Still winning

Aww Lace, I just smiled a very big smile for you and your incredible 6 months!! Massive congrats on half a year and fighting the good fight. Some things are worth a bit of a battle and this quit malarky is in that camp :) Brilliant work. xx

Love this!! Now we are strong women ey :) x

hmmm, interesting convo. I relapsed 14 years ago after 364 days. My quit was partly educated, after 3 months I stopped looking for help and just cracked on. However I did not face triggers in that quit, I ran away from all stress and "protected" the quit. I even moved out of my Mums house at 3 weeks as they all smoked and I couldn't hack it. Then on that day my then fiance called off our wedding, 6 months from our wedding date. I had a big dress in our spare room, it was all planned! I was obviously mortified, whereas now I deeply releived - he didn't age well at all :) Anyway, he hated smoking so I bought a packet of cigs, opened his wardrobe and lit one in an ashtray, wafting the smoke towards his clothes - I had no intention of smoking - however I picked up that cig and smoked it whilst blowing the smoke in the wardrobe...then i picked up to 40 a day up for another 14 years till March just gone. Anyway my point. In my humble opinion. We have to accept that at times of stress our thoughts will turn but there's always a choice. I have no probs with people doing what's right for them by the way, but for me, any form of nrt or whatever would be a backward step. Education for me is about understanding "why" I feel the way I do and working with it/around it to prevent relapse. For my whole smoking life I looked for the feel good/easy way...for me there's no easy way to quit...it's simply trudging through it now. Today I have craves, they are not bad and I understand it's because I feel unwell and previously this would have been time to sit and smoke whereas normally I am quite active so I notice having to sit more. I know this so I accept it is for today and keep moving forward. I kinda think as a smoker I was all about instant gratification with nicotine. I like that as a non smoker I have to work harder to get some feel good endorphins going through exercise and manage the understanding of how my addicted brain will work. I know I will struggle, but I also know I won't smoke so I don't want or need to prepare for that eventuality. Even under massive stresses I have faced the craves head on and accepted they are part of the journey but not the destination if that makes sense. So that's me but if I thought my quit was at risk, truly at risk, I would do anything to hold it. x

-6

Sicknote - day in - still nope.

Welcome wendy. I think the more honest you are, the better support we can offer and vice versa. Quitting with others smokers around is totally do able although hard at times for sure. If it helps I changed my thinking and often watched them smoke. I would wait for the "catch" and the "cough" and remind myself that there was a serious lack of romance going on there...they were simply feeding an addiction... no blissful relaxing and a whole host of bad stuff was happening (smell, cough, finances, etc). Maybe you can use them to reinforce your quit too. xx

I can't put my finger on one thing. A series of events came within the space of a year and money was also at breaking point. Initially prompted by my oldest being terrified of my Mums cough (copd) and that mine sounded bad. Then she refused to kiss me goodbye and someone took the mickey out of her coat smelling (was kept in the kitchen where we smoked). I spent from last July to this March trying on a variety of non quits - social smoker, weekend smoker etc. In a nutshell I didn't believe I could quit. My fella was trying to quit but then would smoke with me. My really poorly and in terrible health through smoking mum, kept telling me, we must quit, we'd congratulate each other on only smoking 5 or whatever non quit we had acheived. I became fearful of my continued inability to quit, my daughter continued to ask hard questions like "will you get sick like Nan when I'm older", the kicker was "will I have to look after you too". Broke my heart and I swore no she wouldn't. As luck would have it I put myself on a healing course as it was recognised by insurance companies and I want to add it to future business plans, a course previously I've done but years ago and it wouldn't be good for insurance. The tutor said something about all healers seem to smoke, it's like a way of refuelling ourself - I thought that was really dumb, then went to smoke. Next day I woke and thought how will I put my stinky smoking hands on people to heal them. Spent 3 weeks fighting the NHS to get a champix prescription. Had to prove by using them that I am allergic to patches and it was all very frustrating but I got there. I decided to throw everything at it :) Champix, dalmation jasper crystal, 21 days of self healing before I quit and a quit in alignment with a full moon lol, day before my quit I joined a forum as I knew I would need support where I was living with a heavy smoker and a still smoking partner who'd long since given up that we could quit...embraced all my weird and wonderful and champix/forum as a crutch. I quit the champix 5 days after I quit, I had every side effect, didn't care, just knew it was now or never. Long winded way of saying it was a series of events. My goals were to protect my children finally, financial and poisoning myself was not aligned with the rest of my lifestyle.... but I always like to say all I can think of, in case something there helps someone reading. x

Well, no, you don't smoke. Awesome holski. x

Oh hell fire comrade! You knew as well didn't you..... So pleased you are out of the woods and recovering. x

4 hours walking round a farm 25 minutes of yoga with a 4 year old sharing the mat... not for the win (although a brilliant "bow" position, better then mine!)

Retained fluid is uncomfortable enough as it is so hopefully they can get that gone and find what the actual problem is. Pleased it's not a stroke and that's ruled out, weight off the mind I'm sure. ((sharon)), keeping you in my thoughts my friend, being strong is the toughest job. xx

Buddy, a brand new milestone!! Good times, atta boy!! Big up Stu, 7 months is all kinds of fabulous, as are you. Thanks for all you do,both for me and the board. Hope you have time to raise a quick toast today. xx

nope - used the money to visit the farm with kids instead, good fun :)

Money. I hate that it's my first thought but it is. Financially solvent for the first time in years! Kept my word to my 8 year old who I promised to quit.. eventually. Showing my children an example of an entire non smoking family while they are young is literally priceless to me!! (stats are scary on this) Self belief/ self value Can laugh without that scary cough We and house smells better More energy, tons of it!! Showed others it could be done, who subsequently quit :) Better blood flow is beneficial in sooo many ways ;) New friends, who accepted me as I am. Need less sleep to feel refreshed Can enjoy events like swimming/theme parks etc without feeling my nico levels dropping and getting unhappy! Quit forced me to own and subsequently manage my emotions, rather than keep surpressing them Having spare time forced me to exercise or bloat lol, turns out I love exercise - who knew?! Last but not least, I have stopped adding to any smoking damage. What's done is done but now I may get a few more years to watch those I love grow. x

I had one because of a repeat cough from quitting. I'm not sure if you could go private here but they wouldn't do an x ray without a reason here. Also as sarge said, what about radiation exposure? I think we all panic about the damage we have done too, all we can do is try and make our lifestyles healthier now. xx

Hey Gio, Welcome in :) xx

Sharon, sending my energy to you and yours again. Love to you sweetheart. xx

Massive congrats on the big moment of 1 month Tom!! Excellent job!! Are the kids pleased? Great job on the quit. xx

1 month of freedom!! Great job Vic. Love having you on the board and how you have faced down this quit. Massive congrats on month 1 of many!! xx

35 minute brisk walk 45 minute Combat cardio ( with the fittie - it's been a bad day and I totally deserved the ogle) 10 mins arms curls, low weights high reps.

I still like a vino and refused to give that up too. Agree with Nancy, release one vice at a time lol. I even went pubbing day 4 and still held my quit...mostly by screaming inside but they put me on Marti watch and someone distracted me while the others went to smoke lol, I eventually ran away to bed haha. I'm always surprised when people say how interlinked the two are for them, they weren't for me... although I think maybe going pull pelt made me face the trigger and know I could surpass it right from the start.. who knows.

Mine are all there already. Apart from Care bears :)

Massive congrats Aine, half a year is a superb and huge milestone!! Hope all is well for you all and comrade is recovering well. xx