Ramona

Day by day. One day at a time. Each turn of the calender is a major victory...TREAT YO-SELF!

The beginning can be rough: acne, bad breath, constipation, insomnia, body odor, weight gain, decreased sex drive.... ....but the fantastic news is that these syndromes all REVERSE THEMSELVES COMPLETELY: clearer skin, fresher breath, fuller BMs, deeper sleep, prettier smell, ability to exercise, and more lively/intimate sex!!!!!!!! Like CPK said - soldier on.

Shut the funk up and shut the front door. Not feeling too vulgar today...guess I'll have to revisit this thread during my next rage fest.

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Happy 6 Month Birthday! Treat yo-self, you earned it.

A call to arms! Love this. Yes, when it comes down to it - it's always just me. All the support in the world is useless if I can't improvise and adapt to the circumstances of my life.

Hi Michelle, I too attend 12 step groups for my alcoholism. One of these meetings is HEAVILY populated by smokers. I totally understand what you're going through and I think it's a good idea to take some time off from the meetings. It's incredibly difficult to walk through that "camaraderie cloud"!!! Smoking butts seems to be a major way people bond in recovery (that and sugar & coffee). But you are entering a whole new tier of recovery. As for me - I'm actually changing my sobriety date from my booze date (March 7th 2011) to my smoking date (Nov 6 2014). I'm doing this because I'm experiencing a whole new level of recovery. This is REAL. This is honest. Of course I won't openly admit this to the groups - and I'd never tell anyone else they should do the same. It just feels like the right thing to do FOR ME. Booze was divinely removed but nicotine was NOT. Blessings and courage to you on this journey!!!!

I feel blessed to be a non-smoker today. Completed a challenge I would have never even attempted as a smoker. Nice.

Running is what kept me just a teeny bit sane on my recent vacation. Had an unbelievably beautiful and powerful 6 miler in the near-pouring rain. For whatever reason nothing ached and my lungs were super expansive. It felt like God was with me - I know, I know pretty dramatic, but I did sense some serious assistance. Tomorrow I am attempting a super tough run. I will report back with details.

Here's a couple more! Nicely done.

BTW - love your screename!!

I think a lot of us did care QueenGreen - - we were just totally deluded. We talked ourselves into believing we didn't smell. I smelled so bad for so long. Wow.

Thanks so much for your encouraging reminders! Marti, people in my life have been like that: "Oh, still quit...good." They have no idea what that means for me and how hard it has been - - but you guys do! The support here is incredible. And to hear the replies from people who have accomplished 1 + years! You guys know what's up. I feel stronger. I'm not 100% out of this recent "trigger forest" but I will be soon enough. I'm trying to pool my resolve & resources in order to move forward. Again, thank you all for the support.

Glad to have you back. The forum mother!!!

HB x 2!!!!

Just experienced a week which proved most threatening to my quit thus far. This has been the case for me in the past as well. Seems I can breeze through the beginning. But persevering ~ months 5-10 feels like crawling through a synaptic land mine. Or dodging emotional-memory-snipers. I know this happens because I grow complacent. To a large degree my quit has become normalized...I'm actually almost comfortable. This is where the emotional/psychological triggers hit me harder than ever. ARGH & OUCH! Very frustrating. It's not that these craves are stronger, it's just that my defenses are lowered. I write this not for sympathy or confirmation but as a warning to others. For some, not all, the real challenge happens later in the game. It is commonly commented upon and accepted that: "we don't want to go back to that first hell week." And of course we don't!! But this past week was harder (for me) than Week #1. No lie. Onward. Choo-choo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Breathe in 1, 2, 3. Hold it 1, 2, 3. Exhale 1, 2, 3. and ahhhhhhhhhhh...another Nope. Just barely, ...but that's as good as I can get right now.

Way to go Jess! Six months is a big one...glass is half full and you'll be at that year mark in no time.

Nope

Wow, I can't even watch that. That's always been my worst fear - a needle into the eye. UGh.

I feel for you. As for me - the weight stuff is just plain exhausting. I need to get over it!!! But cigarettes were my main motivator for pretty much everything I did - waking up, doing yoga, going outside. Sometimes I feel so unmotivated because I don't have that reward system in place. I need to see things as rewards in and of themselves. Like, the coffee alone is a reward - - - the exercise alone is the reward. HARD TO DO. What does, "I might go extreme mean"? I take appetite inducing meds as well - - the way I've circumvented this issue is: I don't really eat a lot before the "craving time" of the day. So I'm real strict with myself until after I take the meds. Then I sort of go easy on myself and let myself binge a bit. I mean, it's calories in and calories out. The equation doesn't say calories in @ such and such time. I hope that helps maybe.

Does nine months feel like 9 decades???? I think it might for me. But you trampled the addiction thus far. Well done.

Three years and battling the boredom with a scythe of awareness. Congrats.

Congrats on so much time mastered.

"Dissipate negativity on the fly" = yes, tough. Although SOMETIMES I can do this, most of the time I have to exercise to dissipate the negativity. I wish this was not so. I wish I could listen to my own recent revelation. But I guess running it out is higher on the zen scale than smoking. Maybe? I don't know really.