Minnie Mouse

Big Congrats on 8 Years! Keep enjoying your Freedom!

So sad ... darn cigarettes. "You helped so many find their Freedom from nicotine addiction. A life well lived; breathe easy; rest now."

Alcohol and cigarettes are both very addictive substances that most often go hand in hand with each other. Good for you for gaining an awareness of how you personally relate to them. Don't let your guard down. You're doing great!

Congrats on Day 34 (now 35?)! Nobody told me that it would be easy when I quit, only that it was very doable and worth every moment of angst I had in the beginning. I want to reassure you that no matter how much you are struggling now that it won't always be that way for you if you just keep moving forward smoke free. Never another Day 1 through Day 35 for you! Keep going!

By DOCMarkC --- 03-12-2009 5:19 AM I want you to stop trying to quit. Yes, I said that. Even more, I mean it. I browse around here and see post after post from people saying that they are "trying Chantix" or giving the gum a "try". Some are "trying to quit" for the sixth or seventh time. Others are quite positive. "I tried to quit many times before, but this time I'm going to try something different." Any of you who have played a sport with a coach can tell you that the coach NEVER said to you: "OK, I want you to go out there and "Try" to win. Give it a good "Try". If they did, then it was for a pickup game or T-ball or something that was more about playing than winning. At a job interview, you never tell your prospective employer that you are going to "Try" to be on time and be a good employee. You don't "Try" to keep your kids fed. This addiction you are breaking isn't a game. "Trying" is what you do when failure is an option. As Yoda put it! "Try not! DO!... or do not. There is no try." When you quit an addiction you do just that. You QUIT it. It means that you put it down and you don't pick it up again. I see many posts about backtracking or slipping up. Invariably the replies are encouraging rhetoric like "It's OK, everyone makes mistakes. Pick yourself up and try again" (That "Try" word again). Now I understand moments of weakness, and I believe in getting back on the horse, but think about a relapse and about having a smoke again! It isn't as if you tripped over a slipper in the hallway and fell mouth-first on an errant cigarette that had been left on the floor next to the fireplace where an ember jumped out and set the smoke alight while the dog jumped up and down on your back forcing you to inhale. You made a decision that the cigarette was going to fix this intangible stress. Years of conditioning had made that feeling almost subconscious, but it was with a purpose that you got out the smoke and lit it. That was giving up. That was starting the quit counter back to zero. You may have gone a day, a week, a month. But guess what? that no longer matters. Now you have to do it all over again. Was that worth it? After that one smoke were you forever better? I say what you do by "Slipping up" is strap yourself into the rollercoaster again. The nicotine is back in the system and your body is going to scream at you to keep it there. When it was gone your brain still had conditioning telling you that smoking made you happy, but it was a lie you could ignore. Now that lie is compounded with physical withdrawals again. Was that better? I quit almost a year ago. It was the hardest damn thing I have ever done. I was an Army paratrooper! An infantry medic in one of the most combat deployed units in the military. All of my training, survival testing, and combat was nothing compared to the will it takes to just not put the cigarette in my mouth. But I'm not "Trying" to quit. (Reposted with his permission. He asked that I mention he is on tiktok!)

Congrats! One month is AWESOME! Keep it up!

Never heard that mantra before but it is so very true. Thanks for sharing it.

"I have decided that if this feeling doesn't go away I'm going back to smoking." Why the heck would you do that & have to redo the smoke free days you've achieved again?! You would never be happy smoking again. Eventually, you would want to "try" quitting again which means more than likely ending up in the same place you are now or in my & others experience worse off. Not all our quits are the same every time we quit. It could be worse. Obviously, we are not medical experts so if you have a great concern about feeling depressed be sure to touch base with your doctor about it. Personally, my doctor(s) were active participants in my last quit journey or should I say roller coaster ride. Problems experienced do not necessarily go away even in the first few months. It takes our brain chemistry & body "a while" to readjust and re-calibrate itself back to a "new" normal without nicotine. Patience. You can get through it but you don't need to go it alone. I promise that it's worth the angst (whatever it takes) to keep nicotine addiction dormant. You can do it!

WTG. It helps to have a list of things (written or just in thought) to use as replacements for that cigarette time. We need to fill the voids left behind in our time/behavior (hopefully good long term doable things). I also kept an ongoing list of good benefits as they were accrued from not smoking and referred back to it (often in the early days) as a reminder to get through tough periods. 12 days never to be repeated! Yay!

Sounds like you know what to expect from past quits. The #1 Golden Rule we all need to adhere to is --- not one puff ever. Smoking is an addiction to nicotine (not just a bad habit) and that first puff or cigarette leads eventually to the next, and the next, and the next for most addicts. Knowledge really is power. I encourage you to read how & why we get physically & mentally addicted and what we can do to help ourselves (the article "Addiction 101" on the why quit.com site is long but I found to be very helpful & insightful). And then read some more to actively change how you see smoking (for what it really is). For me, the "switchover" in thinking & perspective was hard won but worth all the work & angst it took to change myself to no longer even want to smoke. I know someone who quit for 15 years but always felt like she was missing out, that it wasn't fair, was resentful, and really struggled at times using only her will power to remain quit. IMO will power is not the way to go. Willingness & free choice is the path to an eventual long & peaceful quit. That is the true victory. You can remain smoke free. You will never have to redo the early days. Keep going.

Thanks for the clarification.

What is the difference of creating a post in the General/Blog area (appears to be used for re-posts) versus in the sub-categories in the Forum section? Is this even the right place for me to ask this question? Is there a better or correct way to make an inquiry?

@Genecanuck It was a thing for me & many others. Knowledge IS power! Congrats on almost 8 months. Keep it up!

Knowing about PAWS helped me. I hope awareness of it helps those who are wishing for it to just be all over. Patience. You'll get there! I promise; if you just don't smoke. FOR THOSE IN THEIR "STAY QUIT" MODE (Approx. 4 MOS to 2 YEARS QUIT towards FOREVER!): *** PAWS -- The 2nd Stage of Withdrawal *** The first stage of withdrawal is the acute stage which usually lasts at most a few weeks. During this stage, the physical withdrawal symptoms experienced may be different for every person. The second stage of withdrawal is called the POST-ACUTE WITHDRAWAL SYNDROME OR PAWS. During this stage you will have fewer physical symptoms, but more emotional & psychological withdrawal symptoms. Post-Acute Withdrawal Syndrome (PAWS) occurs because your brain chemistry is gradually returning to normal. As your brain improves, the levels of your brain chemicals fluctuate as they approach the new equilibrium causing Post-Acute Withdrawal Symptoms. Most people experience PAWS. The most common PAWS symptoms are: mood swings, anxiety, irritability, tiredness, variable energy, low enthusiasm, variable concentration & disturbed sleep. It feels like a roller coaster of symptoms. In the beginning, your symptoms will change from minute to minute and hour to hour. Later as you recover further they will disappear for a few weeks or months only to return again. As you continue to recover, the good stretches will get longer & longer. The bad periods of PAWS can be just as intense and last just as long. Each PAWS episode usually lasts for a few days. There is no obvious trigger for most episodes. You will wake up one day feeling irritable and have low energy. If you hang on for just a few days, it will lift just as quickly as it started. Each episode is time limited. Post-Acute Withdrawal usually lasts for 2 years. This is one of the most important things you need to remember. If you're up for the challenge you can get through this BUT if you think that PAWS will only last for a few months, then you'll get caught off guard, and when you're disappointed you're more likely to relapse. * BE PATIENT. You can get through recovery one day at a time. If you resent or bulldoze your way through it, you will become exhausted. PAWS symptoms are a sign that your brain is recovering. Don't resent them. Remember, even after one year, you are still only half way there. * GO WITH THE FLOW. You'll have lots of good days over the next two years. Enjoy them. You'll also have bad days. On those days, don't try to do too much. Take care of yourself. Focus on your recovery and you'll get through this. * PRACTICE SELF-CARE. Give yourself a lot of little breaks over the next two years. Tell yourself "what I am doing is enough". Be good to yourself. Sometimes you'll have little energy or enthusiasm for anything. Understand this & don't overbook your life. Give yourself permission to continue to focus on your recovery. PAWS can be a trigger for relapse. You can go weeks without any symptoms & then one day you wake up & are hit like a ton of bricks. You'll have slept badly. You'll be in a bad mood. Your energy will be low. If you think that PAWS only lasts for a few months or that you'll be different and it won't be as bad for you, then you will not be prepared for it & will get caught off guard but if you know what to expect you can do this. Relax. Don't get caught up in PAWS. Remember, EVERY RELAPSE, NO MATTER HOW SMALL UNDOES THE GAINS YOUR BRAIN HAS MADE DURING RECOVERY. WITHOUT ABSTINENCE, EVERYTHING WILL FALL APART. WITH ABSTINENCE, EVERYTHING IS POSSIBLE. (Modified Source: addictionsandrecovery.org)