MarylandQuitter

Please post how many cigarettes you used to smoke per day so I can make a community ticker to track how many cigarettes as a group we've not smoked. Not sure what I'll use as a quit date for the ticker, maybe the day QT was created?? I love the idea action! I'll keep a running total as new members join etc. on a spreadsheet so it can be easily tracked and changed. MQ - 35

That's great news!!!!

CARL! STAY BACK WITH THE OTHERS!

NOPE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DgZN4UI_8wU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CiIOvdMZ7us https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Y6fzh8RSSg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZSktbwotI4

I'm German and my late Grandmother came over to the states after WWII and I never heard of this! My 10 year old boy loves pickles and perhaps I may start a new tradition this year and hide a pickle in the tree. :) Beautiful young ladies, Joe. Mine are 5 and 9 but I am not looking forward to when they want to start dating. I cried for the entire ceremony when my youngest (now 5) graduated from daycare. I cried when she got on the school bus for her first day of Kindergarten. When I see a boy start hanging around, I won't be cryin' no more I can tell you that! lol My wife and I don't quit see eye to eye on this issue and I have a feeling that there will be somewhat of a compromise where I basically don't get much of a say. ;) Oh well, that's a long way off. Now to find a pickle and on Christmas morning I'm going to break the news about the new tradition. :) They already think I'm nuts now I'll just have to convince them that there really is a pickle in the tree. lol

First, you need to take care of yourself after what happened to you. I can't even begin to imagine. If I can do anything to help, please reach out. You're not a coward at all. You went back to smoking because you still thought it was a safe place. We will work on that, together as a group. There is one way to immediately get rid of the nasty feeling of smoking and that is to become a non-smoker. The instant you put out your last cigarette you're a non-smoker. The very instant!! You have not failed any of us so please don't even allow yourself to entertain those thoughts. Okay? We're here to support you, not judge you or make you feel worse, especially after what you've been through. As you already know, smoking isn't making this situation any better. What do you think? You ready to take control of this? We're ready when you are. :) Until then, please stay close to your support group because we're here to help and really do care.

I think early on some people equate quit forums with the constant thinking about smoking but you would do that anyway when you first quit. I've been quit over a year and this board in no way shape or form gets me to second guess my quit or losing it by taking a puff. Instead, it reminds me that I'll always be a nicotine addict and to never let my guard down for the day I forget is the day I put my quit in jeopardy. Complacency is a real killer. Some people use the board and then are off enjoying a smoke-free life and never look back. Good for them! They got what they needed and are enjoying this precious life once again. For some, a life they haven't known for many decades. Me, I'll be here for a long, long time until I either pass on or get too old to type and then hand the reigns over to some young whipper-snapper. ;) Stick around and join the rest of us as we take this part of our journey together. :)

Great to see you. Sorry, but you haven't been quit since you joined this board. You had a few puffs a couple of times and most recently just a couple of weeks ago you took a puff, yeah it is a big shit because you relapsed. Sounds like the forum isn't a trigger at all because you relapsed at least twice during your absence. Perhaps if you were here you would have continued to learn about this addiction and how to beat it. You're playing with fire my friend and until you learn more, your doomed to repeat the past. We don't beat this addiction by being stronger than it. We beat it by being smarter than it. :)

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