DenaliBlues

7. Lift blood stains out of clothes.

Green Eggs and Ham

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Congratulations, Paul! All you folks in the decade+ league are a big inspiration!

Well done, Sandi!! You’ve worked hard for your quit, and it’s fantastic to see it take flight. Congrats on two months!

Smart strategy. Distraction is a mighty powerful tool. I think making it through the first major crisis of our quits is tough. The longing to revert is really strong. Even though the notion that smoking will soothe us is a lie, as Reciprocity said, the pull is there. The nature of that first crisis is different for everyone. (For me it was the sudden and painful death of my mom 4 months into my quit.) But we do emerge on the other side with stronger quits and without situations made worse by relapsing. Crying is a natural and healing response to the kind of difficulties you are going through. I sometimes feel like smoking arrested or thwarted the process of healing from hurts. But now - free from that limiting force - moving through the process of metabolizing grief and anger WITHOUT smoking eventually allows for deeper healing to happen, like Christian said. In the meantime, stay busy, be kind to yourself, and protect that precious quit.

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Grief and anger… what a duo of triggers you are having!! I am so sorry for your tough times. Stay strong, dear. I know the “Screw it I’m in a lot of pain and everything sucks so I might as well smoke” feeling all too well. I threw away a multi-year quit in a moment like that, at my father in law’s funeral. “Just one” led to another and another, and before I knew it I was in bondage all over again. The temptation to smoke waits for us in the tall grass and pounces when we are vulnerable. But smoking did not stop the pain. All it did was make me feel even more wretched. Smoking never brought a loved one back or solved an argument. And poisoning myself brought no comfort. So hang onto your beautiful, precious quit, even when things around you seem grim. You can do this. Hang in there!

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Garam Masala

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Glad you’re recovering and doing well!

Way to go @Brioski! Congrats on a well-earned five months. A good excuse for a party… I’ll bring the balloons!

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