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I'm closer to 2 months quit than 1 month quit. what a wonderful thing to realize, even if it did hit you just as you were falling asleep LOL G'nite all you smoke-free beautiful people

G’day NOPE .....Not One Puff Ever.... (replace Ever with Min Hour Day as required!)

NOPE

NOPE!

NOPE...

NOPE

nope

NOPE

Nope...!!!!

I am doing well. I had an urge this morning, but it passed in 5 minutes. I walked down to get iced coffee and came straight back to the house and steered clear of the convenience store. I already know that if I smoke one, it'll turn into 3-5 and then more. I also don't want that shame and stench anymore. I will keep checking in everyday. I am proud that I allowed my urge to pass and that I didn't have to act on it.

Nope!

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NOPE!!!

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Good night @idontsmoke....almost 2 months is good going.

NOPE!!!

NOPE!!!

So awesome!! Happy to see the smile!!!

11 days but for some reason this a.m. has been hard. Have some other health issues going on so I am stressing. I know smoking won't help. But that was always my go to.

Keep at it ..Up In Smoke ...otherwise all your hard work will have been for nothing .... I've yet to meet a happy relapser.... It does get better ...we are proof of that ....

NOPE

@Linda 11 days is AMAZING. Congratulations!! I hear you about cravings. Sometimes you don't know what in particular triggered them and sometimes you know and it's so silly it makes you laugh right? And some days it doesn't matter because they come all day long. Then suddenly one day the clouds part, the cravings ease up, and it starts becoming easier to stay quit. Im glad you're hanging in there!! You are a warrior!!!

Congrats on 11 days of freedom from cigs Linda Smoking was the go to for all of us when we smoked so yeah, I get it. It's hard when that is suddenly gone but you will learn new, healthier ways to deal with stress and you'll be a lot better off and happier once you reach the point when your mind doesn't go straight to having a smoke. Remember your deep breathing to relieve stress and/or get yourself busy doing something, anything to take your mind off things for a bit. Don't worry, you'll get there. Patience and NOPE are key!

NOPE

NOPE!

To be fair !!!.....I wasn,t actually thinkin of those knockers ...lol.... You know how pure and innocent I am ... I dunno.....your minds .... But now you come to mention it ..say no more !!!!!!

Good for you, Steven! Now set up a ticker so you can watch your days and dollars add up!!!

Nope!

On your way Steven! Great job!

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

That's how we all built our quits Steven! 1 Day at a time and one struggle at a time. It's doable and .... it does get easier with time

Excellent Steven! See how 1 day has now turned into 5! Soon you will have a week!!!!

Concerning Hell Week Our friend, Joel Spitzer, just came out with new videos about the concept of Hell Week and it struck a chord with me. I will include them below. I had a very challenging first few days, first weeks, first month, first year. Never did I think I was going to smoke again but, sometimes I thought I would never be OK again. I feared that I would always be locked in smokey thoughts. This turned out to be false, I listened to those further along in their quits who gave me hope that my new free self would prevail. As I learned more about my Nicotine Addiction and the health disasters from complications caused by smoking, I saw what real, quantum challenges were all about. My first week of feeling VERY uncomfortable was nothing in comparison. Nicotine Addiction had made me a spoiled brat, I was whiny at not being able to have my way. This was all it was. It was not the challenges of facing a fatal disease, of not being able to friggin' BREATHE. I posted a thread about this, Spoiled Brats/Nicotine Addicts So, I just want to say, I am not making light of anyone's challenges or pain. Sure, you may face some difficult moments, days in your quit, months but, none of this will kill or maim you like smoking will. Make it easier on yourself by breathing and NOPE-ing your way through any rough bits, by educating yourself so you understand what you are experiencing. But, YOU MAY NOT have many difficult moments at all ! "Hell Week' is not a given or pre-destined and The REAL 'Hell' is not quitting and succumbing to the slow torture of emphysema or other cancers, illnesses created by you. The Real HELL you create for your families because of your self-inflicted sicknesses and demise. Here are Joel's two new videos The Use Of The Term, Hell Week When Quitting Smoking Real "Hell Weeks" In Regard To Smoking

Whatever you choose to call 'em, a few weeks of consternation and agitation in return for a lifetime of freedom is one of the best deals going.

This is an important concept that most (myself included) never realized before quitting, that there are two very different issues we will have to deal with. Addiction to nicotine, which will be with all of us for life and the habitual aspects of smoking. Those habits we developed very early on in our smoking lives are difficult to break and some take a very long time. I would suggest more than the 1st month for many. I feel I was somewhere between 6 weeks and 8 weeks to start getting comfortable with my new "habits" and a full year to complete the process fully. The issue as I see it, looking at my quit in the rear view mirror, is that in the early days and weeks of one's quit it's the combination of breaking the "habits" AND the 1st days of nicotine withdrawal, which can be severe for some, end up being a real trial by fire for many of us quitters. It's only through our own hard work and denying ourselves what our brains are screaming for in those early days that we break through to a place where we start to realize that we can actually handle this quitting thing. The labels of Hell Week, Heck Week & WTF Week are just that ... labels that we put on that difficult period to try and describe what most are feeling during that period of quitting.

Thanks for all the support ❤❤

Sugar Britches doesn't trust me to handle bathtime with Maddie by myself. She thinks I'll just play around and use bathtime as an excuse to introduce Maddie to whitewater fun. I mean...I could show Maddie the basics of the eskimo roll in that little bath seat we bought for her, but it'll have to wait. The wife's way is technically correct, but my way is a lot more fun. And back to the music. Here's a feel good sing-a-long that I break out when I'm just chilling out with the girl...

Sorry to hear that you are stressing Linda. You and I both know that smoking won't help with the stress but it takes a while for our brains to reprogram. Soon you won't even think of smoking when you are in difficult situations. Eleven smoke free days is awesome! Be proud and keep that quit going!! You're doing great!!!

Congratulations, @Linda on your beautiful ELEVEN days of Freedom. You may have good days and then a weird trigger, a random crave will pop up out of nowhere to agitate you. Know what to do ? That's right, NOPE NOPE NOPE your way through. Have some water, some food, some rest. REWARD yourself for wrenching another brain receptor away from nicotine's control. You quit smoking !

G’day Wet and rain as per usual bring out the best from the gasser on the back verandah. This came out of a discussion with a South African friend. Salt and pepper cashews.... Need 500 gm uncooked cashews 1 ltr water 3 teaspoons salt Dissolve salt in water in Pot on med heat Put in your raw cashews and scoop them out as soon as they rise to the surface. Don’t boil to long. Drain and dry on tea towel. Add.... 1 tsp cracked black pepper 3 tsp veg oil 1 tablespoon honey ( I used native) Mix and transfer to tray. Tray on trivet on bbq on cold end. Burner on other add banksia nut or wood of your choice. Check often takes about an hour to 1 1/2 hour. Remove and let cool and they will crisp up as they cool. Place in air tight containers. ( warning don’t eat to much as they cool! They are better cold and left over night!) Regards Dave

I am very proud.

You should be proud Steven, you protected your awesome quit!

Hang tough Linda, Like idontsmoke said, You can overcome any adversity because you are a warrior. You are also a non smoker now. Be proud of who you are now and fight for your quit. You deserve to be happy and healthy. You got this.

Yes it is an addiction as well as a habit. Some of us got in the habit of smoking first thing in the morning, some waited until after breakfast. Some got in the habit of smoking after mowing the lawn. Or got in the habit of smoking after a meal. These habits take time to break, which is my definition of the first three weeks of quitting. The addiction of smoking is with us for life and our quits must be protected by not reintroducing nicotine into our body but the habit of smoking is usually broken within these first weeks.

G’day NOPE .....Not One Puff Ever.... (replace Ever with Min Hour Day as required!)

How cool is that michelle?! Congratulations!

Great job Steven. You're more than halfway through hell week.

Nope