Still winning

oh how funny, co*k a deafen pmsl

In honesty we should all bow to the canadians, yes they took perfectly good english and translated it but they make their point KNOWN, my canadian family do anyway :) My american family seem altogether too relaxed to care lol. Now don't get me started on the north/south divide here (being a southerner who married a northerner once upon a horrible time) and they too muck it all up. Me and Liz (the queen) are holding our heads in our hands far too often nowadays...I mean thank goodness we can relax with a barth or all might be lost ;) And we'd have to retire with a cup a rosy (rosy lee=tea) up the apples (apples and pears=stairs) and **** a deafen (pretend we can't hear you) while we retreat to Uncle Ned (bed) cause I'm bar wired (tired) with all this explaining english :) Ps as my young ladies would say, fanny (front bum) haha (Lace and Tracey you are saved!)

Bum bag, yeah fanny is altogether a different meaning!!

Annoyance. A true cockney is someone born within the sound of the bells pealing, Bow bells, which are in the east end. We love to confuse people. Originally cockney was put together by men of slightly shady charecter as a way of conversing publicly without understand by others :) We speak proper english ;) xx

A good person will share their experiences, wherever they are most needed, and I don't think that right or wrong comes into that. I'm sure us newbies (or whatever we are lol) benefit from people ahead of us, I for one think you should forgive yourself and focus on the support that you so clearly have to give. (hugs) for your internal dialogue though, but welcome and thank you in anticipation of your paying it forwards (which is surely always the point). x

Quick quantify - nothing is harder than hell week, that near on killed me on two days, the others were ok. Just feels cruel that your own brain has arguments with itself, that's the emotional I refer too. Gotta love a bit of an internal barney ey lol.

I didn't realize you were also in the no mans land zone Jackie. Pleased you feel you've turned a corner. The emotional bits are often harder than the craves! x

I know you guys have my back if my thoughts go awol. I have seen you Ladybug and Julie, ahead of my quitting place so guiding me to your blogs is really helpful, thank you. I am somewhat confused over what no mans land actually is. However I swam through heck week with barely a crave only to get a slam dunk in week 3 lol, so I am not ever going to get too ahead of myself. x

All you do, is start again, never quit quitting! xx

Susana, Nice to "meet" you. Sounds like the guys here have you covered. Brilliant to have you on board. x

Hi Sarah, Welcome!!! Where in England are you from? I'm Buckinghamshire. We have quite a few of us english here :) Brilliant choice to quit smoking!! I know this site will help you, the new information is brilliant at pointing you in the right direction. Loads of others swear by the Allen Carr book and the whyquit.com site as well. I'm a bit confused though, did you quit and go back to it, or are you setting a quit date?? xx

It feels really lovely :) x

I read that Robf, I did chuckle at the banana comparison :) I will stand guard of my quit but I don't want to feel fearful of failure, I would rather feel relief that my smoking days are done and wade through the craves/thoughts as and when they hit.

I had to laugh Jackie. I've been both of these. The smoker who was like, oh for gods sake I'm outside! The reformed smoker who moves away whilst thinking wow, that stinks! I'm sorry your picnic was tainted though, that's rubbish. Isn't the weather amazing for april here though!

Thank you Rez I look forward to being where you are. Funny thing is I read here somewhere that there's a point in time you "just know", ya know that you're sure and I wondered about it. Answering Jonny5's post on reasons why you would smoke got me thinking, I answered and went off to think it through. I'm really happy and genuinely relieved:)

Massive congrats on 5 months quit Mel. xx

Massive congrats Lynn, brilliant 10 months quit. xx

I'm a little over a month quitting smoking now. I'm quietly confident I'm a non smoker who occasionally associates situations to times when I would formerly have smoked. It panicked me early days to read peoples stories, they've been quit months and may relapse etc. I now firmly understand that you always have a choice. You can choose to think smoking can or might help you or you can choose my way, thoughts are just thoughts and they only have the control you give them. Give those junkie thoughts none of your time and it makes it easier to walk by and carry on. I'm entering a time called no mans land apparently. When the quit is no no longer fresh and exciting and it becomes a slog to say no. I don't doubt this is an emotional time, it sounds emotional, but I also don't doubt I will wade through them as I have done and always will do, free from smoke. My brass band cheering me on is long gone lol, I needed it once, I no longer do. You know what I feel, honestly, it's relief!! Previous quit attempts (even longer ones) have been filled with panic that I can never smoke again, ever! This time, even through the hard times I felt more like oh thank goodness that's all done now. I no longer feel full of dread. I take ownership for the 23 years I smoked, it's unlikely I got off scott free and that saddens me. I always had the power to say no but for various reasons made excuses and I stand here today saying no more. I love everything about being a non smoker, even through the thoughts and craves I've had and may yet experience. I don't doubt I will get triggers, have thoughts about times I would have smoked - I also truly believe for me I'm done. Never again will I put something in my mouth and set it on fire! I will not force my body to accept toxins and cause damage to myself, I have more respect for my body now (apart from a small peanut fetish, which I hope will pass?!). Ha!! I'm a non smoker without panic and with pure relief that today, I can say this!!

Nope from me, today and always.

wow, that's fairly deep for first thing. Beautiful though, thanks for the share. x

Lit a candle last night and sent my energy to ((mrs bakon)). Healing strength to you and your family. x

My first thought is there are still probably some, so I sat down and thought it through. Actually can't think of any situation where I wouldn't come up with it can't help me here but I think about it with most situations. I laughed at the thought of a meteor hitting earth scenario and finishing us off and thought, yeah I'd smoke then, but I still wouldn't as I would want to be with my kids and I don't like smoke around them at all lol. I don't know if the fact I would consider it makes me not there yet though. I'm still fairly new to this game and once mucked up a 1 year quit with a bit of stress that granted was bad, but I should of coped with, so I'm wary and on guard.

That first week is a really big mental step, you did it brilliantly!! Massive congrats at a week in the bag. Onwards and upwards!! xx

jeez, we need 200 likes now, you other english are giving us a happy go lucky name...there is none for this!! English are grumpy, everyone knows this, now go queue somewhere ;) x