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Yay @intoxicated yoda, another month down and a lifetime to go! Well done my friend! Congratulations!!!

nope

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

Hello, I am on day 21 and as my username suggests I am now entirely addicted to nicotine gum. I am very afraid of still being addicted and the thought of going cold turkey off the gum is terrifying. I bought a whole bunch of gum, enough for at least another month. I am looking for anyone to tell me they successfully stopped this way. I am committed to never taking another puff one day at a time.

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

NOPE!

NOTE

Thank you @Jonny5Just having someone respond and give support means a lot to me! In only 21 days I am noticing positive effects: My sense of taste and smell has returned I can breathe more deeply and easier My hands and feet stay warmer, and I no longer need an extra blanket to sleep My plan is to stick with my plan

This reminds me of Jillar,s Air cigarette....same principle...... brilliant...

Way to stay strong Kel. You were truly meant to be a nonsmoker. Just continue to believe and have faith in yourself. You truly deserve to be a happier and healthier person.

NOPE

Recognizing smoking as one big lie built on many other smaller lies is a vital part of the quitting process. Good job KEL, you have every reason to be thankful. I found this short video on neuroplasticity early in my quit. I've posted it before and here it is one more time...

Congratulations Yoda ... Another month smashed.... That's something to dance about ...your already a massive part of the board

Congratulations @intoxicated yoda

Congratulations @intoxicated yoda!

Do what you have too Kel to keep your precious Quit ... All Roads lead toto Rome ...

NOPE.

Thanks to my QT friends for responding. Just needed to get the thoughts out there for my own quit and maybe, just maybe, it helps others. I know that when anyone posts about their challenges, it helps me a ton. I've jumped over to NicA (Nicotine Anonymous) and have started to do step work around my nicotine addiction which is, perhaps, different from the alcohol. There is a great fellowship and meetings on line if anyone needs more support which apparently I do. Not trying to detract from the magic of the QT-everyone has their own process and all that matters is that WE are relieved from the horror of the nicotine addiction. I'm going to pursue all the support I can as I am under no illusion this is an easy road. But the alternative is way worse. Have a wonderful day everyone....

NOPE!

It's not an SOS. Just ran into some challenges and could feel the draw towards smoking. It was my companion in the dark and messy spaces for decades so it makes sense. Reminding myself it is not a failure to think about it. Its too soon to not still see smoking as my go-to when I feel emotionally vulnerable. The cigarettes told me they were helping me to feel stronger. We all know that was a lie. I am shifting to gratitude that I did not have to smoke. Truthfully, I don't want to. I can feel the smoke penetrating my lungs and the pain that comes from inhaling after a period of abstinence. Then the headache. Then the self-flagellation that comes from giving up 5 minutes before the miracle. We have all been there before. Thanks for listening and hope your evening is peaceful.

Thank you @jillar and @KEL, I am very committed and will be here for the long haul I smoked religiously for 42 years so I can appreciate putting time and effort into remaining smoke free for the next 42 years.

Welcome! I used gum on my first quit but this time went cold-turkey. I'd defer to other members on their experience but just wanted to congratulate you on your 21 days. That is an amazing accomplishment. Stick around-this is a good place!

Welcome @gum_addict and congratulations on your three week quit, that's fantastic I went cold turkey myself but we do have members who have successfully quit by using the nicotine gum. I'll tag @notsmokinjo to give you some clues how she did it. You can also try alternating between nicotine gum and regular gum but obviously at some point you'll just need to go through the three days or so it takes to get the nicotine out of your system.

Welcome @gum_addict and congratulations on 21 days smoke free. I didn't quit by gum but I know a lot of people here did quit by a nicotine replacement treatment such as gum and they did quit the gum with time. You are doing a great thing in quitting smoking and being concerned about the gum.

Congratulations @intoxicated yoda. You are doing awesome

Heck NOPE!

@BooSuper helpful and really intuitive. Our bodies are constantly changing. In fact, the only certain thing is change. We are physically not the same person we were when we were little as everything regenerates. We don't look the same certainly. So why wouldn't our brains change just like everything else? It takes practice-thank you for the reminder.

Great Job Yoda.

Well done @KEL! What a glorious day you ended up having!

NOPE…

@gum_addictwelcome and good job quitting smoking. it really doesn't matter how you get the job done as long as you get it done. 21 days is a great start. and that ticker is a great motivational tool.

Thanks again @jillar, I am very excited to have an online community to join and participate in. I will be sure to check out your suggestions. BTW, how do you add your ticker to the bottom of your posts? I am mostly interested in the number of cigarettes avoided, they add up fast!

You keep rocking it yoda. I'm right behind you.

thanks for all the love, guys! it means more than you'll ever really know...

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

NOPE!

Yippee! And well done. Hoping things are starting to smooth out on the Train for us newcomers...

Perhaps the guy in this video knows @jillar

Having a good and solid foundation for your quit is an absolute must for success!

G’day happy Australia Day All corella

10 MONTHS....wow!! Congratulations!!!

@KEL nice work being grateful for finding the will to avoid smoking. Old habits create grooves in our minds that take quite a bit of time to fill in but only one slip and they can be as deep as they ever were. Gratitude is a great tool for filling in those old ruts. Stay strong and have a beautiful restful night.

babs609 Posted February 13, 2015 Quitting smoking is often referred to a roller coaster ride, and with good reason. While one minute you are feeling confident and strong that you finally "beat" that sucker. Thinking.."Yes! I'm doing it..I'm gonna make it"..only to be followed by feelings of doubt, fear, anger, frustration, sadness, lonliness..and these feelings can change within just moments. This is the part that would beat me down in prior attempts. I just was tired of the ups and downs. I think having the "ups" was actually a deterrent to my quit because it would set me up...when I would feel restless...it would piss me off because I thought I was done with all that. Please please please...keep in mind...these thoughts that just pop up out of nowhere are not YOU. Any thoughts that pop in our heads are not actually us. We aren't controlling them...we are just going about our business and them BAM! there's a thought. Now....you have a decision to make. If you are someone who normally runs with their thoughts...this could be trouble for you. You actually may believe these thoughts to be true without question. You give these thoughts power by believing they are true when in fact.....they are a complete lie all made up in your head. Being an ex-smoker in the early days or weeks of quitting without truly grasping the reality that your thoughts are not true...then you may be not only heading for relapse but are in danger of becoming a chronic relapser until you change your thought patterns. No matter what...don't believe you are a weak person. This kind of thinking re-enforces to your subconcious that other quitters are stronger and you are weaker and therefore....quitting is harder or even impossible for you. That's total BULL$HIT. That just gives the addiction more power. It's already powerful...more powerful than you. Otherwise..you would have quit long ago or maybe not even started. Although the addiction is stronger than you....it's not smarter. "Keep your friends close and your enemy's closer"....that saying couldn't be further from the truth when referring to the addiction. Learn all you can about the addiction. Don't just read....absorb it...live it...taste it....feel it...and most of all...believe it. Learn all the tricks it will try to play on you...learn what fellow quitters have done when faced with these challenges. Believe with your whole heart that you are no different than anyone else. You are not weaker than us...your addiction is not stronger than ours... Until you understand that...you will either struggle and continue this fight and give up quitting altogether until illness or death forces you to quit....OR..you will struggle and fight and relapse after relapse after relapse until you either finally absorb the teachings of fellow quitters...wasting months or years in the meantime and just making it harder for yourself than it really has to be. I wish this could be a post where a lightbulb goes off in your head and you say "aha! I got it!!! I finally got it" But that lightbulb moment is different for everyone and that's why I just ask everyone lurking and reading and contemplating quitting...to just keep coming back here...keep reading...keep reading...keep reading. Lots of posts and video's to help you "undo the brainwashing" that has been planted in your head from the years of being a smoker. It takes time......it takes patience..it takes re-enforcement... In short, it takes work...but it is sooooooo worth it. When you finally are ready...and you put down your final cigarette... Keep your arms and legs in at all times...put your buckle on...and enjoy the ride. You might as well because even though we enjoy when we feel good...it's the hard times that strengthens you. ONE DAY AT A TIME>>>ONE MOMENT AT A TIME Link to original post: https://www.quittrain.com/topic/4460-the-roller-coaster-ride/

Meanwhile, Down under ..... Happy Straya Day! Just to clarify, in the words of my Yorta Yorta mate Jase who's barbie I'm off to today.... we aren't frickin celebrating an invasion or the arrival of the brits but celebrating our bitsa society where we've mixed the best of everything for the awesomeness that we all are together. So about 15 of us are off to see a mate from Malaysia and his family take their citizenship and then we'll be off to the bbq for an international feast, some back yard cricket and possibly avround of goon of fortune. @Cbdave not sure if you've heard this 1 but today's the day for it...

NOPE

Hi Everyone After smoking for the last 12 years or so, initially just socially and then out of habit and gradually more and more daily, It's my first time to 'properly' quit. Lots of times I've said I'd stop and I never do, or I only do it for a day or two. I got engaged over the holidays so I am busy planning wedding and have a goal to aim for and want to be healthy and smoke free for it. I never start a new year resolution so I waited a week and began then. I'm now 1 week quit. Good luck to all other recent quitters and well done and continued success to all those who've quit already and have made a new habit of not smoking. Joan

My name's Christian, and I've been quit for 20 years now (smoked from age 18 to age 33). Being a nonsmoker is a fundamental part of my identity, and I continue to benefit from the lessons that I learned from my quitting process. While I haven't had a craving or thought of smoking in about 18 years or so, I remain vigilant because I fear the addiction: the depth and power of my addiction (and the difficulty of those initial stages) were really unsettling and frightening to me. In addition, like many people, I have experienced the health effects of smoking: my brother died at 42 from lung cancer; my mother died at 70 from throat cancer; and I suffered a major heart attack and cardiac arrest at age 40 (my prior smoking obviously a major cause). I've devoted much of my adult life to education, and I'm an English professor at a community college. It's work that I love and that I'm privileged to do. Christian99

@DoreensfreeWhat a story and a true testament to the power of the group, love and determination. I am sorry about your husband. That must have been so awful to watch. Hope he (and you) are at peace. Love never dies...

Great idea @KEL, I'm Jill I'm 57 and live in sunny California. I've been addicted to nicotine since I was 17 and took my last puff on May 29, 2016. I stumbled upon my first forum accidentally by googling my quit symptoms and the support I read there led me to sign up and I am convinced that its having all that support from people who had or were currently going through the same thing that I have remained smoke free since. That board is long gone now and a good number of us are here now to pay it forward as well as reaffirm our own quits