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I’m a newcomer pinging in to say hello. I’ve been lurking on the site for a while, but I set up a profile today so that I could participate. Thanks for the experiences and the compassionate, nonjudgmental encouragement shared here. Reading the info and comments has helped me through some white-knuckle moments. My last smoke was 17 days ago. It was not a planned quit. I was having oral surgery, and at midnight the night before I learned that smoking through the post-op was a really bad idea. (As if all the other harms of smoking for the last 40 years were somehow a really good idea?! Yeah, go figure.) Anyway, I slammed into this quit bass ackwards… unprepared mentally, emotionally or physically. I didn’t have any tools to hand, and hadn’t thought through how to be intentional to set myself up to succeed. Just boom. But I’m trying hard to make it work. There’s more than just a dental emergency at play. I want this quit and the suffering it entails to count for something. I’ve been ambivalent about smoking for some time, have been living in denial about the consequences, and have let smoking control my life for too long. Cold turkey was not an option for me, personally. (Did that before, didn’t stick.) So I’m using the patch on a step-down system. I’m constantly fiddling with silly putty. Trying to stay busy. Doing a lot of wall pushups. Attempting to stay positive. Getting a grip on my triggers. Making lists of alternative things to do in those moments. Re-reading the science. Doing more wall push-ups. I’m struggling with feelings of despair and intense physical discomfort as my body adjusts to a lot less nicotine. But this week, on average, was a bit easier than the last. So maybe that’s progress? I think addiction likes to hide in the dark. It feeds on shame and distortions, and whispers false justifications to us. So I guess part of why I am joining this QT community is to fend off those shadows by reaching out for reinforcement, to try to fill my brain with something different. I need to banish that voice from the dark that says nicotine is my best friend (it’s not) and says that I can’t exist without my smokes (I can, and I have 17 days of evidence to prove it). Today I am grateful for having your voices in my head, instead. You are helping me to rewire. Thanks for listening and bearing witness in return. DenaliBlues

Dear all, I rarely visit this forum. But time to time I used to think of my smoke free life and think of posting a message. May be this short message be a inspiration to others who are really interested in quitting smoking. Today I am very happy to announce that I am smoke free for 6 yrs, 9 months and 13 days. Hopefully my lungs might have cleaned to some some extent (my age 43). Just 3 more months for 7 yrs. That is a long way I succeeded. Cheers, Raj.

Welcome aboard @DenaliBlues, great post and profile name Cograts on 17 days already, that's huge. Hell week, heck week and wtf week almost done already! Those are the hardest weeks of all so be super proud of yourself We've got a great group of 2022 newbies to walk the journey with you as well as your more seasoned quitters so feel free to pick our brains about anything you're experiencing as chances are someone here has experienced it too and can give you a clue or two. Oh and be sure to check out all our various boards, lots of great info related to our addiction as well as Social forums to help get our minds off our addiction for a bit because as you have probably already found out, when we first quit smoking that is an all-consuming thought that will drive you crazy if you let it lol

Welcome, nice to have you join us. You are doing great, 17 days shows me that you are truly committed. You will have the good days and the bad but we will all be here, if you need to talk. For me, finding this place is what has kept me going and sane. You need to share with people that understand what challenges come with quitting. I was not built to do this alone. I don't think anyone is. I see it as therapy without having to pay for it or leave the house. You will find many people you see as a friend. They are supportive, kind and funny.

Yes, I agree - Great Post!! Good job on 17 days free - be proud!! Stick around, post often and continue to read read read. KTQ

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

Welcome aboard, @DenaliBlues! My quit started in a similar way to yours...unplanned, but when the health issue reared it's ugly head I knew it was time. Read everything you can here and then read it again! Watch Joel's videos and participate in the forums...it will all help!

Great intro post, @DenaliBlues and welcome to our site. First off, huge congratulations on 17 days smoke free. The first few days and weeks are the toughest. It does get better but you are still at the point where anxiety can be really big. Good for you for doing all sorts of things to keep the quit. Staying busy and positive, as you are doing, is the right idea. Stick around this site. Read up on nicotine addiction posts here (it helps to know what you are up against) and just generally communicate with us, as you have done. Talk about your victories and if you are struggling. We are a laid back and sometimes eccentric crew here but we all share the same experiences with quitting and wanting to see others succeed in quitting smoking too. It is great to have you here. You are doing a great thing in quitting smoking.

Still staying strong. The NRT is really working. I don't think about smoking all the time. Just a little now and then.

Sorry you had a set back but so glad you are back. Read old posts and learn from what others tell you. I have picked up bits and pieces of advice from so many people here who know what we are going through. Jillars peppermint puffs keeps my mouth occupied, Doreen's qi gong keeps me moving, Yoda and a daily morning walk, and Kel and Kris with all their advice have helped me to build a solid quit, just to name a few. I still read Alan Carr almost every day. Deep breathing does wonders. I have learned over the past few weeks that triggers are going to happen and the craves are coming whether we like it or not. I know you can do this. So happy to see you back and so determined.

@nicotine_freethis is a marathon and not a sprint. You can fall a few times and still finish. But to get past this addiction you have learn to beat all your triggers. Glad you aren't letting this derail you. Hang tough.

Congratulations rajag, that's AWESOME!

Cool map. I went to the site to check it out. Is the green indicating rain?

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Nope...never again!!!!

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I currently have 1 day smoke free, you are already an inspiration. That is something to be proud of, welcome.

6 month update...sticking with the diet pretty good. it's not very hard to stay with a diet where you can eat as much as you want. i'm fully expecting that in my mind it will cease to be a diet and start being just the way I eat. I know eating nothing but meat seems extreme and maybe it is but for now it's working. Once I hit my physical markers I'll start adding in some seasonal fruit and honey. Staying far away from leafy greens as they are full of chemical booby traps. I mean, tobacco is a leafy green before it's dried and rolled. Just because the other leafy greens aren't addictive doesn't mean they aren't f***ing you up in other ways. With the exception of tonite, i've stayed away from coffee. some family brought me a decaf so I had to drink it. not gonna lie, it was good. as far the quit goes, i just started an experiment today. One of the symptoms i've had from the beginning that i've always associated with craving was a feeling like a lump in my throat that would be vastly diminished in the morning and get more noticeable in the evenings. It's one of the physical symptoms of craving that has driven my completely crazy for the last 6 months and nothing really helps it. Well today I finally found a possible answer for it. I may be low on calcium. So starting to day i'm adding cheese into my diet. I had my first meal with cheese this evening and so far it's not a severe as usual. it's still there just not as annoying and of course way to soon for there to be anything other than a psychological reaction so i'll monitor it. If I can fix that I swear 90% of my quit problems will be gone. so...what's better, what's worse and what's not changed. let me see. what's worse...I've actually had more trouble getting to sleep very recently. Now, once I go to sleep i sleep soundly and slowly i'm feeling better in the mornings. I just need to get my arse in the sack and settled down earlier at night. what's better....damn, this is gonna be a list so let's go. as mentioned above, sleep is deeper and more sound. joints are getting better and less painful by the week. the morning wood is back and it's oak, baby. mood is markedly better, still have my bad days and bad moments but overall much improved. i think my vision is starting to improve. i don't stay freezing cold all the time. attention span is getting better. i feel more connected to reality than before. overall psyche has improved. waistline is down 4 inches. exercise is less painful. and the best, when I lay down to go to sleep, breathing is completely effortless. I can breathe as deep as I can force myself with absolutely no wheezing, coughing or pain in my chest. For that I am eternally grateful. what's not changed...cravings are about the same but i'm working on that. digestive issues haven't changed much. flexibility not improving yet and neuromas in my feet still flare up. the bloating is still an issue. while it's not a cumbersome as it had been it's still some there and until it's gone it's not changed as far as i'm concerned. All in all the effort has resulted in an overwhelmingly positive result. I've got 19 pounds left to lose to get back to my pre quit weight so I'm almost at the halfway point. The revised goal is to get my waistline down to 34 inches and I'm a third of the way there on that. who knows...maybe old yoda will transform into han solo before it's all over with.

Welcome. Just reach out if you need us. Glad you are here! And I agree with all that darkness nonsense-we are only as sick as our secrets. This is a safe place to share our shame because it truly is shared. All the crazy things we did/do to feed the demon are understood here and honored. We are not bad people or weak people. We just have a disease like any other disease. We can afford ourselves (and one another) compassion, hope and tough love (the operative word being love) when needed. Karen

welcome @DenaliBlues17days is a great start. Keep doing those wall pushups and focusing on anything other than smoking. If you have made it this far on your own that should be proof enough to yourself you can go the distance. Buckle yourself in tightly on the train and embrace the ride.

Hi nicotine_free I just went back and read some of your first posts. You used the word committed and commitment a lot. That's what it takes....commit to the quit! You can do it. I know going back and reading my own words helped me, try it. You already said that work is a big trigger, boy I know how true that is. I'm assuming you can't quit your job, so.....you need a plan to get you through your work day. Try some different things until something clicks. Keep in your mind to get through today, just today. One day at a time. Pull up that strength for just today. You smoked for 42 years. That's a long time, so to rewire your brain will require some work. It's doable. Commit.

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@nicotine_freeIt sounds as though this was a planned relapse, else why not reach out to one of us for help? Post an SOS? Maybe you needed to give it one last go? I certainly had a few tries before it took. Glad you are back! I think you can go through all of the "methods" of quitting but the reality is that its just about not putting a cigarette in your mouth and lighting it. That's all we have to do. Simple but not easy. Blessing-K

I'm sorry you have had a fall. But you are back on the train, buckle up for this one. I too would recommend Allen Carr, his book has certainly helped me to get in the right mind set. That and Joel's videos. You have got this @nicotine_free

This sums it up. The above is all you need. Print it off, write it down, tattoo it on your hand if necessary so you can read it every minute of every day until it becomes part of your being. You don't need books or pills or plug to shove up your bum, you just need understand this.

NOPE - Not One Puff Ever

Huge Congratulations.....Wonderful Achievement.... Thank you for sharing this special time with us ...

@Doreensfree, is right, quitting doesn't have to cost a lot of money. I quit cold turkey just because I thought it was ridiculous how much they wanted for NRT's. All quitting is is practicing self discipline. The same way you don't go jump off a cliff with no parachute you don't smoke. That's it. It's going to suck for a bit but then it's over with and you're done stinking, wasting money and further damaging your health. Take it from me, you don't want to be attached to an oxygen hose 24/7

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Thanks everyone for the encouragement and support. It's meant more than you all will ever really know!!

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Morning has been good to me to day Doc say lirrle bits of improvement every day Going to take time

Just wanted to say welcome and what a great intro. Congrats on 17 days quit. I can't offer much advice as I am new and still learning how to cope with the whole quitting process. So glad you found us.

Keep up the great work. You can do this, Kdad!

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I am so sad for you, not a reason to do it, nothing horrible happened. Yet you did it. You smoked a cigarette that someone else threw on the ground. Does that sound like an addictt, yes. Does that sound like a person you want to be? NO! If you thought that was an OK option will you next be eating out of a dumpster, stealing a car, knocking down an old lady for her purse? NO!, you would not do those things, so why would you do that? Why would you decide on a whim that you are not valuable? Why was it okay to put your health and life at risk again? You need to sit down with yourself and half a long hard talk with yourself about how that really happened. I am 8 months out and I still have daily talks with myself about why I am doing this. I accept the fact that I want to smoke and I would if there were not the fact I know for sure (cat scan showed beginning of emphysema) that I would be making myself sick. I don't know a lot about you, how long you have smoked, how old you are etc. What I do know there are real consequences for smoking. I am sorry for what you might think as a harsh response. It is not, I am just trying to give you a wake up call. You know you can do this, you just have to get your mind right. Love yourself!

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Have you read Allen Carr the easy way to stop smoking ???? I bought the complete Allen Carr clinic session ..5 cd,s and listened to them a couple of times ... Much cheaper ... You are looking to lay alot of your hard earned cash looking for a way to quit easier .... There is no other way than to stop smoking ...stop putting things in your mouth and set fire to it ... All the answers you are looking for are here..... We have preparation ....we try and get your mind in the right place ....and you have the support to succeed Even if you go through this clinic...you still have to say NO to your boss.... Maybe come here 24/7 and post ...I did ...Quitting doesn't have to cost a lot of money ..

Why don't you just tell your boss you quit and not to give you cigarettes? It's very dangerous to smoke and use your NRT at the same time. Try using my JAC (jillars air cigarette) while you're at work. Just pretend your holding an actual cigarette between your fingers and then go through the motions of "smoking" it. It worked great at tricking my mind into thinking it was getting the real thing. Maybe it'll do the same for you.............

Congratulations on your great quit, Rajag. Thanks for the update, I'm sure your message will help inspire others.

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@Opah Glad to have you back!!! Also glad your on the road to recovery! Good to see you on the train. Take care

Yaaay!!! Six months, an awesome cause for celebration!! Congratulations!

Welcome back on the train!

Good to see you back in your seat Kdad....I see a better future for you too....smoke free....

I'm glad you found a solution to keep you in the game, Kdad. You can do this