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Am here

G’day NOPE for today

NOPE

I'm here..

Nada Ta Da Ta Da! NOPE

HERE...!

NOPE...

NOPE!

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

Everything....thought if I quit I'd miss everything about it...everything on your list and then some...I mean what woz i Gunna do between innings of when I came off the diamond....   What do miss about it....nothing! Absolutely nothing!.... I'm with Jo ... My whole adult life I was a smoker ....I believed all the lies .... Do I miss it ???.!!!!......No ....I love my smoke free life ... Even ...losing Tony recently..... The thought of smoking never even entered my head ....so I'm guessing I'll never smoke again ....

NOPE!!

Everything....thought if I quit I'd miss everything about it...everything on your list and then some...I mean what woz i Gunna do between innings of when I came off the diamond.... What do miss about it....nothing! Absolutely nothing!.... So a couple of weeks ago I bummed a ride with a mate who is a smoker....and they smoke in the car....not once during that journey did I want to ask for one....each minute in the car was confirmation that I will never, ever go there again.

NOPE !!!

Nope

Nope

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NOPE

It wasn't the Quit Train and it wasn't my computer. Turns out it was a change in the settings on my search engine that caused my spellcheck to go away. Confession: I am spellcheck dependent. It's the "E's", "A's", and "I's" that give me the most trouble. I suffer from irritable vowel syndrome. Confession: I can't resist the urge to make really bad, punny jokes.

Drinking deep from the bottomless cup of NOPE

NOPE

That's so sweet @Linda Thomas Your post reminded me of me thinking my husband couldn't read when we first started dating because he always wanted me to read everything for him. Turned out he just needed glasses

That is okay Boo. We still love you. My computer still shows the red line under misspelled word on Quittrain. My husband married me for my spelling. I used to be embarrassed when he would leave me love notes and the words were a mess. Now I love him more for them. They make my day!

Might as well confess this: I misspell a lot of words. Some words I misspell consistently (or is it consistantly?). The reason for this confession is that my spellcheck function is not working. I don't know if it's a change here at QuitTrain or if the settings on my computer changed. I just know that there are no red squiggly lines under words that I typed wrong anymore. There will be mistakes along the way, but I will make every effort to spell rite and talk gud.

- I was scared as to how I would deal with stress if I quit - I was scared that negative things (from people) in my life wouldn't stop if I quit smoking Minor things - I was worried I would never get over the fact that I need a cigarette after meals - I was worried I wouldn't be able to go out of my house several hours at a go without needing a cigarette (since I used to avoid carrying cigarettes when I went out with my family) Stress is still there, negative things don't stop, but at least I quit smoking. And, I eventually got used to not having a cigarette after meals. I still get stressed when I step out of my house (whether its a short period or a long period), but fight off the urge, if I do get it. Nevertheless, at least I quit smoking.

@hesteralumni23.....I was a 52 yr smoker ...I knew it was never going to be easy .... Most of my early days ,all could manage was screaming NOPE at the top of my voice hundreds of times a day ... But ...I was winning my battles ...day by day ...hr by hr ...minute by minute .... I learnt a saying ....Take smoking off the table no matter what !!! I understood this ...and my junkie brain knew...I couldn't smoke again ..even if my arse was on fire ... But Freedom is worth fighting for ....

Nope

Good morning fellow NOPErs...the sun might be shining but it's right fribble weather in good ol Melbs....so 2nd of July...Unity Day in Zambia...did you know the majority of countries around the world celebrate Unity Day, just at different times and for different reasons... The Germans have theirs to celebrate the wall and the East West Reunification, the Yanks have theirs in October, and it's about anti bullying and everyone wears Orange ..we kinda ripped them off and so the same down here but it's earlier in the year...the Russians have theirs as a celebration of kicking the Polish occupying army out of St Petersberg in the 1700s... Zambia's is to do with national unity after liberation and civil war. But regardless of the date or the reasons the message is simple, United we are a force, United we can beat the bullies and oppressors and the common enemy. So ask yourself, what is our common enemy....addiction to nicotine and tobacco...that's why we are here, to unit in the fight, which while personal is easier to fight with unity. NOPE... Just for today, tomorrow, forever.

You made it Ankush! 3 Months smoke free and a major contributor to this forum. You are two-sixths, or one third of the way to completing your first year already No matter how you do the math ........... you're doing GREAT!!

I had a massive list of things I thought I would miss and thought I could not live without before I quit. For example, I thought: - I would be stressed as I thought cigarettes relieved stress - I would lose my identity - I wouldn't know what to do with myself when waiting for the bus or train - What was I going to do on ad breaks in the middle of a film or programme? - I would be less sociable - What if anything negative happened in my life? I wouldn't have a way of dealing with it with no cigarettes - How on earth would I ever go out again?? - And have a drink? What about when it's summer and I'm having a beer outside? Surely I can't not smoke then? - Eeek, what about holidays? - Oh and my darling morning coffee, that always goes with a cigarette. Surely I can't separate those two? I also thought: - I will never be able to sit through a 3 course meal in a restaurant without cigarettes in between courses - Or go out to a bar with my friends without stepping outside all the time - Or go through a day at work without smoking. An absolutely absurd idea - Or go to the airport without frantically smoking a million cigarettes before going through security checks and not being able to smoke until I get to my destination - Or get out of bed and not have a cigarette as the first activity of every single day - Or ever feel like I'm not a slave and ruled by addiction Luckily for me and most other ex smokers it turns out every single one of these assumptions were wrong. I can't even tell you how much better my life is now. But it can actually be a very vulnerable state when you quit, as all these habits and perceived comforts are changing in one go.

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

^Dad training? We had to turn the "red snakes" off because the kid has panic attacks because her dyslexic spelling is so "creative" the suggestions are never right and it's all just too stressful.

That brought back a memory from the very early days of my quit. Had a moment where I thought about stepping outside and taking a little pause for the cause. Got a bit frantic as I thought about how much I was going to miss that. Then I calmed down a bit and reminded myself that smoking is not a prerequisite for stepping outside for a moment. Oh yeah, people who don't smoke go outside too. I don't miss being a newbie, but it was a time when basic truths could feel like a revolutionary breakthrough.

Consistently is with an 'E', I looked it up. LOL.

Most all of what was posted but the two big things were my morning coffee on the porch or when I was driving (I always "enjoyed" smoking while on the road). I seemed to have gotten past all those but I still stay on guard!!!

I'm a former smoker who successfully quit. I've also been a member of this forum for over three years now. As Yogi Berra said: "You can observe a lot by just watching." In my time here, I've developed a thesis...feels like I just might have cracked the code. What if I told you there was one secret that every successful quitter used to set themselves free from cigarettes... Ready for it? This is groundbreaking stuff right here...Every quitter who has enjoyed a successful quit committed to stop putting cigarettes in their mouth and setting them on fire. Some made a plan; some quit on an impulse. Some went cold turkey while others used NRT and still others used Chantix/Champix. Some read and did research; others relied on intuition. The one unifying common thread in every successful quit comes back to the decision that was made to not put a cigarette in your mouth and light it on fire. Everything else is supplementary to the one big decision(the aforementioned rule of not putting a cigarette in your mouth and lighting it on fire). Quitting smoking is not judged like an Olympic diving meet, you don't get bonus points for making things more difficult. Don't lose sight of the big picture and keep it simple.

@Ankush You will find that your stress levels will drop as you settle into your nicotine free life. Remember that this is a journey you have begun and have patience. You are building a successful quit that will continue to reward you with benefits. I believed ALL the lies, too ! I would miss the me that was me. When I quit, I was expecting quantum change and wasn't sure I would recognize myself at all. But, from the moment I quit I knew, in my heart of hearts, I would not miss the bondage and all the gnarly craves/persistent triggers only solidified my pursuit of Freedom. The me that emerged was a sincerely confident and strong woman. nice post @greenlight

A Bottomless Cup of NOPE

Congratulations on reaching your 8 month smoke free anniversary Wantsit! Two thirds of the way there now. Steady as she goes!

This^^ is what I'm talking about. You are giving yourself an out. It's not the non smoking period. It is your quit date. Today is a great day to start your new smoke free life. Stop setting yourself up for failure and just quit. Believe me you will be wayyyyy smarter quitting now then when you develop serious problems because of it. Trust me on this......

Michelle, these brief periods of not smoking can't be categorized as a "quit". As a matter of fact this constant stopping and starting tends to make things more miserable. I would never tell you to stop trying. In fact it took me dozens of attempts to finally get it. NRT, cold turkey, vaping, tough circumstances in life, stress. All of these things you've mentioned in previous attempts don't really matter. Getting your mind behind a 100% commitment is the only way you will ever succeed. It can be done. It is worth it.

Thought I'd miss my answer to everything: boredom, fear, social akwardness, lonelyness etc. etc. All things existential. Turned out to be a big fat lie, BUT: One I have to remind myself over and over about. At times its frustrating, but still a million times better than be back at nasty, pride consuming smoking.

My fear was that not having that first smoke of the morning was going to be an awful way to start the day and that it would be all downhill from there. Most every other misguided fear mentioned in this thread also applied to me. I really let myself get snared in the addiction.

^^^^^^^ Boo I could not have said it better -- Spot On. Thank you!!!!!

here is an interesting vid and text on this issue from our friend, Joel. Conventional wisdom in smoking cessation circles says that people should make plans and preparations for some unspecified future time to quit. Most people think that when others quit smoking that they must have put a lot of time into preparations and planning, setting quit dates and following stringent protocols until the magic day arrives. When it comes down to it, this kind of action plan is rarely seen in real world quitters. I emphasize the term real world quitters as opposed to people quitting in the virtual world of the Internet. People who seek out and participate in Internet sites do at times spend an inordinate amount of time reading and planning about their quits before taking the plunge. Even at our site we see people say they were reading here for weeks or months before finally quitting and joining up. Although I suspect there are a fair number of people who had already decided to quit right away and searched us out after their quit had begun, and some people who may not have actually decided to quit but who when finding WhyQuit.com and seeing cigarettes for what they are decided then and there to start their quits. Getting back to real world experience though, the best people to talk to when it comes to quitting smoking are those who have successfully quit and have successfully stayed off for a significant period of time. These are people who have proven that their technique in quitting was viable considering they have quit and they are still smoke free. Talk to everyone you know who is off all nicotine for a year or longer and find out how they initially quit smoking. You will be amazed at the consistency of the answer you get if you perform that little survey. People are going to pretty much fall into one of three categories of stories. They are: People who awoke one day and were suddenly sick and tired of smoking. They tossed them that day and never looked back. People who get sick. Not smoking sick, meaning some kind of catastrophic smoking induced illness. Just people who get a cold or a flu and feel miserable. They feel too sick to smoke, they may feel too sick to eat. They are down with the infection for two or three days, start to get better and then realize that they have a few days down without smoking and decide to try to keep it going. Again, they never look back and stuck with their new commitment. People who leave a doctors office who have been given an ultimatum. Quit smoking or drop dead–it’s your choice. These are people for whom some sort of problem has been identified by their doctors, who lay out in no uncertain terms that the person’s life is at risk now if they do not quit smoking. All of these stories share one thing in common — the technique that people use to quit. They simply quit smoking one day. The reasons they quit varied but the technique they used was basically the same. If you examine each of the three scenarios you will also see that none of them lend themselves to long-term planning — they are spur of the moment decisions elicited by some external circumstance. I really do encourage all people to do this survey, talking to long- term ex-smokers in their real world, people who they knew when they were smokers, who they knew when they quit and who they still know as ex- smokers. The more people do this the more obvious it will become how people quit smoking and how people stay off of smoking. Again, people quit smoking by simply quitting smoking and people stay off of smoking by simply knowing that to stay smoke free that they must Never Take Another Puff! Joel © Joel Spitzer 2006 The British Medical Journal reported an interesting study that tied into this article very well. Here is a link to the study: http://www.bmj.com/content/332/7539/458 I wrote a reply to the Journal that was posted on its response website. Here is a link to that reply: http://www.bmj.com/rapid-response/2011/10/31/setting-quit-dates That commentary elicited a reply from another person, who was basically trying to give the impression that serious scientists shouldn’t put too much emphasis on real world experiences. I wrote a reply to this editorial but it somehow did not seem to get past the editorial review board at the British Medical Journal. I think the reply is still valid so I am attaching it below: Re: Flawed reasoning Joel Spitzer, Health Educator Conduct Stop Smoking Clinics for the Evanston and the Skokie Illinois Health Departments 60201,60076 Send response to journal: Re: Flawed reasoning “…because something commonly happens in a particular way ‘in the real world’ then this should be considered the best way. ” Smoking cessation experts often seem to have to be telling people to dismiss real world experiences. Usually I see a little different variation of the comment above. Common statements I have seen are something to the effects that while it is likely that a person may at times encounter real world quitters who succeeded by using non-recommended techniques, usually meaning no pharmaceutical intervention or in what this study is showing, people who used no set quitting date, that these people are just the exceptional cases. What the experts are trying to do in effect is discredit observations made by people, making them think that the occurrence of such experiences are really rare. The author above was at least accurate enough to say, “While it is true that most smokers who quit do so without any specific behavioral support or pharmacological treatment…” The rest of the comment was going on to try to give the impression that there would have been even more successful quitters if people would just do what smoking cessation experts say should work as opposed to doing what actual quitters continually say has worked for them. The tactic being employed here is to leave the impression that we could just have a whole lot more successful quitters if people would just utilize the miraculous effective products out there that actually help people to quit. There is also the perception being portrayed that there really are very few ex-smokers out there because most who have tried to quit have done so unaided and everyone just knows how improbable it is for people to be able to quit in an unaided attempt. Medical professionals and the general public are being misled to believe that quitting smoking is just too plain difficult for people to do on their own and that the odds of a person actually quitting on their own is really pretty dismal. This would all make perfect sense if not for the fact that we have so many successful ex-smokers in the real world. In America, we have more former smokers than current smokers. Over half of the people who used to smoke have now quit smoking. From the comment made above it should be clear to all that most of the people who have quit either did not know of professional recommendations for quitting or chose to ignore professional intervention techniques. Yet these people successfully quit anyway. I think that this is an important point to hit home with all medical professionals. The medical profession has got to start to help people to realize the real potential of success that individuals do have to quit smoking instead of perpetuating the idea that quitting is just too hard for an individual smoker to expect to actually succeed without help. While this article should have been about planning techniques, the original author and a few experts weighing in on the discussion have tried to turn it into a referendum on selling pharmaceutical interventions. Nicotine replacement products have been around for over two decades now– and a significant percentage of smokers have used them to try to quit smoking. If a product has been around for decades, used by millions of people worldwide, AND, has been truly effective, it should be easy for most health care practitioners to come up with lots and lots of successful patients, colleagues, family members and friends who have quit with these products. As I said in my original commentary above: ” I don’t believe that there is a single professional smoking cessation “plan your quit” advocate who will suggest other medical professionals should take a similar survey. For if they did their study results would almost certainly be called into question when the health care professional starts seeing the results of his or her real life survey. The experts will end up having to spend quite a bit of time trying to explain away the discrepancy, using rationalizations like the people who planned their quit “didn’t do it right” or didn’t “plan” long enough or were “just more addicted smokers.” In all honesty, I don’t expect my encouraging of real world observations by health care professionals to have much impact with smoking cessation experts. They are going to profess to believe whatever other experts keep telling them to believe or, what the funders of their studies believe. I do however believe that health care workers who are on the front line and actually deal with patients who smoke are going to be a bit more critical and analytical about this. If they spend any time talking with patients they are going to see through the rhetoric and the rationalizations of the experts. I have always tried to disseminate the message that just because something works in the lab or in study conditions doesn’t necessarily translate to the fact that the process will work in the real world. The smoking cessation experts seem to have to work on the basis that just because something works in the real world doesn’t mean that it is a good approach if it doesn’t seem to work in a lab. I have high hopes that medical professionals really wanting to help their patients are going to be more influenced by what they see is successful than by being told by the experts what should be successful, but somehow not replicable in their own practices. Also related: “I will quit when”

NOPE!!!

Boo did you show your dad those Tommy Hafey clips? I dunno though, kinda sounds like he's in training for Baby Boo.

My sister and I also learned the alphabets in sign language so we could piss off my brother since he didn't know what we were saying

You called..... Yep here

NOPE!