Sazerac

Juan, Did you see The Sarge's post about what is hard ? You may be uncomfortable but, you can power through this. Put your mind to beautiful things instead of thinking that this is hard, help your brain re-configure itself.

Check this thread out also, Red Flags

-5 thanks for holding down the spot, V

-3

NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE

So glad you have jumped into your Freedom, @Vivianne, you are right where you belong and we are really happy to have you here. Already, you are making a difference. Your enthusiasm is contagious just like your decision to quit smoking and put nicotine addiction to sleep. The next few days will see the end of the physical symptoms of quitting as nicotine and all the poisons involved in cigarettes start to leave your body Forever. The healing has begun. The cilia in your lungs are sloughing off all that gunk, your blood is cleaning itself, your brain begins to re-wire. Make sure you reward yourself. The Significance of Rewards

@Vivianne we go to 0 before we start -1 and I call it The Big 0, lol. So you have The BIG 0 (congratulations on your BIG WIN ! ) and I will take -1

Sorry to hear you chose to smoke, Axyz. Even if you have a quit buddy, you need to make your quit all about YOU and not pay any mind to other people's failures or, be tempted by other smokers. You are not missing anything...they are missing everything. I am glad you decided to start again. You can build yourself a successful quit by learning more about nicotine addiction and internalizing the information. NOPE means NOPE and Freedom is delicious.

Leave (I should leave this game alone before I get more demerits)

I'm tired of starting a new trend, everybody just steals my shit.

friggin' obviously safe

Leave everything vocalized entirely luscious

I found two Shoes on the street, they were right/left but, didn't match, Don't it make you sad, too,

love this

-6

YAY !!! I am so glad you are starting your quit now. Stay close to the board and post a lot, post everywhere. Your experience will help others quit, believe me. This Freedom is contagious. Stock up on some fruit juices and some small snacks to keep your blood sugar up. Drink LOTS of water. Breathe your way through any crave and look at or think of something beautiful. This will encourage your reward center. Check this out Your First Days Nicotine Free a long thread that includes many of the ways we helped ourselves in the early days. Stand your ground and Celebrate, Vivianne ! YOU QUIT SMOKING !!!!

Pretend you know nothing about nicotine addiction and start learning everything. Read until your eyes bleed, watch the scary movies. All the information about Nicotine Addiction must be imprinted. This is our best weapon, for sure. But, don't forget to have some fun too ! We have games and a great social section. Please, have a stroll around. S p.s. I will encourage you to stop smoking this very minute and not wait 3 days. The anxiety created by waiting is far worse than the actual quit. Like our friend, Paul, says, 'Just Jump !' But, of course, do your thing...just give this quit your very best. You deserve to be Nicotine Free.

Also, Vivianne, check out our friend, Joel Spitzer What Withdrawals Should I Expect From Quitting Smoking

As you put your nicotine addiction to sleep, your brain re-wires itself, of course, it can be instantly re-activated which is why NOPE (Not One Puff Ever) is so important to internalize but, once you start retraining your brain, your thoughts and reward system become your own again and not the addictions. Your brain will not always be actively asking/demanding nicotine, you can awaken it and must stay somewhat vigilant but, it leaves your conscious mind after a while. You won't be thinking about smoking or nicotine every 20 minutes like you did when you smoked and also when you first quit.

Hello Vivianne and welcome ! We are a great support group, glad you found us. The first thing you must do is educate yourself about nicotine addiction. So read all you can. You may find this thread helpful 10 Ways To Effectively Use This Forum To Help Yourself Quit Smoking I'll be back with more, just out the door right now but, wanted to at least get you started and give a welcome to you.

-6 oh dear. Boosh you may learn to even thank us for it after awhile.

-6 hey Boosh. Sting feels good, don't it !

and a great page of resources from our friend, Joel Spitzer What Withdrawals Should I Expect From Quitting Smoking

Welcome to our jolly band of quitters, Christian. The most important component to a successful quit is Education about nicotine addiction. You must read, read, read and absorb the information. This makes your quit easier too, because you understand what you are going through. Everything makes sense. So, take the time and educate yourself. Quitting is a matter of initially, short term physical withdrawals. The real work comes in changing our patterns, re-programming our reward system, and learning to live FREE. All this is a highly individual matter but, in general it takes about a year to weed through all the craves and seasonal triggers. This isn't a year of full on craziness...just a year of consistently paying close attention to a commitment to NOPE (Not One Puff Ever). Once you understand addiction, this makes perfect sense. We must always stay committed to NOPE. I am a cold turkey quitter. I didn't want to prolong my suffering and didn't want to spend any more ducats on nicotine. Stock up on fruit juices and small rewards. You may find this post (and the many links embedded) helpful to you.10 Ways To Effectively Use This Forum To Help Yourself Quit Smoking I smoked for 40 something years. Addiction is addiction, nobody is more addicted than anyone else...or less addicted either. There is no reason to continue to smoke, Christian. Once you make the decision...GO FOR IT ! You will never regret quitting and your whole life will change for the better. S

Congratulations @MarylandQuitter ! for your SIX years of Freedom. Rewards are still important because every day Free is a v. good day ! and thank you for keeping this train running. S