MarylandQuitter

Great pictures!! Thanks for sharing. Here's one of me when I was about 5 with my Dad. Note the cup of coffee to his side. The apple didn't fall far from the tree. :)

Excellent job!!! Please keep reading and watching the educational videos and learn as much as you can about this addiction because it's the key to staying smoke-free for the rest of your life. :)

Yes, please. :) When you add it to the calendar, you can set it to where it creates and event each month. One thing I hate to do is miss somebody's 6 mo or 1 year anny because it's not on the calendar. If it's on the calendar, there is less of a chance that my simple mind will miss it. lol :crazy:

Excellent!!! Must be all that shuffling. I have a FitBit and my wife threw a fit for a bit because it's been in my workout area sitting on a table for months. It will soon be charged and synced again with my phone. Fit. Bit.

Good to see ya rowlyd!! NOPE!!

I wish for everyone to have a great cup of coffee with Santa!

You mean a place like this? :) There are local support groups where people meet like an AA meeting but I really don't see a need for a full fledged rehab to help people deal with withdrawals etc. I really never bought into the notion that nicotine is just as addictive or as hard to quit as heroin. When heroin users are asked about the first time they shot up, they loved it. They craved it and wanted more. Who wouldn't with that rush of dopamine flooding and overcoming your entire body. When we smoked our first cigarette, most if not all of us did not like it. I've dealt with junkies and people addicted to crack and it's nothing like being addicted to nicotine. Pain killers are probably worse than all three. If anybody needs a hospital to break an addiction it's the heavy pain killer addict. Horrible, horrible addiction. Smoking is just as deadly as any of the others and although it may not kill instantly due to an overdose or cause us to lose our jobs and live in the streets, it will slowly kill us and cripple us in misery for years before death.

From Joel's Freedom Forum I originally wrote this to a member asking if we knew of a program that would lock her up so she would have to quit smoking: I do think there are some clinics out there that do basically lock up people to quit smoking. But I wouldn't put much stock in the technique. We lock up people all the time in our hospital and don't let people smoke. It's not in our smoking clinic; it's in our intensive care unit. You can lock people up for days and weeks if the condition is serious enough. Technically, these people are detoxed from nicotine. Heck, some of them were comatose and never even experienced withdrawal. In theory, this sounds appealing to some smokers. But the reality of the situation is often, in fact maybe more often than not; the first thing these patients do upon release from the hospital is grab for a cigarette. You see these people never quit smoking. They were smokers who were just not allowed to smoke. They don't learn anything about survival in the real world without smoking. They know how to be fed intravenously, they know how to use a remote on a television, but that is about it. The urge for a cigarette upon being released is incredible. It's interesting though, there is a real easy way to stop the urge. Throw them on a gurney, stick an IV in their arm and all of a sudden they don't need a cigarette. They are doing the one thing they learned, being a connected patient. People need to face the real world as quickly as they can to start to break the associations of day to day rituals. Only then will they prove to themselves that there is life after smoking. As far as being sad, this is normally experienced when quitting. Unlike the physical symptoms, striking hard and then dissipating within days, psychological symptoms are less predictable. But in some ways, they are also more controllable. I am going to attach to letters here to this post addressing these issues. They have been on the board recently, but so you don't have to scramble looking for them they will be right here. Hope this helps a little. Joel P.S. There actually was a hospital in the Chicago area that used to have an inpatient unit for smoking cessation. It went under in less than a year of operation. I had three of their patient's come to my program to quit. Two of them made it. All of them said that they were basically doped up during the hospitalization. I think they were using a drug called clonidine at the time. Powerful antihypertensive that at one time was thought to be helpful. Never met anyone who actually got off smoking using it though. So if you find a program, check out what they do before assuming it's a good plan. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jBHsHzvRip8

Welcome and congrats on being a non-smoker! Drink lots of water and remember, your body is fast at work ridding itself of all the toxins and poisons that you've been feeding it. Why Do Smokers Smoke? Video discusses how nicotine addiction causes cigarettes and nicotine products to incorporate into almost every aspect of a smoker's life. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S9AmZiI3rNI Quitting Is More Doable Than Most People Think The idea that quitting smoking is close to impossible is often perpetuated at Internet quit sites. This video hits home the point that this is a dangerous misconception. Quitting is in fact more doable than most people think. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3gtXGwu3uC4&list=PLCDB8BA311D538113&index=6

Excellent, excellent post, Lace. :)

A gem that always seemed to be in the hiding... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g9TsbGQ-v3g

No, Sarge. "It really ties the room together. Does it not?"

As we all know, the holidays can be a huge trigger for many ex-smokers especially those...Please join us to watch these videos, discuss and encourage each other during the holidays. http://www.quittrain.com/topic/3630-with-the-holidays-now-in-full-swing-lets-be-ready/

Then of course you could have this along with the holiday triggers! Remember why you quit! The Terrible 3's This video discusses why people "may" have problems at three day and three month marks. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTIr3UEez1w&list=PL4F05C03D0F9B86DB&index=11 Related articles: The Miserable Threes http://www.ffn.yuku.com/topic/13906 The terrible threes http://ffn.yuku.com/topic/12531/The-T... Other related videos: How long before I don't want a cigarette http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CLp_ic... Change of season triggers http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ADlHtj...

As we all know, the holidays can be a huge trigger for many ex-smokers especially those who've not experienced the entire event and season cycles that take place throughout the year. For some it may be being around family and friends that are smokers and remembering how you used to smoke with them, it could be difficult because of loved ones who are no longer with us, stress for any multitude of reasons being around family, the noise, the chaos and the let down when it's all over. For some it could mean your first road trip as a non-smoker or the loneliness that many feel during the holidays. Just a quit note about feeling along during the holidays: If anyone reading this feels alone, post. I know that I'll be around here as normal so you won't be alone. You may be sitting by yourself typing, as I often am, but not alone. You're not alone if somebody is thinking about you. :) Be Prepared For Holiday Triggers While filmed on Thanksgiving 2011, video relates to how any holiday or special annual event can result in more smoking thoughts than normal, and the importance of being mentally prepared for the occurrence of such thoughts. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EOQvS4hjKYY&list=PL4F05C03D0F9B86DB How Holidays That Result In Three Day Weekends Effect Recent Ex-Smokers While discussing labor day and fall kind of changes, issues discussed in this video applies to lots of holidays and situations like three day weekends and the end of vacations for recent quitters. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGCFdg9tY_w Difference between physical and psychological urges Video discusses how while the intensity between the psychological thoughts for cigarettes weeks or months into your quit may feel very much like the physical urges you may have encountered in the beginning of your quit, that there is an important difference in the two states. http://youtu.be/_A8s7Pw7jA0 Everything You Did As A Smoker You Can Do As An Ex-Smoker This video points out that many people don't even attempt to quit because of the fear that they will not only have to give up cigarettes when they quit smoking but also, all of the activities in their lives that they did with cigarettes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqlyAdvafio&index=13&list=PLCDB8BA311D538113

GR8 job, Evelyn! With the holidays now in full swing, stay close to the board. I know I will be. :)

It's okay to be scared. Courage is what keeps us driving ahead despite the fear. That is the true meaning of bravery; it's not the absence of fear, it's not stopping even though you're scared.

Welcome back, Jen. Make this quit last because if you relapse again, you may never quit again or it could be years before you try again. Why do you think you relapsed and what will make the difference this time? Whatever the reason(s), we can help sort them out and help you remain a non-smoker for the rest of your life. :)

Ain't that the truth!

I'm sitting here catching up on some reading here and can't help but think of how much I have to be thankful for. It doesn't take a holiday for me to remember but perhaps it makes it a bit more apt to write about it. I'm thankful that I am alive! "I'm still here you bastards!"--Steve McQueen in Papillon My happy children, family, health, jobs, good music, good company and perfectly brewed coffee. :)

Are you a shut-in? lol What is SOA?

Evelyn, with everything going on in your life, please don't put pressure on yourself to toss the nicotine gum. You're not smoking and you're in a good place. You'll know when the time is right and you'll do it, there is no question about that. But for right now, don't add this unnecessary stress. Your lungs as asthma are happy that you're not smoking. :)

Thanks, Jess and happy Thanksgiving to you as well! We're getting snow here today but it's going to be in the 50's again next week. :blink: This time last year I was only quit for under two months. Newbies and lurkers, make today your quit day!

My favorite book is "The Summons" by John Grisham. 2nd is "Heart Of The Sea" about Whaleship Essex by Nathaniel Philbrick. 3rd is "Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage" by Alfred Lansing. I loved reading Allen Eckert's historical fiction books starting with "The Frontiersman" about Simon Kention through "Tecumseh". R.I.P. Tom Clancy (from Baltimore).

How are you today?