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NOPE

NOPE!

Thanks, all. And it's three....3.... years. I quit just before Covid hit our shores in February 2020. Soooo funny. I quit because I was sure that I would die of lung congestion if I got Covid. All around me, people are catching it (and, thank God, getting over it), and I haven't even had it yet. Got the initial vaccines, but I know too many people who are vaccinated and get it, even twice. Watch...tomorrow, I'll catch it. 3 years and counting

NOPE! And SNOTT - smoking’s not on the table.

NOPE!

Hello train members, I was here just about a year ago, after a hospital stay that gave me a five day head start, stayed free for about 18 (?) days and relapsed. I felt so embarrassed and like a loser, I never logged back in to quit train. Smoked all the way until Monday night at 8:45pm. Woke up in the middle of the night feeling like I was being choked, went to er, and they kept me for just shy of two days for observation. I have panic disorder/anxiety, but I also have asthma. Whilst smoking, how dumb dumb is that. It’s time to stop. What am I doing to myself. I’m on day 3 right now. I’ve just been reading here (officially logged in today though) and also reading on another platform that rhymes with schmeddit (hope that’s ok to say lol) to pass the time. Also eating and watching tv, went to some dr appts, and a friends’ moms funeral. I don’t know how I feel. I don’t want to be woe is me. But it’s a little woe/woah. I’m not sure what to do. I know what not to do. Sorry if this is wrong to say but I loveee smoking, I just hate being a smoker. It’s done for me right now. And I feel like I also can’t say “nope” yet, bc it’s literally hour by hour, day by day. I saw, I think it was denali, that said not one puff right now or today or something and I related to that. thanks guys

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

Hi everyone, here I am approaching the end of week 2 and I have to admit it’s been a really tough time. I did what I’ve always done, I shut down and pushed everyone away. A lovely lady messaged me because I haven’t been around. Grief is a funny thing, it sits in the background and becomes a part of you for most of the time, like the fridge making a noise that you know is there but don’t acknowledge for the most part. I had a really bad year from August 2020 to August 2021. I lost one of my dogs aged 15 in August 2020, a really good friend that I spoke to every single day in February 2021, my Dad who I looked after and the last of my family where I live 12 weeks later in May 2021 and my other dog aged 16 in August 2021. All of these have passed 2 years or are coming up 2 years and grief has been roaring at me. The thing is that everyone around me are cognisant of the first year, hardly anyone notices the second year. It’s something that can hit you. My life changed utterly in the space of a few months, I went from being needed 24/7 to not at all in what felt like overnight. That was a huge learning curve for me. smoking was tied into my identity as “that person” so now I’m dealing with remembering who I was and who I am now but celebrating is hard for me. Who I am now is without them which makes me incredibly sad if that makes sense. I’m sorry to ramble, I guess I’m trying to say sorry for disappearing, I felt sad. I realise now that when I struggle I need to be here, not so much when I’m happy and ok. Thank you everyone, and thank you especially to a very special lady

nope

Geez @Kate18, sorry I messed that up! I changed it so thanks for letting us know.

Good job Kate! You're also almost at $10,000 saved.

Congratulations on the 3 year smoke free quit. great job and determination. best wishes.

More congratulations .. 3 years ..Well done Kate .. A even bigger Reward is needed x

NOPE

Literally this!! One of the best tools I’ve found for me is an analog, not digital, clock! Bought a nice one from home goods and I love watching the hours like yeaa one more down lol. Ohhh boy Im losing my mind huh.

@Molly2310 being here on the train with everyone is where you really need to be , especially early on in your quit. I have no words of wisdom except to say you can do anything except smoke right now. When I quit, I was watching the minutes, hours, then the days and now the weeks, sometimes back to days but seems to get easier with time. You are worth the struggle, stick with it, you no longer need to be a slave to nicotine.

I agree, Molly, I’m extremely proud of us, and I’d love to walk this road w u, gf! Along with our other friends too (hi!) lol. It’s definitely weird how little synchronizations line up in strangers’ lives. Here for u!!

Hey @Molly2310 and @Brioski, I was years quit when my beloved car got t-boned and totaled by a red light runner in February 2019, I lost my mom in November 2019, had respiratory failure and came home on oxygen in January 2020, my baby girl Cookie died in October of 2021 of pancreatitis at 15 years old, best dog ever. Then my California mom died in May of 2022. Oh and my husband of twenty years decided he no longer wanted to be married! Let me tell you both one thing, I never wanted a cigarette EXCEPT when my real mom died and I brought out my JAC (jillars air cigarette) and had my fill of air. That's alll I needed to get rid of that crave. If you can even call it that. More like an itch that wanted a quick scratch. Bad things are going to happen and the farther into your quit you are you will see how much easier things will be for you to get past without smoking.... You guys are doing AWESOME!

Welcome back @Brioski and congratulations on day 3. I loved smoking too but knew I needed to quit. I thought about it as all good(?!) things must come to an end and then would think about the things I don't do anymore like riding dirt bikes or amusement rides or smoking.....

Hi Molly, I’m Bria, and your post stood out to me. I am a brand new “stopper” (lol), and you’re 2 weeks more than me, that’s something to be incredibly proud of. I totally get the sadness, and especially the grief…I lost my dad in dec 2021, had two miscarriages last year, my dog passed in august, and now stopping smoking. It’s definitely different the second year, and so on…the planet seems to move on but for me/us, it’s like the same year all the stuff happened still. Plus all the schtuff that comes w stopping, I’ve read it gets better, I can’t wait until I and you too friend get there. anyway the fog is real gf so forgive my weird rambling. Time for a gummy snack or something lol. take care

Thanks so much for even noticing, Jillar. No problem. I had to think back...how long has it been? I don't know why, but 3 years seems about 10 years more significant than 2 years. I wonder why that is. I am thinking, "how cool will it be when I've been quit 10 years?" Thanks for starting the thread, Jillar. Have a super weekend coming up.

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

Nope

Dear QT Riders, I deeply appreciate your support and celebration. I am delighted to be a month quit.

Congratulations Kate! You have done so well battling this addiction. I’m so proud of you!

This has occasionally driven me nuts. Especially when it first started happening. It started a few months ago. Is anyone else having this? I smell cigarette smoke sometimes, when there is nothing there. It has happened at work. It has happened in my apartment and car. It has happened when I was shopping in a store. It has even happened while walking in the park with my dog, Sofia. At first, I'd think that someone was near me or had walked by me and that person was a smoker. It's happened often enough and in such a variety of locations and situations, that I think I'm imagining it. I Googled it, and apparently it is called phantosmia. I have tinnitus, so I hear something that isn't there. I supposed it's logical to think that I could be smelling something that isn't there, too. If I'm going to smell something that isn't there, why couldn't it be a pine forest on a hot summer day (childhood memory), instead of my old, dirty, smelly habit? One of life's mysteries. I'm going to work on that pine tree scent. I had summer weeks in the Sawtooth Mountains at a cabin when I was a child. I remember the scent. I long for the scent. I'm going to work on having that scent, instead of cigarette smoke.

@Brioski, you should consider making yourself a ticker for your signature. There's a tab at the top of the page to click on and make one. You'll be able to watch the time, .money saved and cigarettes NOT smoked since you quit. I loved seeing mind each morning when I logged on that whole first year. Super inspirational

A big congratulations @Brioski for the courage to come back and start over again, that is awesome. Don't give up you are worth the effort and no longer a slave to nicotine. Wow great job!

Thank you @jillar You are an incredibly kind and insightful person

@jillar, that was some good insight gf, thank u

Hi Brioski, we are kindred spirits and you have shown me even more reasons to reach out when times are tough. I am so very sorry to hear about your losses. I am also extremely proud of you to have set out on this journey, you are a terrically strong woman. I would like to think that you and I can walk this road together. We rock Brioski

NOPE

-6 Hi, Doreen! Still smoke free, and I got engaged this past Saturday....

Kate, Congratulations on 3 wonderful years of breathing AIR. Bet it feels delightful to not think about lighting up.

Congratulations @Kate18 that is awesome!

NOPE!

Still using my treadmill regularly. I have changed things up a bit. I now do at least a mile and a half daily, but at a sustained incline of at least 5%, for the full 30 minutes, on the machine. Speed is 3.5 MPH. I may gradually increase the time, a little bit, to increase calorie burn. I am convinced, though, that after a certain age, it is nearly impossible to lose weight. Kat

Kat likes inventing new games. Games

-4

9. sandblast paint or whatnot off of things

Congratulations Darcy on the one month mark. Keep it going and stay strong. Best wishes.

Congratulations Darcy on your first month smoke free! You are doing great!

Congratulations Darcy, this is just the first step toward a happier and healthier life. So, don't forget to reward yourself.

Woo hoo Darcy! Getting through those first four weeks takes a lot of ingenuity and grit - well done. So happy that you made your break for freedom!

Congratulations on 1 month smoke free @darcy. Keep up the awesome work!

Way to go Darcey... Congratulations on your first month smome free .. Reward yourself for all your hard work !!!

Hey Molly, Glad you have found a groove into week 2 of non-slavery to nicotine. Just keeping on keeping on and the days pile up. Still having a tough time myself at times. Most of the time I don't think about smoking at all and sadly I do seem to have replaced smoking with food for the dopamine receptor situation. Reread the thread Doreen bumped , nicodemon lies? ... I do hear myself in there a few places. Really WANT to BE an EX-Smoker for the remainder of my time, I get that I am always one decision away from giving it away. REALLY appreciate the folks here who always extend the welcome and support. Being a 3 time (maybe 4) QT rider, it really means a lot to have people continue to help in ways that are actually helpful (as always defined by the helpee) to becoming and remaining smoke free. So many factors in life , so many choices, so many excuses, so much to determine, so hard to love. May each of you BE the FREE Being that you desire and hold yourselves dear and true....all ways.

Keep up the fabulous, life-affirming work, Molly: quitting is the single most important thing you can do for yourself, and you'll be transformed in the process. Indeed, that transformation is already happening. Others may have mentioned this already, but remember that recovery is not a linear process in the short term. Thus, Day 8 can be frustratingly, terrifyingly more difficult than, say, Day 4: it takes time to recalibrate your responses to all the different kinds of stimuli that we associated with smoking. And FWIW, I think that this lack of linearity (i.e., the fact that it doesn't necessarily get "better" every day in the initial stages) is a major reason for failed quits by even the most well-intentioned quitters. Of course, over the long term, quitting DOES follow a predictable trajectory, and there's no question that you'll ultimately be free from the struggles of this early period and achieve a kind of peace and pride through your persistence. We know that because it happened (or is happening) to all of us; at the same time, we all know and can empathize with your difficulties. So you're not alone. We're pulling for and are inspired by you, friend-- Christian99 21 Years Quit