MarylandQuitter

I will not be smoking today. NTAP!

No more guilt when I look at my daughter. And then of course whenever I would laugh really hard, I would have a coughing fit. Not anymore!

Not a bad idea at all. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGb3uHM26WA

Well done, Action. Once we remove the desire, the conflict goes with it. :)

Aine, The people we know and interact with have a great influence on shaping our opinions, changing them or reinforcing them. For example. My Doctor is the one who spoke the truth to me about nicotine addiction and up until that point, I never even viewed myself as an addict. Because of my conversation with him, not only were his words the catalyst that started my journey towards a new life free from the slavery of smoking, but my opinions on smoking drastically changed. If we keep an open mind, our opinions can change. I argued with him that I was not an addict. Do you think I was going to change his opinions on smoking? Not a chance. But did he change my opinions on smoking? You bet he did. My Doctor exposed the lies of nicotine and made no bones about it. He set the course for my quit. It's preposterous to take such a leap and insinuate that I (or anybody else) would possibly think they have the same authority as a person that has helped shape our opinions or even drastically changed them, as in the case with myself and smoking. Let me further explain. Let's say one of us met with 4 Star Admiral Michelle Howard, the first female 4 Star Admiral and CNO, the Navy's second in command (current). I would bet the farm that she, in some way, would help shape our opinions on any multitude of subjects, issues and history. Now, only a fool would think they had the same authority as the Navy's second in command. Again, it's nonsensical to even hint that myself, the moderators or the members' of the this support community are here for anything other than to offer support, share experiences, expose the lies of smoking and have some fun in the process. Opinions can be incorrect. Not experiences or things that we've been through, but opinions. Our experiences can shape our opinions which can lead to opinions that are indeed wrong. That's not saying that our experiences are wrong or are not real or important, but we can form erroneous opinions based on them. All one has to do is take a look at the news. Opinions fill the airways and some of them are flat out wrong. Although it may not be comforting to realize that our opinions may be wrong, it doesn't change the fact that we come to incorrect conclusions based on our experiences, ideals, poor interpretations, or simply an unwillingness to keep an open mind. Now, as far as "trolling", that sounds like a personal attack and according to the rules and guidelines that you agreed to when you joined this support community (they are also pinned so they are readily available for review ), you may want to rethink how you react to certain members of this community. You wrote, "take what you want and leave the rest" works just fine for me." Wouldn't it work better to follow this so you don't interfere with your own enjoyment of this community as well as the enjoyment of others'? Let's leave the ill-fated agendas at the door so this community is free from personal attacks and "trolls", neither of which reflect who we are or why this forum came into existence. We're here to help and support one another and have some fun along the way. This is your community. Make it count for something.

Rez is the man! Owner of the official rag of the Train. :D

I sure hope so, Jonny. Nothing would make be happier than to see him free not only because he's my brother but also for his son. My brother is part of who I am in the sense that I'd give my life to save his in a second without any hesitation. If I can get his procrastinating, excuse making ass of his over here, it will be a miracle in and of itself. The more I think about it, a good ass kicking from me and my Dad may be in order. :) I'm gonna put foot to ass.

loI have and I've even threatened him but as he knows, I couldn't and wouldn't. But the phrase "I'm gonna kick yer ass" get's tossed around a lot. lol

You've got 6 months under your belt tomorrow, Rez. :)

You should be good to go.

Prison is exactly what we willingly live in when we choose to smoke. It sucks. When I quit in the past, I would look back and miss the days of smoking. But since I understood smoking for what it really is, I look back and all I see are bad memories and a shitty existence bound to the almighty cigarette. I never, ever will go back to that lifestyle. I don't care how bad things get, THAT life is not me anymore. Smoking stinks, it sucks, it kills you and controls your life and those around you. Those prison gates are open and what prisoner would choose to stay locked up? None. So why should you? Quit now.

Which is worse, going without a cigarette when you think you need one or quitting over and over?

Agreed 100%. I wish my younger brother would quit. He's too damn of afraid of all the horror stories about quitting and I keep telling him it's bull. Of course, he wants to smoke more than he wants to quit and that's the main issue. I'm going to tell him AGAIN to join this site. His 7 year old son begs him to quit. He needs to quit and it saddens me because I know he can do it and I know what he's doing to himself by continuing to smoke.

I saw those cats ^^^ in concert and got Frank Hannon's (guitar player) autograph and met him after the show. Good tune.

Happy birthday, Amy!! I may have missed a post from you, but if you've quit today, or have not yet, there is still time. Quit today and you can forever claim that you quit on your birthday. Two celebrations in one from here on out. Congrats on quitting, Amy. :)

No a single puff today. :)

We all learn until the day we die but that's a very generalized statement about life and Jonny is talking quitting smoking and staying quit. There is a big difference and you can't make such sweeping generalizations when somebody is talking about something very specific. Quitting smoking, staying quit and being a happy, content non-smoker does not require constant learning for the rest of your life. It requires vigilance and awareness, but not constant learning. This isn't engineering or computer science where things are rapidly changing. The laws of addiction have largely remained the same and in the case of nicotine addiction, they are static. I know that I keep my guard up by never forgetting that I'm an addict. Jonny is the same way. Being confident in your quit is your best weapon against never smoking again. If you walk around with the mindset that you may or may not ever smoke again, you're doomed to repeat the past. Once you come to the realization that you've not given anything up by quitting, you're going to feel like you're on some kind of diet and are depriving yourself of something. This does not sound like a pleasant way for me to spend the rest of my life. There is no "one size fits all" solution to quitting (like I wrote in the "About Us" section) but there is a one size fits all solution to remaining a happy, content non-smoker for the rest of our lives. Allen Carr taught me this as he has millions of others. Allen Carr was a happy non-smoker because he understood that he gave nothing up by quitting smoking and that he never really enjoyed smoking in the first place. Allen knew he would never smoke again and I can guarantee that he didn't have the mindset that that he may or may not ever smoke again. Furthermore, Jonny5's aunt is a nurse who deals with smoking cessation and I can't speak for Jonny5, but I would imagine that he has a different perspective on this whole quitting thing than the rest of us.

This is the foundation of a lasting, non-burdensome quit. This is how to get to Freedomville. Even when life gets tough or you're stressed to the max, you will not reach for a cigarette once you fully believe that you've not given anything up by quitting smoking. Smoking offers nothing but stress, disease and slavery to Philip Morris (insert your master of choice here).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qVEyGdqwjmQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0TL2Vh7goJc&noredirect=1

The longer you continue to smoke you're going to wake up that addiction and fall into past patterns all over again. Before you know it you'll be back to where you were when you quit. I suggest that you quit ASAP. Don't give up quitting! I have chances to buy cigarettes whenever I want. I can bum one whenever I want. You will always have the opportunity to smoke but when you're a non-smoker you don't smoke. What led up to this relapse? How long was the junkie thinking going on? As you know, relapses don't just happen as they are planned as soon as that inner junkie plants the seed and you let it grow. You made a bad choice and now you're going to make a great choice by quitting ASAP. You can do this, Amy. Putting things in your mouth and setting them ablaze is not normal. It may feel normal because all you're doing to chasing withdrawal. When you put out your last cigarette, immediately create your own thread in this forum and post each day, as many times as you need to about how your feeling, what you're struggling with, if you need to vent etc. Here's 112 hands, grab one so we can pull you back up on the train and get you back to being a non-smoker. We will be waiting for you to sign back on. Hang in there and keep your chin up. That's an order. :)

Welcome, Laura and congrats on your decision to quit smoking! How long have you smoked for and how many per day? Anything specific that you want to deal with right now?

Glad you still have your quit! Running was a much, much better choice than smoking and unlike cigarettes, running actually does relieve stress. :)

The members of this board offer the best support that I've ever witnessed. So many people looking out for one another. What more can you ask for? I'm proud to be among such great people. :)

If it's in front of The White House, then yes. lol Hey, maybe I can get President Obama to sign up here. Rumor is that he quit, but not from what I heard. The junkie thinking is strong in that man. ;)

People stand on street corners dancing and waving signs for tax services and furniture sales. Why not for quit smoking? Maybe I'll get a permit and dress up in some corny costume to draw attention to myself and go stand in the front of the Whie House with my Quit Train sign. Not only will the locals see it, but so will millions of Americans as they watch the 24/hr news channels. Maybe I can even get an interview or two with some news media. I may have to spend a few nights in jail, but if it saves just one person's life...