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NOPE!

G’day NOPE NOPE NOPE

I had to do it the old fashioned way!! take a pic on my camera, put the sd card in the laptop, save the pic, and download from my files. why I cant just take a pic straight on my ipad and upload I dont know!!!!! anyway here are the 2 hats I have knit for my nearly 5 month old grand daughter for christmas. Im leaving the white one as it is, as tried it on her and it looked cute, like a whippy ice cream, though it is supposed to be a christmas tree. The green one has bells, and really jingles lol

Nope!

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

NOPE - I don't smoke anymore.

Nope, I don't smoke anymore!!!!

Nope

Not one Puff Ever to keep in my mind loud and clear

NOPE...

Watching the snow roll in over the Cumberland Plateau. May not seem like a big deal to those of you in colder climates, but a bit of snow is still an "event" here in Tennessee. Schools are closed tomorrow. The grocery stores in town were packed with people stocking up this afternoon. Don't come around here looking to buy milk, bread, and toilet paper...It's all gone!

Watching Two Rats cavorting around the courtyard. Time for Traps and Poison and maybe another essay (not for the squeamish) Rat Raga.

Nope , no time for it today !

NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE

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

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

NOPE...

NOPE

NOPE

NOPE

NOPE - I don't smoke anymore.

G’day Not One Puff Ever

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

Never quit trying to quit. You can do this!

Thanks all for the replys. I fell off the wagon again. As of today i am going to give it a go again and hopefully for good this time. I got some nicotine patches and nicotine gum to help me quit this time around. Hopefully i can quit for good this time and be done with it

I averaged 2.5 to 3 hrs. between cigarettes while at work. At home about 90 minutes On average I smoked about 10 cigarettes per day. So glad I made it a point to never smoke in residence or vehicle, otherwise I probably would have smoked much more than I did. Still an addict though Rainy day, wait it out...still raining OK go stand in rain with my umbrella to smoke (addict) Snowing, freezing cold....put on winter coat, stocking cap, and thin gloves I bought just to smoke (addict) On a long road trip. Stop every 2-3 hrs at a rest stop to smoke (depending on how far the next one would be) Airplane...whew air travel is rough, my normal departure airport does not have a smoking lounge anywhere inside or outside the security perimeter, you have to go all the way outside. And on an especially long (6+ hrs) flight I would chew a piece of nicorette (addict). When landing rush outside to smoke, then come back in to get luggage.

NOPE!

NOPE!!

Our friend, Joel Spitzer explains this so well. This half-life of nicotine levels in the brain is 20-30 minutes under normal conditions. Under abnormal conditions it may be shorter or longer. Stress makes it shorter--significantly shorter in fact thus increasing the bodies demand for cigarettes. This helps explain why smokers smoke more under stress and why when facing equivalent stresses as an ex-smoker, they will eventually be calmer than when smoking. The first time experiencing a specific stress will be a trigger, but after a time or two the association will be broken and withdrawal will no longer be encountered during the stress. The same stress will then in essence be less stressful for all practical purposes. To never have to deal with stress induced withdrawal, r even withdrawals experienced during non-stress times--just from going too long without smoking-- always remember that to end nicotine withdrawal forever simply entails knowing to never take another puff! Joel and this video, also. Smoking Triggers

G’day that NZ prime minister has certainly had a lot of grief to attend to. I take my hat off to her.... she’s a true “statesman”

Congratulations on 18 years smoke free, @Christian99 That is a fantastic quit. I hope you do something to celebrate today.

NOPE

NOPE

Tony I'd like to offer some different approaches for your next quit. First, don't use terms like "fell off the wagon" or "slipped". It really minimizes your accountability. In fact, it makes it sound more like an accident rather than a conscious choice to smoke again. Stop saying "hopefully" you will quit this time. It's all about making a real and solid commitment. Don't assume that that NRT's will magically make quitting a breeze. It's more about your mindset than anything else. Sure NRT's help many people, but they're not a panacea for all withdrawals. And more importantly, talk to your doctor before using 2 types at the same time. I'd be shocked if any medical professional thought that was okay. As others have said, you can do this. Sometimes it just takes looking at things a little differently to reach the desired outcome.

The only thing you need to quit is a personal commitment to NOPE. Not One Puff Ever. If you are juggling patches and nicotine gum you will have the danger of nicotine poisoning. This is serious business. Educate yourself about nicotine addiction and make the commitment to yourself. You must be willing to endure discomfort in the beginning. This will not kill you. Smoking WILL. Have a deep think about what our friend, @Sirius, asks, "The next time a craving plunks down on your face ask yourself, "What price you are willing to pay to own yourself?"

Welcome back Tony. There is no reason to hope that you can do this. Believe that you can do this. We have all been where you are and quitting smoking for good is very doable. Stick around the site. Read up on nicotine addiction. Pledge in the NOPE thread daily (where you commit to Never Taking Another Puff, even if just for that one day), and reach out if you are struggling. It is time for you to be done with smoking and live a much healthier life.

I hate this song also. Found this horror show for your displeasure

Jacinda is one of the classiest world leaders I have seen in my time...there are a shit tonne of tools out there claiming to be statesmen who should take lessons.

Having a cuppa and breathing a sigh of relief. Finally got contact with relos holidaying in NZ and on the cruise ship. All safe, saddly many others won't be as relieved as I am.

I have daily contact with smokers and almost daily contact with cigarettes themselves. My in-laws live upstairs from us, and they both smoke. They leave packs of cigarettes everywhere. I often find them in the garage or on the patio table by the pool. For many months, just the sight of them was enough to trigger me. They don't bother me anymore. Thank goodness!

@Lilly I don't always feel positive about my quit, either. The first year is the hardest for almost everyone. We face the majority of our usual smoking triggers throughout that first year, and that requires us to be extra vigilant. That vigilance can be exhausting, I know! I'm about to face my first Christmas in several years without smoking, so my nagging thoughts have returned. It's annoying, but I can deal with it. Because I know next Christmas will be so much easier. AND because I'm not having genuine cravings right now. Just nagging thoughts. There's a huge difference. I can ignore the thoughts much easier than I could the actual cravings. I remind myself of that any time the thoughts of smoking become intrusive. I'd rather face a nagging thought than a constant craving. You will feel like yourself again. You will. I will. We both will. I've read that it can take quite a long time for the brain to adjust to being a non-smoker. It takes a while for the brain chemistry to balance itself once the nicotine is gone, especially if you struggle (like I do) with any sort of chemical imbalance. My doctor has had to adjust my medication to increase dopamine absorption since I quit. That has helped a lot. But I still don't feel quite like myself. Not yet. I know I will, though. I had a long quit in the past, and I remember what it was like. I remember I felt SO much better after that first year. We gotta hang in there. I'm here any time you want to talk. You can be as open and honest with me as you want to. I'm never more than a private message away. We are both in the thick of it. We might as well make the journey together!

NOPE

NOPE

@catlover at the bottom of the reply box you'll see a paperclip, click where it says choose files then pick your pic and it should download and attach it here

I learnt the power of detachment a very long time ago...maybe 40 years ago now, it is also related to Art because "I do Art" and used this when I was in family gatherings, where the chitter chatter drove me crazy. I continued Art in my head, and took photos with my mind, when I couldn't stand the strain, I took photos with my camera. For the simple reason I was quite capable of observing, but the only difference in this scenario is that, the distraction lasts for the time it belongs to this particular event. The concentration of a particular object, is for me paramount to other than beauty, its like a seed of understanding that I wish to explore further. So unfortunately this is not one that I can use very often because my wave length is too long. What I am learning is that the power over myself and understanding of myself needed to be put in order as I was used to listening to my own drummer and no on else's. Now I realize that my common failure if you like is through not listening enough, and the detachment has progressed to a physical shield around me, which doesn't let me get caught in the trap of trying to solve everything. I now can observe and join in with love to my fellow man rather than as the thought of "Family" this works for me now, and I think I have become a better human being than before. So to cut a long story short, its been a tough thought process of learning to understand my reactions to myself. so maybe tough love is the answer for me. I have to learn to hate the thought of smoking without hating myself in the process. A bit deep but there you go I like philsophophy too.

Welcome aboard Tony.... Congratulations on making the choice to take your life back .... This is a horrible addiction ,that will most likely kill you .... I know first hand how crippling smoking illnesses truly are ....you don't want to go there ... Quit now before ,there is no turning back ... I smoked 52 years ..quitting is the most amazing rewarding ,proud feeling ever ... Take smoking off the table ...no matter what going on ... You have a train full of quitters here...who will travel the journey to Freedom with you ..