Tammy

Way to go Al, 9 months is a fantastic achievement...you should be proud of the way you've kept your quit. Congratulations and Cheers to the Lido deck in sight for you.

Underestimate is the key word here, yes don't underestimate the crave, but also, like @Sazerac said, don't underestimate your determination and power to overcome. You have to be strong, like really strong only for 3-5 minutes, and then once the crave passes, you can be back to just keeping your guard up. Your body is trying to get back to the addiction, you gotta just keep pushing back. You are doing great.

Congrats Raidermom on being smoke free for a whole month, that is a big step on the way to your forever quit.

Nope

-8

@Kate18 I am glad to be able to help in any way possible, I didn't know this is in mindful meditation, I was actually quoting Harry Potter there, where Hermione says fear of a name increases fear of a thing itself. Glad to know that the messages stay the same irrespective of the medium they are delivered from.

Hey Jo, I indeed am happy. This team is aggressive and that is a good thing for a change. Hoping for an enthralling final face off, best of luck. May the best team win.

Nope Excellent work Kate, naming your craves diminishes the power they have on you. Loving your quit, you've got this.

Nope

Thanks Jenny, Stewman, Catlover and Sslip for the amazing messages. Honoured to be a part of this family, and it exactly takes care of members like a family does @Sslip please don't apologize, you've been instrumental in me keeping my quit too, thanks for being there my friend. I have reached this milestone with a lot of support from you. And I treasure that and our friendship more than you could know.

8

Hey there Jack, welcome to QT...glad to have you on the train. Stick around the forums, pledge NOPE daily, tell yourself that you will not smoke just for today, and then renew that pledge daily. It is tough but not impossible, this quitting business. We are here to help, in whatever small way we can. See you around and all the best for your quit. Take good care of yourself.

Nope

Good on you Kate, writing about it is also catharsis, and you've done that effectively here. Stay strong, one stinky stupid smoke isn't worth you giving up your quit.

Nope

Amazing work Parsley, 4 months is a serious testament to your dedication to this quit. What a gift you've given yourself this season. Kudos.

So what does a Chinese general, military strategist, writer and philosopher of old and smoking have in common? I'm currently reading his book, aptly titled "Art of War" and one of the quotes have struck a chord with me as being quite relevant in the daily battle we have with our quit. The quote goes thus: If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained, you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle. From the time I joined this forum, everyone who welcomed me gave me the advice, read up, know your addiction, know what nicotine does to your body, know how you react to the initial days of your quit, drink up on the knowledge. And I did that...not saying it was all smooth sailing, but it sure helped. The thought that I'm actually cleansing my body, and the nicotine is desperately trying to keep it's hold on me helped me grit my teeth and work through the initial days. Even now, whenever I've had those nasty triggers, I've come on here, and been reminded of the fact that it's not something my body needs, but something my mind is tricking me into thinking I need it. Know yourself, know your addiction and you will not fear the result of a hundred battles. May you always be victorious in every battle you enter my QT family. Merry Christmas!!!

Nope

Wishing you and yours a very very Joyful Christmas Jo. And to everyone on my QT family, may this holiday chime in happiness and peace and chime out all the worries and cares you had. Here's to a fabulous, smoke free 2019 for all of us.

Nope

Hi OBM, Just posted a congratulations on your 1 year quit. I don't think I can even fathom the things going on with you right now. But I know one thing, which everyone before me has also mentioned, that lighting up, will not solve the problem at all. There's nothing that smoking will do to change status quo, absolutely nothing. You've stuck it out for so long inspite of everything life has thrown at you, I can totally believe that you can beat this demon purring inside of you as well. You've fought and won tougher battles, you can win this. We're with you. Stay strong and KTQ.

My friend, I know the past month has been tough on you, purely because I was going through a rough patch too, and you took the time out to reach out and let me know I can't give up on this quit. Give yourself a standing ovation from me, because boy, you've fought the odds and won in style. You're inching towards a life free from nicotine, one day at a time and your dedication will get you there. Congrats on 4 phenomenal months MLMR.

THough we've never interacted OBM, 1 year is an amazing achievement. Hope you are doing something special to celebrate. Congratulations.

Thanks a bunch everyone for the amazing wishes. As I did mention in my post earlier, each one of you inspires me to keep going, by the simple virtue of the fact that you did as well, you stuck to your quit, and have crossed milestones I can only but aspire to achieve. As Joe rightly said, it is still one day at a time, and I'm not letting my guard down ever. I will KTQ...and I will Nope daily.

I was planning on quitting for a long time after 3 odd attempts where I failed. One which took me to beyond 3 months. So one fine day when I reached work, I chucked my usual morning smoke with tea that I used to have everyday, and just had the tea. And told myself, if you're serious, don't keep saying "One day". Make today "Day One", and that was it. Well, it's only been 6 months, but I'm sticking to my quit like paper to glue.