MarylandQuitter

Hope to hear from you soon! Happy Holidays and I hope you're well.

Whenever I imagined myself as a non-smoker, I believed that I would be missing out on good times made even better because of smoking. Going out wouldn't be as enjoyable without cigarettes and the ordinary tasks of daily life would become bland. The big one for me was smoking while drinking my morning coffee. I would seriously look forward to going to bed at night because I knew I would soon be drinking coffee and smoking half a dozen cigarettes while my mind and body sparked back to life. As it turned out, I didn't miss those mornings once I quit and much to my surprise, I enjoyed my mornings much more without smoke in my eyes, the stench on my clean clothes and hair I didn't have to go outside or in the garage and sit on a stool. I remembered reading about how many people are found dead with a cigarette next to them. I often thought about that while smoking in the garage and wondered if it would be me. These are just a few of fears/lies that I believed for so long. More to follow... 1. I never missed out on anything once I quit.

Let's get a good discussion going here for the holidays because as another new year is upon us, so are thousands wanting to rid their lives of this crippling and deadly addiction. We may keep this group discussion going until the end of the year so we get a large sampling of fears, experiences and why these fears are not rooted in fact and instead nicotine (drug) addiction. Many smokers are afraid to quit for various reasons. There is nothing to fear about quitting but everything to fear about not quitting. Then there are those who are new to smoking who have irrational fears about staying quit, fear of relapse, fear of failure and even the fear of succeeding. What fears did you have before you made the commitment to N.O.P.E. (not one puff, ever), what did you do to overcome those fears and how do you view those fears today? Once you actually quit smoking, did you have any fears about relapsing and if so, how did you get past them and do those fears still exist? Here a couple of videos for reference, especially for our guests who may be having some fears that are stopping them from making a commitment to N.O.P.E. The Fear Of Failure This video explains how many people are fearful of even attempting a quit because they are convinced that it is impossible for them to succeed. The attached videos examine the reasons for this fear and will help to illustrate that smokers can quit if they understand the addiction they are fighting and how to take control of it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_64RhiVj9Y&list=PLCDB8BA311D538113&index=8 The Fear Of Success This video explains how many people are fearful of attempting a quit because they realize that they may actually succeed. The attached videos examine the reasons for this fear and will help smokers to understand that the fears they have of their lives being ruined are based on the false assumption that cigarettes were helping them to live as opposed to recognizing that smoking was ruining their lives in many ways. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHhWSOsWoBE&list=PLCDB8BA311D538113&index=9 The Fear Of Relapsing Video explains how many people are fearful of even attempting a quit because they are convinced that even if by some miracle they succeed, they will likely lose the quit at some future point in time. This video explains why they may have this fear and what resources we have to deal with it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IoWuSG8W_2E Quitting Smoking Out Of Fear Video explains how quitting smoking simply out of fear of it's consequences has its limitations and may make staying off harder than it should be. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8wpre2NagvY

Many smokers are afraid to quit for various reasons. There is nothing to fear about quitting but everything to fear about not quitting. Please join us as we dispel the lies of nicotine addiction and expose the fears that inhibit millions from quitting and staying quit. http://www.quittrain.com/topic/3805-wk50-group-discussion-wk51-why-fear-inhibits-quitting-smoking-why-this-fear-is-not-based-on-fact/

Camp starts March 1st in Maryland. Come prepared to work. ;)

Here is a pic of Evelyn's Christmas tree. Beautiful!! :)

Glad to read this, Jess. QT, you guys rock!!!!!

Hell, DD is right. You're also one puff away from a lifetime of smoking, suffering, emphysema and the stench of disease.

Don't smoke! This is only temporary and smoking will make you feel like crap.

You just made my day, Tiffany!! It was a rather rough day at work and to see this really puts things into perspective. Check in and post as often as you can because it really does help. :)

Unless your car has just been washed, you shouldn't put a cover on it. The problem is that when you drive it, dirt, dust, sand etc. gets on the paint and when you put a cover over it, it's going to move around from wind, rain etc. and scratch the paint. As far as keeping the paint in the best shape possible, I would wash it, put a good coat of wax on it and leave it out. If you really wanted to go the extra step, have it clay barred, washed, buffed, waxed and let it go. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TWURKK06R8A

Great! :) Whenever you're feeling a bit down, stop on by. There is always fresh coffee and even better company. We're "Rainy Day People". :) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ctRi2K_jIII

It's impossible for smoking to relieve stress. Don't believe the lies of smoking anymore because as long as you still believe them, you leave the door open for relapse. For relapse, there is no valid excuse. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qVEyGdqwjmQ

N to the O to the P to the E

What's going on that you're hanging on by the skin of your teeth? You're 3 months quit which is normal for some to struggle a bit. Thanksgiving is behind us and Christmas is in full swing now. Are you craving? Think you're missing out?

Saw them in concert years ago. Good tune. Your answer may be found within... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nFdB8dQKPy4&list=PL9F430E3716A36E04

lol

Right there. True is all aspects of life...a life of freedom. I wish MQ at 20 years old would have learned this.

I'm glad you're okay and also glad that you're back.

She can see the forum just can't log in. Still haven't received an email from her about her password but I suspect it's something with her phone.

You know why you won today? Because you're smarter than nicotine. :)

Congratulations, Gabby! :)

Business cards were planned months ago to be stuffed into the mugs once we get them. Also, they'll be given to members who want them.

We have a preliminary list but haven't sent out any emails. There are a few things that I'd like to noodle over for awhile before drafting anything up. Once Beth is recovered, we'll revisit again after the new year and plan a way forward. :)

I still have to set up shipping etc. Just picked them up after work so I hope to have everything set up this evening. :)