MarylandQuitter

lol I didn't realize this until I got to work today! Some dude brought in donuts and then somebody said free coffee at DD!

Winter is coming. Screw 185 lbs unless you're some fancy dude wearing skinny jeans trying to fit in with the latest fad. I don't care if I never see 185 lbs again because I don't have the time to dedicate to that level of fitness every single day. With 3 kids, helping with homework, long hours at work, stress and all other sorts of obligations, I'm okay with losing some weight but I'm not going to let it define who I am or what I think of myself. Neither should you. I think you're just upset because the Steelers got beat by Tampa yesterday. It will pass. :)

N to the O!!

From my experience, there is one positive to take away from the constant stress you're under; stress will not trigger a thought or crave to smoke as you continue on with your new non-smoking life. When I quit I was under constant stress and often times thought about lighting up. I held on and never lit up and the result was that I was training my mind that there was no longer a correlation between smoking and stress. Now, still under constant stress, I don't think about smoking. With some of the stress I've been under I would have for sure thought about lighting up if my quit in the beginning was relatively stress-free. Stress does not trigger thoughts of smoking. It used to when I smoked and first quit, but not now, not at all. When I first quit I thought about smoking all the time. Every day many, many times throughout the day. When I think about smoking now, although few and far between, it's when I'm calm. For example, just yesterday I had a project that I planned to do in my garage and while I was looking out the window sipping a cup of coffee in the wee hours of the morning, I saw myself smoking in the garage before I started my project. A few seconds later the image was gone and I never thought about it again. The longer you don't smoke under all this stress the stronger you'll be in the future when stress strikes. Right now you're thinking about smoking while under stress but don't give in because at some point, you will have retrained your mind (without even knowing it) that smoking and stress just don't fit. At least this is my story and how my quit has been. Hang in there and since you've committed to this quit, keep fighting because it gets so much easier. I never believed in the beginning that the thoughts of smoking, especially while under stress would be largely gone. It's true. You just have to believe us and have faith.

One of her is enough. Thanks, :)

Hey Ava!

Right on! :good3:

I'll be doing the NTAP Shuffle today (never take another puff shuffle). It helps keep your mind where it needs to be and besides, it guarantees to put a smile on your face as well as the faces of anybody within eyesight of you! :) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qn8_bWeZRVU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-6BsMzc9mMs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LtDJBQk3OY0

If you're smoking because you've not yet attempted to commit to quitting or have relapsed, you need to be here. It may feel uncomfortable for any number of reasons but this may very well be what saves your life. If you're comfortable smoking and continue to rationalize using nicotine, how is this benefiting you? It's certainly not going to save your life, I can guarantee you that. At this very moment in time, you're exactly where you need to be which is reading this thread. From this thread you will read other threads, watch videos, learn from other members, share your thoughts and start a new beginning by committing to quitting smoking. Not after the holidays, not after the stress is gone, but now. If you really want to quit smoking you need to be around others who are able to help you and know the pitfalls and traps of rationalization, junkie thinking and the truth about smoking before it kills you. Sometimes the message isn't what you want to hear but it's these messages that speak the truth that will save your life. This isn't Facebook or Myspace as we have a clear mission which is to help you quit smoking and stay quit. Sure, we have fun and talk about all sorts of things that are not smoking related. All you have to do is take a look in our Non-Smoking Lounge and see the camaraderie that we share. But make no mistake about it, we are here to help you quit smoking. Quitting and staying quit comes first in our lives and on this board. Learning about nicotine addiction is the key to your success and a finding a support group that is there to support you, not pamper you, is where you need to be. We will help you quit and stay quit as a group. We stand united to help you fight for your freedom...and life. From Joel: 2 Goals 1. First and foremost, to give people the core information they need to quit smoking for the rest of their lives. 2. For people who don't get off for the rest of their lives, is to screw up their smoking for the rest of their lives. He wants you to see smoking for what it is and all the medical and social implications that come along with it. He wants you to understand that you're fighting for you lives. We share the same philosophy as Joel and most if not all of us have benefited greatly from his articles and videos. Look, you're doing yourself a huge disservice by not educating yourself about smoking and accepting it for what it is. It kills you and robs you of your freedom. It enslaves you to a life of that wretched smell of smoke, forces you to constantly leave conversations to step outside to smoke, ruins your teeth, robs your organs of oxygen, destroys your lungs, heart and arteries and will eventually take your life and leave your family to grieve your early death. This doesn't need to be you. Please take a few moments to watch this video as it helps further explain why you need to be here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJv9NSjJkcw&app=desktop

How are things going for you, Laura?

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2006 Toyota Sequoia 4.7L V8, 273 horsepower, 314 ft/lbs torque, less than 20 MPG no matter what. 2005 Chevy Cobalt 2.2L inline 4 cylinder, 145 horsepower, 155 ft/lbs torque, commuter car to and fro Washington, D.C., 31 MPG combined. 2011 Ram 1500 Big Horn 5.7L V8 w/ hemispherical-shaped cylinder combustion chambers (HEMI) 397 horsepower, 407 ft/lbs torque, 21 MPG highway, 18 MPG combined. Don't trust anybody to do any work (except tires & alignments) on them except myself. If an engine goes, I'll yank it before I let somebody else do it. New brakes & rotors, plugs & wires and a bunch of other stuff every year whether it needs it or not. The Cobalt just got new front struts & springs, rear shocks and new control arm links 3 weeks ago. The Ram will get new front & rear rotors, brakes, stainless steel braided brake hoses, new battery and new drive belt before winter. The cobalt will get new front rotors, brakes, calipers and rear drums/brakes before winter. As of last week the Sequoia is all done for winter. Also, the paint on all cars are meticulously maintained with the 2 bucket wash system, Adam's polishes and my PC rotary buffer as needed for light scratches or a full paint correction. I did a full paint correction on the Ram last winter, the Sequoia this past spring and the Cobalt last month. The Sequoia and Ram took 2 days each to complete the correction and the Cobalt I got done in a few hours. None should need a full paint correction again as my wife and I are the only one who will ever wash our vehicles. Wash them incorrectly and you put light scratches and swirl marks in the paint. One bay of our garage is set up for mechanical work and the other side for detailing. The back of the garage has several workbenches for minor woodworking, chainsaws and other landscaping equipment. Our garage is my second home. Next on the list for the garage is a wood burning stove, probably in 2015. I get things done a lot quicker now that I don't have to take smoke breaks or step back and smoke to admire my work. It's a wonder I got anything done with all that smoking.

I wear no scents. I like the smell of natural. No froo-froo. Sometimes I'll build a punky fire and hover over it before I head out on the town. Nothing like the smell of smoked hardwoods on the skin.

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In the best case scenario, let's assume it's as safe as any other NRT (which is far from being proven). It should only be used as an NRT and not to replace smoking. Just as someone is using nicotine gum or patches, they should be used for the short-term with the intent of getting completely free of nicotine. Using the same drug to get off the drug you're addicted to is only prolonging and dragging out the withdrawal process. For some smokers NRT works wonders and they are happy non-smokers while for others it keeps them chained to the addiction and they suffer and struggle. Many members here have used NRT and have just as strong quits going as those who didn't use it.

Phewwww. Squeaked out that win!!

lol Yeah, Ava is sick of cleaning up after everybody. She says it's melancholy.

My day is great and the coffee is perfect. :) Never much cared about my birthday but for some reason, today is special to me.

HOC is definitely not something to watch with the kids, at least my little ones!lol This fall is going to rock with Netflix!! Woots! Oh, Petra, how is that Big Green Egg working for you and your husband? Did you end up getting an additional grill like you were talking about?

Both here and abroad. :)

Can't go too much into detail right now, but I need a list of charities. I love St. Jude's and although they're international, I'd like to know which charities are good in other countries. Being from the US, I really need the help of everybody here. In the end, I'll choose 5-6 charities. Thanks!

You can't sleep on Cleveland as they proved to us last year. But still, I cannot stomach the thought of losing to them today. Johnny Football going to play today? Ngata, Suggs, Dumervill and Smith, hell our whole defensive is enough reason to sit that little man out for this week.