Layla

NOPE!

Thank you, Boo. I love what you wrote about sticking to the new, good habits instead of sticking to the bad ones...that gives me hope, because I am creature of habit like you. I'm finsihing up Day 6. I need to make sure I hang on when the ride gets bumpy....I feel stronger with each day, but every now and then feel like "can I really do this?" I need to remember to just hang on tight during these ups and downs like you said.

NOPE!

Thanks Mac! I'm hanging in there

Thanks Linda! You too...stay strong!

Thank you, Jillar!

I'm happy to say I got through the night without too much suffering. Throwing away the remaining cigs I had actually helped, because they weren't there to torment me and I knew smoking was not an option. I changed my mindset and just told myself that smoking was not an option, and the craves were not as strong. Thank God! Hoping for continued strength today and tonight especially. Thanks so much for all the support--it was more helpful than you know.

NOPE!!!

Thank you Steven!

NOPE!

Mee, I absolutely love all of your ideas, especially the hot chocolate with 3 marshmallows! Thank you for the positivity! I love the idea of blogging as well!

Jillar, Thanks I love watching the money saved & cigs avoided add up...a pack of cigs is so expensive in Massachusetts...it’s such a waste of money! Doreensfree, Thanks so much for your support! I am really happy I threw them out...I hope that feeling sticks...I love that advice “it’s OK to wobble, just make sure you don’t fall over”. I will repeat that to myself when the night comes!

Mac, Thank you for your post...You are right...the 3 cigs thing was like a ritual to ward off the anxiety associated with PTSD sleep problems, and I don’t need them anymore. It is a wonderful idea to replace something associated with such negative feelings and anxiety with something celebratory now that I have conquered my sleep/nightmare problems. Thank you much for suggesting that...it helps me feel positive

Thank you Jillar...I just broke them into little pieces and threw them out. I guess I won’t be able to cave now lol. I’m glad I’m not going crazy and that it is normal to feel emotional. At least the cigs aren’t around to torment me now. Been doing so well in the day, just feel so wobbly at night. Thanks so much for your support.

Thank you Jillar...I’m gonna throw them out right...I just got done crying for no reason...maybe having the 5 cigs around is just causing me more stress...I dunno. So wobbly right now

Thank you Jane...that is a really good idea to try to replace the ritual with a much healthier ritual. I've been eating cut up fruit and trying to relax. I can just feel the crave demon coming, honestly, already thinking about maybe I'll wait 20 minutes and then have one cig.. So hard I'm afraid to throw away the 5 cigs I have cause I feel like I'll have a panic attack, and I also have run out to the store at any hour of the night to get cigs if I run out of them at night, so fear I would do that as well if I toss them. Really really wish I will make it through tonight.

Thanks so much you guys! It feels great to talk to people who understand. I am going to try and do as you all recommended and not build it up so bad in my mind and assume that it will be some insurmountable crave and realize I have the control no matter how much it seems like the nicodemon does...I know deep down he doesn't...it's just hard, I remember when I first was thinking about quitting smoking it was like the nicodemon appeared before me in his full glory, laughing and saying "Good luck getting through the night....you will never do it". Ahhhh, addiction:( Johnny, thank you for the link about "a crave is never a command"....it is very helpful, because that is exactly how it feels...I will be rereading the link again tonight. Jillar, thank you for the tip about the air cigarettes...I think that might really help, and I will try it. Thanks so much for all the encouragement. I'm gonna really try to not build it up into a big thing, because that is surely making it worse. Just cleaned my bathroom and succeeded in fighting off the craving that I should 'reward" myself for doing a task I hate by smoking a cigarette lol. To be honest, I have 5 cigarettes leftover in the pack I had when I quit and haven't been able to throw them out even though I should. I start to panic when I think about it, because of the night thing. I will post here tonight if I start feeling weak.

Hi, not really an SOS, but I am on day 3 and I have been doing well and am enjoying breathing better and not feeling like I am harming myself by choking down nasty smoke. My serious problems come at night around 9pm where I have a feeling I can only describe as fiending for 3 cigs. I started smoking 3 cigs basically in a row before bed when I was suffering with nightmares and insomnia from Complex PTSD. I am now on medication for that problem which only recently got straightened out to the correct med, and it is really helping me enormously with sleep, but nonetheless I still crave those 3 cigs so strongly. I am doing things like getting ready for bed early, watching Orange is the New Black to distract myself until I am very tired, but I am just afraid I am going to cave, because every night around 9 pm, the nicotine demon comes for a visit and won't leave and feels like it is ordering me to smoke. The rest of the day I do struggle with craves but can manage them, and am feeling stronger each day, but the night is so rough. Just figured I'd post because I am scared I am going to cave at night

NOPE!

NOPE!

Wow you went 2 whole weeks! That is amazing! I am on day 2, and I think it's amazing you have gone 2 whole weeks...you must be breathing so much better...don't put poison in yourself...just be proud of yourself. You can do it! Think about how nice you are being to yourself by not breathing in that nasty smoke, and stick with it!

The ticker is really cool...I love that it immediately starts showing you how much money you are saving! I will probably be reaching out tonight...I'm feeling a little stronger than yesterday (got through some bad 4pm cravings with the help of some tic tacs...but even thinking about tonight gives me a feeling of severe anxiety and a feeling of impossibility...it's so deeply ingrained...that stupid OCD thing lol....but I will reach out for help if I need it (almost definitely will need it). Thanks you all!

Thanks so much for the encouragement! And thank you Jillar...I took your suggestion and filled out my quit date and also added a ticker. I put my quit date as midnight last night because I went the whole day yesterday smoke-free and then screwed up and had a cigarette before bed...that time is super hard for me...it's seems I had developed an OCD type ritual of needing to smoke 3 cigs before bed not very spaced out from each other...like a feeling like I had to have 3 cigs before bed. So I caved and had one, wasn't even worth it...it just felt like "meh". I slept good and woke up this morning breathing much better from smoking 19 less cigs than I normally would and could also taste water this morning (odd but kinda cool). I put the patch back on first thing in the morning and I am doing good, no huge cravings (yet)...I know they will come, especially at night. Thanks so much everyone for all the support!

NOPE!

Thank you! I’m going to make the NOPE pledge today