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Back NOPE'ing after a minor relapse.

Gday NOPE starts this day C

So, a few weeks ago I had my 7 month WooHoo celebration (thanks again everyone) and I was feeling all comfy, cosy in my quit. Thought the work was done and I was just biding my time and it was all smooth sailing until that Lido Deck party, even put in some catering requests to Reci for the celebratory event. You see I was going days, nearly weeks without really thinking about smoking let alone wanting one. So I was completely complacent. Then Saturday night... ALL FRICKIN NIGHT.... that voice was back... not the skin crawling, itching, aching I need a smoke... but the we can have a smoke now, just one, it wont hurt. Everything I did... oh good smoke time... it didn't take much to stave off the urge... and they are urges... because I knew them for what they were. Then Sunday... which was a good day for me... was more of the same... random, multiple times throughout the day I got these urges ... some strong some not so... then I was clearing some space in the shed and found a pack of smokes... and I shook it, cos you never know there might have been one in there (wot the ever lovin??) ... and I think if there had of been, I would have, maybe smoked it because... "a few puffs wont hurt now" ... wot the fvck! ... well I probably wouldn't have straight away because I have a promise in place as a contingency but it would have been a close call.... so you all know there are some issues in my life, but this isn't linked to that if it was linked to that the thought process would have been more like "wots the point now you may as well", that thought is not entering my mind at all. This is different. I'm not sure if its the nicobitch having one last big hurrah roll of the dice to get me to feed her again or if its a comeuppance for being so c0cky and thinking I had it under control, for being complacent. So besides that moment in the shed I've been shrugging the urges off... ignoring them.... letting life just keep going with these little blips of subconscious stupidity ... but they are not stopping and quite frankly they are driving me insane. I thought I was past this. Don't get me wrong.. they are annoying, they are not soul consuming like they were in the beginning or even at 5 months but they are pretty regular at the moment. They are driving my mental when they hit. They are stupid. I want it to stop. But each time I shrug one off another will come. Its not like I'm going to smoke because I am not, beside that moment in the shed its not even close to being a consideration. There will be an SOS if it gets to it, this is not that time. I just need to confess and put this out there, hopefully someone further along than me will post and say... Oh yeah, I had that... you just need to ride it out and she'll be right... or by me posting this someone else will see it and think, thank god I'm not the only lunatic in the asylum... but basically its all well and good to show you all the strong, stable quit persona that most of the time I am but it is not OK to act like I'm not still battling with this addiction because that doesn't help anyone, especially me ... so in the interest of honesty and transparency I'm still battling this addiction, because I am a junky, I am an addict, I always will be an addict I am just never going to be a user again. I still make a coffee and drink it and then get, "ok time for a smoke" thoughts... I still walk past the back door and get the "oh lets go out for a smoke" thoughts. Its still happening, and for some reason while not as insistent more often than the past few months. So for most of the day I am super confident in my quit but there are still glitches in the programming where the urge for a smoke will slide on through. It will stop soon... wont it?

glad you are back on the quit train and NOPE-ing once again!!!

Congrats! It's a NOPE for me too!

Nope

Sorry about your relapse but great to see you back NOPE'ing.... if you feel like it, it would be great if you could post about the experience in the smoking threads because I can guarantee someone will get a benefit from it. Looking forward to seeing you each day in the NOPE.

Nope!

NOPE - I don't smoke anymore.

Nope!

I have noticed a lot of people who hopped off the Quit Train jumping back on in the past few weeks. This is awesome. So for those of you out there who in the past few weeks have tossed the smokes and taken up the challenge to quit again I just wanted you to know we have your back and are so happy that you have decided to quit again. Welcome Back. May this be your sticky quit. My you learn from your last quit (however short or long it was) and take those lessons with you to help you KTQ. My you have a long future ahead of you as a non-smoker.

#NOPE

Nice to see you back fellow scouser !!! Oh and a NOPE from me !!!

Ugh! I remember those days & thoughts. I still had some strong nostalgia craves at 10 months or so. Jillar, myself, another quitter ‘sgraye’ posted of our similar WTF moments. We all ended our posts reminding everyone to be “forever vigilant” and never get complacent. The false confidence has devoured many quits. Just a puff c’mon! What could that do?? In that moment we’re not thinking about those devilish neuropathways, laying dormant in the layers of our brain. You, we know now that little puff will awaken the fury and we’re back to that miserable, all consuming day 1. One Puff away from a pack a day. I think it is great acknowledge & accept these thoughts. They may creep in for months, years, forever who knows. If they do, it is OK as long as you are forever vigilant in your beautiful forever Quit!!

It's hard for me to tell the difference between an urge and just a thought about having a smoke. I don't feel I have had any real urges or cravings to smoke in some number of months but do I still have thoughts about smoking .... yes I do. I think we always will just because we were once smokers. It will never be like you didn't ever smoke. Not possible to erase those imprints on your brain but, the longer we go without smoking, the easier it gets to manage those thoughts. When we start out in our quit we are so focused on how bad smoking is for us and how it isn't our friend and does nothing good for us but then, as our quits become more mature, those negative impressions of smoking fade somewhat and memories of how we thought smoking was so satisfying back in the day can start to creep into your brain again. Ah yeah! Maybe just one for old time sake? A couple of puffs won't hurt cuz I've been quit now for over a year so I'm no longer addicted really. I don't know how many times that very reasoning has been the cause of a relapse for a long term quitter. Allowing yourself to get into that mindset were you start romancing the cigarette even just a little is the most dangerous thing you can do after a long term quit. It's not hard at all to stay quit after awhile but it's very easy to relapse if you don't control your thoughts about smoking. Instead of thinking how we could have just one, think about how devastated you would feel immediately after having just one. That's the reality!

NOPE!

Don't you dare.............. Nope!

NOPE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And congrats Treetop on your 2 year quit!!!!!!!!!!!

I decided to quit cold turkey this morning. My longest quit before was for 14 months-thought I could just have the one puff and just quit again. Obviously I forgot about the rule of addiction, that was five years ago and since then I have had several failed attempts at quitting. Finally I logged back on WhyQuit.com which I have several times within the last five years but this time I finally remembered what made my one year successful was the social support. This time around I will definitely stay vigilant about NTAP... and for now, one day at a time. Some of my biggest concerns are my husband, he just gets scared shitless every time I quit (emotionally)... I thought about just not telling anyone this time, so they are not expecting me to be on edge... thoughts? Of course I gained a lot of weight during my last long quit and have lost most of since then, but this still worries me- gaining the weight. However- I am soooo looking forward to the freedom again!!!

Good morning fellow NOPErs and welcome to Blueberry Muffin Day. I would have baked some for everyone but I only had apples and mandarins in the house. So if you like a blue berry muffin to day is the day to indulge. Blueberries are heart food. But as to smoking, that's a resounding: NOPE ... cos nothing controls me but me. Topic of the Day: sticking with Chocolate

NOPE!

^^^^

I agree ..with all above ... Your quit is in its early days....sweetie think about it ,you smoked for decades...why should your little self expect to be over a addiction in 5 months.... Your body and your brain are still confused... It will get easier..your battles will get shorter and less frequent... Can you imagine the way you would feel if you smoked !!! That One !!!!....and you hated it and yourself... Noooo....you keep marchin ..no matter what is thrown at you...besides..it a bloody long way to come get you with my cast iron frying pan..

Confession: At least every third day I have to google at least one of the exercise terms @Boo uses and then I usually have to you tube it and then I go "Yeah--NAH, not this little duck".

Darlin' Jo, Your quit is young and smoky thoughts will continue, do not fear them. They will become less and less important. Believe me but, they may pop up randomly for the rest of our days. Any flicker of a smoky thought is now vague for me. It isn't even annoying anymore. It has no power except I use them as a reminder to remain vigilent. Your smoky thoughts have no power, YOU have the power. I know addiction is a subversive condition and we must always pay attention to it's temptation. All we can do is say, NOPE. friggin' HELL NOPE. NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE It is kinda like H A L T too, trying to figure out what the body is calling out for. For me, after I was well into my quit...my body was calling out for some kind of comfort, something to give me a bump of endorphins. Sometimes just smiling for no reason, even a fake smile did the job. Other times, I would walk or listen to some favorite music, dance aound or participate in 'Stewie Techs' favourite activity (ahem). Something that assuredly cheered me helped smoky thoughts fade away. You have so much going on right now, baby. Try to stay on the good foot. Listen to the good brother, James Brown

Oh yeah, I had that....you just need to ride it out and she'll be right Seriously jo, the closer I got to a year the more those nagging thoughts crept into my mind that I "deserved" a cigarette for all the hard work I put in! I even broke out my air cig a few times to ease my mind (it still worked!). We smoked for a lot of years so it's no wonder that x amount of months later we still think about them right? But at least the thoughts aren't anything like the craves we had in the beginning! You got this, you're normal (sorry I know you didn't want to hear that hee, hee) and doing great!

NOPE!

Thanks and yes I will when I get home from work write about my experience. It will help me and help others aswell. Seeing as though I'm in the NOPE'ing thread I'll throw another NOPE in here.

Always this. Whether it is a slip or a relapse, if you are ready to go again we're here. Learn, share your experience and let's help one another fight the tough times and celebrate the good.

Good to see you back Jayhawk. Settle in and hope to see you around,

NOPE - I do not smoke anymore. Not one puff for two years!

NOPE!

Congratulations @DianeCz for being 10 22 Months Smoke Free! Welcome to double figures. What a fantastic, solid quit you have. You are powering ahead to the Lido Deck and at 10 months you must be able to see the end of that first year on the horizon. Hope you make sure to reward all you work a dedication for this big milestone with something special. Well done Diane on being so awesome you are 2 months away from your deck chair celebration. With all you wonderfully successful 11th of the month quitters needing woohoo celebrations today I got a bit carried away and just didn't want to leave you out as the only one not to get a shout out. I'm not sure why I read 2016 as 2017 though that was a big whoopsie. Even so, 22 months smoke free deserves a drink, and a celebration. Lets just call it a practice run for the 2-peat Lido Deck you have coming up very soon. Oh and I got to use a 22 gif.

NOPE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

NOPE

Nope!

NOPE..

It's OK Jo...we all carnt walk like a farmer whaha...

Needed repeating, well said Reci.

Zeezazz, great to see you here and congratulations on making the leap. Hubby will obviously be or rapidly become aware in any case, so get all the support and understanding you can. You obviously have experience of a fairly successful previous quit, it's good that you have reflected on that and identified things that may help. Stay close, read and post lots. The better people get to know you the easier it is for them to pick up anytime you are having a rough time of it. Look forward to seeing you around.

Welcome to our merry band of quitters, Zeezazz ! Congratulations on making the decision to quit. You may find this thread helpful 10 ways to effectively use this forum Don't fret about weight, you know how to loose it and quitting smoking adds a few lbs just for quitting. It is your body protecting itself. If you eat right and exercise you will be fine. Exercise is a great way to beat craves and satsumas are also helpful to snack on. I don't know how to advise you about telling your family or not. You don't have to fulfil a previous prophecy. You don't have to be a lunatic when you quit. I found that education and more understanding about addiction quelled my inner cuckoo pretty well. You can choose to be calmer. Meditation will help. You are right about being vigilent about never taking another puff. We have a daily pledge page, Not One Puff Ever, NOPE. Stay close to the board and post often, let us get to know you and let others read your story. You never know who will read about your experience and be inspired to quit. Don't forget to have some fun too, there is an active group of game players and they are marvelous. We are all here to cheer you on and watch you succeed.

Hey congrats Zeezazz! This is the best thing you can do for yourself, and I'm sure you already know that. Yes, the freedom from this addiction is one of the biggest benefits I think I would give hubby the heads-up that you are quitting. You will likely be "on edge" anyway in the early days so better he knows why right? In terms of weight gain, that you can deal with as you build your quit by trying to eat right and some exercise. There's even and page on here dealing with that. I hope to see you around noping every day Z. Let's make this your forever Quit!

I felt tired early in my quit as well ST! I remember I couldn't wait until bedtime each night because I was just exhausted from battling the cravings and the what seemed like constant urge to smoke. And yes, time distortion was the worst. Time seemed to be standing still during those early days. This is where I had to just dig deep and rely on my unwavering commitment That worked and here I am today. Smoking .... doesn't interest me in the least. You CAN do it. We all have it within us to do it. Just want it badly enough to put up with the early days of adjustment. You will get there just as we all do.

Exercise ? Invigorating showers ? Vit B12 ? and lots of it. Are you overloading on caffeine ? Don't. Quitting smoking heightens the effect of caffeine. Willful determination ? Wake yourself up after 8 hours, too much sleep begets too much sleep. Your quit looks great on you Sneaky one, hold on. Things will get much better by and by. You will have to trust us on this.

I'm a newbie, but I cleaned out my car yesterday. There were many empty packs. I shook every single one of them. I honestly cannot say whether I would have smoked them or not. Yours is a good reminder to not get complacent especially when we start to feel a little more comfortable.

Gdaay its NOPE for me C

NOPE!!!!!!

#NOPE

I haven't seen her around the boards in quite some time but I remember reading a lot of Pippa's posts early on in my quit and found they helped me a lot. I hope all is well and that you celebrate 5 years smoke free in a huge way.

I'm in!