d2e8b8

Well done, Michelle. Every time you overcome a craving, you're getting stronger and it's getting weaker. You just need to kill those triggers one by one. Your quit date and ticker seem to be different - which one is correct?

Nope!

I used to play a game and would visualize hitting the triggers with a large hammer (Thor) whenever I got cravings. At times, would scream out 'DIE TRIGGER DIE' ... sometimes startling folks nearby.

Nope!

Hey, I can add my 10,000 to the pile. Wow, all of that would have been inside of me ....

I relapsed a few times to get to the successful one. The good thing is you're here again (great advice as always @jillar). You can do it - I found being close to the board and sharing experiences that folks here have also experienced helped me.

I used to think of it as a new experience - like going on a spaceship. If spaceship doesn't excite you then you can substitute 'vacation to an exotic destination'. The idea is you're experiencing something new and unique (without spending a cent) going where you haven't gone before. Enjoy the brain fog while you can - it'll soon be gone.

Nope!

@MLMR, great to see your accomplishment. You've done so well.

Nope!

Move the thread out of SOS?

Thanks, Ankush and babs609. Feeling brave and will try and ramp up to 5k in small increments. May have to run at night as it's too hot during the day.

Oh wow, that was Nov. Haven't really been able to run since then. Going to try a ginger 2k tonight and see how it goes. Fingers crossed. I think as an addict, I need the addiction of running to replace the nicotine addiction.

Worried about going to the loo. How do you make morning stuff happen without a cigarette. I thought I'd miss my 'me time with my cig' but there are other much better ways to find me time.

Hey hesteralumni23, Smoking masks underlying issues that surface when we quit. A lot of us have had to face it and eventually we do learn to do without the crutch. Hope things work out for you. You have the right idea and I think you'll succeed. Smoking was the hardest thing for me to quit and it took me many attempts. You will likely do it in less.

Nope!

Nope! Happy Jul 4th to our neighbors!

hesteralumni23, I'd suggest reading up on triggers. There are daily triggers like coffee, lunch, going to school/ work, etc that occur daily and cause smoke cravings - if you've been successfully quit for 90 days means you have overcome 99% of the daily and infrequent triggers. What's left are the life-event triggers - you know, bad news about job, family or something that evokes some memory or strong emotions. These are so occasional that when they do hit you, you're unprepared and I suspect this may be happening in your case. If you had a routine that you used to overcome the daily trigger, I'd recommend using that routine as a means to get past the initial cravings. Find a way to invoke it. One other thing - just make a promise to yourself to post an SOS before going out to buy a pack. It has saved many quits and folks here will support you through the crave. Most people require multiple attempts to get to the final successful quit - please keep at it. You're smarter than me for having started this journey at such an early age and I'm sure you'll find a way past the 90-day crave.

Nope! Happy Canada Day!

I kind of had a plan. Took 2 weeks time off from work while the rest of the family was going to be away. Plan was to lock myself in the house and get past the initial withdrawal without hurting any of my loved ones. I had read up and I thought I was prepared. Didn't work for me. At the end of 2 weeks, I was back at work and smoking on that Mon. Angry at myself for having lost the perfect opportunity and weeks of planning, That was the day I found QSMB and at around lunch hour decided to try again. No plan this time. And it worked - the difference was the online support of folks who had been through the same journey and could connect in ways the medical sites couldn't. It's probably different for everyone but there is a right way for each of us. Sometimes it takes multiple attempts to find it. I'd say the trick is to keep trying even if there are bumps along the way.

Nope!

You're doing awesome, Jack!

Nope!

Congratulations, Jaime! 3 days already, wow! Does it help to know that we all went through the same fears, thoughts, sensations etc. Quitting is hard but ... it's also easy. Stay close to the board, post your journey and the folks here will be able to support you since we've all traveled the same road. You'll be a nicer you :).

Great post, Kate, and you're doing awesome with your quit. These incidents make you stronger and now you have a tool you can use next time.