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About this blog

A weekly blog featuring well written posts from members of our community. Each week I'll pick a post and add it to this blog along with the link to the whole thread for anyone wanting to read more. Hope you like it 😊

Entries in this blog

Too Late to Quit

El Bandito Quit Date: 27/01/2014   Posted April 5, 2014     I have smoked for 30 years, Man and Boy.    I started at 13 years old. Usual stuff - I wanted to be cool, grown up.   I quickly got into my stride - comfortably putting away 2, 3 packs a day throughout my twenties and thirties. I had a couple of goes at quitting - the usual stuff - girlfriends nagging, a health scare or two. A couple of times I was quit for months at a time.   Then,

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So you want to stop smoking ..

sherry Quit Date: 2-28-2014   Posted November 28, 2014 · IP    Good for you!   After 9 months smoke free, I can tell you it will be the best decision you ever make - Hands down.   Will I tell you it will be easy? No. Will I tell you it can be easy? Yes. My dad put down his cigs about 20yrs ago and never looked back, for him it was easy, maybe you will be one of those who can just walk away, .... if you're like me, some days will be better than others.

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Stupid things that smokers say

action Quit Date: 12 Oct 13 Posted May 6, 2014    I think this would be a useful thread to remind ourselves what we used to be like when we were smokers…   There is a person in my office, who is probably mid-twenties and is a smoker.  Our cleaning lady (an elderly lady who I believe is an ex-smoker and always says exactly what is on her mind!) was speaking with him about him smoking and asked him (as you do) – when are you going to give up smoking?  What happens whe

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The Secret

cpk Quit Date: 02/04/2015     Posted March 21, 2015    What will I do today?   There's a smorgesbord of things ... Because it's officially Spring and I don't have to think about not smoking every minute.   This is real freedom.   (The Secret) I don't have to white-knuckle it. Just apply light attention. Vigilant, but not heavy-handed.   I have earned this freedom.  But this day? ~~~ it's a gift. How many da

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COPD and Smoking

jillar Quit Date: May 29, 2016   Posted May 28   As many of you know I was officially diagnosed with severe emphysema and COPD after I had respiratory failure in January of 2020. Most of you also know that for years I was struggling with breathing issues that I was told was asthma. In the two years leading up to my respiratory failure I went from 110 pounds on a 5'5" frame to just 79 when I was admitted into the ICU. My prognosis at that time was pretty grim, get better

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So, let's have that chat about change of seasons

babs609 Quit Date: 07/13/2012   Posted March 5, 2015    I am so looking forward to Spring...and as much as I complain about winter and wishing I lived in a more Babs friendly climate..I love Spring Fever!  It's a feeling that those who live in milder climates don't experience.  Seeing colors come to life, the birds singing a lovely tune at 6:00 am, the sound of lawnmowers, the smell of rain and fresh cut grass.....oh , i could go on and on!!!    With this chang

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The side effects of quitting smoking

Jenny Quit Date: 05/24/2012   Posted May 24, 2014    There are many side effects of quitting and some can be really uncomfortable.  You may experience some or all of the symptoms below but rest assured it's temporary.  These symptoms won't kill you,  but continuing to smoke most certainly will.   Headaches or a general heaviness. This is a classic smoking withdrawal symptom, often caused by your sinuses clearing out. Shaking, sweating or feeling very cold.

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Quitting cigarettes is like climbing Mt. Everest

REZ   Posted October 19, 2015    A lot of people try but not all of them make it!   When the climbers are in base camp, they are excited, anxious, and ready to start, just like us smokers when were getting ready to quit, we are excited, anxious, and ready to start!   As the climber pack up for the trip, they pack food and supplies, and maps, Us smokers pack our gum, patches, pills, and the Quit Train!   Some climbers practice to get the

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Quit Buddies

Tink Quit Date: 22/11/2013   Posted April 23, 2014    Quit Buddy -   A member you can talk to, share things with, talk to about quitting, share worries and woes someone who is there personally for you   checking in on you   that someone who can really get through to you   listen to you   it can be someone who has the same quit date as you or someone years ahead of you - it matters not    A QUIT BUDDY - Is pricel

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How I Quit Smoking

timothyadam Quit Date: 11/18/2004   Posted January 21, 2016    It was November 17, 2004, the eve of the 28th Great American Smokeout. I was sitting at my desk in my home office around 11:00 PM. I had ten cigarettes left in my second pack of the day. Cigarettes were getting very expensive, and I started asking myself why I smoked and if I could quit. I had been conditioned to believe that I smoked because: It was a "habit", I "enjoyed it", it "calmed my nerves", and it wa

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Removing the Fear of Relapse

Jonny5 Quit Date: 2011-12-21 Posted April 10, 2014    I'm not afraid of relapse one single bit. It ain't ever gonna happen. Some of you are. And there's one huge reason for that.... You have not closed the doors on your smoking past and evolved into a never again smoker, you have a lingering belief that smoking does give you some benefits and are abstaining through many methods.  Abstainance looks like my quit but it is fundamentally different.  There is n

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Rewarding Yourself For Not Smoking

Colleen Quit Date: 6/2/13   Posted June 16, 2015    How do you reward yourself for not smoking?  It's okay to spend some of that money you saved from not smoking.  In the very beginning of my quit, I rewarded myself quite a bit because it was important to me.  Nothing extravagant really.  When I hit a year quit, I purchased a pair of spin shoes.     Two years quit now, my how time flies.  I have a Jawbone UP and have had to send it back more than once.  They se

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Tending Your Garden

intoxicated yoda  31   Posted yesterday at 07:35 PM    honestly...even tho i've been quit for a few weeks, the cigs are still in control.  I'm still an abstaining smoker.  Most of my thoughts are dominated by the quit but that's okay.  it has to be this way.  my quit is a garden and right now it's full of weeds so it's going to take all my focus and effort to get all the weeds pulled.  then once all the weeds are pulled it's going to take daily monitoring for new sprouts of w

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The Promise is Real. Wow!

cpk Quit Date: 02/04/2015   Posted July 1, 2015    I don't know if month 5 is like going around a big bend towards magical month 6, but the promise that "it gets better" is not just empty words. I still have anxiety, but not as much. There are actually some days when I don't think about smoking at all. When I go through rough patches of anxiety or a crummy day I remind myself, "Everything isn't always about quitting smoking."   This is a really exciting journey

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The Power of Detachment

Boo Quit Date: March 9, 2016   Posted December 8, 2019    One of the greatest gifts the process of quitting gave me was the opportunity to practice detachment on a daily basis.  I started thinking about this earlier today after hearing Jocko Willink talk about detachment on a podcast.  In fact, the moment I figured out how to separate myself from whatever emotions and thoughts I was having in the moment was the turning point in my quit.  It was a struggle before I figure

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Guard The Quit

El Bandito Posted April 14, 2014   Firstly - my apologies for a massive long post - but I kind of need to get this off my chest. I posted it in my blog - but then thought maybe it might be of use to someone here...   Yesterday, my sister in law and her two sons came to visit. The plan is that the sister in law will stay with us for a couple of weeks - while the boys just came for the day. This is the first time that we have had houseguests since the house was refurbished

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Nothing is more important.

Christian99 Quit Date: 12/11/01   Posted September 6, 2021    It is certainly possible to quit without substantial (or even any) weight gain, but my experience has been that a common characteristic of many successful quitters is the prioritization of quitting over pretty much everything else.  Nothing is more important for your health.  Nothing.  And nothing is more important for your spirt and self-esteem.  Ask yourself what it will take for you to do WHATEVER it takes.

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To Not Smoke is Actually Easier....

Still winning Location: Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, England Quit Date: 12th March 2014 Posted August 2, 2014    Hi Abby, I think if we don't understand it can be too daunting to quit. I, like many others, knew that times when we couldn't smoke were hard (train journey, plane, car etc). We were pretty desperate by the time we could smoke again.  That's because after 20 minutes or so, the nicotine in a cig starts to come out of your blood stream - it creates a lack wh

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Transferable Quit Skills

Sazerac Posted July 3, 2019    I think that as you gain confidence in your successful quit you will find that the skills used in quitting can be applied to other aspects in your life.   For example, the notion of H.A.L.T. are you Hungry, Angry (which can be switched to emotional), Lonesome, Tired.   To this day, I turn to this technique for a variety of reasons and situations. While it may not solve the underlying issue, it certainly alleviates c

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99 Day Learning Curve

cpk Quit Date: 02/04/2015   Posted May 13, 2015 · IP    Today I have 99 days not smoking. Ten things I've learned:   1) Quitting smoking is a process, not an event.    Online forums are part of the process, offering education and support.    All quit aids are a personal choice.   2) Time and Patience build a strong quit.   3) N.O.P.E. is THE KEY.  Not one puff ever. "Slipping up" here and there causes relapses, and allows the addic

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Lies

Nixter Location: Nebraska Quit Date: 6/7/15   Posted June 27, 2015 · IP    So basically what I'm figuring out is that cigarettes and nicotine are big fat liars. For all those years they kept me at their beck and call by making me afraid. I was afraid to quit because I thought I wouldn't be able to have fun without a cig. LIE. I was afraid to quit because I thought it would be too hard. LIE. I was afraid to quit because I thought every day would be like day 1. LIE. I

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Anxiety Antidote

cpk Quit Date: 02/04/2015   Posted May 17, 2015 · IP    It has taken me awhile to figure out that the anxiety I have been experiencing since week 6 of my quit (now in week 15) is not directly related to quitting.   Not smoking is the peaceful part of my life.   The anxiety was there before I quit. I probably used smoking to try to keep the anxiety in check. I don't recall having "anxiety attacks" when I smoked.   I have opted to use natural

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The best things about not smoking

larklibby Quit Date: 8th March 2015   Posted April 18, 2015 · IP    For me, the best things about not smoking, becoming a non smoker, are the small things. I have never been driven by 'how bad' smoking is for your health, of course, clearly, smoking is terrible for your well being. Somehow, my brain had learned to navigate around that fact, because of the nicotine, the drug; It was dismissed - 'it won't happen to me' attitude. So finding a driving factor for my quit has

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Who's in Charge?

cpk Quit Date: 02/04/2015   Posted March 28, 2015 · IP  When you were a smoker trying to quit did you sometimes wish you could buy "just one"?   In my town a few stores used to sell single cigarettes. The singles they sold were stinky and stale and expensive, and it was like the tobacco industry was laughing in your face like "gotcha!" you will even buy a stale cigarette. What's next?, picking butts up out of the gutter?   Sure, you can bum one. But then w

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Constant Mindgames?

ssharonsif Posted August 25, 2014 · IP    I read way back and thoughts it might be useful to those who end up in a relapse, or in fear of giving quitting another crack.   Bear in mind Dr Steve Peters calls the limbic part the 'chimp' and the 'human' is the frontal. Hope this helps in understand why it's not about will power.   All information goes to the chimp first. The process is always the same as you go about your daily routines: in every situation and acti

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About us

QuitTrain®, a quit smoking support community, was created by former smokers who have a deep desire to help people quit smoking and to help keep those quits intact.  This place should be a safe haven to escape the daily grind and focus on protecting our quits.  We don't believe that there is a "one size fits all" approach when it comes to quitting smoking.  Each of us has our own unique set of circumstances which contributes to how we go about quitting and more importantly, how we keep our quits.

 

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