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Thanks @intoxicated yoda and @Gus! I believe I truly am done with it this time. And I can remember vividly what it felt like to not be able to take a full breath. Quitting is so much easier when I want to and need to. Glad to be back on the train, on any deck.

Sorry to worry anyone. My son, girlfriend, daughter, and SIL were in town for over a week. Turned off my quit site so no one could see the site on the computer (remember son and daughter don't know I smoked). Having so many people around all the time definitely helped control the cravings. Just like with having my wife keep my keys hidden, it really helps control the urges knowing if I smoked, I would come home and people would be able to tell I was smoking. I'm 2 days past my longest period of not smoking. Hurray. Still having memories and triggers though.

Thanks, everyone, for the positive reinforcement, the honest discussion of tough issues, and the LMAO moments, too. I seriously doubt I would have made it this far just rattling around in my own head. You all are the best!

Marie, I used what we referred to as my JAC (jillars air cigarette). I just pretended I was holding an actual cigarette in my fingers and then went through the motions of "smoking" it. It worked great at tricking my brain into thinking it was getting the real thing. And because it was invisible, I didn't have to worry about where I left it lol. Don't overthink your quit Marie, you'll talk yourself right out of it!

You're doing it, Judy!!!! Two months down and there is no stopping you now!

Welcome aboard! You’ve made a great decision. I read Allen Carr’s Easy Way to Stop Smoking and stayed close to a forum like QuitTrain. I quit Sept 2016. This place will provide much needed support & distraction. Glad you’re here! L4L

Welcome to the forum @Marie71 I could never quit cutting down or with NRT. I had to go cold turkey. Its the only way that works for me. We are with you whatever way you decide to quit. Sometimes the fear that we build up is worst than the doing

Welcome aboard @Marie71! I’m 55 and smoked for 35 years. I recently passed my one year quit mark and I used NRT to quit. I used the patch. I suffer from severe anxiety and I knew that my mind would break if I went cold turkey. I was determined to quit, so I went through a long drawn out process of reducing the nicotine in my system until the day I forgot to put a patch on and decided I was done with the patch too. I would never outright recommend that someone put themselves through weeks/months of withdrawal to quit unless their mental state can be as messed up as mine can be. I knew, without a doubt after a few weeks in that I had only one quit in me and that my mind would never survive another quit. I was either quit and done or I would die smoking. We are here for you whatever you decide to do because ultimately this is YOUR quit journey. We just ask that you reach out when needed so that we can help you along. I have faith in you. You seem determined! Stay close!

Congratulations @JudiMD. Two months into your new life of freedom! Thanks for being part of my quit crew… it’s so helpful to be on this journey with you.

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

NOPE

Dear all, thanks for your wishes. cheers, Raj

Thanks everybody. What a great group. 2 months isn’t huge, I know, but it’s 2 months in the right direction so I’m happy!

@Marie71while you are in this contemplation phase if you aren't ready to to quit try switching brands. a different smell and a different visual of the pack help loosen the grip it's got on you. It did help me quite a bit in my transition.

Hi, @Marie71. So glad you have joined this forum and are putting a plan in place to quit! There is information, community wisdom and moral support here that have helped a lot of people stop smoking, including me. I'm only at the two-month mark, so I can relate to the feelings of worry and dread you describe. But the fact that you have 46 years of NON-smoking life experience to draw on will strengthen your quit. You have already coped with difficult events and emotions without nicotine. You can do it again. IMHO, any quit that actually happens is a good quit. I don't believe one method vs. another is superior. They all have pros and cons. I was a very heavy smoker, and for a variety of reasons the patch was my method of choice. It worked for me. If you ever want to talk about what that was like, I'd be happy to personal message with you or start a separate post/thread about it. Quits that stick require us to wrestle with the fact that smoking is an addiction. There are emotional and social dimensions of quitting on top of the chemical withdrawal to manage. That is why it's useful to line up a support system (friends, family, support groups, therapists, whoever you can trust to be kind and patient) as part of a quit plan. For me, this QuitTrain forum has been especially helpful. People here "get it." The emotional, physical and mental pain of quitting is real - I won't minimize it. But it does not last forever and it CAN be overcome! I delayed quitting for many reasons, but among them was fear of failure - fear that I would be overwhelmed and unable to handle the withdrawal distress. In retrospect, I think my nicotine addiction distorted that thinking and fed me fear to keep itself in control. It was not an accurate self-assessment of my ability. We are all - every one of us - capable of so much more in life than nicotine wants us to believe.

Thanks @AceWhite and @Doreensfree ! It's good to be back in good company.

I agree ..it's good you have jumped back on the Train ....sometimes you just need that last reminder Of how stinky and crap smoking really is ... You are ready to have your forever quit now ...so let's get you to the Lido Deck ...

Glad to see you back on the train!!

Take your time Marie. Don’t rush it. Sit down and think your quit plan through. Quitting is not easy, no matter how you do it and everyone’s quit is different. You need to know that up front. But it CAN be done! This train is full of a bunch of successful quitters that are still here to support others!

Thanks for the advice and support everyone. I just don’t know how I can handle just quitting. I have high anxiety and am so afraid to go through this even though I know I need to.

NOPE!

You are doing wonderfully @JudiMD! You are one tough lady and thank you for all the support that you give others! Congratulations on 2 months!

You sound like you truly are just done with it this time @nicotine_free! If you start even thinking that you’re gonna start thinking about smoking again, please remember that feeling: “I felt like someone was squeezing my lungs.” Because that’s what smoking does. Constricts and squeezes until you can’t draw a breath on your own anymore. I do hope you stay close. We ARE here for you!

Welcome aboard Marie ....Wow !!!..wish I had only smoked for 4 years ....I can add another 60.... In that time I've tried every quit possible many times over .... The only thing that worked for me was Never Take Another Puff ...Ever ..... Cutting down is like ripping a plaster off very slowly ...more painful.....just rip it off .... It's education that will help you ....knowledge ...understanding this horrible addiction ... Read all you can here ....watch the videos ...follow people ,s journey ,s..... This is what will help you to Freedom .... Stay close ..and sit tight and buckle up....

Welcome aboard @Marie71 and congratulations on deciding to quit. My experience with cutting back didn't work. I always found an exception to the limit I was down to. What did work for me was telling myself over and over things like "all good(?) things must come to an end". Or " so and so quit so I can too". I also quit smoking in my normal place so that when I did quit I could go in that area without associating it with smoking. You can do this, we're all proof. Oh and the only reason I quit cold turkey was because of how much NRT's cost here but there's no shame in using them if it helps you stay quit

Cutting down didn't work for me below 10 cigarettes a day. That's not to say that it won't work for you. There's no harm in trying to cut down further. The only disadvantage I see is the prolonging of the nicotine addiction. Cutting down takes time and there is withdrawal associated, so all that time you spend cutting down you will be in withdrawal. But like I said, you do you.

Congratulations Judi, this great news. Keep it up and don't forget to reward yourself today for this great accomplishment.

Nope.. I shall not smoke ever again!!!

solid foundation to a awesome quit. nice job Judi

NOPE…

Congratulations JudiMD. You've got this now. Keep marching forward and don't look back. Smoking is not a part of your life anymore!

NOPE!

Congratulations on two months quit @DenaliBlues, its so awesome watching your journey and reading the support you offer to your fellow quitters

Don't over think Marie .... Take it one minute at a time if you have too....our brains can be our worst enemy..... Thinking alot about it ...is actual worse than it really is .... You can do it ...

I'm thinking the boyfriend better behave himself, or..............

Glad you're doing well and keeping your quit. Yep, triggers abound - this experience is a pretty intense obstacle course. But if you've made it this far, you've got the agility to go the distance.

Eleven months is amazing @Katgirl! You’re a NOPE superhero! We’re all so pumped about your wonderful quit.

Good job Denali.

Welcome aboard the Quit Train Marie. We have quitters of all stripes here. Some used Chantix/Champix. Others used nicotine replacement. As for those of us who went cold turkey, I can only speak for myself, we really appreciated the direct path. Cold turkey may not be easy but it is undeniably the simplest way of quitting smoking. We focus more on the mission of quitting than the method of quitting.

nicely done Katgirl. i'm sure Batman, Robin and even the Joker are proud of that quit!!

@nicotine_free I know I failed a bunch of times for 8 or 9 months before I actually quit. sometimes the relapsing is just a part of the process i think. glad you are back on the train. before you know it we'll be welcoming you to the lido deck.

Honestly, cutting back isn't a bad thing but if you don't make a pretty strong negative association with smoking every time you do have one I don't see it as a successful plan. I know leading up to my quit I would always ask myself why was I smoking this cigarette and it tasted terrible and I hated smoking, etc. etc. Trying to create a negative association. Just my 2 cents and don't be afraid of failing. it's just part of the process.

Thank you nicotine free. I appreciate any advice I can get. I’m so scared to set a quit date cause I’m afraid of failure, but I might just have to give it a try.

Hopefully there won't be a next time since I firmly believe my last cigarette is behind me now. I do pledge to use the SOS feature here if I ever get a bad craving.

You're doing great @JustinHoot99. You're going to have memories and triggers for a while. We smoked for a lot of years making a lot of triggers to get past. Just keep reminding yourself that you got past that last one and can get through the next one

NOPE!

Congratulations Judi....you have a great Quit going ... Reward yourself ....what your achieving is Wonderful

Brilliant work @JudiMD 2 months to be proud of!

Congratulations @DenaliBlues.....2 months is a Quit to be proud of.... Reward yourself today....you have earned it .... Thank you for all your support here to others ...

@Rajag, your success is an inspiration to those of us who are earlier in our quits. Congratulations on your achievement!