MarylandQuitter

It's now sitting on my counter, next to my keys and wallet. :)

Evelyn, unless your doctor tells you to keep smoking, you need to quit. I could never tell anybody to continue smoking under any circumstances, ever. Quitting smoking is not going to interfere with antidepressants that you're taking. I've never read that or even heard that and trust me, I've read lots of scientific research on nicotine and it's effects on the brain and there is not one doctor who would tell a patient to continue smoking unless they just didn't give a shit about the person or was sadistic. I've watched a family member suffer for decades with emphysema and his last couple of years he suffered greatly. His last days dying were horrific watch him unable to breathe. I've watched a very close friend live with and eventually die from emphysema and it too was not pretty. This isn't like normal aging that just getting old and "dying from something", it's torture. Quit before it's too late because once you get this (and other smoking related diseases) all you can do is mitigate, at best. If you're trading your commitment to NOPE to a commitment of smoking and somehow thinking that you're doing yourself a favor, then I highly suggest that you spend every waking hour reading about nicotine addiction. Watch these videos right now. Do You Really Need To Want To Quit More Than You Want To Smoke? An often quoted comment is that many people fail to quit or to stay off of smoking because they wanted to smoke more than they wanted to quit. Video discusses how this is not necessarily the reason why people fail in their quits. It is not that they don’t want to quit bad enough, but rather that they don’t understand what they need to do to quit and stay off and what their real options are regarding quitting and smoking. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4FlmmeOeoo Smoking A Cigarette Will Help Me Secure My Quit Video discusses how some people can bargain themselves into smoking with the thought that taking a cigarette that tastes bad will reinforce their resolve to stay smoke free. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YY6tAeam9Lg&index=41&list=PL4F05C03D0F9B86DB How To Quit Smoking - I'm not suggesting this video as an insult but rather because there are very, very important piece of information that are relevant to your situation. Video lays out simple tips for people wanting to quit smoking. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l27zWo7hbcY I Can't Quit Or I Won't Quit Video discusses how anyone can quit smoking but there are people who won't quit smoking. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i22AI_prRQI

Evelyn, I'm glad you're venting and have committed to NOPE and refuse to light up. What are you trying to quit, drinking soda as in pop?

I can't believe it's December already! NOPE!

I was going to post exactly the same.

NOPE!

NOPE!

Like most ex-smokers with long quits will oftentimes say, I rarely... https://www.quittrain.com/topic/7743-am-i-protecting-my-quit-are-you/?p=193268

The other day I was sitting with a cup of coffee and a blueberry scone and my thoughts turned to this question: "What am I doing to protect my quit?" "Am I protecting my quit?" Like most ex-smokers with long quits will oftentimes say, I rarely think about smoking and when I do, it's a fleeting thought, a gentle reminder of my why I can never allow myself to smoke. But I asked myself, how am I protecting my quit? I pragmatically thought about this as if my life depended on it. As I went over the ways I protect my quit there was one specific mindset that blew everything else out-of-the-water; a concept for which all other means to stay quit fall under. I am a nicotine addict. Accepting that I was an addict early in my quit was the deciding factor if I was indeed going to not ever take another puff. Once you treat this as a drug addiction and accept it, the ways in which you stay quit are rank and file. In less than two minutes my brain was resounding with an unrelenting YES, I am protecting my quit. I think I'll ask myself this from time-to-time just to make sure I'm not getting complacent and keep my ego in check with reality. :) Are you protecting your quit?

NOPE!!!

Awesome "non-action", Sarge! :) Thanks for sticking around the QT!!

Welcome, Gina! Thanks for sharing a bit about yourself and I like your approach to staying quit. :)

I get it crystal clear; it's junkie thinking, Tiffany. You've given yourself permission to relapse and have already thrown in the towel. You must make a commitment to yourself to never take another puff, take it seriously, actually mean it and actually NEVER TAKE ANOTHER PUFF. Be uncomfortable, accept it and make it your normal for now. If you don't like that, too bad. Take a stand and stick to it. The problem that you've always had that always leads to your relapses is that you think you're giving something up by quitting smoking. You say your brain can't wrap itself around this concept and I say, so what? You don't have control over your thoughts but you DO HAVE CONTROL over how you act on them. You have a choice and your nicotine addiction is not stronger than mine. The difference is that I outsmarted mine and have remained smoke-free. You're not stronger than the addiction but you need to outsmart the thing in order to stop the constant struggle and cycle of relapse/short intervals of quitting and so on. Please let us know this morning what happened. :) I Gave Up Smoking Video discusses how attitude can play a major role on how easy or hard quitting and staying fee can be. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kSe3iH-N2LU&index=34&list=PL4F05C03D0F9B86DB The Lucky Ones Get Hooked Video discusses how not all people who take a cigarette after quitting instantly get hooked--only the lucky ones do. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8XvSiHmlQ8&index=2&list=PL4F05C03D0F9B86DB

NOPE!

NOPE!

Thank you! :)

Look who's back!

Awesome job, Tiffany! Maybe you have but if you kept a journal and read back through every entry and remembered each small struggle you went through, each crave you endured until it passed and to where you are now, you would probably resolve that you will never let nicotine into your body again. I guess this thread (and your posts in other threads) can serve as a similar purpose. You cannot under any circumstances ever take another puff or introduce nicotine back into your body now. Something you wrote to another member recently. :)

We did a color refresh of sort. Just something to change it up a little. :)

Awesome job, Marlene!

Just stay close to the forum and spend as much time as you kind learning about this addiction. :gamer1:

Of course you can! In the meantime, it's imperative that you learn as much as you can about this addiction and commit to never take another puff, ever. We beat this addiction by understanding what's going on and being smarter than it, not stronger than it. Please watch the above videos as well as the videos in the link. Being proactive and active in your quit will ensure your success! :)

Marlene, please start here watching this series by Joel. If you have any cigarettes, destroy them. Don't keep a single cigarette. Get rid of them all! In the meantime, a few videos to help sort out what you're going through. Prolonging Nicotine Withdrawal Video explains how the 72 hour withdrawal symptoms that I discuss in many of my videos and articles is only applicable to true cold turkey quitters. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OHx12A8-mFg&feature=youtu.be Cold Turkey Quitting Redefined Video discusses that when you see or hear news reports related to studies comparing cold turkey quitting to other methods of cessation, the studies may actually have nothing to do with cold turkey quitting. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EMA0OhCYVo0&feature=em-upload_owner Quitting By Gradual Withdrawal While many people assume that quitting by gradual withdrawal or cutting down sounds like an easier approach, it just results in a prolonged and often more painful state of withdrawal. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dvkxt_GMG-0&index=14&list=PL0F23FAFB942E402A 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

Absolutely! NRT works for some and we support the use of NRT, provided the goal is to get off of ALL nicotine sooner rather than later. I see you as suffering and most likely because of the that patch. I could be wrong, but that almost always is the case because you're prolonging the inevitable which to become nicotine free to beat this addiction. :)

Nope!