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Hi @MLMR. I am so sorry that you are struggling. We get it. It sucks. Keep in mind that withdrawal exaggerates a lot of things… it distorts your experience of misery… makes it seem like everything is awful and you will never be whole or content without smoking. That’s the addiction having a tantrum. It’s not an accurate view of the world or your destiny. It’s FEAR - false evidence appearing real. Please do not give in to the despair. You do not need smoking to complete you. In fact, smoking will make the wretched feelings worse. The agony of withdrawal passes if you can endure it for long enough. It does not last forever, I promise. Good things await you on the other side if you can make it through the first wacko phase of quitting. Keep writing out your feelings here. Interacting on this forum can keep you grounded and enforce the assurance that you aren’t alone. Get mad, shout, cuss, cry, whatever… just keep smoking off the table!

Step by step is how we all quit. We can't walk for you but we can walk this path with you. What can we help you with? Have you read your excellent intro thread lately?

nope

Nope

G’day NOPE .....Not One Puff Ever.... (replace Ever with Min,Hour, Day as required.) they call them flame trees…..

@DenaliBlues... thank you for reminding us that withdrawl exagerates and distorts any suffering we are experiencing.... @MLMR.. this is good advice. Please let us know how you are doing and hang close to Quittrain. Hope you feel better soon.

Hello @MLMR... the fact that you came here for help says a lot about your commitment to keep your quit. You have the right idea. Take it one step at a time. You are here because your desire to keep your quit is stronger than your temporary cravng to smoke. Let us know how you are doing buddy. Keep your quit.

Not one puff or nicotine patch ever! Sudbury, Ontario Canada View of a smelter stack of a nickel plant showing the emission on the air with sunset sky as as background

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NOPE!

Nope!

Hi @MLMR We all know how much it sucks when those horrible cravings sneak up on us! I have had many days like that early in my quit. It's great that you came on here because we can help you. You need to distract yourself with anything other than smoking. Read a book, go for a walk, drink a big glass of water, go for a car ride, anything that will get your mind away from the cigs! One day at a time, one hour at a time or even one minute at a time! You can do this, you really can!! The urges don't last forever, I can promise you that, and the longer you stay quit the less frequent they become! Hang in there and come on here and vent to us whenever you want. That's what this board is all about!!!

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NOPE!!

NOPE!!

Nope...

Hey @MLMR.... ask yourself emotionally, what do you need right now? Find a way seek some comfort and attend to what is bothering you... or find something that can make you feel a bit better in the moment... we know that smoking never really made anything feel better!!! Smoking only ever made us want to smoke more.. You are doing awesome @MLMR One Day at a Time!!

I made it through the day. Thanks for your great advice and wisdom. I’m still a bit battered - but thats ok. Thanks again, glad I asked. I’ll be happy when this day is over

NOPE!

NOPE

Congratulations on 2 months smoke free @Genecanuck and thanks for all the support that you give to others. Keep up the great work!

Way to go, Buddy! You’re building a really solid quit, Gene - one that can last a lifetime. So glad you found us. Congratulations, and keep on rolling!

Huge Congratulations Gene … Your Doing great… Already you are a massive part of our family joining in with the fun and support We are proud of you

…..NOPE…..

7. Joy ride!

6. Load your dirt bike or quad up to go riding

Did I smoke today? It is the one and only question that matters when quitting. I've seen some recent posts in which people call themselves "bad quitters" because they craved and/or romanced the cigarette during their quit. There is no such thing as a "bad quitter." There are only successful quitters and smokers. If you craved a cigarette but didn't smoke, you are a successful quitter. If it took you a while to rewire your brain about the realities of cigarettes but you didn't smoke, you are a successful quitter. Smoking is an addiction. Cigarettes are something we conditioned ourselves with for years. Quitting is a process. If the process was a bit more difficult for you than others. If it took you a little while longer to turn the corner than others. If you really, really, really wanted to smoke a cigarette. If you were grouchy, bordering on homicidal, during parts of your quit...If any of these conditions applied and you stayed true to your commitment and did not smoke, congratulations. Your quit is every bit as much of a successful quit as anyone else's. To smoke or not to smoke...it is the only question that matters when quitting.

Time for this thread to be bumped....this is pure gold...throughput your quit you will get those ahh-has moments where something just clicks....this was one of mine. Kudos to the great goat that wrote it.

I was just writing about the "One Question" again. Seems like a good time to knock the cobwebs off of this one and give it a bump.

This really deserves another bump ...... great thread and some humour

Yep thought so...but you word way better than me

I know quitting unlocked a whole new me. No question.

Bumping this great post by Boo.....

Not only is it okay to struggle, in hindsight I'm thankful for the challenges I faced early in the process. Facing the facts, dealing with some uncomfortable truths, and being thrown out of my comfort zone was exactly what I needed at that moment in my life. Accept the challenge and enjoy every victory.

bumpity bump

My entire philosophy of quitting smoking can be summed up with two quotes. The above quote by Stephen R. Covey (the main thing...) and this one from our old friend Confucius...

Oh gonna steal that pic Boo!! I love that quote!

Great bump ....

bump.... cos while it got a bit silly the original post was pretty brilliant.... and we have some newbies here who need a reminder... thinking about smoking and actually smoking are two different things... it doesn't matter how often you think about smoking as long as you just don't smoke you have been successful regardless of the conscious or sub-conscious thoughts.

That can't be possible. Why would your hubby call you so much. He loves to talk to his sweetie!?

I'm an asshole ?

When it all comes down to it,I'm glad I'm not an asshole

I think maybe the first week or so I was a bit more agro than normal... it was like I forgot how to count to 10... so my temper was on a hair trigger.... and even after the initial few weeks it was still a case of watch it when I lost it cos I would just go mental... but I know I have a tendency to that anyway... i did feel like I had less control over it. so back to Boo's initial centiment.... waking up in the morning I promise myself: I will not smoke today. going to bed at night I acknowledge: Today was a success, I did not smoke.

I was grouchy during the early days of my quit. Of course, to be fair, I wasn't exactly Pollyanna before I quit. And I'm still annoyed by a lot of the stupid shit that goes on around me. So yes, grouchy is kind of a default setting for me. However, I'm a smokefree grouch with much more energy to piss and moan about things that annoy me now.

I'm a very laid back person....no line in the sand.... I did go angry for a short time ,at the very beginning..... I soon went back to my old self....

You may be right Weegie! I'm pretty grumpy and a bit of a closet A-hole normally so the added anxiety of quitting probably heightened those traits my wife married me for I was pretty quick to get frustrated and angry for probably the first 4-5 months of my quit. It was the longest lasting symptom for me personally.

Thanks, Boo, for a great, thoughtful post. I was pretty hard on myself during the first year of my quit, 'free-ing my head' was arduous at times, long and weary times. I knew I would give it a year but, sometimes the slog made me feel crazy, a self-induced sado-masochistic crazy. My addict's voice would wheedle, 'why are you punishing yourself ?' It took a lot of education to extricate the truth from my addled, addicted brain. Sometimes, with the 20/20 vision of hindsight, I think that I should have/could have made it easier on myself and maybe some of that is true but, the point is, I built myself a rock solid quit and that is all that matters. I don't Smoke. I won't Smoke. NOPE-ly yours, S

That's right! We all face some sort of challenges when we start our quit but no matter what happens along our own individual paths, as long as we didn't smoke during those challenges, we are winners - non-smokers - quitters and, proud of it