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NOPE!

Nope...

NOPE!!

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

NOPE

NOPE!!

NOPE!

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

NOPE!

NOPE!

Pfffft 1

NOPE

Eleven Although Ten years quit was the milestone, in this eleventh year I have utilized the lessons learned by quitting nicotine/dealing with addiction in another profound way. My body was rebelling after my years of abuse, from smoking, from defying gravity for 69 years ! Arthritis was making for painful days. No surprise. I was lucky I could still breathe after so many years smoking like a whore in church. After experiencing symptoms of an autoimmune disease, I decided to take radical action. First, I learned everything about Sjögren's syndrome and then looked for solutions, just I had come to this site and availed myself to Joel Spitzer's work and other information. Second, I took the initiative. Instead of quitting nicotine (smoking), I stopped consuming anybody with a mother, cold turkey (pardon the expression, lol) including dairy. As a 'foodie' omnivore, I never in my wildest days thought of changing. But here I am, a raw vegan. I found a marvelous resource online, just as I had found y'all. Dr. Brooke Goldner offers a free hyper nourishing protocol that has help thousands reverse disease. Look her up if you are curious or in pain yourself. Sure, it was a radical act for me but there was no doubt in my mind that I could succeed, after all I quit nicotine! The results have been astounding. My body moves freely again. I feel healthier than ever before and empowered. Exactly what quitting nicotine/smoking did for me. The changes also helped me face other truths; Dealing with habits and addictions around Food! To examine using food as comfort or reward just as I used cigarettes. Now, food is nourishment and I know all the cells in my body rejoice after being malnourished for decades. The lessons learned around my nicotine addiction were a struggle eleven years ago, now they are easier to initiate and complete. To change is a pure gift we have the power to give ourselves. To trust ourselves again after a lifetime of addictive behavior. To stay current and change whenever needed because we have the tools! Our brain knows the drill and also understands the profound rewards. Hello to all you beautiful nicotine free creature who understand the need to change, who have the desire to confront their addictions and gather the tools to begin and and continue on this marvelous journey. Here is a kindly hand up, or stand on my shoulders if you need to see the other side. Know in your struggles and successes that others understand and are amazed at your fortitude minute by minute, day by day and soon...year by year. Decade by decade! Thank you for telling your stories and strengthening the thread that weaves us all together. NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE. Sazerac.

NOPE!!

NOPE!!

Transition from being smokers to ex-smokers, Quitnet Re-post, May 9, 2005 I do not know if I have posted this before, but its worth posting and reading it again. Keep your quit. Gene From DabL on 5/9/2005 5:00:14 PM From Smokers to Ex (repost) From Traveler24 on 6/24/2007 11:53:12 PM I see alot on here tonight saying there nervous about quitting. Dont be afraid the actual anticapation is worse than doing it. Heres a post I thought might help explain it a lil better and maybe even help those who are struggling tonight! Together we can do this!! Bill D21 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ transition from being smokers to ex-smokers From DabL on 5/9/2005 5:00:14 PM The transition from being smokers to ex-smokers. One of the things we face as quitters is the transition from being smokers to ex-smokers. Early in your quit, you're a smoker in withdrawal. Eventually, you're a smoker who's not using. At some point, you do actually become an EX-smoker. It's a scary transition for anyone to undergo mentally. Years upon years of memories are associated with smoking. A mountain of stressful situations that we dulled (and in doing so, partially avoided dealing with) by administering nicotine. The belief that we NEED that drug to get through these situations in the future. In a sense, we're newborns, facing a new world, and not sure what to expect. We're children, and children are often frightened by the unknown. As our conscious decision to reach out to this new world and embrace it becomes more and more real and tangible, the fear within us makes us want to run back, grab the security blanket, and hide under the covers. It's like the monster under the bed. And, like the monster under the bed when we're small, the best way to deal with the unknown is to face it, to understand it. As long as we hide under the blankets, the monster under the bed grows bigger, scarier, more menacing. Once we finally get the courage to lean over the mattress, and stare under the box spring... only then do we understand there's nothing to be frightened of. If we avoid looking under the bed, seeing the "monster" for what it is, we risk letting that "monster" dominate our conscience, and drive our actions. Right now, you're dealing with your monster. There's the fear of failure (you've been down this road before). There's the fear of success (oh my God, what am I going to do now that I won't have cigarettes to help me?). And there is the voice in your ear telling you things: You want a cigarette, you can handle JUST one, you NEED just this one, this crave is going to last forever, this crave is unbearable, quitting is just TOO DAMN HARD, I wasn't meant to quit, I'm not strong enough. It's time to look the monster in the eye. It's time to confront the voice. There are non-scary answers to the things it's telling you. 1. Fear of failure: Yes, I've been down this road before, but I didn't understand that I'm an addict, and that for the addict; one puff is the same as a million. I will never be able to take another puff without recommitting to a life of dependency. I've learned this the hard way in the past, even though I might not have understood the lesson at the time. Now that I know, I know that I won't take that puff. 2. Fear of success: Millions of people have moved from smoking to a life without smoking. Some have had more difficult situations to deal with than I have. All have discovered that the nicotine fix doesn't really help; it just masks. I belong to a group of hundreds of people who have traveled this road, and the fact that they're making it through family tragedy, poor health, good health, work stress, celebrations, raising kids, divorces, day-to-day life of all sorts, good times and bad times, without nicotine tells me that I can too. I'm an individual, and as such, I'm not 100% like anybody else, but I share little bits in common with many of these people, and from these similarities comes my understanding that I too can live my life in the absence of nicotine. 3. You want a cigarette: Do I? What do I want? Specifically? What about the cigarette do I crave? Okay, fine. Maybe I want the "ahhh" feeling. But, wait, I'm through withdrawal. The first cigarette won't even give me the "ahhh" feeling anymore, because the "ahhh" feeling came from nicotine's ability to stave off the early withdrawal I felt after not smoking for 30 minutes or an hour. Now that I'm no longer in withdrawal, I'll only get dizzy and sickly from the first one, and that first one will be followed by the next one and the next one as I search for the "ahhh" feeling, and long before I ever get the "ahh" feeling, I'll realize I'm hooked again. Heck, I'll realize it after the first one. 4. You can handle just one: Can I? Why is it that in the past when I said that to myself, it didn't work out like I planned? If I could get by on just one, why didn't I smoke just one every now and again when I smoked, instead of smoking all of those other ones I didn't want? No. There is no such thing as just one for me, or the other greater than 90% of the smokers out there who smoke whenever their addiction demands that they smoke. 5. You NEED just this one: Do I really believe that I NEED to inhale hundreds of toxic chemicals into my lungs to get through this given situation? Do I really believe that I need to recommit to my addiction so that I can dull the feelings associated with this situation. 6. This crave is going to last forever, this crave is unbearable, quitting is just TOO DAMN HARD: Okay, what does this crave really feel like? How long is it lasting? Is it really lasting all day long? Or, is my fear of the crave, and my fear of failure, or my fear of success, making me THINK about it all day long? For how many seconds have I actually WANTED to put a cigarette in my mouth, light it and inhale, as opposed to just being anxious about my lifestyle change, and all of the things associated with it. Am I feeling anxiety? Or am I really wanting a cigarette? Will smoking a cigarette make me feel better or worse than I do? Furthermore, I KNOW from talking to all the former smokers around me that this isn't what being an ex-smoker feels like! I'm in the latter stages of withdrawal, and the early stages of reconditioning my life to NOT revolve around my addiction. Soon, I will be feeling a lot better, and I'll have a hard time remembering how hard this has been. It's only hard for a while. 7. You weren't meant to quit, You're not strong enough: I wasn't meant to SMOKE. Smoking is not a natural thing. Ingesting deadly chemicals to satisfy a never-ending cycle of withdrawal and replenishing of nicotine supplies is NOT the way I was meant to live. I was MEANT to breathe freely. I was meant to taste my food. I was meant to have good breath. I was meant to be free. And I'm strong enough to realize that nicotine is stronger than me; that if I try just one, nicotine will win, and I'll be trapped. I'm strong enough to make it through this temporary difficulty, in order to live the life I was meant to live on the other side. Confront the fear, and confront the voice. Our junky side doesn't fight fair, and uses confusing logic. It plays upon the parts of us that feel most vulnerable. The parts of us that want to hide and wish things away. You can eliminate the fear, and silence the voice by always looking it in the eye, seeing it for what it is, and never letting it get away without shedding the light of truth upon it. Keep taking it one day at a time. One minute at a time if you need.... You'll get there. This is eminantly doable. From <http://purplkoala.coolpage.biz/library/transition.html>

Give Peace A Chance John Lennon Yoko Ono

Head Over Heels: Tears For Fears

How Do You Hold on When the Going Gets Tough?, Quitnet Re-Post, October 28, 2004 From BaldGuy66 on 10/28/2004 1:17:30 PM Posted by BaldGuy66 on 3/16/2004 That InnerJunkie™ tries to wear us down. It doesn`t last forever, but sometimes you need to concentrate that strength that you`ve already shown, and boil it down, put it to work at one instant in time, the instant when you just can`t take anymore: and don`t give up. Imagine time as a conveyor belt, a long conveyor belt that stretches to infinity in two directions. You`re standing alongside it, and every few minutes, a cigarette goes by on the belt. You always have the option of reaching for one, when it goes by. You can only reach so far in either direction. There will only be one cigarette in reach at any given moment. Its pull is most powerful when it is right there beside you. THAT is the moment that you need the most strength -- just for that moment, when it would be so easy. Then it`s going off into the distance, and it`ll be a little while before the next one comes along. Then you choose again. Each time you choose rightly, you get a little bit stronger. It gets a little bit easier to choose rightly the next time. After a while, you`ve gotten so good at this, you don`t even have to fight anymore, for the most part. You just watch it go by. You know it`s there. But you know you have the strength to leave it there on the conveyor belt. Sometimes, once in a while, you might have to call on your friends to stand on the other side of the conveyor belt and remind you why you don`t want to take that cigarette off and smoke it. And that`s okay. We`re allowed to ask for help. Eventually, you won`t even notice the darn thing. You`ll trip over it once in a while, or you`ll see someone else walking (or running) up to take a cig off the belt, but you`ll know you don`t have to, and you don`t want to have to keep going back, watching the clock, making sure you`re ready for that next fix to come down the line. Anyway, that`s how you get through. Making the right choice at the exact moment you need most to make it. And I`ve rambled. I knew there was one in there somewhere. *** BG 435 days, 1 minute and 59 seconds smoke free. 5220 cigarettes not smoked. $1,670.40 and 1 month, 9 days, 21 hours of my life saved. My quit date: 8/20/2003 1:15:00 PM

The Half-Percent Club, Quitnet Re-post, May 22, 2004 This is a good read. I'm sure that it is as true today as it was back in 2004 that a very small percentage of smokers actually join the elite quitting club and keep their quits. Are you going be part of the half percent club? Keep our quit. Gene Repost - the half-percent club (my doctoral ramble) From melder7777 on 5/22/2004 8:49:23 AM every so often I renew my membership in this club feel free to join (the dues are outlined below) maureen chosing life for 649 days! (and regretting not a one) From kevindontsmoke on 11/19/2002 11:50:48 AM according to statistics published in June of 2002 by the American lung association (see "TRENDS IN TOBACCO USE" at http://www.lungusa.org/data/): * over 46,500,000 (that's 46 and a half million) Americans smoke. of those, 70% (or 32,550,000) say they want to quit. of those, 34% (or 11,067,000) attempt to quit each year. of those, 2.5% (or 276,675) succeed. that's about one-half of one percent of the total number of american smokers. the half-percent club. * (since i don't have similar statistics for any other country, i'm going to assume that the percentages are about the same everywhere; people are people, wherever they live, and nicotine is nicotine, no matter who's addicted to it...) -------- now, some people might look at those numbers and get discouraged. they might think, "only a half of a percent make it? what chance do i have of succeeding with odds like that?" - what they don't realize is that statistics say *nothing* about individuals. and every member of this exclusive club is an individual. and every individual has the power of choice. -------- the half-percent club has no officers; no president, no secretary, no treasurer. it has no meetings; it has no meeting hall. it doesn't march in parades, organize food, clothing or fund drives, hold garage sales, or have bingo on wednesdays. but it does have dues, and if you want to be a member, you have to pay your dues. it doesn't matter who you know, doesn't matter what you know, doesn't matter if you're from the right family, doesn't matter if you went to the right school, doesn't matter if you're from the right side of the tracks, doesn't matter if you're a man or a woman, doesn't matter what color your skin is, doesn't matter what religion you follow (or even if you follow any at all), doesn't matter what your politics are. all that matters is that you pay your dues. because the half-percent club isn't like other clubs: nobody nominates you for membership; you nominate yourself. nobody votes on whether you can become a member; your vote is the only one that counts. you elect yourself. by paying your dues. you pay your dues by waking up every morning, looking your addiction in the eye, and choosing not to feed it today. you pay your dues by going to bed every night patting yourself on the back for having stuck by that choice today. you pay your dues by choosing not to feed your addiction whenever you're hungry, angry, lonely, or tired. you pay your dues by choosing not to feed your addiction whenever you feel sorry for yourself. you pay your dues by choosing not to feed your addiction whenever you're under pressure. you pay your dues by choosing not to feed your addiction whenever you get a crave. you pay your dues by choosing not to feed your addiction. no matter what. you pay your dues by choosing life. because as long as you choose life, you're a card-carrying, paid-in-full member. and as long as you keep choosing life, nobody can vote you out. in fact, once you've paid your dues, the only way to lose your membership is to take it away from yourself. by choosing to feed your addiction. by choosing death. -------- this morning, for the 366th morning in a row, i woke up, looked my addiction in the eye, and chose not to feed it today. this morning, for the 366th morning in a row, i wrote in my quit journal: "I am a nicotine addict. I cannot afford to feed that addiction. Not even one time. - so - Today, I choose LIFE! Today, I choose HEALTH! Today, I choose STRENGTH! Today, I choose SELF-CONTROL! Today, I choose FREEDOM! Today, I choose NOT to SMOKE!" thomas jefferson said, "the price of freedom is eternal vigilance"; writing these affirmations in my quit journal every morning is one way that i practice eternal vigilance against my mortal enemy. it reminds me, every day, that i'm an addict, and that my only power over that addiction is my repeated choice not to feed it. i know, from previous experience, that it only takes one feeding to bring that addiction back in full force, and this reminds me, every morning, that i can't afford to give it that one feeding. so far, this has helped keep me free for a full year; i'd strongly suggest that you find a way to practice eternal vigilance that works for you. today starts my second year of freedom from smoking; my second year of membership in the half-percent club. i invite you to join me. by choosing life. today, and every day. kevin - grateful to be in my second year of freedom!!!

Hold on for a second. Quitnet Repost, February 11, 2004. From Peter_is_in on 2/11/2004 8:37:50 PM . . . just hold on to your quit for one more second, then one more minute, and then one more hour . . . . Can you make it one more hour? . . . just another hour to be smoke free? If you're having problems keeping your quit or struggling with it, then maybe just take it one hour at a time. And even one minute at a time. There are some who make the battle to quit way too large in their mind. They look at others who are quit for a long time and can't imagine getting that far themselves. The problem with making the picture of quitting too big is that it becomes overwhelming for some. Quitting is about not having a smoke now and not having one when you get the next craving. Take it one step at a time and before you know it you will be making huge leaps. The thoughts of how long you are quit should only be reserved for retrospect and not for planning ahead. It is great to say that you have been quit for one week, one month, one year. But when you start your quit, to say you have quit for one hour, one day . . . are victories to cherish in themselves. So be glad in what you have accomplished. After all, one less smoke, is a celebration by itself. So, one more hour . . . okay? Peter www.listrite.com/Breakaway D81

Gene, People say, 'you know it is all worth it if I help only One person' and I was greedy about this, I wanted to help zillions. Even if I didn't know. But, your words...touched me. Realizing that I made a difference in your decision in returning to QTrain and making a commitment to yourself. It is magnificent to help One person, to hear their words. Thank you so much, what a great anniversary present, there could be none better.

1000 days ... and on ... GAELthoughts, Quitnet Re-Post, August 3, 2005 From The_GAEL on 8/3/2005 3:05:47 PM It's a funny thing, this addiction. It starts with the most social of behaviors - just sharing some time and a chat with friends, and 'lighting up' as we used to say. Usually, a beer in one hand and cig in the other, feeling grown up and mature at - what was it - 15, 16 years old... In those days, it was usual to offer your cigarettes around the group, and in turn, accept one offered back - part of the bonding process, I guess, being accepted into the group. And so the seed was planted. Later it became less of an event, not something done when the evening arrived and a little relaxation was the prize for the day's labors and stresses, but it was a persistent nag, somewhere in the psyche to get away, to stop what I was doing, to halt the concentration and focus on the task at hand, and... light a cigarette. It wasn’t yet the constant companion that soon it would be, but it was definitely exerting pressure - selfish and vile - to have its hand on my shoulder and its lies whispered in my ears... that was coming, but I never saw it. And so it took root. In time though, smoking was always with me. Always had a pack in my pocket and another in my car. Soon I was buying 2-3 packs at a time and then - self delusional and totally hoodwinked - I was buying cartons to save money. If I got below half a carton in my stock, I'd buy another carton; just to be sure I had plenty on hand. And I still never saw that I was addicted, and I was not choosing to smoke - my free will was totally ineffective - I had no choice - I had to smoke - and I was blind to the strength and power of the addiction - it was that good in its power over me. And so, the evil infestation grew and thrived on my withering self-determination. Later it was clear that there was no rationality in smoking - not one - all I had believed was self-delusional. The financial cost, the disgusting smell, the morning cough to get the brown-green mucus out of my lungs, the lack of taste in any food, the difficulty I had in climbing stairs or carrying any load, the fact that that I was controlled by the need to inhale the smoke of a toxic weed, the very fact that I was killing myself... I was causing the acceleration my own death... the very end of my life... But I still didn't get it. It was still a pleasure, I told myself, one of the few I have left... even after I had seen my mother die of it, and aunts and uncles, one favorite with a tracheotomy after his larynx was removed due to throat cancer. My blindness was complete - oh, no, not me, I'll prove them all wrong, and live to be 100... But, it's all crap. The blindfold had to come off. For me, that happened just over 1000 days ago. I've told of the events that led up to it, and just beyond it many times - it's still in my profile, and I stand behind all of the words I wrote there, even though much of it is almost 3 years old. It wasn't easy. It wasn't the first attempt, or third or... I don't even know how many times. But it was the last. I had a quit in me, and I invested in it... I cleared the weeds and found a spot to plant a flower. It's a fragile thing, a single flower, and needs care and close attention. It needs the weeds to be kept well back, and it needs love and a gentle hand, but it has one purpose - to thrive. And it will thrive, and grow strong, and flower and gain strength with each passing season. I used to say Strength, Courage and Determination was pretty much all that was needed. I now believe that these are part of it - a very strong conviction that you are making the single very best decision to improve your life, followed by the courage to accept that decision and act on it, and the determination to hold fast to your commitment to yourself. The missing part - was to recognize the importance of doing this alongside others, and in the supportive company of friends. I don't think I've ever thanked the friends I've made here at the Q, and in 1102, nearly enough. Without your support, whether you knew it or not, I would not have been smokefree these last 1000 days. Thank you, for my life. ________________The GAEL 1006 days, 13 hours, 5 minutes and 13 seconds smoke free. 24157 cigarettes not smoked. $4,225.20 and 6 months, 4 days, 12 hours of your life saved. Your quit date: 11/1/2002 1:00:00 AM

@Sazerac ... Congratulations on moving into your 11th year, smoke free, nicotine free!!! You were one of the people that reached out to offer support to me when I first joined this site a few years ago.... and I am grateful for that! I did not quit at the time but you were the reason I decided to come back to the Quittrain when I was ready to not only stop smoking but stop the nicotine patch.:) I am happy to hear that you have been able to apply the lessons leared about addictions to other areas of your life. I sincerely hope you are finding some relief from your other health challenges. Wishing you all the best. Thank you for being here for so many newbies in the past. Warm Regards, Gene

Hi Sister. Its good to see you, Nice to hear you have found answers to help in your struggle with a few ailments you have/ had … Hope your feelings the best you can , it’s hard to keep track of old members anny,s as all the tracking disappeared , due to the board needed updating . Soooo Congratulations on your fabulous 11 years .. I think we laughed our way through out early quits Take Care Sister in crime

Thanks to all y'all for making quitting informative and interesting with a bit of distraction and fun.

I just got back from climbing a mountain, Quitnet Repost, March 16, 2005 I Had this in my library and thought it might help someone! Sandra D436 I just got back from climbing the mountain (100 day ramble) From Kiwi100 on 3/16/2005 2:26:37 PM Newbies and repeat quitters - NEVER GIVE UP. This has been with me a long time. Finally - after several attempts I have made it.. no more excuses as to why I can not do it. I Tried To Climb The Mountain Today I tried to climb the mountain today. As I inched my way up the path, I felt overwhelmed, so I had to turn back. I tried to climb the mountain today. On my journey, darkness started to fall, and I was full of fear, so I had to return to a safe place. I was ready to climb the mountain today. But it was so hot outside, I thought I better stay in my nice air-conditioned house and rest up for tomorrow`s attempt. I was about to climb the mountain today. But I had so many other things to do, so instead of climbing the mountain I took care of much more important tasks. I washed my car, mowed the grass and watched the big game. Today the mountain will just have to wait. I was going to climb the mountain today. But as I stared at the mountain in its majestic beauty, I knew I stood no chance of making it to the top, so I figured why even bother trying. I have forgotten about climbing the mountain today; until a friend came by and asked me what I was up to lately. I told him I was thinking about climbing that mountain some day. I went on and on about how I was going to accomplish this task. Finally, he said, `I just got back from climbing the mountain. For the longest time I told myself I was trying to climb the mountain but never made any progress. I almost let the dream of making it to the top die. I came up with every excuse of why I could not make it up the mountain, but never once did I give myself a reason why I could. One day as I stared at the mountain and pondered, I realized that if I didn`t make an attempt at this dream all my dreams will eventually die.` `The next morning, I started my climb.` He continued, `It was not easy, and at times I wanted to quit. But no matter what I faced, I placed one foot in front of the other, keeping a steady pace. When the wind tried to blow me over the edge, I kept walking. When the voices inside my head screamed `Stop!` I focused on my goal never letting it out of sight, and I kept moving forward. At times, I was ready to quit, but I knew I had come too far. Time and time again, I reassured myself that I was going to finish this journey. I struggled to make it to the top, but I climbed the mountain!` `I have to be going,` my friend said. `Tomorrow is a new day to accomplish more dreams. By the way, what are you going to do tomorrow?` I looked at him, with intensity and confidence in my eyes, and said, `I have a mountain to climb.`

20. Woops a bit late so 1

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Well done mac 0000000/0