MLMR

Glad you feel so much better Diane. Mention and celebrated the positives as often as possible, it wil help you build a solid quit :).

Congrats Parsley Great to hear from you!

Congrats on 2 weeks, Diane. 💪

@hellkatbaby, sorry to hear this. What a great attitude you have and what a kick-ass post. I whish you lots of good things on your way through this.

@Ankush well done. I agree with Doreen, it takes guts and strength to get back up. You inspire me by doing that. You will get there, I am sure of that!

How are you doing @Ankush?

Ahw shit, no! I am really sorry to hear that. You had a great quit going and you are such a steady factor here.. Please muster up courage and cary on with your quit. Strong decision you made about that. The date is just a date, as much as I understand your need to make it accurate. What matters most, obviously, is that you dont light up again. Please, please call out to us tonight/today, when you do experience withdrawl. Theres a great chance you will, since you administered nicotine to your system.

There's one thing that absolutely motivates me to KTQ and that is that I never ever can be sure I would attempt another quit. And if so, how that would work out. Some time ago... I remember being well into the first year, so extremely proud. I took great pride in quitting, really on top of the world after every crave I conquered. One year became one and a half, two and finally three. I actually inspired some friends: if she can, why not us? Time went by, I hardly ever missed my nicotine killer. And I actually felt... great. But then I did the unthinkable. Smoked a (tobacco)joint during a festival, afterwards a cigarette. Because, what the hell and tomorrow no one will remember (ah, but no. The real reasons ofcourse were some left over receptors going bonkers). The music died out, people crawled into their tents. The next morning I had coffee with a cig. And though I kept a straight and tough girl face, I knew at that point it all had been for nothing. Shame and self doubt made its way back into my mind. Fast forward, six or seven years later .. august 22, 2018... it had to be now or never. This time around, things were different. Lots of bumps in the road, none of that first timers pride. I had to work to feel proud, I literally had to create happines around this whole event. On a few occasions it was like my world was falling apart and I had to get it from idontknowwhere. Ofcourse it hasnt all been straight forward misery, but no way is it comparable to these previous three years of quitting. And let that be my guide then. I will never ever want to do this again, ever. I will not grieve and crave a cigarette. I will not cry over a crashed relationship again while aching for a smoke. I wont have any guaranteed life happenings be affected by the thought of cigarettes. I will never ever let that mf nicotine mess up my soul again and I am prepared to make this a life time thing. Because I want to be as free as free can be.

Hey there Ankush, in what way are people undermining your quit? Do they literally and deliberately say, 'go smoke!' Or, 'you are better off smoking anyway!' ... Something like that? Or is it more in a subtle way and sometimes maybe without intention? And that its your addicted brain that interprets it as undermining, while in reality no one can be blamed, not even your brain because it does what its supposed to do? Either way, you seem to deal with it the right way. By not lightening up and learning yourself to deal with irritating situations in a different way. A brilliant person here once told me to always carry glitter. When annoyed by someone... throw that stuff in the air and walk off, chin up! (And tits, if you have 'm). 😊

Mthrfckng piece of sht addiction! I aint gonna get some and you dont make me believe all these nonsense again!!!! Get the fck back to sleep, because I (yes, I!!!) will have the last fckn laugh!

Congrats Paul! Do you still take time to celebrated this date after 6 years? I love that people like you still come here to support and educate others. Really inspirational. Thanks for that!

*bump*

Tenen, (dutch for toes 👣) you are on track. A smooth sea never made a skillful pirate. And... rewards, rewards!!! ☆☆☆ RE-WARDS ☆☆☆

Michelle, count with me, back from 10 to 0.... here we go: 10.... 9.... 8.... 7..... 6..... 5..... 4.... 3... 2.... 1..... 0! -edit- I actually checked if I wrote the numbers in the right order 🤣

Yeah, completion of month 11. Thanks so much Reci ofcourse and others. I bought a little book today, as my quit reward. 'The anxiety cure'. Its based on the principles of neuroplasticity. Though I must admit some parts seem a bit simple and just too good to be true, I am going to try the exercizes the author provides in the book. I like the idea of more rewiring. I think quitting smoking is all about taking responsibility. The further I get in this proces, the more I realise how unnecessary complicated I often make things in my life. Admitted, its not the most joyfull discovery yet. It means I got to start looking at myself with compassion, humor but above all decisiveness... to do things according to what I know now. I just cant keep living life like I did. Wow shit, it's true. Like.... ahhhhhh! I bet my new book will tell me that its actually an amazing discovery and one that I can start working on right about ... now. So without further ado ... this woman will be doing some homework tonight, to once and for all be done with shittypitty anxiety! Thanks all for who you are and sharing your wonderful personal views on quitting and life with me 😊

Hey Michelle, why not start a blog then? Might be just what you need!

By the way, I remember @Sazerac provided an article about nicotine being in your system far longer than 3 days, i think it said it was found in hair cells after several weeks even?

I totally get what you say, Toes! Being ok with not being ok, is one of the bigger challenges with quitting.. but, a challenge that will give you so much, along the road. Soon you'll be experiencing short moments of joy, about what you are doing. I started having them around one month in. The trick is to totally utilize these moments: squeeze every bit of joy out of it, celebrate and plant the tiniest victories in your head, even when it seems a bit... grotesque. It is huge what you are doing, the best thing you could do for yourself. Whish you sleep!

And get up when you can't sleep. Distract your anxious brain for a while with a soothing cup of tea, glass of water. Snooze a bit on the couch or favorite chair. Sleep will come again!

False. Very 1993. TNP makes decissions based on astrology.

Recognizing that Junkie Thinking is nothing more than a brain pattern at work. Crying receptors. It takes time but it is trainable. The emotional side of the Junkie Thinking needs attention too, but rather in a constructive way: Ask yourself, am I Hungry Angry Lonely or Tired? (HALT).

Toes, so sorry that you have a rough time with sleep. Please keep telling yourself that this will be temporary, because it is, my friend. This will pass, it really really will. In the mean time, keep writing. Its important to have a place to go to with these thoughts. My sleep is better than its ever been in my life. I awake so much more relaxed than I used to, my body and brain do what they are supposed to do at night: rest and heal. Soon enough you will reach that stage as well. Take care, upwards and onwards 🐩 . ,<- thats a poodle, yes. No unicorn in stash.

Hi Diane, I am no expert in Chantix, wouldnt know if thats the wisest thing to do (quit early). Like Jillar said, Ive also heard from people who went straight back to smoking after quitting the program early. I went cold turkey, but I did have some time frame in mind. No worries about over-eating the first month, shifting focus to exercize only after 6 months (i tried walking daily though, from the 2nd month or so), making sure I celebrated every milestone and counting weeks on a calender. I wanted to have a grip on my first year and I was well aware of all the triggers/patterns (both daily, seasonal, mental and many others) to overcome. This time frame helped me a great deal. I am not one for NRT's, but I can imagine that the programs that often come with it, like with Champix or patches, can be helpful. Working towards something. Do you have some kind of plan, or will you just go with the flow?