MarylandQuitter

Doreen, you're a wonderful woman.

Smoking WILL kill you. That's the difference between your life revolving around smoking or not smoking. What do you think people mean when they say that you have to protect your quit at all costs, especially at the beginning? You're life should revolve around not smoking when you first quit. It may need to revolve around not smoking for a year. Who knows? Does it matter? What matters is that you protect your quit and don't ever smoke again. Yes, not smoking is for the rest of your life. It takes work, thought and planning. It takes being aware of situations and triggers before they happen which is why you must keep not smoking at the forefront of your thoughts at the beginning. Once you learn your new habit of not smoking, these things will come naturally and your former smoking self will be that of a distant memory. You're doing great, Tiff. Don't you dare give your life away again. Own it.

There are horror stories in every job, but of course the risk while in the military is greater, depending on what he'll be doing. I've worked with the Marine Corps and Navy for many years. Many of my friends are retired from both and I can tell you that they don't regret a single day of service. Heck, I can look out the window and see 3 and 4 star Admirals walking about and I can say without hesitation they don't regret what they signed up for. Your son will soon be a man. A man who will learn what it means to serve of purpose greater than himself which translates into a resposible husband and father. Of course there are always exceptions, but that goes both ways. :) I've seen 18 and 19 year old Marines go from a kid to a man and a girl to woman in a matter of months. Some like it and some don't. If he doesn't like it, he doesn't have to re-enlist. The old school days of the military are long gone. The old timers miss the old days when they could put their hands on somebody and the youngsters have no idea what it was like. Nowadays it's a career with tons of beneifits, even if you only serve one enlistment. Retire? Pfft. If I would have joined I would be retired from the Army and working on a second retirement right now. As a parent, it's got to be tough. I remember my Mom and how upset she was when I signed up when I was 17, fresh out of high school. Although I was unable to enlist at that time (medical reason), I instead went to college. I don't regret it because I didn't have a choice, but my first choice was the Army. Had I known then what I know now, I would have chosen the Marine Corps. :) Army makes more money though. He'll either hate basic training or love it. Either way, he's going to learn a lot of things about himself and others that most never get the chance to. After basic training, once he get's settled in to his new routine, he'll probably love it and think it was the best decision he ever made. Hang in there. There's no getting around what you're feeling, but soon you'll be back to your old self.

NOPE!

So sorry, Cher. You gave her a gift of selfless love. Never easy but when it's time, we can't let our furry family members suffer for one minute when no hope remains. German Shepherds hold a very special place in my heart and although I'm not in your shoes, I've had to put two of them down way too early. Hang in there, Cher. Tough days ahead but as you know, the load lightens with time.

Happy Birthday, Joe!!

Excellent post. Don't delay quitting and let your body get busy healing itself. No need to prolong the inevitable. You're viewing this thread so you know you want to quit, that you need to quit and don't want to be a smoker for the rest of your life. Why wait any longer? No better time than the present.

Nasty.

Glad you had a good time, Tiff. None of us like to see our parents getting older. It sucks and I hate it but such is life. What you're going through right now regarding the dilemma to smoke or not to smoke is just one of the consequences of becoming a nicotine addict. I have the same issues from time to time. The longer you stay quit, although you still may think about smoking in situations like this, there will be no dilemma. You're right in that you don't want to quit again. You're past that. You know that you never want to go back to a life of smoking because it won't stop you from missing your Dad and it surely will not fill any kind of void. What you're feeling right now is probably what your son feels when he sees you smoke. He may not be able to verbalize it, but he feels it. He knows it's killing you. It's great to post when you feel like this and never stop doing it! You're doing great, Tiffany. :)

As long as the end result is quitting smoking, it doesn't matter. Whether or not you chewed gum, sucked on straws, took some meds (like I did), used the patch and so on to get healthy and ditch the smokes, who's to judge? The goal is to stop smoking for the rest of our lives and that's all that matters.

NOPE

Legal schmegal. :)

lol, I admit I had to watch it again this morning. Still hate the song, but this is funny. :)

Enjoy your summer Petra! You deserve it. People have a lot to learn from you so don't ever stop posting. Sometimes it's just one sentence that brings it back home to somebody and that makes it all worthwhile. Markus said something that is so true and I posted it elsewhere and will here too. I think staying on the support forums and writing, dissecting every nuance of where you have been and supporting others is a big part of the cure. How you feel now vs then is important as a measure of how powerful your mind is. Some leave too soon...I think you are right to encourage at least a couple of years to pay it forward. They got the help so they need to pay it forward, not everyone likes to write but everyone should tell their story after they get some time under their belts...just to look at how far they have come. You rock, Petra to the D!! :)

Wow. All I can say is wow. You brilliantly put into words what so many people think and feel when they try and hang onto a quit, lose it and are finally ready to stay quit for good. Not only are you now ready, but your post will help countless others as they read it. Ava suggested that this thread be pinned to the top of "About Us" and I couldn't agree more. It's as much as who we are as a group than anything else on this site. Nothing better than seeing somebody take their life back from the dark and toxic world of smoking. You're an old school Marine (once a Marine, always a Marine). Hard work in the civilian world is not even in your vocabulary so there is no turning back now. I'm very happy to see you back for a couple of reasons. One, we no longer have to worry if you're okay or not and two, you're staying on this train even if we have to shackle you in the caboose with the other hard cases and force you to drink Ava's swill (her coffee, for lack of a better word) until you come to the realization that it's easier to just stay quit. Welcome back, Iam. :)

Back sass? What is this 1957?

Great! Thanks for stopping by!

I'm happy because I wear sandals with my socks. lol It's been several days and I had forgotten all about that song and then BAM, like a punch in the face there it is again! lol :dash2: I can't. Get it. Out of. My Head.

Welcome, Cat! Thanks for being here. :) When the withdrawal symptoms are starting to test you, hop on the forum and write about them. Not only will this allow others to support you, but your posts about what you're going through will help somebody else who may be lurking from the outside and either dealing with the same or scared to even try. There is no requirement to be a non-smoker to be here so even those who slip up and smoke, are encouraged to not leave. This is the best place to be no matter where you're at in your quit journey. The important thing, like DevilDoll said, if you feel like you might smoke, post an SOS. All the moderators and many members get alerts sent straight to their phones and emails whenever a new thread is created in the SOS forum. How long since your last cigarette? How do you feel?

I know aight?

You get it tossed in a pile on the table to wrinkle just like mine. I insert an old fence post.

Welcome, Jay. Funny you mention this because I was at my doctors today and I thanked him for caring enough to tell me I was full of shit when I told him that I could quit, but I enjoyed it too much. He told me I was an addict. I laughed at him. He laughed at me and told me I was the exact definition of an addict and the only reason why I wasn't out on the streets breaking into homes and robbing people to feed my addiction is because it was legal and I had a job. He said "you keep telling me that your daughter is the most important thing in your life but she's not. The cigarettes are. You leave her all the time to go outside and smoke and not even she can stop you so don't sit here and tell me how you're daughter is more important to you than anything else. You're the exact definition of an addict. You've been smoking for the better part of 28 years and you're lucky you haven't seen any horrible side effects or diseases yet." I was pissed off beyond belief but I knew he was right. When I left his office I lit up a cigarette but knew my life would never be the same again. That was the start for me; accepting that smoking is an addiction just the same as other drugs. It may not have the stigma of crack or heroin, but it's a deadly drug addiction just the same. The freedom that you're going to feel is something that I can't wait for you to experience. Feel it you will, but when all depends on you. Some struggle a bit more than others but make no mistake about it, the freedom will come and the pangs of the addiction will be no more. Quitting for some is easy while for others it's more difficult. Everybody is different, but from what I've seen, for those who believe that the cigarette can no longer offer them anything of benefit, quitting is like running that last mile of a race when you think you can't take another stride but you force yourself because of the reward at the end. You can do this once and for all. Scour this forum and read all that you can. Read The Newbie Database, watch the documentaries (love those things) and stay as involved and active as you can on the forum as it's not only a great resource but also a welcome distraction while quitting smoking. Vent all you want. Start your own blog to chronicle your quit. Make sure your quit date is added to the calendar so we can publicly acknowledge your accomplishments. Need anything? Don't hesitate to ask. :) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qVEyGdqwjmQ

3 months and 16 days ago we lit the fires in her. :) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDZxvHE2s60

From somebody who has been quit for nearly 6.5 years... I think staying on the support forums and writing, dissecting every nuance of where you have been and supporting others is a big part of the cure. How you feel now vs then is important as a measure of how powerful your mind is. Some leave too soon...I think you are right to encourage at least a couple of years to pay it forward. They got the help so they need to pay it forward, not everyone likes to write but everyone should tell their story after they get some time under their belts...just to look at how far they have come.

Babs does all of the work on the FB page but I don't think she can see who all has liked the page. I could be wrong on that, though.