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Hi everyone, day 3 is almost done for me. It hasn’t been easy today, urges to smoke coming thick and fast. I’ll be relieved to go to sleep and wake up in day 4. One day at a time. That’s the way I’m going to look at it

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

That is the right attitude,, Molly. Take it each moment at a time. Focus on getting through any craving that comes your way. Don't worry about the next one. Each day smoke free is a victory and strengthens your quit. Keep up the great work!

I used to go to bed early too, listening to hypnotherapy videos and sleep relaxation music, helped me a lot in my early days. Stay positive

Nope

NOPE

NOPT - Not One Puff Today!

Sorry it’s tough right now, @Molly2310. You are doing such an important and courageous thing! You’ll soon be through the worst.

NOPE!

Hey Molly, they say it takes about three days to rid your body of nicotine so that's probably why day 3 is so hard for a lot of us. Your body is screaming for its fix. Hopefully tomorrow will be better for you

NOPE…

Great Party DB...

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

NOPE!!!!

Nope!!!

I’m ready…

NOPE…

NOPE!

NOPE

Molly, you are doing great! Give yourself lots of treats, allow tantrums, cry, romp, stomp, shower 5 times a day (can't smoke in shower)...anything but smoke! You can do this!!

Big Congrats to you DenaliBlues, I’m so happy for you, great to see you on the Lido deck.. celebrate this great milestone

Huge congratulations to you, DenaliB!!! You had a very tough year but did not make any excuses and didn't let anything keep you from succeeding. You should be very proud of yourself, and we are too!

Bump... It's always good to be reminded no matter how long the Quit ..

The Crew have joined the Party

Thanks to one and all! It’s been an uphill climb at times, but I’m super grateful to finally reach the lido deck. So thankful for the encouragement , companionship and wacky laughs along the way. One year down, many more to come! Time to get the party started…

Congratulations @DenaliBlues on a full year quit! That is so AWESOME and you should be so proud of yourself. I love the support you offer and have no doubt you've helped many people already. I really hope you stick around for years to come

9. Use to take food to a friend

NOPE

Nope!!

Whoops, this Lido Deck thing is trickier than I thought…

Congrats to you on five years smoke-free and five years of helping others on their way to the same, Catlover!

I agree this is a great post @DenaliBlues and we've had many members who felt the same as you did I'm sure. For me when I NOPED each day I did so because for that day I did feel like I would never take another puff ever. I didn't allow the word ever to keep me from using what was a powerful tool for me.

What a great post Denial.... Thank you for sharing ...it will help our Newbies to learn what a powerful tool those daily p!edges are .. I know for me ...once I had made that promise to myself and the board ..there was no going back that day .

Way to go Darcey... Great positive Post ....Keep that enthusiasm....Feel proud ...we love it

You're doing awesome @darcy, and look at all the money you've already saved! Crazy how quickly it adds up isn't it?!

@Molly2310, so glad you are posting and surrounded by nonsmokers for your first week quit. You're doing great!

NOPE

NOPE!!!!

Hurray for you and your freedom Denali Blues! A year is a great accomplishment and gift to yourself and lungs. May your freedom be forever and your kindness continue to lift up those on their paths to freedom. hoping you celebrate in whatever style sings to your heart...

nope

NOPE

A HUGE congrats buddy! I am so happy for you, one year is just awesome!

Congratulations on 1 year smoke free @DenaliBlues and thanks for all the support you continue to give others. Excellent job! Celebrate big today!

Congratulations @DenaliBlues What a great quit you have going!! Thanks for all the help you offer others

Huge Congratulations @DenaliBlues....Welcome to the Lido Deck.... Grab a drink....your chair is waiting at the front ...Enjoy the view ... The Captain is here to greet you and get the party started .... You are a much valued member on the Train ...Thank you for all your support to others ... Hope you reward yourself well....you deserve it ..for all your hard work .. Now lets Party

Congratulations and welcome to the Lido deck. You are doing so great keep it up and don't forget to reward yourself.

Congratulations @DenaliBlues! One full year—smoke free! Welcome to the Lido Deck! I hope that you are so very proud of yourself as all of us here are. You have every right to be so, I hope that you are celebrating to your fullest ability.

babs609 Quit Date: 07/13/2012 Posted March 29, 2014 Quitting tobacco is a process. It doesn't happen overnight, but compared to the amount of time most of us spent smoking, recovery from nicotine addiction is relatively short. Years of smoking taught us to react to literally everything by lighting a cigarette. When we were happy, we'd celebrate by lighting up. When we got angry, smoking would calm us down, or so we thought. Tired? Smoke a cigarette to stay awake. Hungry? Feed yourself a smoke. This list goes on and on. Between the physical addiction to nicotine and the mental associations that tie what seems like all of our activities to cigarettes, it can feel as though we're chained to the habit with links of steel. Successful recovery includes learning how to hear the message behind the urge to smoke and respond with more appropriate choices, such as a nap or a meal, for instance. Have patience with yourself. This skill takes some time to hone, but you'll get better at it. Eventually, cigarettes will fade as a fix for physical and emotional needs, and you'll make choices that actually address the signal your body is sending without thinking twice about it. When the Urge to Smoke Hits, Think H.A.L.T. H.A.L.T. (Hungry,Angry,Lonely,Tired) is a powerful checklist to help you decode the urges to smoke that you experience. Nine times out of ten, a craving can be traced to one of these four things: Hungry Have a snack or a meal. If you are hungry, food is the answer, not a cigarette. If you're concerned about weight gain, try drinking water before you eat a snack to help control the amount you eat. Keep healthy snacks on hand. Celery sticks, raw baby carrots and frozen grapes make good low calorie snacks. Normal weight gain due to quitting smoking is 5-8 pounds. Metabolism does slow a bit initially, so some daily exercise is a good idea. Things will balance out and that quit-related weight will drop off within a couple of months as long as you're eating the same as you were before you stopped smoking. Don't be too hard on yourself. Try to eat in moderation, but until you get your quit program under solid control, don't fret if you gain a few pounds. Quitting tobacco must be in the top slot of your priority list for as long as it takes. Weight can always be lost later. Angry Anger is a big trigger for most of us. Find healthy outlets for your feelings of frustration. If at all possible, deal with the situation that is bothering you head on and be done with it. Talk to friends and family about your feelings or write in your journal. The important thing is not to let anger simmer and get the upper hand. Reaching for a cigarette can seem like a quick fix, but it is a false fix. We may not always be able to choose the events that happen around us, but we do have control over how we let external situations affect us emotionally. Come up with a few ideas of things you can do to help you shift negative energy that bubbles up before it has the chance to do any damage. That way, when a situation arises, you're prepared. It will help you maintain control and get through it without smoking. Remind yourself that no one has the power to affect your emotions without your approval. You control your inner environment, for better or worse. Take responsibility for how you feel and it will empower you to control difficult emotions smoke-free. Lonely For most ex-smokers, loneliness is more accurately described as boredom. Smoking was such a constant companion it was an activity in and of itself. Early on in cessation, distraction is a useful tool that can help you manage feelings of boredom. Get out for a walk, watch a movie, or work on a hobby. Come up with a list of things you enjoy doing and do some of them. Make them fun and they will help you over the hump of this type of smoking trigger. Depression also falls under this category. People quitting tobacco are especially susceptible to the blues, at least early on. Leaving cigarettes behind can feel like the loss of a friend, albeit a destructive, life-stealing friend. After years of smoking, most of us feel the loss of smoking in this way to some extent. If you feel yourself slipping into a funk, take action. Change your environment(internal, external, or both) and it will help you change your attitude. It's ok to mourn the death of your smoking habit, but don't glorify it as something it was not. It was out to KILL you, remember that! Tired Fatigue can be a big trigger for the newly quit. Instead of lighting up when you're tired, give yourself permission to slow down and relax a little, take a nap, or go to bed early if you need to. Sounds so simple, yet people often push themselves too far with all of the demands of life these days. Be aware and take care. Don't let yourself get run down. A tired you is going to be more susceptible to junkie thinking and the threat of relapse. Protect your quit by protecting your health, both physically and mentally. It may feel like you'll never be free of cigarettes and thoughts of smoking will always plague you, but have some faith in yourself and the process, and please be patient. We taught ourselves to smoke, and we can teach ourselves to live comfortably without smokes too. Soon enough, you'll get to a place where smoking cessation is no longer a daily effort. You may even wonder why you didn't quit sooner, because life without cigarettes has become natural and easy. In the meantime, keep H.A.L.T. in your arsenal of quit tools and use it to decipher those urges as they come, one by one. great article by Terry Martin Link to original post: https://www.quittrain.com/topic/9-halt/