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So beautifully and thoughtfully expressed, Denali--so much of what you say resonates with me and my experiences. For me, the critical challenge (and the concept that I just couldn't authentically accept) was the idea that one's (positive) mindset was the thing that was necessary to succeed in this endeavor. And, finally, after some years of discomfort with that (and confusion regarding why I couldn't seem to adopt the "right" mindset), I sort of decided that, for me, it would be about action(s)--the little actions and the larger behaviors that would enable me to make it through each hour without lighting up. And even if I were miserable or if my mindset sucked (which was quite often), simple abstinence would be the thing that mattered to me. Through this (often very painful and definitely lengthy) process, I kind of quit my way into certainty, peace, pride, and, well, a positive mindset. Ultimately, I'm pretty convinced that this is only way it could have happened for me. For whatever reason, I've never participated in daily NOPE posts, which were also important features of the online quit community I was a part of in the first couple of years of my own journey. But you make a compelling case for joining the thread and using it in whatever way feels comfortable. There's so much power in solidarity and collective accountability, but as you rightly suggest, one can participate partially, messily, indioscyncratically. And my own experiences tell me that those gestures, repeated every single day, can slowly change "NOPT" and "SNOTT" to full-throated and unambiguous expressions of "NOPE." Thank you so much for your post--newer quitters here are served so well by your insights and inspiration. Christian99 21+ Years Quit K

Congratulations, Jordan! So happy for you - and grateful for your being part of my quit. The Penguin People cannot contain their joy!

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

G’day My quit started with not smoking for hours. That became days and those days became weeks and months. At first I resisted making the NOPE pledge simply put….. I was afraid of embarrassing myself and smoke. I’d smoked and ruined to many quits in the past. I had to come clean with myself and fess up to being that nicotine addict. Not One Puff EVER was important for me. Things had changed quit smoking had become more important that smoking. Some things never change I’m still that addict nearly 8!years later. Difference is I don’t smoke. I look at that box. Pleas tick. Smoker? Non Smoker? I’d like to take my pen and change the Non to Not Smoker cause that’s were my heart is. Life’s good. I’m happy with my not smoking self. Chris

You make a really good point about a singular focus on abstinence--I'm told that AA has a concept called being a "dry drunk," which has some relevance here. I was actually concerned that this was what I was experiencing in the first year of my quit (in part because one or two people [supportively] noted that I sounded like one in my regular whining, uncomfortable posts). I really don't know if I fell victim to that, but I do know that my daily exercise and dramatic changes to my diet helped to slowly develop the new healthy persona I was creating. In fact, this reminds me that from the outset I think I shifted my goal from becoming a "non or ex smoker" to becoming a "healthy person who didn't smoke." But, again, you're right, I think, to reflect on and resist a fetishization of abstinence and/or to see it as only the initial step. I'm grateful for your insights and experiences, in part because I'm dealing with (unrelated though fairly substantial) health challenges right now--just like when I had my cardiac issues, I'm trying to use my quit experiences to better navigate these difficulties. Christian99

Thanks much @jillar and to all for the very nice shout-outs, and thank you, @DenaliBlues, for bringing my people along! And yes, @Molly2310, in eight years you'll be where I am and that's far away but in the meantime you will get to celebrate months 1 through 12, then years 1 through 7 of your fabulous quit, so you'd better keep the champagne on ice from now on. No one could convince me of this eight years ago but at some point (different timing for us all) not smoking starts to feel more natural than smoking and it's all pretty easy from there. The only regret I'll ever have is not having quit much earlier. Cheers to all us quitters, old and new!

^^^^^ Me, too. At the outset, I had no identity as a “nonsmoker.” (Still don’t.) But I could identify as a QUITTER. Quitting was so bleeping hard that every hour/day that I didn’t smoke became something I wanted to guard and defend - I became protective and proud of them. That initial abstinence approach eventually created the space and grace to begin working on healing and recovery, which is the work I am doing now. Abstaining alone won’t cut it for me… past relapses have taught me that. I need to proactively attend to deep healing from addiction. But abstinence was the first essential tool I used to punch through the walls of my nicotine imprisonment. Sort of like those home renovation TV shows. Demolition before renovation!

Nope

NOPE

Ty so much friends

congrats Jordan7. that's how you quit and stay quit.

Congratulations on 8 years smoke free, @Jordan7 Awesome job!

NOPE

This is a whole different way of thinking about this journey and I LOVE it! It’s really helping me and, I hope, others too. I relate to this so much, @DenaliBlues & @Christian99. Brilliant. Thank you

Nope.... Not today!!

NOPE!

It took me a long time to start doing the daily NOPE pledge: Not One Puff Ever. When I first quit, I was a basket case. I could barely tie my shoes, let alone come up with a whole new life plan. If I had tried to figure out how to stop smoking “forever” at that point, my brain might have exploded. After 42+ years of smoking, I simply couldn’t conceive of life without cigarettes. Truth be told, I didn't want to. And I was very afraid that I’d fail. (Again.) To make it over those starting hurdles, I took things one craving at a time – then one hour, and then one day at a time. That incremental approach worked better for me. It kept things simpler, more attainable. Small steps also disarmed the ambivalence I had about quitting. Part of me still desperately wanted to smoke. If I had waited to quit until I was 100% certain, I would have put off quitting indefinitely. I needed a way to quit anyhow, despite those mixed feelings. No puffing TODAY was that ticket for me. NOPT aint poetic, but it worked. SNOTT (Smoking’s Not on the Table) was helpful, too. My early quitting journey was much more gritty than pretty. There were dark times. Cravings definitely sucked. But they didn’t kill me. Every small victory mattered - minutes, then hours and days that I didn’t smoke. They built my quitting skills. And they helped me find my determination, too. Each moment without smoking was hard-won and precious, something I’d earned that I didn’t want to throw away. I began guarding them. I started to feel just a wee bit fierce. And the days started adding up sooner than I thought they would... It turned out that there was light waiting for me on the other side of withdrawal, light that I couldn’t see before. My addiction to nicotine had spun a story that I was a lost cause, that quitting was impossible for me, that only misery lay ahead if I quit. But that was an illusion, a withdrawal temper tantrum. By taking things one hour and one day at a time, evidence pointing to a different reality began to stack up. Quitting IS possible. Freedom CAN happen. I am gradually coming to believe in a forever quit for myself. These days, the daily NOPE pledge helps me stay committed and accountable. And vigilant. Sometimes I still have a strong longing to smoke. NOPE reminds me not to fall down the “I could have just one cigarette” sinkhole. Because I am an addict, one smoke inevitably leads to more. NOPE keeps me off that merry go round of misery. I’m so grateful to everyone here who does the NOPE pledge. It’s great reinforcement for the importance of actively tending my quit – like watering a garden. It’s a tiny celebration that helps me avoid complacency. And it’s positive reinforcement, reminding me that there are lots of other people walking this path, finding their own ways to freedom. If you’re lurking on the platform of the Quit Train station, unsure about hopping on board, give quitting a try. It’s possible. If NOPE feels beyond reach for any reason, toss in a NOPT or a SNOTT, instead. Whatever works for you. Amazing things can happen one day at a time.

6.

NOPE!

Way to go, Molly!! I’m proud of you I relapsed in my 3rd week last year. No bad juju towards you just a bummer moment for me and I wish I stuck it out! You are doing huge things for yourself, go you

Welcome back @Brioski I'm sorry you relapsed from your quit but you are doing a great thing by quitting again. You can do this. Stick close to this site, lots of help and support here.

NOPE

Huge Congratulations on your Fabulous 8 years Smoke free.. Reward yourself well

Wow, 8 years feels so very far away. You give me a tremendous amount of hope. I’ll be where you are today one day and you’ll be coming up to 16 years then!

yep, quitting isn't glamourous fer sure. you don't quit because it's easy though. you quit because it's necessary.

Congratulations @Jordan7 on eight years quit! And thank you for sticking around and paying it forward i hope you have a great day today!

Had to come here and offer my biggest props to my friend Denali You were a few weeks ahead of me last year and now, a whole year ahead!! Lol. All the very best to you, you certainly deserve it!! Well done my friend, I’m proud and jealous

NOPE!

Wow @Jordan7 that is awesome, big congrats to you!

5. Laugh at it and punch it in its stupid face!

Later still, but huge congratulations to you, Darcy, on putting the first and toughest month behind you!!! There's no stopping you now!

Congratulations on both 2 and 3 years, Kate, and here's to number 4!

The sticks fought in vain ,only to lose again ...take a slap

-20! Chicks rule.

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

I misread. Congrats on a great job. You will make it through week 3. Just stay positive and realize that smoking does absolutely nothing positive for you at all. You are gaining so much by leaving smoking behind you.

Sitting here with King Louis .. My Ted is showing him who boss. Should be interesting at bed time Who will win the place on my bed ?

Jillar is right we fed our bodies hundreds of poisons at regular intervals every day . Is it any wonder it goes berserk wnen we suddenly stop the supply . It takes time and patience to catch up .. Be kind to yourself ..what your achieving is wonderful ..

Congratulations on this epic quit. Your accomplishment inspires the rest of us. Thanks and keep it up.

I'll try to answer some of your questions @Brioski Our bodies are hard at work cleaning up the mess smoking left behind so treat it to whatever it needs to do the job. I craved sweets and went through tubs of soft peppermint puffs my whole first year quitting lol. PS. nice ticker, look at those numbers already!

Congratulations on your 8 year quit!! This a wonderful thing! Thank you for all of your words of encouragement that have helped me and so many others!

Dear Molly, your Mum died suddenly on 10th February 2013, you were not smoking at the time, it was during your 9 month quit. You quit because your mum was a heavy smoker all of your life as well as an alcoholic. You were so worried about her, even though you were going down the same path. She was self destructive, so were you. You made a decision to stop smoking as the first step down a road of showing both of you that you could change. It wasn’t in time. You should have done it sooner, she might still be here if you had. You started smoking again, you fool. You looked after your Dad, remember? He had stopped in 1998 when he had his leg amputated because of smoking but you carried on. You watched him die from clogged up lungs despite having been quit for 20 years. He was in hospital in 2021. It took 7 days in hospital and 7 minutes in the end. You have scared your brother so much since then, he has lost his parents to smoking too. He didn’t say a word to you at the time but you saw the look in his eyes, you knew how scared he was of losing you too. You know how proud he is of you, how relieved he is that he doesn’t have to watch you kill yourself too. I know that you feel so alone sometimes, I know that on bad days you miss people so much that you feel like you don’t care if you die. I know that life feels empty a lot of the time but just think a minute, remember. You have had so many beautiful times lately, you have played with your nephews. You are loved, and you love. You will ALWAYS feel better in the morning, and you ALWAYS will. Remember that every day has the potential for something good: of a smile, of a laugh, of a special kind of happiness. Of a perfect beauty. Of nature, a song, a comedy show, a story, of a new friend, of so many things. There is so much to look forward to, even if you can’t always see it. There are days when you don’t even see the “good” until you go to bed and think, or when you wake up the next morning and recall. Promise yourself that you will always wait until tomorrow before you do anything silly and regretful yours Molly

Same here. I spent a lot of time procrastinating about finally quitting. I didn't call it procrastination, I called it "planning." Finally took the dive. Flew by the seat of my pants for a while...turned out to be one of the best decisions of my life.

Talking about running ...I'm still doing my bit every day