Mee

Welcome George. I am so sorry you have suffered the loss of you beloved spouse to smoking. We all clung to the addiction and looked past the damage it was doing to our lives. I am glad you have your son and Benjie to help you through this difficult time. We are all here for you and anxious to help you rid yourself of tobacco. Read as much as you can about you addiction and stay close to the forum. You will be surprised how much easier it gets every day. Hang tough and reach out to us at any time.

FunkyfunJo, glad you saw your physician and you have found that most of your issues were not quitting smoking related. You have a good quit going so don't let those smoking thoughts take over. That is the addiction talking to you. Smoking does nothing but ruin the quality of your life. When you think you are going to give in to those thoughts, post an SOS. We are here to help you. I promise things will get better. Once you rid yourself of this addiction, you gain so much power and self esteem.

Richard, you are dealing with so much right now, so please give it some time. You will feel better the further you get away from smoking. We all used smoking when we were nervous because we felt it would calm us. It was more of a mental thing and never really did do the job. As far as the anxiety, I have dealt with that my entire life. I have panic disorder and panic attacks. I have never taken xanax but take a half of a clonzapam (1/2 mg in the morning and 1/2 mg at night). I have done this for years and it controls the panic. I would not take yourself off these meds because most of them you should be weaned off. As far as the opioid scare, as long as you take the medication as recommended there is nothing to worry about. I believe you are past the hell week and should have the nicotine out of your system. Remember quitting is also a mental thing. Your mind is trying to trick you into feeling you need those cigarettes. You need to learn a way to redirect your thinking. Don't let those thoughts overtake your quit. Just keep the thought of your improved life and health for most in your thinking. You are going to come out of this journey so much better. Keep posting and reaching out. We will be there for you. Hang in there.

Welcome Warbelian. Did I miss your introduction. I see you are almost 4 weeks quit. Great going. It starts to get easier after this. Know that we are here to help you in anyway. Please post if you need anything.

Nope

Rozuki, this is my favorite time of year. I finally finished planting all my pots. We have had too much rain and some pretty chillly days. I always told my husband that my planting was my mental therapy!

And never forget you always have that friend in Ohio (me). When my husband retires we will have to come out to your neck of the woods!

Do you get to see your mom very often. That is across the continent from you. We have friends like that. They are better than family. You are lucky to have them.

Michelle, I am glad you are back. You would not be here if you did not want to quit so let's get this done. Face the fact it will be tough in the beginning but it is so doable. The benefits are so wonderful. We are here for you. Stay close to the forum. Read about your addiction and call out if you need us.

Sounds like fun. Is you California mom and dad a relation or friends?

That is what we are here for. Do not go it alone. There is so much more strength together. If you continue to be bloated, you might check with your physician. I do remember going through a period like that. Depression comes with quitting because you are saying goodbye to something that you thought comforted you. It was your friend, but in hindsight, it really was you enemy. I am sure you are also grieving the loss of your partner. Post as often as you like. There is always someone around to make you laugh or lift you up. We want you to have success.

I laughed when I read this. I too posted about excess, stinky gas when I quit. It lasted about a month. Welcome FunkyfunJo and great job on two months smoke free. This is a great place to ask those questions. We all have been through the variety of different issues that goes with quitting. No matter what, quitting is the best thing you can do. It will give you so much more power and self esteem. Read as much as you can on the board and post often. We want to be there to help you on your quit journey. There is a lot of fun, humor and support here. There is the daily Nope pledge, which I love doing every day.

I used to buy my smokes at the corner gas station. I would never buy any more than one pack a day because I was always going to quit. That meant a visit to the station every day because I never could quit. I did become good friends with the man that owned the gas station. I enjoyed talking with him every day. I am ten months quit and often think I should stop and tell him I quit and miss talking to him. Every time I pull into the station to tell him, I pull right back out. I do not want to visit my old haunt. I will always keep him a pleasant memory but I have no need for his store. The gas is cheaper on the other side of town.

Hi Richard. Yes, Yes and Yes. We have all experienced those symptoms while quitting smoking. The good new is you have landed here and we are all her to help you. 18 days is great. You are in the early stages. By now you have the nicotine out of your body. I am 64 and I smoked for 42 years. I am now ten months smoke free. Quitting has given me so much power and self esteem and I have no wish to return to smoking. I rarely think of smoking. This is so doable and you are on the right track. From this point forward it is just a matter of retraining your brain. When you get those craves just take a deep breath and think how great it feels to inhale clean fresh air. Think about how you are improving your health and extending your life. Smoking does nothing for you. I never thought I could quit but, with the help of the people on this forum, it has been possible. Read as much as you can on the forum, take the Nope pledge each day and reach out to us when you need help. There is an SOS section when you feel like smoking and we all jump in to help you through. I am so glad you found us and hope we can guide you through this journey. Linda

Look out Boo! I know he wasn't invited but I think Bakon is on the way!!!!!

We are on our way. Just passed Catlover and Doreen is in the lead. Reci is not far behind. Oh wait.......Could that be Jo too.

Mr too Jillar I thought we were on the top of the list. I have the RV al ready to go.

Nope

Most smokers started young in rebellion as teenagers. If this would make it harder for them to start, it would cut a huge portion of smokers. Unfortunately, where there is a will, there is a way. It will never be a perfect world.

Wow. It would be amazing if this could happen.

A lot of men are into these movies. My husband has not missed a Fast or Furious. I think you may not have children either, because I have sat through many of these movies with my children and grandchildren.

Because you shouldn't live in the past and it is better to...

Wow and he only gets to take home half. I think he chose to lose. He was an amazing contestant. His ability to bet high made him able to win much more money in a shorter period than Ken Jennings.