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Smoking was a very social activity for me, as well. Especially when I was in college. And it was hard when I quit. I lost friends, because I couldn't go out for our usual coffee dates (which involved more cigarettes than coffee.) But you find new ways to meet people. Find a club you are interested in and join. Strike up a conversation with someone (preferably a non-smoker) sitting alone in a coffee shop. Join a gym. Find a study partner. It's also important to learn to be by yourself. I had to learn that when I quit. Find ways to enjoy your own company. Take long walks in nature and breathe in that clean air. Read a good book. Take yourself out on dates to movies, restaurants, etc. If smoking is highly social for you, you may want to spend some time in solitude until your quit is strong. As for boredom, find some mindless activity to pass the time for a while. I played a TON of Wordscapes on my phone when I first quit. It kept the boredom at bay and also kept my hands busy. I also binge watched my favorite shows over and over. I had Bob's Burgers playing constantly, just to keep me company. LOL Hang out here. That's a great way to pass the time! There's always something going on here at the Train. We are a lively bunch!

G’day NOPE starts my day

NOPE

NOPE - I don't smoke anymore.

Welcome katv. You have come to the right place for help to quit smoking. We all have felt like you. I actually came to believe I could not quit. I had tried everything and was not able to quit until I found this forum. The people here knew just what I needed to realize I had the power to quit. Since I am on my phone, I Can't quote @Vivianne. She is right on the mark when she says you have to separate your thinking. Educate yourself on the addiction so your brain recognizes the junkie thinking. Understand that you will go through a couple of days of discomfort and then learn to redirect your thoughts. The further you get away from smoking, the more power you achieve. Stay close to the forum, read through other people's quits. Realize you can do this!

This statement is not only true but pretty significant because smoking used to be that excuse for me to spend time away from everything; people, problems, stressful issues etc. It takes time to replace that alone time with something more positive and constructive but it does happen. We all find ways to fill that void. I used to think smoking was my friend and trusty companion who never judged me, never criticized me but was always there as an excuse for me to break away from things. Now I know the truth. Smoking never did me any good at all for me in fact it kept me from finding positive ways to deal with life. Life is now so much better without "my friend"!

Heya KatV! We are at the same quitting stage, and the first thing I want to say is: Well done for taking the time to post this sos. And congratz on your quit! I am gonna be brutally honest though, cause I think I need to break through your addiction smoke screen (which is more like a brick wall in some cases) You need to divide your brain (the voices, the wants, the arguments, etc) into " Free will" and " Addiction" The hype after every pack, every cig is YOU - the rest after, those arguments that make it okay to get another: ADDICTION. You are a JUNKIE. Simple as that. It's rough to hear and/or to realise, but you need to stay sane in the quit, the insanity is the addiction... You gave in to the addiction, and now it's doing what every pattern fed addiction does, it will scream louder. You gave in yesterday so FEED ME! - BUT! - Do something else~ watch one of the many informative documentaries here, post in games, shout, dance.... anything BUT smoke!! Post here is the best thing you can do:) And don't feel like you are a burden, we all have been there... so please do!

Welcome to QuitTran, Kat. Prior to quitting for good, I had many short quits like yourself and kept falling for the mindset of "one last smoke or one last pack isn't that big of a deal." Truth is, it is a big deal. As long as you keep feeding your nicotine addiction, you will continue to crave another one. What you have to do is break free of that mindset and to do that, you simply need to not smoke. It was scary for me at the time as well but it is very doable and quitting smoking is one of the most rewarding things you can do. As Sazerac posted above, read and learn as much as you can about nicotine addiction. The more you know about it, the better equipped you will be to defeat the addiction. Read up, post and participate here. The are a lot of informative posts here as well as plenty of fun and games that can help distract you in the early days of your quit. It was a forum like this that really helped me in the early stages of my quit. Do whatever you need to do as long as you don't light up. The longer you go without a cigarette, the better things will get. Welcome to the board, Kat. It is great to have you here.

Congratulations on your quit Katv. You say, "For me, I'd say it isn't that big of a deal..." well, It IS a BIG deal. It is addiction ! You must learn all you can about nicotine addiction, this will help you figure out 'what am I gonna do instead', read read read until your eyes bleed. Understand what Nicotine addiction is all about. Make a commitment to Not One Puff Ever (NOPE) and stick to it. This is a serious commitment....like life and death serious and the way you keep yourself from buying or bumming smokes. Take smoking off the table. You don't smoke anymore. That is that. Sure, you may have some gruesome moments but, these are nothing you cannot handle by breathing deep beautiful breaths of oxygen, watching your blood sugar, drinking water and distracting you brain while it heals up. Don't smoke, start reading and watching the scary movies and the informative videos. You may find this thread helpful 10 Ways To Effectively Use This Forum To Help Yourself Quit Smoking

Nope

Nope

Nope! (and Happy Birthday to my son Shawn)

Nope!

Now's probably not a good time to bring up that road trip to Nashville I took with some friends back in the day. We were supposed to get on 24 East but ended up on 65 South. When you're traveling home from Nashville to Chattanooga, the last thing you want to hear the driver say is: How the **** did we end up in Alabama?

NOPE....

Nope on Sundays too!!

Welcome to Quit Train Kat Glad you are wanting to get serious about this quitting thing because your future health and wealth will depend on your quitting and staying quit. You are wise to start while you are still young too! Reshaping your life to exclude smoking does take effort and time, a lot of time actually because so many things in our daily life revolved around having that smoke. Especially when you are bored or tired. How you fill that gap is really up to you and what ever your lifestyle will allow. Keeping yourself busy and distracted is important though in the early stages of your quit. There's tons you can do to occupy yourself at little or no cost. Go for a walk, huddle in your apartment and watch some TV or movies. Come here and play some of the mindless games on the game page. Take up a new hobby maybe? Is there anything you's always wanted to do but just haven't done it yet? Get creative in how you can use your time and be sure to reward yourself for each hurdle you get over. Rewards are important. Stick around here too for support from other quitters. We've all been exactly where you are right now so you are NOT alone in this. Post a lot here too. It really does help you to communicate with other quitters. It will also hep to keep your commitment strong too

Hello KatV , You have to find some other ways to kill that boredom and dullness . During my initial quit attempts i thought smoking was a fun activity and i had a hard time staying away from it because that was my only exciting activity 2 years ago . I live in India in an average town , there isn't much activity in these places nor much night life . But when i looked at my neighbor's , they too are going through the same dullness and life but without smoking . Like someone said during my initial attempts life is not always fun , excitement and party . So if you can adapt to that dullness for a few days somehow , you can easily stay from the smoking habits too . You have to learn to adjust in life without smoking . I am only speaking from my own situations and experience . You must also learn to stay fresh somehow , i am sure your or my life is not always dull Life is like a metronome , it will swing between dullness and freshness , at least that is my experience . It is all about conquering that negative dull times

Welcome aboard katv, congratulations on deciding to take back your life. We have a ton of great material and videos here to help you see the addiction for what it is. Just the fact that you think you can take it or leave it to nicotine tells me you may not have a true understanding on just how addictive it is. As far as the habit of smoking, a lot of us use(d) an air cigarette, I called mine my JAC (jillars air cigarette). I just pretended I was holding an actual cigarette in my fingers and then went through the "motions" of smoking it. Others have used cut straws, pens, even licorice. Maybe you can give that a try? Oh and stick close, there is so much to do here to keep your mind busy and off the constant thinking about smoking. Check out our social forums, games etc.

Thinking about dinner... everything tastes so good at the moment that I am having a hard time picking what to eat lol

NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE

NOPE

NOPE

NOPE!

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

So I decided a week ago that I'm going to quit - like I've done a million times before and I already thought this is going to be just like every other try where I just hype myself up and then continue smoking anyway. I was without smoking for a day and then I bought smokes, but after that pack was gone, I guess I now feel ready to quit for real (which is something I've never felt before). I had one cigarette yesterday and so far none today, but I'm really craving to go buy another pack right now. For me, I'd say the nicotine isn't that big of a deal - it feels good, but I can live without it. It's the habit of smoking that makes it so, so hard to quit. Honestly, when I think of myself as a non-smoker, my first reaction is this tiny panic of "well if I'm not gonna smoke, what am I gonna do instead?" Any tips for keeping myself in check? The best thing I could do is hole myself up in my apartment for a few days and not go anywhere until the worst cravings are over, but that's not an option :") How do you keep yourself from buying that "one last" pack of cigarettes when you go to the store or asking for a smoke from a friend when you see them smoking?

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

NOPE

Keeping yourself from buying that pack is pretty easy. As humans we can stop ourselves doing anything we want to whether it's addiction or not. If your best friend was dating a real hot man and he made a pass at you then you wouldn't jump into bed with him (unless you really don't care). It's the same tactic - just because it's tempting doesn't mean you have to go there. There's people on this site who have sadly lost their lives to smoking. Go find some of those threads because believe me they really do put smoking in perspective. There's a great Joel thread about a mum who's family are coming for the day, and another about a woman who leaves her baby sleeping and walks through a dangerous park to get her fix. I wish I could point you to them but I can't seem to post the links. You can do this but only if you keep those cigarettes out of reach.

Absolutely NOPE !!!!!!

Watching tobacco wars series... I notice how emotional it makes me.. the manipulation, the lies... it's just all so sad! I am gonna actively chance my inner dialog from jealousy (which is the addiction talking) to empathy/feeling sorry for the addict. And with that have more patience with my quit. It's gonna take time and it's gonna take a lot of hard work (self-reflection fi.). If I feel to safe, I am probably not...

You are building a sturdy quit Ms V. It takes a year to conquer craves and seasonal triggers, might as well be with your troops here. I am so happy you are on QTrain, your experience is sure to resonate with everyone dealing with Nicotine Addiction. AND This may mean a year of Triumphant Chicks, always a bonus !

Cigarettes do nothing for us. They take away our time, our money and our health.

I agree Abby.... How soon we forget.... We are addicts ....we needed our fix ...on a regular basis ...no matter where we are ,or what we are doing .. I remember hanging out a Turkish hospital window to calm the beast ... It goes with the addiction ... Feel sorry for him Lilly...he's,still in the throws of his addiction....

Nope!

NOPE...

Found it! How to recognize if you're romanticizing the cigarette

Have fun!! Don't get lost, and if you do, enjoy the heck out of it!

We just got a trailer. It's our first time out, so loading up the RV is part of the process. Next time it'll be much easier!

You need an RV. All you have to do is pack food and clothes. Have a great time. You will think it is worth it when you are sitting around the fire.

Packing for a camping trip. A lot of friggin' work for one night!

On the road in the RV again. On my way to @Boosville. Hoping he will come to our rescue when we get stuck going in circles in Nashville. My husband thinks the lady in the box (gps) will get us through. I think the lady in the box always sends us the longest most complicated route.

Vegemite toast? (I had pork belly on a fennel, daikon and radish slaw)

Boredom is one of my pittfalls too. So I started a "I am bored" count when I was still smoking... and guess what I was bored a lot even when I was smoking. In this moment my addiction tells me I wasn't as bored then as I am now.. but I have proof...ha! So the problem is me... I need to find a purpose and something to keep my mind busy, smoking doesn't solve anything... it is a false argument.. So for a start... keep close to the forum, keep your mind on the quit - not on the cig. (Read romancing the cigarette - will add link when I am not on my mobile). Play a memory game (and loose.. that is part of the process), do something physical like a brisk walk or clean.. cook..learn magic keep those hands busy There are so many ways to keep yourself occupied. But you need to give yourself that kick in the butt and do something..;)

Nope...my knitting days are doneski....I'm stuck with crochet now...lots of chains n trebles...got love a long chain.

Sitting in the coffee lounge at the Marriott having a flat white and a chat to the Premier while I wait for my taxi home after watching Come From Away.

Do I detect some sour grapes here Piggy...your first for the slap !!

Not as many as you'd think

Confession: I do not know how many licks it takes to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop