BKP

Linda, trying is about your intention. Doing is about your decision. Make a firm and resolute decision to quit this time. The most important factor in a successful quit is how your mind works through this. Hope this is your final quit.

Yup...lots of excuses out there. I used this one a lot.... Excuse: There are too many bad things going on in my life right now to even think about quitting. Fake examples - My kid is having problems at school; my aunt is terminally ill; my house has termites; my car needs a new transmission; my back is sore; my dog won't eat; my parents can't keep up their house; my neighbors put a garden gnome village in their front yard......blah, blah, blah. Truth: There is never a time when everything is perfect and serene in life. There will always be some challenge or difficulty you'll need to deal with. They are not valid reasons to avoid the single best thing to improve your life...quitting smoking. Bad things may occasionally pop up after you quit, but at least you'll be healthier and free from a crappy addiction.

We all had a list of excuses a mile long why we shouldn't quit. "The damage is done." "I'll gain weight." "Quitting will ruin my social life." By allowing ourselves to accept these excuses as dogma, we often delayed quitting smoking for years or decades. Choose an excuse that you once held and then expose the reality that shatters that excuse. Mine: Excuse: I'll get too stressed if I quit. Truth: The most stressful thing in my life as a smoker was making sure I got my "fix" every 20-30 minutes. I would rearrange my life to make sure I could feed my addiction according to this timetable. It stressed me out if I had to participate in an event where I couldn't smoke for an hour or two. So, it turned out that not smoking was actually less stressful than smoking. What's your Excuse and Truth?

Perhaps the simple answer is you're just not ready to quit yet. I'm guessing that not many people are successful at quitting if they can't find the motivation to do so. Hope you find that answer soon.

Hi Bope. I, like you, thought that there were more drawbacks than benefits in the early part of quit. I had frequent sore throats, irritability, difficulty sleeping, etc. In fact, I sometimes thought that I had waited too long and was going to die before I ever realized the advantages of quitting. Well, fast forward a few months after quitting and my health issues did a complete 180 degrees. All of my lab work showed massive improvement. Cholesterol dropped about 60 points, blood pressure went down and so on and so forth. Now I do things I was unable to do in my 20's. Of course, diet and exercise also played a role in repairing my health. Stick with it. I'm really confident that you'll begin to see some amazing benefits in the not too distant future. It takes some time to undo the years (decades?) of damage that those poisons did to your body. I would suggest that you see a doctor if you're concerned about your current condition. He/she may be able to provide the temporary relief you need to get past this difficult time.

Welcome Margeetx. Don't worry about the kindness part. It's okay to be a little cranky in the early days of your quit. Replace "kindness" with "commitment". If you've got that, there's no way you can fail.

Joe Exotic isn't the King of Nope, @Cbdave is! Congrats on 5 years mate.

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True dat. I was always miserable when I tried cutting back and it was usually not too long before I was back my normal daily average.

Congratulations to our train engineer. May the benefits of not smoking continue to be good & plenty.

Need joint ASAP

My answer: Cbdave's. I'm not a 100% sure what it is. If I had to guess I'd say it's a whole cooked chicken in a bikini. What's not to love about that?

nope

Time to get out the spandex and celebrate. 6 months is a big deal. Congrats Mac!

Petite Kevin Hart's elfin body MGWPB

Congrats JohnQ. Four months is out of this world.

I probably "quit" for a day between 50-100 times before I pledged to really quit. There's nothing wrong with not smoking for a day, but in the grand scheme of things it won't make a difference in the big picture of life. It is only by breaking the shackles of this addiction that you'll achieve true freedom, improved health, and a real sense of accomplishment. Look at all the educational material here, learn from other's experiences, and make the commitment to quit once and for all. It's doable and worth any short term discomfort.

One month. That calls for a party. Congrats Layla!

Good for you L4L! You are living testimony that life is so much better as an ex-smoker.

Hi Shezi Welcome and congratulations on your six week quit. Sounds like you're doing well and keeping a positive attitude. Of course there will still be some bumps along the way and you'll just need to address them as they arise. Come here and vent, chat, or just browse. Others may start to think you should be "over it" by this point, but you have a new group who know better and will support you all the way. Keep up the good work. I seem to remember that Amazon eliminated their Return Department years ago because no one had ever made a mistaken purchase and all products worked beyond every customers expectations.

nope

There were many clouds early on, but Sunshine has emerged! Congrats on one year of freedom.

Hi John. The answer to your question is yes, I have experienced this. I kept a journal on a smoking app for nearly 2 years with a few words (almost daily) about how my quit was going. I was still having some hellacious days after many months. Here's my entry on June 22, 2016: "7 months quit today. Still craving frequently and feeling like crap! Thought I'd be over it by now." It can take some people a long time to get to the place where they feel like the corner has been turned and it's no longer a struggle. I was one of those people. All I can say is eventually the addiction does lose its grip and freedom emerges victorious. It's worth whatever amount of time and effort you need to render. Keep focusing on those positives you mentioned. I also encourage you to take up some type of physical activity to help focus your mind and body on a beneficial course. Hang in there.....you're worth it.

Way to go Mona. 5 months is a major feat.

Congrats on 7 amazing months Kate!