DenaliBlues

N O P E !

Yeah, the urge to smoke IS really weird! The “time to smoke” thing is deeply programmed into us physically and psychologically. At first it felt like a hard shove. I had to literally shake my head, arms and legs to fight it off for the first couple of weeks. Thank heavens I work remotely so I could do that with privacy, though it did scare the heck outa the cats LOL! Then the shove became a weaker tug. Then a more wimpy kind of wave. I understand the guilt and regret. But I think you are smart to focus on today. You are doing a brave and beautiful thing to quit now. Gather your strength around that and take pride in your new resolve!

Welcome, Robin! So glad you found us. This is definitely the right place to come to get insights and support. I love what you shared in your post about feelings of grief, boredom and anger. Those are all valid and natural feelings to have. I think coming to terms with them is an important part of building a quit that sticks. So kudos to you for acknowledging those experiences. I, too, lost a long quit (7 years). My story at the time was that my father in law had died and that I smoked because of the stress. But looking back on it now, I think it more accurate to say that I lost that quit because I never came to terms with being an addict. I thought I could smoke just one smoke, or just one pack… just at the funeral… just on special occasions. I was wrong. I was back to a pack a day in a flash. When I quit again last Feb, I felt the grief and loss you describe. It was wrenching to lose my one pleasure… my friend… my solace and part of my identity, having been a smoker for 40+ years. I had terrible grief about quitting, and also struggled to cope with other feelings I had tried to suppress or keep at bay thru smoking. It was not pretty! A good part of that despair is a distortion. It is the addiction trying to regain control. Fight back with these truths: true “friends” don’t imprison us and hold us in chemical bondage. They don’t feed us poison in the guise of comfort. True friends don’t fill our heads with falsehoods and shame while slowly killing us. Lean on some new friends here on the Train, instead! You are doing such a powerful thing by quitting, Robin. Those feelings of loss and “something being missing” do ease. After a while, your brain chemistry and emotions recalibrate. Life starts to get better. You begin to enjoy other things. Freedom normalizes and recovery (physical and emotional) starts to take root. In the meantime, hold tight to your beautiful new quit. It needs you to cherish, nourish and protect it. Stand up for it. Soothe and distract yourself as best you can. Stay busy and read everything you can on this forum. Ask questions. Knowledge is power. And keep us posted on how you are doing… We want to know, and we want to help!

N O P E

NOE

NOPE I’m mot going to smoke this minute… or this hour… or this day. It can help quitting feel more attainable at first.

+1 to all that @jillar and @Brioski have said. NRT works by supplying a limited dose of nicotine through your skin or your gums. You get enough nicotine to shave the edge off your cravings, to support a commitment to quitting. But the hit is gradual. By contrast, inhalation - through either vaping or smoking - is a super potent delivery vehicle for a lot of nicotine to enter your bloodstream and brain very quickly. Because of that, it’s likely to intensify rather than diminish your dependence. Plus there is all kinds of other harmful c - - p beyond nicotine in ecigs and vape juice. Bottom line: the only way to quit smoking is to actually quit smoking. It will suck for a while, but it won’t kill you. And you’ll be glad you did it.

N O P E

Sending you love and fortitude. Well done for not smoking your way through your troubles!

Happy 7th anniversary!!

nope

Congratulations on your 7 years of freedom!!! Thanks so much for all that you do to support us on the Train.

NOPE

… only streak at night. Which has the added benefit of…

Bravo, Sirius! Congrats on your stellar quit.

Gnashed her teeth

…air-dry by streaking, instead. Although I am concerned about…

Lost at sea

7. Make a radio antenna

NOPE

Hi, Sandi. These are great questions. Quitting smoking can mess with your blood sugar (drive it down or up) as well as your digestion (which might slow down). So listen carefully to your body, support it with whatever fluids and nutrition it needs during the first crucial weeks of your quit. I am not diabetic, but I do have to be careful about extra weight. I found ice-cold sugar free and caffeine-free drinks (especially diet root beer) to be really helpful. I also used a lot of non-food things: aromatherapy inhalers, silly putty, fidget spinners, etc. Best of all, though, were small tasks to keep me busy. I kept a notebook of little house things that needed attention, and every time my mind or body yearned for a smoke I’d go cross something off the list instead of lighting up. Small stuff like wiping the schmoo out of the bottom of the recycling bin, or tightening a screw on a drawer pull. Distracting myself became a creative exercise. Plus my house was nice and clean for a while, LOL.

NOPE

NOPE

Well done. What an inspiration!!

NOPE