Tyme2B

Sometimes you need to give a situation time to cool. Talk with your mother again about your staying there. You know there can be no more altercations with your Sister & YOU are the strong one here. Either walk away or avoid her if she visits.....she does not live at your mother's home right? Your sibs have made bad choices. Your mother has lost a son & despite his death due to substance abuse, she does not want to lose a daughter to the same. It may seem she is"favouring" your sister but it may very well be a guilt reaction. A conversation needs to be calm & supportive to your mother....help her to understand she is not responsible & that adults make their own choices....just as you have made the decision to make good choices. Emotions are high at times like this...time is needed to calm down & allow all parties to put things back into perspective. (I realuze yourcsister may not know what perspective is, but you do). I hope you are able to work things out as you are SO on the right track! I hope moving will not be necessary & you will be given the opportunity to walk away when your sister drops by so that she does not test pushing your buttons....that's tough. Good luck!

Shopped!! Walked & walked! Lol!

Cyber hugs to you Bonnie. My thoughts are with you at such a scary time. Think positive thoughts. You ALL need that right now and Hope is what gets us through the toughest of times. I hppe you will keep us updated. You have our support for yourself & positive thoughts for your daughter. Xx

I am so glad to hear from you & of course I asked....I care. You are such a good person to pull yourself together to do what you have to do. Cyber hugs to you. You are a strong person xx

So true....I too quit many times. But at some point you have to stop making excuses & just DO IT. It's not easy. It's hard work. And you need to find a way to stimulate endorphins that is healthy. But if you really want it, you do it.

How are you Tracey? You have been through such a sad & emotional time. My thoughts are with you. Hugs xx

You are right Bakon. I would rather have the CURVES than the stink. I would rather be able to move & breathe. I would rather accomplish what you have. That will take time but I'm going to do it. I'm very stubborn. And I WILL move

Marti you are here! Always great advice too!

Lol! Gotcha...and I am SO glad just a little easier could begin. Thank you for that very welcome comment!

Why Bacon? I want to prevent ANY downhill slides! Knowledge is prevention. Clue me in....please!

Laura forget the dieting for now. I have gained about 12 lbs & have never been on a diet in my life but I knew I was going to gain & I knew I would not be able to do anything about it initially. I bought new pants instead lol! My treat to me was not squishing into tight pants! Anyway, eating healthy will help....exercise where we can manage it is very helpful....but not smoking is the number one goal here ☺

Thank you Markus! I did celebrate! Now onward to 5 months! Again thanks so much for your continuing support

Laura you will WANT to be a non smoker working in a hospital on a floor with these unfortunate people. Some of these people will be Smokers. How wonderful to be able to help them with quitting if they wish to quit. My 55 yr old brother just could not quit. 5 years before he was diagnosed with a lung tumor the Docs said he had to quit smoking. I wish I had known about this Train so I could have got him the help he needed back then.

Onward to 5 months! So happy to share this with fellow non smokers....whether it be months or years....I commend ALL of you! And the encouragement & support has been second to none. As Bacon said: "if it was easy everyone would quit tomorrow!"

You can do this etd. Yes it IS a lot of commitment & effort. But be stubborn! Refuse to let the killer sticks anywhere near you. Keep saying Nope. Take one day at a time. Use some other method for stress relief like gum or another alternative that won't kill you. It gets better. Truly it does.

Are you feeling better now Tony? I sure hope so. Tyme

Tony I am doing well now thanks with help from my Doc. I feel badly you have gone through a tough time with prostate problems....I think most of us have been stress smokers in the past. We "believed" smoking helped stress & maybe it did as nicotine stimulates dopamine receptors. But, We need to learn to deal with stress in a whole new way that doesn't put our lives at risk. I think most of us tried to quit smoking many times before we succeeded but despite falling off the train due to your recent & most unfortunate illness, you can still board the train again. And what pleases me most is that you WANT to! Good for you! I am rooting for you! There is so much support & education available on this site....all the tools to succeed! You CAN do this

Markus I am so pleased to hear about the wonderful progress made by your 83 yr old father! Truly fantastic news for you & your family. True grit! Also, You helped me so much in my Quit. I want Laura to know how accepting that help is an example of what support can do. I totally agree with your one day at a time. And believing in one's self goes a long way when someone else believes in you. YOU believe in your father....he will know that

Hey Laura....I'm a Newbie & just made it to 4 months. Most have tried to quit many times before they got on board this train for education & support. It truly is a "one day at a time" process but each day translates into a journey. I had given up hope I could have the willpower to do this & so had my family. But I am doing it. A diagnosis of mild COPD plus a smoking related younger bro death also helped to scare me into "getting smart!" I am very happy to hear you are back on the train. Most of us used smoking for anxiety. So get ready to use something other than a cigarette for self soothing. The collective experience & help on this site is amazing so use it to help yourself succeed! I smoked for 40 yrs. Now I am a non smoker & I was really scared to go through this process.....but more scared not to go through it. I chewed a lot of gum. Others found many other ways helpful. You're not alone. Hope you say Nope & stick to it this time. Will look forward to seeing you succeed on the site

This journey has been a fantastic read Bakon....very inspirational for a Newbie. Best part of all is you did it! You won! Nope works.

How is it going etd? One day at a time was my motto at your stage. I tried NRT gum to come off the cigarettes a little more easily at the beginning but bleeding gums & hair loss, losing dental fillings plus warning posts on this board made me realize I was still addicted to nicotine & I was going to have to stop it at sometime. I only wanted to do this quit one last time for life. Nicotine affects way too many systems in our body as I quickly learned with the education provided on this site. I traded in the niicotine gum for regular gum & it worked extremely well for me....still does if I am anxious. My biggest problem was insomnia brought on by anxiety. I have been on meds for anxiety for years & a med adjustment was required after nicotine was taken out of the equation. My Doctor worked with me on this & I am doing well now. See your Doc right away if you experience problems with your meds. I waited thinking I could tough it out...I should have seen my Doc sooner. Nicotine unfortunately masks conditions & adjustment of meds may be required with nicotine withdrawl from your system. Joel has excellent info in his videos on this topic warning that your body was treated while you were using nicotine. Stimulus changes to dopamine receptors as nicotine is removed from your body. Med adjustments work. You an do this! It takes persaverence & dedication. You really have to want it. You have to want to live! Wishing you the very best of luck in your journey. You are doing amazing! Good job.

So proud of you TEW. Your honesty about your struggles has helped not only you but others on this Board. You have fought hard & you are a Winner! Great to have you here. I look forward to that easier month! Congrats to you

Big Cyber Hugs Jackie! This is not an easy journey but you CAN do it. I still believe we ex smokers need to find a new way to deal with stress, as stress smoking became a way of life to cope with stress for many of us....an unhealthy coping mechanism we used over many years. Now that old way of dealing with stress needs to be replaced with a new way of coping. A new mindset. A new way of life. You're doing great! Believe in yourself Sweetie. We believe in you

Thanks so much Everyone! I really DO think I have this! Nope...I know I have this! Just gotta keep on marching. Things are getting better every week

Good job! My heartiest congrats to you! Well done