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A New Year's toast to all my Quit Train friends and a wish for a smoke free 2024 for all!

Happy new year Quit Train. Thanks for helping to keep me out of trouble!

Happy New Year everyone.

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!! I did very well last night. I had a friend over last night who smokes and she goes out on my terrace to smoke, so I kind of got an urge a couple of times when she went out there, but I did well and didn't smoke at all!!! Yay for me!! I hope you all had a great New Years Eve!!

And thank you Doreen, we really do make a great team

Happy New year to all on the Quit Train, Stay determined, Stay Free.

Happy New Year to all my fellow quitters! Thanks to all of you for seeing me through another year. Each and every one of you helped me along in some way. I am so thankful for all of you!

Thank you Jillar and CbDave Between us we have kept the wheels running smooth all last year . It’s been a Pleasure .. Love Horney Toad xxx

Happy New Year everyone!

NOPE!!

NOPE!

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

NOPE!

Good morning 2024 NOPE!!

It's been a while since I last had a smoke. I can go weeks without thinking about cigarettes and smoking. Even the dreams of smoking have become quite rare. The secret is, don't ever smoke. I could probably have a smoke at this point and get away with it but why would I? I mean, I could gargle powdered glass too but I'm not going to. Smoking sucks. When you realize you could, but you just don't want to, is the point where you are thinking and acting like a non-smoker. Never completely a non-smoker but close enough to feel pretty relaxed about the whole thing.

NOPE…

NOPE

NOPE

Nope....

Sorry to hear about your mis-step. The next time you feel your will power being sorely tested I'd like you to reread this thread of posts. You don't want to go down this road again. Its a gauntlet of remorse and self-recriminations. If you can quit for two months then the physical symptoms are not your enemy so much as your Junkie brain at odds with your higher reasoning. Don't even make smoking an option. Picture all of us cheering you on as you make the decision to stay the course.

The comradery of shared pain and triumph. Such is the clickity-clack of riding on the quittrain.

Happy New Year peeps!!

NOPE…..

5 New Year's Day!

”Take control of your life, reclaim your mind and body, and get it straight about who owns you. Is it you? Or your addiction?” “You can't fix a cigarette crave with a cigarette.” ^^^ True that!! Perpetually chasing the cravings (which can never be truly satisfied) is exhausting and futile. Freedom from the bondage of nicotine is beautiful.

Everything you do, smokefree, is going to be a bit rough until you get used to doing those things without smokes. Sadly, that includes holidays. Great job grinding through the season.

NOPE!

It's a Nope for me in 2024!

NOPE!!

Markus Quit Date: 02-19-2008 Posted April 4, 2014 It's all very personal. Even though the methods used to quit are the same with slight variations depending on an individual's preference it all is a very personal thing. You always choose what works for you or just wing it. You do that on your own, always. Some plans I see I just cringe, but you know it usually ends up that it works for that person. A step-wise plan to quit is a good idea but doesn't need to be complex, and a fallback plan is even better. You can start by acting like a nonsmoker; see yourself a few weeks and a few months from now. What do you look like, what are you doing? Get to the reading and the writing. Post and become a part of this forum and pay it forward to cement your quit in your mind. You will do this on your own with a little help (minimal) assistance from your friends here. Nobody can quit for you, but you can learn how to stay quit here. Any or all of items 1-7 below, will make it better. (1) Commit to Not One Puff Ever (NOPE). (2) Commit to Never Take Another Puff (NTAP). (3) Educate yourself about your addiction. Read, post, learn, overcome. Lather, rinse, repeat. (4) Decide that you do not want to smoke more than you want to smoke. This may save you from relapse. (5) Take control of your life, reclaim your mind and body, and get it straight about who owns you. Is it you? Or your addiction? (6) Realize that you'll always be an addict, a puff away from a pack a day, but you choose not to smoke. That's all of us. (7) Start acting like a non smoker, like you never smoked, walk the walk. A cigarette is never the answer to anything but disease. ( 8 Have a plan B if Plan A that you are using now fails. Make your plan B from steps 1-7, above. *(9) Celebrate your quit! Talk it up, be proud of what you have accomplished! Alright, enough with the steps and commitment to this and that already! Look at this logically if you will. How else can you possibly quit smoking by any other means than stopping using cigarettes? The addiction to nicotine cannot be overcome by administering the same thing to yourself that you are addicted to, (nicotine). What that means is when you are at 5 days, 7 days, 10 days, 28 days quit, and you find yourself craving a cigarette (your delivery device for nicotine), you cannot beat that crave/association with a cigarette. You might fix a bad hangover with some hair of the dog that bit you, but you can't fix a cigarette crave with a cigarette and still expect to quit smoking. Can you? Now go look at the items again, you have the desire. What is missing if anything? You decide along the way, revamp the plan if you need to, adapt to your conditions, if something isn't working, get rid of it. Anything to keep the quit. You have to be fair to yourself, but firm. It will get better over time, but you'll only see it if you commit to it. And so you will. Welcome to a new life! Link to original post: https://www.quittrain.com/topic/221-welcome-to-a-new-life-your-quit/

And what a new life it is!

All those reasons plus we paid good money to have it all happen to us. There is nothing quite like total addiction.

5 Goodnight all. Talk to you next year. !!

Avoiding the urge to smoke is mostly about avoiding the situations and activities that you strongly associate with smoking. I say mostly as the urge to smoke will find you however much you try to hide. It's like a tax collector on the trail of a lottery winner. I would recommend activities, social activities, wherein smoking is a complete non-starter.

For quite a few of us tonight will involve some sort of alcohol and socializing to welcome in 2024. You may see others smoking and you're not to sober brain may think its ok to have just one............IT'S NOT! If you read relapse posts here you'll find that every single one of them are full of regret for letting their quit go. Don't be one of those posts! The train is always running and almost always has someone here to help you past a crave so PLEASE get on here BEFORE you take that first drag and give up all that hard work you've done to get to where you were before you threw it all away. We have saved many a quit and if you truly want to save yours we can help you do it. Sometimes all it takes is writing the words to wake up your brain and get it thinking straight again Have a Happy and Safe New Year!

Its difficult to count up the years being smoke-free if you cheat.

Thanks @jillar wise words ...... everyone be safe out there!

Thanks, Jill for the reminders of how close the edge is.... Iam not being social this year, movie, popcorn and bed by 10. Busy day tomorrow. Everyone be safe. KTQ.

Happy smoke-free New Year, everyone. Protect those precious quits!

We have a crack Team on duty tonight to thwart any attempt to light up so let us know if you require an intervention.

Thanks Jill. I think I will be ok tonight. For the most part I have gotten used to having a few drinks without smoking. In the beginning it was very difficult but now after 7 months I’m much more used to it. Happy, Healthy and Smoke Free New Year!

Congratulations Stew! 5 months in already! You’re doing great!

congratulations Stew. keep up that great quit and stay vigilant on the counting game

Congratulations Stew, you are doi g so freaking good. Keep up the great work and don't forget to reward yourself today.