Sazerac

Tucked in the sand is much kinder to delicate skin than what you thought, bakon. Intimate relations on the beach may look romantic but, arent. Those tiny grains of sand... it might be a way to put yourself to sleep though, mister. I don't know. You are an odd one, for true. Baths know not the hour. Baths are divine at any time, night or day and Epsom Salts are from the Gods of Calm. Bless Daisy for remembering ! D will not be tempted to have an electrical object of lust in the bathtub. Not with her hand held shower massage, silly.

Oh, Tiff. You should not feel bad for posting here or for leaning on your pals. You know how good it feels when you can help somebody. Don't deny others that affirmation. I hope you are powering through. Distracting yourself. We have all been through this struggle. Some have it easier but, it is still something to come to grips with and not a walk in the park.

1. Are you named after someone? No 2. When is the last time you cried? sometime in August when I heard my first husband had died. Tears surprised me. 3. Do you like your handwriting? yes 4. What is your favorite processed lunch meat? no no no never no no 5. Do you have kids? one female child, now grown woman. 6. If you were another person, would you be friends with you? Most days (copied from Daisy) 7. Do you use sarcasm? I used to be very sarcastic but, not so much anymore, a little with people I know but, less and less. I am finding it better and kinder to talk straight. 8. Do you still have your tonsils? No 9. Would you bungee jump? No 10. What is your favorite cereal? Steel Cut Oats 11. Do you untie your shoes when you take them off? yes 12. Do you think you are a strong person? Strong-willed and pretty physically strong too for my age. 13. What is your favorite ice cream? homemade sorbet with fresh fruit 14. What is the first thing you notice about people? whether they are smiling or not then I notice if they are wearing grown up clothes or the wardrobe of an 11 year old boy. 15. Red or pink? Red 16. What is the least favorite thing you like about yourself? this is a weirdly phrased question... do they mean what don't you like about yourself ? I don't like my outspokenness sometimes. I would like to temper it somewhat. 17. What color pants and shoes are you wearing right now? no pants and no shoes. 18. What was the last thing you ate? a perfect homemade corn tortilla and a scrambled egg. 19. What are you listening to right now? Miles Davis, 'Tutu' 20. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? Yellow Orange today. 21. Favorite smell? Vetivert 22. Who was the last person you spoke to on the phone? The Beloved 23. Favorite sport to watch? no no never no 24. Real hair color? gray, white, silver and a few wayward brown/blonde strands 25. Eye color? Green 26. Do you wear contacts? no 27. Favorite food to eat? Fresh Shrimp from the Gulf of Mexico. Fresh anything. 28. Scary movies or happy endings? I don't go to movies 29. Last movie watched? I don't watch movies because I resent the overt manipulation and the camera changes scenes so fast that I get vertigo. 30. What book are you reading? Short Stories by Truman Capote 31. What is on your mouse pad? no mouse pad, I have that clever finger thing on my laptop 32. What is the last TV program you watched? no no never tv. 33. Rolling Stones or The Beatles? the funk of the Stones and the song list of the Beatles. 34. What is the farthest you've traveled? Mauritius 35. Do you have any special talents? Plenty although I have retired the most vigorous of them :P 36. Where were you born? Tullahoma, Tennessee. only passing through.

-6 they will be back but, you have to wonder....they come back as a gang during work hours...what sort of job allows for that nonsense ?

Tiffany. Don't be ridiculous. Why would you want to re-ignite a deadly addiction ? In a moment, it will pass, you win. Unless you indulge the addiction, then it is all over. You lose. You edited your post out and I am trying to take that as a good sign, a sign you no longer believe the addict. Where y'at ?

-3

a few suggestions about sleep or lack there-of. Stop beverages with caffeine by noon. Stop looking at any type of screen a few hours before bed time. Dark room. no light from telly or streetlights. Silent room. Put your hand on your solar plexus and start breathing slowly and mindfully. Let your thoughts wander, don't obsess over sleeping/not sleeping or your day or tomorrow. Imagine yourself in a peaceful place, a safe place like tucked in the sand on a warm beach or floating easily on the water without a care in the world. Have a beautiful sort of day dream. Don't stress that you are still awake, it doesn't matter. Concentrate on your body relaxing and resting. Don't worry about 'sleep'. This way, your body can rest even if you are not actually asleep and you can get up feeling quite refreshed after a few hours and often, I find that I have put myself to sleep. Sleep is overrated :P Mindful rest is essential.

-1

-1

Hope you powered through the weekend. I distanced myself from smokers and smoking bars which were still in full swing 3 years ago. I kept that distance for a month or two. Then, the smell was so abhorrent that I didn't want to be around it. The smoke smelled like the poison that it is. I have a few smoking friends. They don't smoke much in front of me and if they do we are outside where I can be upwind. I found that some smoking buddies were not friends, they were just smoking buddies. One was quite angry that I quit, envious ? and then there were a couple who were incredibly non-supportive verbally which made me purge them from 'friends', I don't need friends like that. I had never had anyone act like a 'pusher' before even when procuring illegal substances, it was only a cigarette addict who tried to push a cigarette in my hand and insist, "aw, go on, you know you want one. you can have just one, can't you ? One won't hurt" I removed myself from their presence. Silly addicts.

-20 YAY ! ANOTHER fabulous WIN for the honest, gorgeous and brilliant CHICKS :) :D :)

vasthoudendheid = tenacity hope it is the correct translation. it means having GREAT determination. I forget, that you are multi-lingual, Evelyn !

-17

NOPE (although, I don't always NOPE on the thread, I always NOPE in my head and this is my 1,095th NOPE in the morning ! )

-16 hello smoke free creatures

Thank you wonderful smoke free creatures. All of you are very important to me. At Three years, cigarettes are a distant memory. I never think about smoking one, haven't for YEARS and YEARS. I wrote a long piece about my quit, Sazerac's Third Annual Soiree (there are refreshments and a band), about how I lurked my way to freedom.... so glad I finally joined to thank y'all and stayed for the party. S

Sorry to be late, Armed. I guess you were hidden behind the Babes ? Congratulations on your Three Years of Freedom !

Three years ago, I quit smoking on a whim which quickly grew into a personal challenge to myself. A trip out West, where cigarette smoking made you an instant pariah, an aeroplane coughing fit and a horrible cold precipitated this life changing decision. I quit Cold Turkey not wanting to mess about with quacks or, spend dosh on NRT's. My ignorance about nicotine addiction was absolute, in fact, I likely didn't 'believe' in addiction or some such denial tactic. Although, while in California, I joked, 'I'm going outside to shoot up' when taking smoke breaks and the ever handy/ever ready e-cig led me to vaguely acknowledge a problem with nicotine. Possibly, the intermittent change of delivery systems pushed me to think a little. It certainly jacked up my nicotine levels. But, denial was my running partner and cigarettes were crucial to my personal identity or, so I thought. I smoked. Everywhere. All the time. For upwards of 45 years...a staggering amount of time. 24 hours into my 'whim', my search for information began online. I had no idea what to expect and soon learned horrifying truths. Watching terrifying movies about big tobacco stirred up my anger. I saw heartbreaking films about tobacco's slow and lurid torment and was encouraged by writings and videos from Alan Carr and Joel Spitzer. Reading personal testimonial threads of success or challenge strengthened my resolve and I studied addiction till my eyes bled. Denial no longer comforted me as the truth seeped in. I was a nicotine addict. Daily, I would count my cigarette money, mark time in a minutely obsessive way and write short updates of my mood on a calendar. Insane, Terrible, Crazy Bad, Awfully Horrible, Crap, Miserable persisted the first week. I slept as much as possible. Often, a swirl of mental anguish enveloped me but, it passed. I ate Satsumas. Facing the truth of my Addiction, the quit gathered momentum. I remembered how to breathe ! Oxygen was now my drug of choice. It was startlingly refreshing. It sharpened my mind. It calmed me down. During craves or taking breaks I breathed handfuls of conscious breaths. Admittedly, there were gruesome moments. 'FREE YOUR HEAD', I would growl, spitting Fire and sucking air through a cinnamon stick. There were primal screaming showers, squeezing the last drops of hot water from the tap. It was a fight for Freedom and I wasn't turning back. Then, miraculously it seemed, days on the calendar were left blank. I was just getting on with my new life. Embrace The Suck, I learned from our friend, Sarge. Day 10, 'Slightly Not Terrible' Day 14, 'Rough but Bearable, Satsumas ! ' Day 20, 'Better' There were some dips. Day 25, 'Ugly not Terrible' Then there was just the count of days and accumulated dosh. Day 40, 'Strong urges, got busy moving furniture around' Day 50, 'Hard' Day 70, 'Better and Better' was the last entry. In retrospect, 70 days was an incredibly short time to Free My Head from an addiction that lasted 40 some odd YEARS. That is incredible value for time/discomfort vs. a whole new life of Freedom. I also had about $600 cash for my 'trouble'. My habitual cough disappeared. As the months crept by, craves disappeared or became trivial aggravations, triggers became unimportant. No, that is wrong. Triggers and craves were very important because they reminded me that I was hungry or thirsty, emotional or, tired or...something. This wasn't about nicotine anymore. This was my body trying to contact me, an important communication that had always been pacified by sticking a cigarette in my mouth. H.A.L.T. (Hungry, Angry, Lonesome, Tired) became a guide to listening to what my body/spirit required. This concept was life changing. More quantum changes followed ~A growing inner confidence based on Truth instead of bravado. ~Denial has languished as a coping strategy and is transforming into a signal to investigate. ~Freedom from addiction became a reality to be nurtured and protected. ~Taking breaks with a few conscious breaths to center myself has become a habit and helps maintain focus on the task at hand. ~My Compassion grows with this experience. I am a kinder human (well, mostly). After 10 (?) months continuing to lurk and learn, I decided to join The Quit Train and thank these fine people. From my very first post, I felt welcomed and encouraged in my quit. Today, on my Three Year Anniversary, I send a welcome to lurkers out there. Thinking about quitting smoking ? Made the decision to quit ? Starting your journey free from nicotine ? Lurk to your hearts content and learn all you can about your addiction. It is a colossal step to admit you have an addiction and are ready to stop believing your own lies, the lies of an addict. Take it ! This is a fortuitous opportunity to get right with yourself and a chance to save your own life. Perhaps, you will be enticed to sign up and join this ragtag assortment of Nicotine Free people. People who understand the struggle with nefarious nicotine and are interested in helping others succeed in conquering this addiction. Becoming a member will help keep you accountable and also be of service to others, simply by your shared experience. To Everyone here on QTrain, successful quitters with years under their belts and sparkling, shiny, brand new quitters, all of you continue to help solidify my freedom from the slavery of nicotine. There are not many gifts greater than this and I am ever grateful. Thank you so much. S

-7

-7

Welcome back Tyme. We are here to cheer you on. You know the drill, read read read and read more about your addiction. Commit to NOPE. You will win.

-5 I care not for a trophy, my satisfaction comes with the MONTHS and months of whooping your a** :D Still feel bad for poor Boo, though.

I love your new symbols. I admire your tenacity. I am so glad you are Nicotine free.

N O P E

-5 hello darling smoke free creatures