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NOPE - I don’t smoke anymore.

Nope!

NOPE !!!

nope

NOPE!

NOPE!!

Nah...i quit smoking... NOPE!

Last night, I wrote it down in my calendar -- my calendar that I used to use for quick reference but has lately become what keeps me from forgetting ALL the things November 15th. Truthfully, the way it's looking now, I think it will be earlier than that. I'm not going to buy an entirely new bottle of 3mg fluid just to "make it to" the 15th. When I stopped smoking cigarettes I had the last pack until it was gone. That was a tough day -- the last one was an early morning smoke and it used to be that in the mornings I'd sit on the patio, have a BIG mug of coffee and smoke a couple. So after that I was like -- well, what now? I really didn't have a plan and that first week was just ugly. Second week wasn't much better I don't know how strong (nicotine wise) cloves cigarettes are. For the vaping you can get nicotine levels at 24mg, 18, 12, 6, and 3 -- I started with the 6. Am I wishful thinking that at this point the worst part is over (physical withdrawal wise)? I hope so. I've been changing up my schedule, my habits. I've had the benefit of reading up and learning more about the actual addiction and that has helped tremendously, just understanding exactly what's going on, how I was dependent on smoking to release dopamine, learning that our brains can and will learn to produce it naturally, we can form new habits that take the place of old ones and soon won't have to think about it. Anyway... I'm on board. Very happy to be

You window lickers all sounded so smart in this thread I think I am in the wrong group. As for my advise- do t wait. No reason. You could be one week into your quit by then. And if you got ants in your pants and feel like you need to smoke to calm them, take off the pants and do something. Pushup work to tire the body and mind. Or leave pants on and walk. And walk. And walk just keep busy till tired.

My dad quit back in 1969. His method was to "stay busy." If he was awake, he was working on something. Not so much a willpower quit. More of a "I don't have time to smoke, I've got stuff to do" methodology.

According to WHO (World Health Organization) more than 7 million people quit smoking per year worldwide. Unfortunately, they quit by dying as a direct result of smoking related diseases (6 million+) or from second hand smoke (nearly one million). Knowing the consequences are deadly was probably motivation enough for countless people to quit even without online support groups. It sure is helpful though to have instant support from your peers through groups like this.

Thanks As*hole

76F here. I know what you mean about it being cold. I got a momentary chill when I got out of the pool this morning.

I'll send you this ..to stay warm !!!

The "learning more about the addiction" is a really important part of the process. When you truly believe that smoking does nothing positive for you and only takes from you, it's easier then to ignore that "junky" voice in your head trying to convince you to take another puff. That took a while for me to truly understand and believe that concept. Changing up your routine, even in very small ways, can also be helpful. Many people will say that first hit in the morning, maybe with your coffee, is the worst one to get over. Switch up to a glass of juice or something or jump in the shower right away just to change things up a little. Worked for me. You may not be into coffee but that's just an example. Will your quit be easier because of your prior vape routine (reducing nicotine gradually)? I am doubtful that will make much of a difference because, you have been taking in some nicotine and continuing the "smoking motions" all along. It's not just clearing the nicotine out of your system, the longest part of the journey is retraining your brain to function comfortably without going through those smoking motions every hour or so. Just think about all the time in your day that you spend either actually smoking or thinking about it. When I say thinking about it I mean planning when and where to smoke, making sure you have supplies, not forgetting them when you go somewhere .... the list goes on and on. When you stop altogether, you suddenly have all this free mental and physical time on your hands. What to do with all that time now??? That's when the anxiety ramps up for many people. Don't know how to fill all this time so they get anxious. Brain needs to be retrained and that takes time and repetition. I haven't researched the dopamine thing but if you have and believe you can assist your brain in dealing with the change through diet and/or exercise then go for it! Certainly can't hurt and may in fact help you. The big positive you have going for you PP is that your have already been reading and doing a lot of thinking about this quitting thing. That will help a lot when it comes to dealing with the early quit symptoms! No one ever knows how easy or difficult ones quit will be. All of us here on this board with months or years worth of quit time has gone through the early days and had to summons the determination to stay quit when our addiction is screaming out to be fed. You are no different than any of us. You will face challenges and you WILL be able to overcome them providing you are and remain committed to your quit being your number one life priority for the early days. The choice is up to you to make. The hard work will be up to you to do. We will be here to support and encourage you along the way

I am a teetotaler myself. (Not to be confused with prude) Wrote you a nice long reply last night, but it got lost somewhere in cyberspace. :( If the booze tastes like shit, leave it alone and count your blessings! JKPK (T)

So, how did people quit on their own before the digital age where we can now share our own individual experiences with each other and help each other along? I read time and time again about how the communication with people who are experiencing the same struggles as we are is a key component to their quit. I just wonder how people quit before the internet was around. And, is the quit success rate higher now than it was then?

It's a good thing when you're playing chicks or sticks

Looks like we have a Foo Fighters theme going on here...

My husband quit 18 years ago when he hurt his back so badly he couldn't walk. He crawled into an ER and they did emergency surgery. The doctor told him if he continued to smoke his back would never heal right and he'd eventfully be back, in excruciating pain again. He carried around cigarettes in his front shirt pocket like he always had. When he'd go to reach for one, he'd say to himself, "I'll have one later." He never smoked another one. That method would have never worked for me for a whole host of reasons but the motivation would probably have been enough Even if there had been a forum 18 years ago, I'm quite sure he never would have joined. Whatever works!

chicks be like sticks are all chicks GO HOME!!

nope

Good advice PP. You can carry on the way you are now forever in some sort of limbo land between smoker and quitter but how will that benefit you in the long term? Sooner or later, if you want to be smoke-free, you need to make the jump and deal with whatever comes with it. Yes, it's not pleasant but it's the only way to break free - there's no shortcuts. Even us people who quit using other (non-vape) methods have all the fears you mentioned above. We do our best to talk ourselves out of making that leap of faith. It's our junkie nicotine brains doing the talking. So what if you miss a couple of appointments or a dance class or two during that first couple of weeks. Surely your family will understand. I'm sure they want you smoke free as much as you do. In the end, the choice is up to you and you alone. You are driving YOUR train. We are just passengers there to support you while we watch you find what YOU truly deserve!! Make the leap PP!

I have never had an automatic vehicle yet. And they are getting tough to find these days. Last one I bought, the dopey car jockey kid couldn't bring it from the area where they had it to the front doors Kids these days can't drive standard trans. :(

Did three years in Bitburg with Army. Learned to drive a stick on a duece and a half there. Only hit 220 kph once with a rental Mercedes 190 and six guys in it. Fun drunk times. Missile BCC we worked on. Yes I was a rocket scientist.

Subtitle: The Romance Is Dead! This is the time of year when many people quit smoking. Most especially, people who quit before but relapsed are trying again. I think that is wonderful (that they're coming back, not that they relapsed). Reading their posts has made me realize that in very many cases, people relapse because they are still romancing the cigarette. That means that they still WANT to smoke even though they know that smoking does nothing good for them. They still remember those quietly satisfying evenings on the deck smoking. They remember that a-a-a-h-h-h! of satisfaction with the first long draw on a cigarette. And they want that again. And so even if they are weeks or months into a quit-- even though the PHYSICAL addiction is long gone-- they essentially choose to go back to smoking because of the pull of these romantic fantasies about how good smoking was. Well, I was the poster child for romancing the cigarette. Throughout this quit and all my previous quits (of which there were several) I always wanted to smoke. I didn't smoke-- I controlled myself-- but I wanted to smoke. All the time. Almost every day. It seemed to me that after 4 or 5 months quit, almost everybody on the board was way done with smoking and happy about it. I still missed it. And that was frustrating because my rational brain KNEW that the "pleasure" of smoking was vastly over rated and mostly imaginary. I KNEW that I was romancing the cigarette and I really did not want to go back to smoking. But the seductive thoughts were there. Maybe not every day, but often enough to be very annoying. I'm here to tell you that today, more than 9 months after my quit, I realize that I am not desiring a cigarette hardly ever! This is a first for me. And this death of the romance is not just a matter of time-- I quit smoking before for periods of up to a year and still suffered from romancing. I think that the difference this time is that I educated myself about Nicodemon's lies. It's as though my rational brain has told my junkie brain over and over and over again "No, smoking is NOT pleasurable! And such small, brief pleasure as you feel when you smoke comes at way too great a cost! Forget it!" and finally, FINALLY junkie brain is quieting down. What a relief! Now I do admit that during these "romancing episodes" that I'm talking about-- those days when I really, really wanted a cigarette-- I had to remind myself over and over again about why I quit smoking in the first place and remind myself over and over again that I wanted to quit more than I wanted to smoke. I had to FIGHT to keep my quit many, many times over the months. The urge to smoke wasn't constant, but it was frequent. Sometimes it was quite miserable. I'm still jealous of people who seemed to have it easier than I did. I often thought that I was a "special snowflake" and I had it harder than other quitters-- few people admitted that they still wanted to smoke many months after a quit. But whether I had it worse than anyone else or not, I hung in there, reminded myself about why I quit, and that I was DETERMINED not to smoke. Now, at last, I can look back over the last few weeks and realize that the romance is dead. I finally, finally am at the point where I do think about smoking once in a while but it's like a vague thought that is easily dismissed, not a serious desire. I have heard others describe this "vague thought" phenomenon many months after a quit and I finally understand what they are talking about. So I guess I am writing this to say that if you are many weeks or months into a quit and you still want a cigarette, you are not alone. What you are experiencing is real. It does happen to some people (like me, for example). You are romancing the cigarette and you have to use your rational brain, your smoking education, and your strong desire to quit to fight the urge. And eventually, sooner or later, you will turn around one day and realize that the romance is dead. You really don't have to fight to keep your quit anymore-- you just have to remain vigilant and committed. Hang in there, folks! You can DO this!

Yeah - I know! Lived in Cali for a year when I was much younger and when I was in a T-shirt, they were wearing coats We do get some "fringe benefits" tho!

A crave can't kill you.

Your body wants to heal itself and will when you stop, just let it. Have patience and enjoy the journey.

Despite all the info and help you might come across in various forms, i think in the end it comes down to decision and endurance. You have to really want to quit smoking, and thats the main thing. Messageboards wont do miracles you know. They´re fun though. :´)

11 sigh !!

Sad reading... Without this group..I'm dam sure I would just be another number... This really was my last chance...It still gives me a cold chill...

12

I make a nickle; boss makes a dime. That's why I sh*t on company time Of course, you won't understand that with your pence, farthings, pounds and what not.

Ha, ha!! Yup we certainly did!

Meh...15ºC in Portugal. Sunny and warm 9 months of the year, a bit chill 3 months. Never snows, barely rains. I know you window lickers from cold contries would like to live in a warm place but to be honest im beginning to get tired of good weather. Its always so sunny!

Only picture I have of PCP. Signed for two of these at same time once as a 22 year old Sgt. About 2 million each in 1989 money. Where they fired missile. Some countries still use it. US dumped it in mid 90's and Patriot took over . Computer was octal codes to binary. And had 16k of active memory. That big box for less info than in the words of this post and could shoot down a plane 80km away. But tracing a lost bit. One single bit, like finding a missing comma in a novel. Took days Tail of a missile in foreground

NOPE!

Welcome PP! I can imagine the type of responses you got at the "other" place, so I'll try not to be nasty. You seem to realize that ultimate goal is to be nicotine free. The sooner you can get to that objective the better. Many (not all) people develop just as strong an addiction to ecigs as they do to the real things. So, I'd recommend you set a firm date to quit those too. Nothing worthwhile is ever easy in the beginning but it will evolve into the best gift you've ever given yourself. You can do this! Let us know how we can help.

Best one yet....One Puff...No Feet...it worked for me .....

Yes, I'm talking to you Bev, Thik4Sho, JKPK & LisaMK Congrats to all of you for deciding to take back your life and quit this horrible addiction. We know it's really difficult in the early days because we have all been there. Whether you are going cold turkey or using some NRT assistance, those early days are tough. I remember feeling like every day was one long, disorienting marathon that always ended in exhaustion ....... kind of like this......... The good news is, it does get better and easier as long as you just maintain your NOPE! It does for all of us and you are no exception. It's a slow process but providing you don't smoke, you WILL find freedom and take back your life

Thank you all so much ! You’re very helpful

Writting english makes my brain hurt so ill just say this: yes, you CAN quit smoking, anyone can. Hell, there was a time i thought i was doomed to smoke forever. Then i quit, i was climbing walls for 5 months straight but i did it. You gain resistance in every single day you stay off the smokes, plus excitement to last just one more day. You have all the information here, thats 90% of what you need, the other 10% is in the nope pledge section. Sleep well, wake up, turn on your computer and put that nope pledge online. Then endure it like everyone else did. At the end of the night you might want to revisit the nope pledge and leave your thoughts, we´ll be there for you, plus a nice picture of a lolcat from me, everyday, because im a nice guy. Grind through that motherfucker nicotine monster one day at a time and rid yourself of this horrible addiction that will no doubt kill you if you let it. You got this!

Hi Tyne. You are making the right decision to quit smoking. It's the very best thing you can do. In time, after whatever withdrawal effects you experience calm down, you may likely find, as I did, that smoking is a huge contributing factor to anxiety. You don't realize this when you're actively smoking. Like Nancy said, you feel like it's calming you but all the smoke is doing is quelling the withdrawal. After 5 months quit I feel much calmer, sleep better, have zero panic attacks. Another thing you may want to think about is finding a therapist or counselor to work with on healing from the abuse. Maybe others here would have a different opinion but in my experience sometimes people use smoking to push down their feelings about difficult issues in the same way that gives rise to eating disorders, substance use or other unhealthy coping mechanisms. If you don't have insurance coverage or can't afford therapy, depending on the circumstances you may qualify for therapy at no cost PM me if you want additional info about this Just wanted to float that and to say welcome (back) and congrats. Stick with NOPE no matter what. You can definitely do this!

Quitting smoking is one of the best things you can do for anxiety. Not only is smoking not helping you with anxiety, it is actually exacerbating the problem. Withdrawal symptoms, dopamine pathways that have been hijacked by cigarettes, and inefficient breathing patterns that lead to a pattern comparable to hyperventilation lead to heightened anxiety for smokers. Dispelling the myths and lies of smoking is a vital part of the process and for most of us required daily reinforcement. Addicts must learn to lead their thoughts rather than be led by thoughts. Tyme, if it required superhuman ability to quit smoking most of us would not be here. Quitting is a matter of making a commitment to yourself and vowing to never take another puff. You absolutely can do that.

Both of the above responses are good ones Tyme. I know the anxiety is very difficult to deal with particularly in the initial stages of your quit but you just need to do it and stick with it. The calming effect of smoking is just because you satisfied your urge for nicotine (which will begin building as soon as you are done that smoke). It's a never ending cycle the you CAN break. Just as many others have.