcome to the Lido!

@johnny5 how are things in your area? Glad to see you online = you’re OK. My friend in Greensboro said the winds were terrible- she lost power around 1pm.

@johnny5 Ugh. What a beast! My family is ok; trees down in yard ; one fell on my mom’s house but did not break thr/ roof thank heavens. They are trapped in their neighborhoods due to downed power lines & trees. My friends on the coast evacuated but will come back to devastation- Mexico Beach, Port St Joe got pummeled. Winds & rain picking up in my neck of the woods now. We grilled a steak, baked a potato, poured some wine...enjoying the AC. It is raining & crazy humid outside.

Thanks @johnny5 - I'm watching closely. You stay safe too - Carolinas will get some remnants. After he ransacks us

Those of you that know me from QSMB know that I was a secret smoker. Closet smoker. Naïve smoker. Pick a label any label. I lived in constant fear. Constant worry. Fear of being outed. So much worry. Which cracks me up now because smokers stink no matter what is done to mask it. Pretty sure my smoking was the pink elephant in the room no one talked about. Yay! I had an ongoing checklist. Do I have air freshener in my car, face wipes, baby powder? Mints, gum, mouthwash?. Do I have time to drive around the block again and keep smoking? Never ending cycle of worry. Before leaving for a night out- do I have enough cigs? Better get another pack. I never bought cigs by the carton. Only real smokers bought cigarettes by the carton. Right? Hahahahaha! Oh my. When out in public; the worry of being spotted was ever present. Go outside around the building, downwind, hide behind that tree. Constant worry. When home – did I empty and hide the ashtrays? Did I sweep away the ashes in case we have a drop in visitor? Can my neighbor see or smell the smoke? Are the bugs out yet? In the South, we have some bugs. Your home can be as clean as an OR and you’ll still have some bugs inside. Outside…game on. Gigantic mutant roaches that fly. Mosquitoes that steal gallons of your blood from one bite. Hurricane Michael is knocking on the shores of my home State. I checked with family-everyone has everything. He’ll barrel through some more of the SE. We have prepared and have what we need. Gas tank is full in both cars. We have batteries. We have containers of water in the freezer. Pantry is stocked. All devices are perched on chargers until the power goes. And, it will go. Matches for candles and grills. The cigarettes are at the store. I don’t have any. I am not worried about that.

Congratulations sslip! We’re saving a seat for you up here on the Lido! You’ve got a great quit & do a great job supporting us all here on the train.

Great pics! You have a beautiful family! Often the “vacations” NOT on the calendar are the best. Food for the soul & it looks like you got a good fill!

Hi T4C- early days suck. I wish I could sugar coat it for you-say it isn’t so bad after a certain amount of time or tantrums. I can’t. It sucks. As sazerac says: embrace the suck. You have to. There are things to do to make it suck a little less. Games on this forum. Crossword puzzles. I went old school and resurrected Solitaire on my computer & devices. Mind numbing distraction. There are a bunch of reasons we all stay quit. Health. Money. Smell. Stigma. Time. A handful of us are motivated by remembering how much it sucked in the early days- and never ever wanting to go through it again (raises hand & waves ?)... Minutes turn into hours—> to days—> to weeks—> to months —> to years. KTQ yep to NOPE