MarylandQuitter

OMG, JOE!!! I'm so thankful you and your wife are okay!!!

Congrats!!!

Great find, Doreen! Very true words from a long-term quitter. :)

Nope!!!

Me either! NOPE!

This should be on the main board as it's a testament to your success and can and will give somebody the courage to take that first step into the unknown and quit. :)

NOPE!!!!!!

What trouble?? This is why we're here!!!! This is why we exist. Post as often as you need and please know that we're committed to helping you succeed and stay off of nicotine forever. :)

This is a really good question and I'm glad you asked it. I used to smoke a ton at work. In fact, it wasn't uncommon for me to smoke an entire pack in 8 hours. When I was on midnight shift, it was often times just myself in a huge building built in 1903. I could sit atop and watch DC as it slept or sometimes not. Either way, it was wonderfully quiet, beautiful sights and it was just myself and my thoughts. I didn't have to worry about other people coming and going thus affecting the need to feed my addiction. Day shift I also smoked while working, just not as often because there were many more things to deal with; people being at the top of the list. Yeah, people = stress. Still I would catch a smoke pretty much whenever I wanted but certainly not like the carefree midnight shift. When I quit smoking, I kept myself busy and if my work was done, I found more. I kept printouts of the Quit Smoking Recovery Timetable on me and had several key topics bookmarked on my phone to read if I was getting antsy and wanted a cigarette. I kept Allen Carr's book with me and also had certain pages of it bookmarked. Lastly, the crankiness you're experience will go away. Once you get the nicotine out of your system (3 days or so) the rest of psychological and this is where you really need to learn and understand about this addiction. You can start with watching the videos concerning issues when you first quit. Come here as often as you can. If you think you're going to smoke, post an S.O.S. on this specific board. Myself and many other members get alerts to our phones and email whenever somebody posts a new topic on the S.O.S. board. Somebody will there quickly to help get your through. How To Quit Smoking Video lays out simple tips for people wanting to quit smoking. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l27zWo7hbcY Related resources: Quit smoking tip sheet http://whyquit.com/joel/Joel_03_01_ti...

I can tell you this, knowledge about this addiction WILL give you exactly what you need to understand the different things you will experience during your quit which will ensure that you stay quit. :)

Good Morning Nik! First, a huge congrats is in order for not smoking under stress like that. As you know or will soon learn, smoking DOES NOT help you deal with stress as it raises your blood pressure, increases your heart rate and sends adrenaline coursing through your body. Smoking actually puts your body into the fight or flight mode of survival. The patch seems to be working for you, for now. The goal should be to get rid of nicotine swiftly and completely. As long as you're still feeding your nicotine addiction with the same drug you're trying to kick, you're still going in and out of withdrawals which in and of itself is "stress". You're doing a great job and keep going!!! Creating this thread is one way to ensure that you'll never take another puff. The Law Of Addiction (Updated Video) "Administration of a drug to an addict will cause re-establishment of chemical dependence upon the addictive substance." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CbOeOvA940U Keeping Cigarettes To Deal With Stress Video explains the importance of getting rid of your stashes of cigarettes when you quit smoking. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymwuG_f_tGY&index=19&list=PL0F23FAFB942E402A

Welcome, Kelly! I was just talking to a friend yesterday morning about how many people can find just the thought of quitting smoking can be scary. You're not alone. I remember one attempt at quitting (before I was hooked up with a support group) and I was scared of what I thought the consequences of quitting were going to be. How's that for addict speak? lol Scared at the consequences of quitting smoking (yes, withdrawals are a consequence)? That's like being scared at the consequences of wearing a respirator while working around asbestos. I was afraid of how wanting a cigarette was going to consume my thoughts. I learned I was in control of this, not the crave so it wasn't an issue. I was afraid of losing a friend; one that really was plotting my demise. What a nice guy the Marlboro Man was! I'll Be A Nervous Wreck Forever If I Quit Smoking Video explores the fear that people have that they will become much more nervous when they quit smoking, and likely be more nervous the rest of their lives if they stay free. Despite these fears, most people become calmer as former smokers than they were when actually smoking. The video explains why this is usually the case. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJBu7Bf3LpM&index=15&list=PL0F23FAFB942E402A

This is so important! By starting your own thread and or keeping a diary here, so we can all see it, holds you accountable. It works. It truly, truly does.

Welcome, Nicky! How Do I Quit Smoking? The Newbie Database My Cigarette, My Friend How do you feel about a friend who has to go everywhere with you? Not only does he tag along all the time, but since he is so offensive and vulgar, you become unwelcome when with him. He has a peculiar odor that sticks to you wherever you go. Others think both of you stink. He controls you totally. When he says jump, you jump. Sometimes in the middle of a blizzard or storm, he wants you to come to the store and pick him up. You would give your spouse hell if he or she did that to you all the time, but you can't argue with your friend. Sometimes, when you are out at a movie or play he says he wants you to go stand in the lobby with him and miss important scenes. Since he calls all the shots in your life, you go. Your friend doesn't like your choice of clothing either. Instead of politely telling you that you have lousy taste, he burns little holes in these items so you will want to throw them out. Sometimes, he tires of the furniture and gets rid of it too. Occasionally, he gets really nasty and decides the whole house must go. He gets pretty expensive to support. Not only is his knack of property destruction costly, but you must pay to keep him with you. In fact, he will cost you thousands of dollars over your lifetime. And you can count on one thing, he will never pay you a penny in return. Often at picnics you watch others playing vigorous activities and having lots of fun doing them. But your friend won't let you. He doesn't believe in physical activity. In his opinion, you are too old to have that kind of fun. So he kind of sits on your chest and makes it difficult for you to breathe. Now you don't want to go off and play with other people when you can't breathe, do you? Your friend does not believe in being healthy. He is really repulsed by the thought of you living a long and productive life. So every chance he gets he makes you sick. He helps you catch colds and flu. Not just by running out in the middle of the lousy weather to pick him up at the store. He is more creative than that. He carries thousands of poisons with him which he constantly blows in your face. When you inhale some of them, they wipe out cilia in your lungs which would have helped you prevent these diseases. But colds and flu are just his form of child's play. He especially likes diseases that slowly cripple you - like emphysema. He considers this disease great. Once he gets you to have this, you will give up all your other friends, family, career goals, activities - everything. You will just sit home and caress him, telling him what a great friend he is while you desperately gasp for air. But eventually your friend tires of you. He decides he no longer wishes to have your company. Instead of letting you go your separate ways, he decides to kill you. He has a wonderful arsenal of weapons behind him. In fact, he has been plotting your death since the day you met him. He picked all the top killers in society and did everything in his power to ensure you would get one of them. He overworked your heart and lungs. He clogged up the arteries to your heart, brain, and every other part of your body. In case you were too strong to succumb to this, he constantly exposed you to cancer causing agents. He knew he would get you sooner or later. Well, this is the story of your "friend," your cigarette. No real friend would do all this to you. Cigarettes are the worst possible enemies you ever had. They are expensive, addictive, socially unacceptable, and deadly. Consider all this and NEVER TAKE ANOTHER PUFF! Joel http://whyquit.com/w...lcigfriend.html

Welcome ExTex! We beat this addiction by understanding it and being smarter than it. Through knowledge and making an unshakable commitment to never take a puff from a cigarette again will be a big asset. Starting Day One Of Your Quit Suggested videos and reading materials for the first day of your quit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5kOMX5vPldI How To Quit Smoking Video lays out simple tips for people wanting to quit smoking. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l27zWo7hbcY Related resources: Quit smoking tip sheet http://whyquit.com/joel/Joel_03_01_ti...

I don't miss wasting all of that $$, how I stunk to everyone around me and I didn't realize how bad it truly was and the guilt I felt knowing what I was doing to my body but kept doing it anyway. Now, NO GUILT!! I was a smoker at one time but no matter what, I WILL NOT DIE A SMOKER!!! I'm following the road of Queen Greenlover and riding this quit until the day I die. :)

HA! lol Yep, right date! :)

I've never forgotten that I was a smoker and I never want to. It's when we let our guard down and become complacent that we start playing with fire and are in danger of taking that puff that we promised we'd never take. As far as not thinking about cigarettes, I don't anymore and I can't remember when I stopped thinking about them in the same way that I did when I was a smoker or craving them after I quit. The time varies for each person but I can tell you that lighting up a cigarette is so far removed from my thoughts that since I've quit, I've gone through a couple of crises and the thought of smoking wasn't present. :) Will I Ever Stop Thinking Of Cigarettes? Most people overestimate how much of a battle staying smoke free will be once they quit smoking. This video discusses how people will generally stop thinking about smoking, and much sooner than they usually think. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8310BI-euJw&list=PL8EB359C247D3FE6C&index=13 Complacency Video discussing the importance of not allowing yourself to become complacent after longer term success not smoking. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZSktbwotI4&index=30&list=PL4F05C03D0F9B86DB I Know Too Much About Smoking To Ever Relapse Video discusses how some people may erroneously begin to think that when they fully understand all aspects of smoking and quitting that there is no way that they could ever relapse back to smoking again. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMU8ON0G4G0

NOPE!

Great job!!! Remember this video? Using Cigarettes As Rewards Video discusses how what many people find themselves not wanting to do certain activities because they can no longer reward themselves with a cigarette for completion of their tasks. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYq43i2tKaY

One more... Why I Recommend Cranberry Juice When First Quitting Smoking Video discusses how cranberry juice can help people when first quitting smoking, but that it use is only helpful during the initial withdrawal period that lasts only 72 hours or less. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WVkuOU7MBjQ

Welcome nochoice! First things first; we don't judge anybody here. Haven't since day 1 and never will. You can quit smoking and stay off of nicotine for the rest of your life. There isn't anything new under the sun about this addiction (and kicking it) that we don't know and have experienced ourselves. :) When did you last smoke? Even if you're smoking a cigarette right now, put it out, destroy your cigarettes, toss all the paraphernalia and this is your quit date and time. Make your ticker here or I'll make one for you. Start your own thread. Scratch that. I've created your own thread so you can keep a daily log/journal of how your quit is going. Members will check it and provide support and encourage you to never take another puff. Your thread is here. A recent thread by a member with a long quit, Cristóbal, is one that you should read right now. A Crave Is NEVER A Command. We have a huge video library containing most, if not all, of Joel Spitzer's videos on quitting smoking. Start here, Day One of your quit and watch as many as you can. Re-watch until you have a full grasp on what this addiction is and how we must beat it by being smarter than it, not stronger than it. Below are a couple of videos to watch right now. Be Proud That You Quit Smoking Video discusses the importance of being proud of yourself when you are first quitting smoking. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GpxnCA7fBNs&list=PL8EB359C247D3FE6C&index=15 I'll Have To Use Willpower For The Rest Of My Life Not To Smoke Most people overestimate how much of a battle staying smoke free will be once they quit smoking. This video discusses how people will generally stop thinking about smoking and not need to exercise any extensive use of willpower in order to maintain their quits. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R71uQfy9nu0 Quitting Smoking Is A Simple Process Quitting smoking is really a simple process. However, "simple" does not always mean "easy". This video explains the difference between the two. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ORKbH6Ja8Q8 Terrible 3s Video discussing why people "may" have problems at three day and three month marks. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTIr3UEez1w&list=PL4F05C03D0F9B86DB&index=11

Day one.

Whenever a crave it gnawing at you, remember that every single person here and the millions of those who've quit smoking also said NO. That horrible crave that's pestering you will be long forgotten so long as you keep saying no because over time (mine was short), they all go away...for good.