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

NOPE

NOPE!

Nope.

NOPE!

NOPE!!!!!!

NOPE…

Nope!

NOPE

Nope... I will not smoke!!!

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

NOPE

Welcome back @JustSomeGuy. That sweet little boy is a wonderful reason to quit. You want your life with him to be full of happy wonderful memories and not illness and health issues. You quit once before and can do it again. Hang close and we will definitely help you stay on track.

Hey Justin. Don't obsess about the wait gain while quitting. You sound like you have a good attitude towards exercise and healthy eating. Concentrate on the quitting and then everything else falls into place. Your life will change immensely after quitting and you will feel better and move more. Keep that wonderful quit going!

Today marks 3 weeks of not smoking, the longest time period since age 20. I don't say being free, just being in control. It's all semantics, but from an addiction point of view, I'll never be free. Just in control. Still a great feeling. But I'm kind of nervous about the period ahead, especially months 2-4. Getting past 3 weeks was hard, but not as crazy as in the past. But I had a lot of shiny new toys to distract me during weeks 1-3: This web site w/ lots of information and people to talk to, My Mt Dew Code Red I started drinking when I quit, My calendar w/ all the red X's on the wall, My visualizations. I will still have these (except the code red which I've quit drinking), but they aren't as shiny and new anymore. Of course, I will still be on EX asking for support and giving what little I can. But from what I read, and have been experiencing now, the next couple months will require a lot of diligence in ignoring that voice in my head that would love to smoke. Each time I remind myself that one puff will cost me $4000 over the next year and require me to smoke 7000 more cigarettes before I could muster the courage to stop again. Smoking just 1 won't satisfy the craving, nor 2, nor 1 pack. Only continuously feeding the craving forever will satisfy it if I take just one puff. So I celebrate 3 wks of control (or freedom if you will), but continue knowing the struggle continues. My logic side knows the cravings will eventually become less frequent, but the junkie voice in my head keeps saying "no, we'll always be here so you might as give up now". I'll just stay diligent, stay on QT, and stay in control.

That's exactly how I felt and still feel. Getting to 5 years again feels like Everest! Heck, even getting to 1 month feels daunting. I've lurked on here a few times the last couple of years when I've tried to quit. Sometimes it lasted weeks. Sometimes a few days. But it never stuck. I don't think being a guest and reading posts helped me out. Maybe I wasn't ready to quit yet, but I am now. That's why I reintroduced myself and came clean. I wanted to have that added accountability and help. Wow 20 years is so amazing! I remember you from the QSMB days.

In the 90's I did the same thing on my 1 year anniversary. I felt crushed, hated myself and vowed to smoke until I die! 4 years later i came to my senses. We all come back...but like you it took me 4 years and you 3 years.. It is great to have a reason to quit like your new son but only you have the responsibility. What changed it for me was this fact and it was the game changer. I will only be successful when I die. It has to be clean from day one to the my final day on this earth. My dad, uncles, aunties and others did it- and so we come to NOPE, NTAP. Read them slowly and let the words embed in your unconscious. NOPE means NOT one puff EVER.... It does not mean Not one puff EXCEPT.. NEVER take another puff.. I am 4 days shy of 20 years but frankly it is the staying quit that really matters. On the day i quit my mates had been quit for 15 years. 15 years seemed like Mount Everest in time. Well I started on 2nd October 2001. Today my mates are all alive and well. 35 years quit and on the cusp of 60. You know you can do it...

NOPE

Back into the grind of 2 a days for the next 4 weeks. Yesterday I rode 22 miles followed by a 2 mile run Over the last 7 months I’ve dropped almost 20# even tho I wasn’t overweight. Definitely dropped most of my body fat. My diet has slowly changed to healthy foods that don’t weigh me down. I stick to lean meats fruits and veggies.

Those are all great advice. I'll grab the gum from my car to chew on when I need something. Yesterday I drank a lot of water just to get past the cravings. And I'll definitely check out the games...I remember those helping a lot last time.

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

Nope!

NOPE!

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

So true Justin! Once you start the journey, don't look back and keep going forward. Relapsing always takes you back to where you started!

You have a good start, and your right it will get easier. But you're right don't listen to that junkie thinking. You got this!!!

Wow, it's the morning after my first ketamine infusion. Interesting experience. Profoundly relaxing. I was cautioned that it could take three or four infusions before I felt better. About three hours after the infusion, I realized that I was feeling more alert, felt like going on a walk. Walked a mile, came home, cooked, and did some chores that I'd procrastinated because I felt apathetic. It isn't a 180 degrees turn around, but it's definitely more than 90. This morning, 6:40 am, the pleasant effect still lingers. So, returning to helping people quit smoking... Smoking and ketamine; I wondered if there could be a benefit for people trying to quit smoking. I didn't find a lot, but see the third paragraph about SGB. Let me know if you've had it or know anyone who has. I read on WebMD on ketamine and addiction in general: https://www.webmd.com/mental-health/addiction/ketamine-for-addiction-what-to-know More research on how ketamine affects addiction is needed, but it may change how your brain deals with cravings, motivation to quit a drug, and controlling behavioral reactions. Ketamine treatment might also make behavioral therapy more effective, which is a big part of overcoming addiction. For ketamine to be helpful in addiction treatment, it must be used under the close care of medical professionals. Recreational use could lead to addiction and other dangerous effects. From PubMed, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29339170/ Smoking cessation strategies are of prime medical importance. Despite availability of various pharmacological agents in combating addiction to nicotine, more effective medications are needed. Based on recent findings, the glutamatergic system in the brain may provide novel targets. Here, we evaluated the effects of acute administration of sub-anesthetic doses of ketamine, an NMDA receptor antagonist, in both male and female Sprague-Dawley rats trained to self-administer nicotine. Animals were injected subcutaneously with 5, 7.5 and 10 mg/kg ketamine or saline and the effects on the number of intravenous nicotine infusions during a 45 min session was measured. Ketamine treatment significantly reduced nicotine self-administration in a dose-dependent manner. And then there is this: https://ketaminehealthcenters.com/blog/stop-smoking/ It's a ketamine clinic, but this treatment is with SGB, a local anesthetic. Sounds like a miracle treatment. This minimally invasive procedure has low risks and no major side effects and takes less than an hour and a half! Results and relief have been seen within 30 minutes and can last from a few months to years. SGB can be used to treat many conditions such as Anxiety, Depression, Lymphedema, Nicotine Dependence, Migraines, Facial Pain, Upper Extremity Pain, Complex Regional Pain Syndrome, Post-Herpetic Neuralgia, Hot Flashes, and Hyperhidrosis. The overall benefits of SBG include improved quality of life, better sleeping habits, decreased alcohol and substance use, improved cognitive function, improved physical functioning or exercise capacity, and healthier relationships.

Hey @JustSomeGuy, good that you decided to quit again and join this forum for support. Please post often - even if you've done this before it's still going to be just as hard.

Thanks everyone for the very warm welcome. I really appreciate it. And I'm glad to see the strong support from the community hasn't changed. Today was harder than the weekend. At work I usually had my set times when I would go out for one. But I pulled through to fight another day. I really wanna keep this going.

NOPE…

NOPE!

Nope!

Nope!!

Thanks everyone. It really means a lot when you are trying to quit to know others are there for you, giving advice and cheering you on.

Pie can be Dinner, We use to go out and spend the Day picking cherries, all the different Types red, Dark red, gold, yellow, 100.0 or so bucks, it was a family pick couldn't turn any one of the kids cherries away. We would divide them in enough for two pies and the rest went home with every body. The pies ! all the smells, from pitting the cherries to stewing some for the syrup and the final Baking. Yes it is one of the smells that will drive a neighborhood crazy. yes it most definitely is cherry Pie for dinner

Mostly road cycling at the moment although I ride the mountain bike often as well. You'll never find me on a stationary or treadmill I prefer activities over exercise. My running is done primarily on trails mostly to save my knees and hips

Serve it up hot and put a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top...that is good eating!

Early in my quit I played Chicks or Sticks a lot. It was like I traded one addiction for another. While I don't play the games much anymore, I still feel an allegiance to Team Stick. You can distract yourself from craves and fight the good fight in the numbers game.

Great job jumping back in, JustSomeGuy, and we're happy to see you here.

I like pecan pie

I started a new routine, today. I am walking twice a day. This morning I walked for 1.5 miles up a 1% incline, the entire way, at 3 mph, which is a moderately brisk walking,pace. The slight incline mimics taking a walk outside, where the terrain is never completely flat. Later in the afternoon, I did 2 full miles up a 3% incline, the entire time, at a more brisk 3.5 mph pace. I am interested to see if this effects my weight. I had a total 460 calorie burn. I will continue this routine for a week, and see if the scale moves to the left. As for my diet, I will continue to be diligent. I never overeat.

Great job getting through today, hopefully it makes your tomorrows easier. Definitely find something else to do at those times, maybe check in here? We have a pretty fun Games forum too

@JustSomeGuy Good job making it through!! Get some gum or candy or something. Maybe take a quick walk. But what ever just don't smoke Everyday will get easier and you will get stronger. You got this!!!

I agree with Opah, pie is for dinner and if you have a regular dinner, good for a treat while watching TV. Sorry but at my house pie is food for anytime of day. There are so many variations. Both sweet and savory. (Except for pecan) Easy to make if you use store bought crust (Pillsbury in my freezer at all times) for pie emergencies. I have a lot of emergencies! K

Welcome back! Your seat is never taken here on the Quit Train! I’m glad that you found your way back! You’ve got this! For your son and a lifetime of memories! You’ve got this!

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

@Kate18 Sorry you are struggling. Hope that you get some relief from your pain. So true you know that smoking won't help. We all are for you.

Hi Kate, I hope the ketamine infusions will ease things for you. I admire your perseverance.

@JustinHoot99 Welcome!!! I loved reading in your intro that you acknowledged the waves of craves that will creep in. You’ve taken charge already! We’re glad to have you! Tons of support here!!! L4L