Sunnyside

I could never drink alcohol without smoking or eat dinner..... Why not? The wine tastes soooo much better these days and food!!

http://youtu.be/i_Rei-oOIM0 I use to make myself watch this video when I was struggling through my quit. It is hard to watch but it is also what this lady wanted to help people to stop smoking. It's called Thanks tobacco for killing my mum. If someone is close to losing your quit, push yourself to watch this, you won't want one afterwards.

Congratulations on your double figures

Brilliant Evelyn, that is all I have to say

It really is mind blowing isn't it!! It's nice to finally see the light but unfortunately their are too many people who still fall for the nicotine trap.

Sorry I'm late with this Evelyn I hope things are a little better for you now x

You got this, just get though one minute, one hour and each day at a time.

^^^^^ love that El Bandito and the way you put that TEW. There is no embarrassment for get support when you need it but i do agree we are all Brought up in a world where we are told to suppress our emotions, and that is never good. you don't need to see the light, just know it is there and if you keep going, day by day it gets nearer promise.

lovely dog, it is awful how some animals are treated but a happy ending for this little man is here. Totally agreed that dog and in fact any animal has unconditional love, people on the other hand are complicated.

Amazing Dave, you are doing so well. Knowledge of this addiction is definitely the way to go and support when you need it.

We are all behind you Jess. I think sometimes when it hard we have are guard up well because we know we have to, for me it's not the initial quit that is the hardest, it's the staying quit. The temptation when it not so much a craving, just a memory, a romancing thought. I have made a deal with myself that I will always post first and wait for a least three replies by that time I have stepped back for enough time not to be caught up in a moment. Maybe you could do the same.

As others have said if you don't post we can't help! Marti is right the 3's can be really hard for some, it definitely made a difference to me. It does get better in time, just remember "The pain is temporary, quitting is forever"=red>

Welcome Dave, doing brilliantly! Just keep going

TEW, you can do this, I struggle all the way up to the year and completely get what you are saying because it is the way I see it too. We both know the truth about cigarettes but I still feel lost sometimes without them, it just takes longer for some Than others. I bet if you actually visualized yourself smoking it would be gross and you wouldn't do it. BUT! Still it is there, that sense of missing something even after all this time. For me it was when I accepted that this is me but no matter what I'm not going back to that again. I now have some relief. You have tough so hard to get to where you at now there is absolutely nothing that smoking can do to help youThis poem has always stuck in my mind, I don't want to be like this and you don't too: Walking On A Slow Suicidal Track "Hiding from my wife and children, I secretly walk out of the house; I can't resist the feeling that this smoking arouse. I light up the cigarette every hour without a brake; Though I'd love to live long, but I know I'm walking on a Slow Suicidal Track. Though I love her a lot, but still we often fight; The never ending discussion of what is wrong and what is right? I'd love to somehow fill our relation's ever occurring cracks; Though I want to live a happy life, but with smoking, I know I'm walking on a Slow Suicidal Track. In the price of my expensive cigarette, a hungry soul could have a meal; In the time I finish one, 50 children would have lost their lives, it's true but seems so unreal. I never knew with my one cigarette so much was at stake; Though I'd like to save their lives but with smoking I find myself on a Slow Suicidal Track. My kids don't come close to me, my breath repels them; My wife won't love, my parents won't talk, my life, it is mayhem! They all in one voice say, if I don't quit smoking, there won't be many candles on my birthday Cake; I know they're right, but still I haven't quit, I'm still walking on this Slow Suicidal Track Though I'm pretty young but I can't walk long, don't feel strong, I feel very old; "This Cigarette is a medicine my friend", Oh! It all began with this lie that jerk sold! The blood, the cough, the cancer and tar have filled up to my mouth and my neck; And I being an idiot still walked on the Slow Suicidal Track. I don't want to suffer it all just to light the fire and to give in to my pity desire; If I don't quit I'd lose it all, now to quit it forever is what I aspire. I suffered a lot, I had enough, this misery has to end and now there's no turning back! I Stop, I Quit, I know I have walked enough on this Slow Suicidal track. Please listen my friend, if you use tobacco or smoke it too, Don't give in, the quitting is hard just in the first day or two. Now since you've begun don't fallback, attack! there's nothing you lack, There's no use on walking on this, let's smack! this dirty Suicidal Track!"

Michelle at the moment everything is a trigger. The fact is most of us started smoking in our teen's. We have trained ourselves that we need a cigarette for pretty much everything. Stress, when we have finished a chore, even as a reward. At the moment your brain is confused, it doesn't know what to do, it not so much you want a cigarette it is more that is what you use to do. Now you feel like there is something missing. In time this will fade and i promise you it does get better, please don't start looking at a cigarette like a crutch, something that you need to handle stress because then you are giving it a purpose, the only thing smoking ever did for any of us is relive the withdrawals of the last cigarette we had. Nothing else. Hang in there x

Evelyn you sound like one tough cookie. The saying goes the best things in life you have to fight for, I believe you will experience them with that attitude. Some people are just inspiring and i can honestly say you are one of those people. Keep on keeping on x

I posted this awhile a go, I thought it might help you I always remember this sentence " Choose your pain" the choice between the pain of going through your quit for awhile or the pain of what could be waiting for you if you keep smoking. I read something recently that had me feeling this again. Quitting is hard, but smoking is even harder. Having to go through that daily ritual of smoking, when most of the time you didn't enjoy it. Having to try and smoke while you were ill and finding it hard to get out of bed or even breathe, your chest is that tight. But still you have to smoke. All those times when you had to stand in all weathers to smoke that cigarette that you did even want to have. To be skint all the time, to take you away from your family and family at every opportunity and to never feel like you have smoked enough. Quitting is hard but smoking is harder.

Congratulations Action, that's awesome

Hi Michelle, I don't think that doctors will give any information on the phone, mine certainly wouldn't good or bad. You are dealing with a lot of stress at the moment, it would seem you are suffer with a bit of anxiety? Weather it be in because of quitting at the moment or because you suffer with health anxiety or just in general. I suffer myself and understand how horrible it is. There is a guy i know on another forum who has cancer myeloma but he is still 2 years quit, his mum has just died of cancer too but still he has no thoughts or smoking. There is also a lovely lady on there who has COPD it can't be cured but she is about 2 an a half years quit now and still has a better prospect of life by quitting. My point to this is. Hopefully your results are fine but IF they weren't does that mean you have to become a smoker again? You have come here and you have fought against Nic for ten days now. That takes persistent's. You are.giving up smoking for a better way of life, a happier way of life, regardless of anything else. Don't get fooled into the trap.

There is no shame in posting, support groups are here for everyone to stand together no matter where we are in our quits we are all just one puff away to being back where non of us want to be. P.S I think you are doing a sterling job

so pleased to see you resisted TEW I have only been here for a while but I absolutely love your bluntness In your posts and would have been gutted if you would have thrown your quit away. Now please can we have no more of that talk, we are all ready to celebrate your year soon.

life can be pretty shit at times but don't give up your quit for anyone, this is your quit no-one else's. If you quit your quit those people that are pissing you off won't care but you will. You may not care the first couple but by the time you get to three, you will regret it. Get angry with these people but if you smoke all you will be doing is spiting yourself.Maybe you have been romancing a cigarette again, it isn't what is in your head and if you did it would end up like this: So let's visualize this. You go to the shops and buy a pack. Your heart starts to pound faster, you are starting to feel a buzz, because you know this is wrong. You go somewhere you know or hope you don't see anyone that you know, as before you even open the pack you know how disappointed people who know you are going to be. Does that stop you? NO! You are in the zone now, your brain has a thought in it head that this cigarette is going to be lovely, it is going to satisfy your need, you are going to feel so much better after it. You have found your spot, you open the pack. Your heartbeat beats even faster as the anticipation hit fever pitch. You unwrap the packaging and take out the cigarette, and light it, as you start smoking it you start to get that buzz in your head, it feels like the first time you smoked, you have a warm feeling again, like you belong. You put that cigarette out and feel like another one, so you do it. It is ok, you can have a couple and then throw the pack away. The hit isn't so nice this time but it's ok. You put that out and soon again you want another one. In your mind now is I will just finish this pack and quit again tomorrow! You start to realize and remember why you had quit in the first place. The realization of what you have done starts to creep in. Tomorrow comes and you don't feel ready, maybe in a weeks time, that moment comes around and then it's some other reason. You smoke for months or even years until you have the strength to try again. You look back at that day! That day that you had managed nearly a whole year with envy and wish you had never had that 'One cigarette'.

Congratulations, bloody brilliant news, now you have a sizable quit cling on to it, it is yours to throw away.

Glad to hear you didn't smoke, I remember having the itch too! For me it felt weird as in when you start your quit you have all these milestones, you get excited about managing a month, then two and three and so on. Once you get to the year it sort of felt a bit flat to me, like what am i suppose to do now the euphoric state just disappears and your quit just stagnates, we forget how bad it was on day one and through those early days, weeks and even months. Look forward to seeing your one year post Rowlyd