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Hi, Lilley! Good on you for seeking the support that you need! You will quit when you are ready...then again, you might quit even if you're NOT ready, if you force yourself to like you're your own parent putting yourself on smoke arrest haha. Wouldn't it be neat if we could all just be our own parents and forbid ourselves to smoke...just like that! Tell ourselves that our health is our best asset and we must preserve it for as long as we can; that smoking is a dirty trick that was done to us by society, and then we got addicted but now we have to let go of the addiction because it's going to ruin our lives and wreck our health and eat up all our money! Wouldn't it be neat if we could be our own parent and pull ourselves by the ear away from smoking and just be done with it! You will quit when you are ready, or you will make yourself quit even if you're not ready because your lifelong health and fortune are more important than your addiction, and life's too short as it is. Hope to see you back on the train, Lilley!

Yay!!! Way to go, Mac!!! Keep it going! Smoking is fast becoming a distant memory...

Great job, Nana20! Congratulations on putting yourself over your addiction! Keep doing it!

Loving not having that shroud around me.

I had a little smokers cough that was threatening to get worse...gone!!! My sense of smell is so keen! The scent of fresh cut meadow grass on a warm and sunny day. Still hating those 20 extra pounds though. Well at least I won't be a bag of bones from smoking!

Hi idontsmoke! I would say definitely see a doctor if you are having breathing problems. Congratulations on quitting nicotine and sticking to your quit! The cravings will ease up the longer you don't use nicotine. I am working toward 6 months and have some days where I don't even think about smoking once. But at 3 weeks I had all kinds of cravings! Just stick around, keep posting and reading, and keep renewing your promise to yourself to stay off nicotine. Keep up the great work! You deserve to breathe!

Thank you for sharing your story, C9jane. It's a great reminder of why we quit smoking. I lost my mom to COPD a year and a half ago. It's a gruesome way to go and something I don't want for my future and a huge reason why I finally quit. It's hard to understand how a person can keep smoking through lung disease, cancer, etc, especially with loved ones who care about them or depend on them still in the world. I can only guess that my mom was so depressed without her cigarettes that she just had to smoke, as nothing else successfully alleviated her depression, in her opinion. It doesn't make it better, but it helps with understanding. May we all avoid the disabilities caused by smoking by stopping now and staying quit! Lovely poem. What a heartfelt way to tell your story. Thank you.

Thanks, everyone, for your thoughtful replies and resources. Man, how I wish I never got hooked on nicotine. I will persevere! I'm betting that my brain will get back to normal in time. Not the addiction keyhole. That may always be there. It's a feeling. How I felt before getting hooked on nicotine. I want that feeling back. Gonna get it back! Gotta strive for it! I believe in hope. I shall persevere!

I second what reciprocity said. Great job quitting nicotine, idontsmoke! Stay the course through the first week. It gets easier after that. For me, day six was the humdinger. Welcome!!

Hi Nana! Love that you made your own SOS video! Day 6 was the worst for me. You can totally do this because it's your #1 priority right now. Battle on!!

Hooray, JohnQ! Good for you! Keep up the great work. You got this, and it definitely gets easier. Next week will already be much better.

Hi Abby! Great job staying free! Congratulations and keep it up!!

Hey All! I have read a lot about changes in brain chemistry caused by nicotine use, and the no-man's-land stage of recovery. But does the brain ever truly go back to the way it was before nicotine addiction? I am almost 5 months quit, and occasionally I get a moment where I feel like I used to feel before I got hooked on nicotine 34 years ago. Do any of you folks feel like you're all the way back to normal and, if so, how long into your quit did you notice you felt that way? And do any of you long-time quitters feel like you're STILL not back to normal even after having been off nicotine for X amount of time? Thanks and stay safe!

Congratulations Sirius! Six is huge!

Way to go, Kate! Congratulations on 3 months! You got this down pat!

Congratulations on one month smoke free, Mona! Your body is doing a happy dance!! Great job!

So sorry you lost your mom Jillar..it's so hard to go through! But way to go keeping your quit through all that shtick. I hope your lungs fully recover with time. Thanks for being a kind and supportive soul here!

Clanging cowbells and blasting alpenhoerner!! HOORAY for Jillar!! Happy 4th!! Congratulations on 4 years of freedom!! Way to go!

1,230 nico-sticks! roughly... gad...the second-hand smoke here is killing me!!! 🙌

Go on with your bad self and shine on, you crazy diamond! Nice to have metcha and catchya on the trail! Hi5!!

Since I was smoking and chewing the gum between smokes, I actually had to quit the nicotine gum first. 6 months later I quit smoking. Haha! Dern was I ever hooked on that gum...blowing bubbles. Popping it...all the while getting that nicotine hit.

Welcome to the forum Amer, and congratulations on quitting smoking! Sorry you have so many symptoms!!!!! If everything started after quitting nicotine, and all the tests say you are fine...it's probably the addiction messing with your mind. It's totally messing with mine!!! I just hope I have the longer breath and can hold out until the addiction is truly and completely inactive. Don't torture yourself too much. If you can, work out! Great job on quitting nicotine! Keep going!

Right on, Lady D! Keep up the great work. Your lungs are so grateful! You deserve a smoke free , happy life!

Way to go AK!

They also don't stick forever and don't hold up to a shower, so best to apply after showering, before lotioning. Brand name ones are stickier than generic store brands. They also gave me weird dreams.