DenaliBlues

-19

Many of us have had stutter-steps on our quitting journey, @Molly2310. It’s ok. Learn from what happened and hop back on track. There is always a seat for you on the Train.

NOPE

Hi, @Brioski. So sorry you are having a tough day. I don’t have any advice for anxiety attacks (would use the tools your doc suggests and follow the tips from folks here with firsthand experience). But I can say that in the first while after I quit, my breathing felt extremely strange at times. Sort of floaty, like I was taking in O2 but it was not “gripping” somehow. I believe it had something to do with the fact that I was a heavy menthol smoker. It took me a while to recalibrate to breathing without the pinchy feeling from smoke, menthol and chemicals. I had to get reacquainted with clean chemical-free oxygen. This weird feeling got better. But during the transition, I appreciated aromatherapy inhalers and diffusers. Different essential oils have different properties and appeal to different people. But for what it’s worth, I found rose, grapefruit and sweet birch (wintergreen) scents to be helpful during the early weeks of my quit. Lavender, rosemary and jasmine also. In any case, I’m wishing you ease and a good night’s sleep. Take care.

NOPE

6.

NOPE!

-20! Chicks rule.

-18

^^^^^ Me, too. At the outset, I had no identity as a “nonsmoker.” (Still don’t.) But I could identify as a QUITTER. Quitting was so bleeping hard that every hour/day that I didn’t smoke became something I wanted to guard and defend - I became protective and proud of them. That initial abstinence approach eventually created the space and grace to begin working on healing and recovery, which is the work I am doing now. Abstaining alone won’t cut it for me… past relapses have taught me that. I need to proactively attend to deep healing from addiction. But abstinence was the first essential tool I used to punch through the walls of my nicotine imprisonment. Sort of like those home renovation TV shows. Demolition before renovation!

-18

-15

NOPE

Congratulations, Jordan! So happy for you - and grateful for your being part of my quit. The Penguin People cannot contain their joy!

Frost on daffodills I want to knit all of them Tiny wool sweaters

-12

-10

NOPE!

-10

Welcome back, Bria! One hour/day at a time is a smart strategy. Staying busy and distracted helps, too. It’s not wrong to say that you love smoking. Total honesty is needed for a successful quit. But as your quit grows, you may find that the internal, “I love smoking” idea is unmasked as a romanticized false narrative. For me, I realized that it was more accurate to say, “I am an addict who feels antsy without my fix and smoking is my drug.” Sheds a different light on things. Anyhow, good on you for coming back. You can do this!!

Hi, Molly and Bria. I’m sorry that things are difficult for you both right now. I can relate to being clobbered by multiple deaths and sorrows - that happened to me in 2021 and 2022. It can feel relentless sometimes - still terribly raw, despite the passage of time. Haunting. But I am more than the sum of my losses. So are you. When my mom was dying last summer, several people on the Train asked me if smoking ever really fixed anything? As much as I desperately wanted to smoke, I had to honestly answer “no.” Smoking never mended anything broken, never brought anyone back. So I keep my quit and I muddle thru as best I can. It’s not a linear process, but I can absolutely promise that the quit muscles get stronger with time. There are gifts to quitting that gradually start to bloom. It’s a courageous and beautiful thing you’re both doing, to walk toward them.

-10

NOPE! And SNOTT - smoking’s not on the table.

Happy anniversary, @Kate18. What a wonderful milestone to celebrate. Here’s a happy dance to salute you!