Ferdinand

NOPE !

NOPE.

NOPE!

NOPE. Not today.

I had a smoke. And then I didn't stop. And now I've smoked a whole pack in two days. I'm not happy about it. I hate that I did it. I hate that I'm craving cigarettes again. And I hate how disappointed I feel in myself right now. You've all been very supportive and I feel like I've let all of you down as well. I'm sorry about that too. I've not had another one in a day now, so that's ok so far I guess! I went ahead and replied to the pre respond thread. Hoping it'll come in handy if this happens again, but that it doesn't come to that! Just had to get this off my chest! Cheers!

remember the lethargy the ugly coughs and the stains on your teeth running out of breath climbing two flights of stairs the self loathing the indifference and the numbness the dependence and the compulsion the frustration and the aggression the shame of doing it despite being fully aware of all of this and more And then remember the energy The pride in dealing with your problems The hope The strong will to live long and do things that matter to you The freedom Take a minute (or three ?) Think about this. It may seem irrelevant right now, but you'll see the point again in an hour, a day, or a week. Remember how bad that feels. You know both paths. You are strong enough. Make a choice you won't regret. (Remember how bad that feels?)

NOPE!

NOPE

NOPE

NOPE!!!

NOPE

NOPE NOPE NOPE

NOPE

NOPE

NOPE!

NOPE!

Well! I haven't had a smoke so far, so that's good! @Doreensfree If you could quit after fifty years then I have no excuse! Thanks for sharing that with me. @Boo Thanks for putting it that way. That actually made me laugh out loud It's a very elegant solution. Everyone else, thank you for taking the time to show your support! I really appreciate it.

Hello! I've been smoking for about 4 years now. I have stopped smoking twice (I can't think of it as "quitting", because that word implies agency), each time for around two months, almost spontaneously, without even thinking about it, planning anything, or having to try at all. Looking back, I realized that what the two episodes had in common was that both those times, good things that I cared about very much and could potentially change my life forever were likely to happen (though they didn't!). So the best explanation I have is that "hope" is what made me stop smoking; had those things happened, I would have liked to experience them for as long as possible. So instead of following one-size-fits-all instructions (which have not helped me the 8 times I have tried to quit), I've decided I'm going to try and put myself in situations where good things with long lasting positive effects might happen to me, as often as I can, since that seems to actually help me.