MarylandQuitter

Welcome, larklibby. So today is the day and I see you're two hours into your quit right now. :) Have you read the "Quit Smoking Timetable"? I kept it fresh in my mind when I first quit and read it several times per day. Check out Joel's Video Library pinned at the top of the Quit Smoking board. Please, if you have any concerns, fear of relapse, questions etc., don't hesitate to post. If you feel as if you're about to smoke, create a thread in the S.O.S. board and somebody will be right in to help you. Myself, the mods and many members get alerts to their emails and phones whenever a new topic is created in the S.O.S. board. Somebody is always here. :) How To Quit Smoking This video lays out simple tips for people wanting to quit smoking. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l27zWo7hbcY

NOPE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJOAaMw6yzk

What really struck home for me was when I first started to seriously considering quitting smoking and I ran across the Bryan Curtis story at whyquit.com. When I saw the picture of his young son sitting on his wife's lap, he was so sad. I thought of my little girl. At that point I knew that I not only wanted to quit, but also needed to. The guilt that I'd been feeling, knowing that I was stealing years away from my daughter with her Daddy had been weighing very heavy on me. Once I read about Bryan and could put a picture in my mind of things to come if I didn't quit, I knew I had to find a way. I knew that I wasn't "planning" on being a smoker for the rest of my wife but at the same time knew that it was a strong possibility if I didn't change the way I looked at smoking. I went to my doctor for something unrelated and just happen to mention to him that I wanted to quit but enjoyed it too much and man, did he ever confront me with the bullshit coming out of my mouth. After I left his office, I knew I could never look at smoking the same way. That was it. No matter what it took to quit, I was going to do it. When I put out my last cigarette that weight of guilt lifted. I knew I had made a good decision and was very proud of it. I kept reading "Stop Smoking Benefits Timetable" and had it bookmarked so I could easily access it. I read it over and over and over. It was like a lifeline to me. Instead of focusing on wanting to smoke or a crave, I forced myself to focus on the benefits, my blood pressure, my blood oxygen level back to normal and the list goes on and on. Of course I still have cravings but I kept my focus and each time I looked at my little girl, I no longer had that guilty feeling and knowing how sad she would be should I die and early death due to stupid smoking. No matter when I die or what I die from, I WON'T DIE A SMOKER!!!!!! My doctor told me two weeks ago that I'll probably live to be in my 80's, even though I smoked for so long. Who knows but I do know one thing, none of us knows the future so quit now, keep your quit and get on with enjoying life. Look at the members here running 5k's, marathons, workout beasts they are. Look at some of the these people; if you saw them on the street you would think they never smoked a day in their lives!! Just because you smoked doesn't mean anything other than you once were a smoker. When you quit you start to live again. Your body loves you for it and rewards you by healing itself. Anyway, great thread. :)

Baseball. It's one of the best ways to bring in spring. Go O's! I love to watch the woods come back to life. The foliage, the birds and all the colors makes for great views while drinking coffee the only way I know how, perfectly brewed. Then there's the kids and listening to them play outside. Not necessarily relaxing, but peaceful nonetheless. HA! Sometimes after a hard rain my mind travels back to northeastern Ohio when I was a kid. I'll never forget the brick road we lived on, the little green house we lived in, the kitchen and watching it rain as my brother and I looked out the screen door feeling like it would never end. So, so many years ago but it seems as if it were yesterday. I love memories. I hope my kids look back on their childhood with fond memories.

So many positive things that we never thought about until we quit. I don't think we realized to the full extent of our suffering until we quit smoking.

So Far From The Clyde is awesome. One of my favorites. The first time I heard it and really listened to the lyrics with the music it literally left me speechless. MK has a gift that's only season a few times per generation. However, I wonder if the current generation skipped it. lol MK, Lightfoot, Dylan; never to be repeated. Ever.

Ahhhh. I wondered why they would have that as a season finale.

I know lol So now it's done until October? WTF???????????????????

Carol is going to kill him if he doesn't take a bath. lol Parts of last nights episode were pretty funny. Daryl carrying that possum, refusing to take a bath lol

Oneistoo, You relapsed because you were romanticizing smoking. Relapse doesn't "just happen", it's planned. You don't beat this addiction by being stronger than it, you beat it by being smarter than it. Watching Joel's videos, the documentaries and reading all of the supporting material here aimed to educate about this addiction. Knowledge is power and without it, you're chances of staying smoke-free diminish each time you fondly think about smoking. Also, relapse is not a part of the process of quitting smoking. Glad to see that you started your quit again and this time, please understand that smoking does not relieve stress, it only adds to it. Is Relapse A Natural Part Of The Quitting Process? Discusses potential of long-term relapses after quitting, as well as dispelling the idea that people have to quit multiple times for a quit to be able to finally take. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nk6OFRO9BY4&list=PL4F05C03D0F9B86DB

Odd. All of a sudden I just got a huge pain in my backside. :read:

Nothing to be sorry for and Joel certainly has dealt with this question many times which is why he made the videos to address it. Imagine being around smokers in a clinical setting for 40 years and all the insight and knowledge that one would get from it. There is nothing that any of us go through that he hasn't seen before. He may not have experienced it, but he's very knowledgeable about it. Babs runs a support group for certain people dealing with a very serious illness. She doesn't have that illness and doesn't need to in order to help them. Not all the time, but sometimes it takes a person not attached to the situation to tell it how it is. cpk, get comfortable being uncomfortable as this mindset will get you through any craving you could ever imagine. :)

Me too! I am a full-fledged nicotine addict and always will be. I will forever be one puff away from 2 packs per day. As long as I never forget that I was once a smoker and am an addict, I can remain a non-smoker for the rest of my life. The day I choose to let my guard down is the day I put my quit and ultimately my life in danger. I'm going to post a link to a thread over at Freedom where this very topic was brought up.

There are social smokers, not here, but there are. They may be few and far between, but make no mistake, they do exist. But for each and every one of us, we can never take another puff because we're not social smokers, we're nicotine addicts. This is what Joel is saying and has always said. Just as some people want to believe that smoking is not an option, well, it is. Smoking is always an option because if it truly wasn't, why would we be here?

You would post that song. lol

Joel has never shyed away from the fact that he never smoked. Please watch the videos below which address this. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dlJK9ZSlw5Q https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9S8TphTve4g https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nqcuPng589k

So you gonna run through snowdrifts and fields of snow? Now that's a workout! Wait, romp means run, right? :dirol:

Rob, if you have any cigarettes left, destroy them. Today is a new day, a new beginning. Begin the begin and let's go. Put the past behind. If you quit last night, great! If you smoked this morning, then quit now. This very moment that your reading this will never come again. Make this moment count. Start with Joel's Video Library and plan to watch at least one video per day and really think about what is being said. Give this quit your undivided attention and don't let life influence it. We can't let life influence our quits because it's not logical to do so. The Power Of Nicotine Addiction Video explains the full power of the grip that nicotine can take on an individual and the consequences that can be faced if a person does not quit smoking. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TpYRrZG5l8A Related videos: "I can't quit because I am addicted" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWso5... "I can't quit or I won't quit" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i22AI... "Don't let a slip put you back to using" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0cfxz... "Lost long term quits" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJeHt... "Were you addicted" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWcTk... "Nicotine addiction" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-EGq... The costs of smoking https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=unQe5... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iE-Z6GxSAc8

I couldn't agree more. When we exercise, we have more energy. When we exercise, we feel good about ourselves. When we exercise our bodies release endorphins which make us feel very positive. There's a reason why they say exercise is addictive and you get a natural high. It's the endorphins released during exercise that make us happy and calm. Of course don't forget the necessity of exercise to promote good health. :) NOPE30eT

Word.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2MflUH8Bdys https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F81CjEsglr8

Finally you listen to me!!!! I'm watching the series for the second time now. I'm going to buy the box set I like it so much. GR8 choice!!!!!!

This tune played through my mono blocks sounds incredible. You can hear his fingers striking the strings. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oe_pj0dXbec