Kate18

When I first came to the site this morning, the web address showed that it was not a secure site at first, and my Malwarebytes virus/trojan screening flashed a warning about a trojan. Anyone else have this? I just glanced at the web address again, and see the tiny lock to the left of the address, so it's a secure site now. Not sure what happened. Looked at the Malwarebytes report and it shows a site name www.imagecontrolbeta.com (don't click on that) as appearing to be malicious. I wasn't on that site, just came here to QuitTrain. Was something changed about the site security when the format was changed, anyone know?

NOPE, happily, NOPE. It's a winning strategy, Not One Puff Ever.

Not One Puff Ever...another way of saying "I love you," to my children and grandchildren

Just love Simon Cowell, perfect Wow, 7 Months, it kinda crept up on me. It seems like only last week that I passed 6 months. Thanks, everyone.

NOPE

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Cold turkey. You see the advice above this post, and they're right. Why do you want to quit? Your reason has to overwhelm your reasons (rationalizations) to smoke. You can do this. Keep searching for your overriding reason to be a nonsmoker. Then it is possible. Willpower comes from having a strong enough reason. Not other people's reasons, but your reasons. You can do this. What other people have done, you can do. I'm betting on you.

Yup, you have another try in you. How do I know this without knowing you? Because I may be the queen of having made many stops (won't say quits, since I started in again), then started in again, but later made another stab at it. Now six months in. It is possible. Never quit on yourself, only quit on the cigarettes. Find your strong, overwhelming "why." It's the game changer. Lists of reasons may not do it. People who love you may not do it. But somewhere, there is a reason to quit. Your reason to quit. For me, it was knowing that if I caught the virus, I'd die and my kids would be devastated. Find your overwhelming "why," and the impossible becomes possible.

Nope

This afternoon, I took my dog, Sofia, on a walk through the park. Along the path we met a man with two small dogs who were straining aggressively at their leashes. Their owner was smoking a cigarette, deftly talking with me with it between his lips, the cigarette bobbing up and down as he talked, and the ash dropping to the ground. Terrible to admit, but the thought crossed my mind, "wonder if he has a cigarette to spare?" Sofia and I passed on after a brief meet and greet with his dogs, and I was left to ponder how I could think about smoking. Will I ever have no thoughts of smoking? I would never have asked him for a smoke. But it's a bit perturbing to have even thought about asking someone if they had a spare cigarette. I would have not smoked. No, it's not troubling, only a puzzle that the thought crossed my mind. I don't feel a pull of addiction. Just the oddity that asking someone for a cigarette would even cross my mind.

Not one puff EVER! Words for life, in any language! Nem uma tragada nunca Ni una bocanada nunca ਇਕ ਪਫ ਕਦੇ ਨਹੀਂ Ни одной затяжки Ekki einn púst nokkurn tíma Nemmeno un tiro mai Chan e aon puff a-riamh لا نفخة واحدة على الإطلاق 从来没有一个粉扑 Hakuna pumzi moja milele Hiç bir nefes değil אף נשיפה אחת לעולם Akukho nokukhahlela okukodwa Không một lần phồng କେବେବି ଗୋଟିଏ ପଫ୍ ନୁହେଁ | هیڅکله پف نه Ani jednego zaciągnięcia się

NOPE I just love buying stocks. I wouldn't be able to do this if I still smoked.

Ouuuh, planks, now that's a really good one to add to my goal chart. Before my gym went bankrupt and closed for good (darn virus), I could only do a 45 second plank, but I loved trying. I like this idea. Three minutes is serious. I also like the complimenting idea. I work as a cashier, and strive to have each customer leave my check stand a bit happier than when they first stepped up.

Today I was thinking about how I quit smoking after thinking for several years that it might be too difficult. Now I am mulling over other goals that have seemed nigh impossible, like getting myself to run for three miles every day, or doing 20 push ups the real way (a guy-type push up, not the girly version). Being successful at one tough goal is leading me to rethink what else I might be successful at that once didn't seem to be possible. Anybody else have this happen to them? Any successes? (Making chocolate chip raspberry walnut brownies as I think this through)

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Yes, I'd been there with making lists of "whys." I made a number of them along the way, trying to create a moment where the reasons on my list tipped the scale in my emotions in favor of quitting. I even had a tableau on my computer of photos of the terrible diseases smokers can get. They should have motivated me, but they didn't. For me, the tipping point came when the I saw that the virus would enter the US. I worked in an infectious diseases clinic at a medical center for a while and had seen maps of how a pandemic would spread around the world. In my gut I knew I was taking a terrible risk by continuing to smoke. That is what I mean by a "why." When you lease expect it, something causes an emotional switch where quitting smoking is now easier. It unfortunately took several years for that reason to arise for me. I guess all I can say is to stay open to it, which you already obviously are. Best of luck, Jeff

Discover your "Why?" "He who has a why to live can bear almost any how." Friedrich Nietzsche I struggled on this forum and an earlier one for several years, stopping smoking, then restarting and disappearing from the forum until I could face another "quit." When the pandemic struck, I knew that if I got the virus, I was toast. My kids would never forgive me for having smoked and left them bereft long before I should have. That was my "why." I've had many cravings since, but no real drive to smoke again. Now, six months later, I feel like a nonsmoker, not a smoker who is just abstaining. You can do this. We all have faith in the process of quitting and in you!

Linda, you're walking steps that many people have tread before you...just keep putting one foot in front of another in the direction of clean living. Saying "no" to the impulse to go to the store is the first step, then turning your attention to any of the suggestions that have been made above is the second. Actually doing any of those suggestions is the third step. Lather, rinse, repeat. This is doable, others have done it, and therefore you can do it too. It feels sooooo good to get past a few weeks, and before you know it, it's a month. After that, things begin to feel more normal, not smoking feels more like a new normal. It'll get better, I promise you.

Seven, 7, what a great number! Congratulations on a wonderful, healthy accomplishment!