Paul723

When you quit smoking your body will start to heal itself. I found this to be an important thought when I first quit. Quitting is one of the most important things you will ever do for yourself so keep your focus on this. A good attitude will help you succeed.

One year ago you made a great decision and today you get to celebrate it! Congratulations!

The mantra I used early in my quit was "Smoking is not an option".

Get your car professionally cleaned to rid it of the cigarette stink. The fresh clean smell will remind you how good it is to be done with smoking. I did this and paid for it with the money I saved in just the first two weeks.

Your life has changed in remarkable ways and I think quitting was a catalyst for the changes. Congratulations on SIX years!

Bump

At eight months it felt as if a huge weight had been lifted off me. You're doing great.

Do not be afraid of quitting. Attitude is a powerful thing to help you. You won't like the first couple of weeks as the nicotine leaves your body but then your body will start to heal itself. When you feel the withdrawal from nicotine know that it can't hurt you and that it will pass. They will get weaker and weaker as time goes on.

I'm proud of you Kate.

You even survived organic chemistry! Good work!

How Nicotine Works - https://www.quittrain.com/topic/10196-how-nicotine-works/ This short film that is pinned gives a good overview. The part of the brain that nicotine goes to is not controlled by rational thoughts but is able to signal a dump of adrenaline into our body (the "antsy" feeling we get when having a crave). Don't let this part of your brain make the decision to smoke. Before lighting up, wait, then give your rational brain a chance to offer an opinion on whether or not you should throw away a quit. Understanding this helped me a lot.

Sazerac is a Legendary Quitter! Congratulations on eight years! She is also the maker of a Legendary Gumbo. Her recipe is 8 pages long and takes 3 days to make. Here is some of her instructions: Cut up and bone duck, refrigerate. Liver, sauteed with garlic in duck fat, pssst spit of cognac for Chef. Giblets chopped, neck cracked and roasted. I hope she makes some gumbo to celebrate. Here's some music for the party: California Honeydrops "When It Was Wrong" 2011 - YouTube

Good Job! Thanks for helping others along the way. Here's a bacon joke for you -

Congratulations on one of your best decisions - to quit smoking. You've made it past the first two weeks and your body and mind are beginning to heal. The craves can't hurt you and I always give the advice to dismiss them immediately. Tell yourself "Smoking is not an option, so move on." There is a lot of information on this site to educate you about nicotine, smoking and quitting for you to take advantage of; knowledge is power.

First a sausage picture for Doreen: In the first year of my quit (seems like yesterday) I wrote this: The Great Escape We were in prison. We weren’t sure of it, but we were on death row. We had seen others killed. The rules requiring a swift and humane execution were not guaranteed. In fact, the torture of slow poison was in motion. What bugged us most was not the prison or even the death sentence, but that the punishment seemed way out of proportion to our crime. It was unfair. There had been rumors of escape, but even so, our cells were solid brick. They happened somewhere else. We had run at the walls before to no avail. If we escaped, surely we would be recaptured and our imprisonment would be made even more severe. We were comfortable in our cells. It was our choice. We heard a whisper. It was so soft we could barely hear it. “If you say NOPE and laugh in Spanish like this, jajajajaja, you can walk right through the wall to freedom for ever.” That’s crazy, feel how thick and hard these walls are – there is no way we could walk through them. We’re not strong enough. What’s on the other side anyway? Tomorrow, maybe. Finally we tried it, and it worked! We ESCAPED! The wall wasn’t solid, it was made of smoke. We passed right through it. We were free. Now we help others when they escape and are blinded by sunshine and overwhelmed by fresh air. And we whisper to those still in prison, “If you say NOPE and laugh in Spanish like this, jajajajaja, you can walk right through the wall to freedom for ever.”

Happy St. Patrick's Day. Corned beef and cabbage on Saturday.

My best smoking dream came at about three months. Someone in my dream asked me for a cigarette, "I don't have any, I don't smoke anymore". My subconscious was giving me some truth to accept. I was really happy about this dream after I woke up.

Eight's great Jimmy!

I had to be honest with myself and realize that I was a nicotine addict and I couldn't have any more of it. The phrase I used was, "Smoking is not an option". A lot of smokers deep down fear that they will be successful at quitting and they fear that will never smoke again. That's what frightens you? It's hard to change but it's doable and so worth it.

You made a great decision to quit and to join this forum. You've made it past the worst days of quitting. Your body will need time to adjust itself to not being given a steady diet of toxins. The good news is that our bodies are remarkable in their ability to heal from the abuse. There is plenty to read on this site to help you and plenty of people willing to help you along.

One year ago you made a great decision and today you get to celebrate it! Congratulations! We are so happy to see you quit for one year!

Merry Christmas! Looking forward to a new year!

Congratulations on three years! Good job done and dusted!

But wait, there's more! This offer will save you COLD HARD CASH! That money you waste buying cigarettes will stay in your pocket and it adds up fast!

Your stress and your addiction are not connected, you are only using one to excuse the other.