MarylandQuitter

You wanna know what's pathetic, Tiff? Throwing away a 9 month quit because you're too tough to reach out and ask for help. I was that guy a little over 9 months ago. I thought I had it all figured out but little did I know, I was letting that junkie thinking take root in my mind and set the course for my relapse. You posting an S.O.S. is not pathetic and in fact, it takes more courage to do so than it does to simply do nothing. What's happening is you're winning the battle against the addiction. Your body and mind are getting used to life without poision and the addict in you wants what feels familiar. Hold on because not smoking will be the new familiar feeling for you. This is all part of the healing process, body and mind. You're doing fine and kudos for having the courage to reach out for help!!! I wish I had been strong enough to do so.

lol http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PhKdzF_Qod4

That new apes movie looks good! I've been an ape fan since I saw the original as a kid. Have fun!

Sorry I missed this. Whenever I do a new exercise, I start with little or no weight at all until I learn the proper movement and get used to it. Use just the bar and then if too light just add until you get some slight resistance to get proper form. Slowly add weight as you get used to it.

For me, this is beautiful. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZjgdMa-eCrw http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZzSvDNIG_o

Simply brilliant.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jlOEw4uCzQ4 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2705g5GV0uQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krQHQvtIr6w

I know all the answers to your questions. Yes to all 3! Who cares how many attempts you've made at quitting? You know how many times I told my wife I was going to quit and she just rolled her eyes and said "didn't you just say that yesterday?" Then I would come up withe some excuse. I quit for me. I didn't give a damn what anybody thought about my success or failure. Screw everybody else. This is about you. Please stop messing around with your life and quit. Look, this may be hard for you to quit or it might not. Right now your mind is your own worst enemy. Your inner junkie, strung out on nicotine, is telling you that you're going to fail, that you don't have the strength and the truth is that it's telling you that you don't want to quit. You're believing the lies. Smoking is of no benefit to you! All you're doing is chasing temporary relief from withdrawal and torturing yourself, not to mention slowly killing yourself. This is what it's come down to. It's time to quit smoking and stop listening to the lies in your head. Look at your quit buddy, IamDoingIt. He posted a great thread the other day about his relapse and his newfound commitment to quitting.

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?