Still winning

Saw Bandits thread first and have answered there :) xx

7 years is beyond a cool acheivement!! Still paying it forward too, wonderful and congrats to you. x

That's great TEW, so happy for you to pass this landmark. 6 months of freedom :) xx

Brilliant and lovely to hear from you. massive congrats on your 6 months of freedom!! x

not a chance, nope

Ok, I'm game and will join in 1) What was the hardest month in your quit, and why? I couldn't say, they were all very different. I more had difficult triggers rather than a specific month, ie season change, 1st holiday etc. 2) What was the best month in your quit, and why? Month 4. It was the first time I really felt at peace with my quit. It didn't last from then, I had wobbles, but it gave me a glimpse of what was to come and I loved it. 3) Did certain foods increase thoughts about smoking? No. 4) Did you experience anxiety that you thought was related to not smoking? How did you handle it? Yes. For a few months my emotions were off the chart and I found it difficult as I am a trojan normally :) I handled it by choosing to see it as healing. I'm still sure some of the chemicals I smoked had to come through my tear ducts...it just was. The alternative of smoking was not an option, so head down and march. 5) How long did it take you to lose pounds gained while quitting? Wherever I am now, finally got pre quit weight back last week, so about 14 months. Only because my commitment level was shaky due to other situations I had going on and actually, I found it less of a big deal then I thought I would. 6) Did your sleep patterns change after you quit smoking? Yes. Insomnia ruled for about a month or two. After that I settled into a new sleep pattern which involves being awake a part of the night and sleeping in two hits. When I googled it was an old cave man pattern of sleeping. I found running with it better than fighting it and I use the awake hour or so to self heal (reiki) or meditate now. Overall I need less sleep than I did as well. I wake a LOT calmer than I used to and I'm sure it's because of being a non smoker as used to abhor mornings :) 7) At what month did you 100% feel you were forever done with smoking? Oh tough one. I knew on day 2 I would never smoke again. For me, getting a day under my belt sent me mentally euphoric haha, it was the best thing and the greatest feeling. But then I still doubted myself from time to time. Month 4 was big, month 6 was big and 1 year were big. Inbetween those there were some shakes but I don't think I ever doubted I'd stay quit. I'm like that though, making the decisions is hard, sticking to em is my thing. 8) What worked best in the early months that you still do? Deep breaths, clicking my fingers to shift out the nerves. 9) Did you experience depression you thought was related to not smoking? How did you handle it? Not depression as such. I was much more emotional, I chose to trust others that said it was quit related and it passed, at different rates for people. For me that was around month 6. Depression is the wrong word for me but fog is probably more appropriate, I felt my emotions/judgements/reactions were off kilter and that I had immense brain fog. It made me extremely uncomfortable but it also taught me a lot about feeling things properly and reacting in a non addicted way. It was a strategic part of my journey which I see now. 10) If over a year quit, why do you continue to visit and post on QT? Because for all the easy peasy crew, I had a swine of a quit. I literally hung on by a thread at times to get to this point. I feel there's value in that for others to hear. Not to instill fear but to say on the bad days, it really won't feel like this forever, trust me, I've been where you are. Luckily I felt like this place was my refuge, these people have saved my life in more ways than quitting smoking. For a while, they were my safety net and when I might have faltered alone, I couldn't let my buddy and friends down. It's not often in life that you come across such a community and I value it. I also want other people to get the help I had, so it feels right and proper that I should pay it forward. 11) When was the last time you had a smoking dream/smokes dream? Can't remember? Didn't have loads of them anyway, did have some, maybe 10 or so all told. 12) What is the very best thing that has happened to you since doing the sticky quit? I always ramble on about the sense of self worth, it was such an unexpected benefit that it really is fantastic. But the best thing that's "happened" to me is I feel like I have found who I was supposed to always be. I hid behind smoking, I used it to keep me out of the limelight, to give breathing space for poor problem solving, to avoid facing people and confrontation. I actually always thought I was a tough cookie and I was in a way, but now I am in totality, with some softer edges. I'm not sure how to really explain it but I like me better as a non smoker. x

Sorry you're having a bad day. 6 weeks is a common "wobble time" I think. I hear you on the 10 month stuff but if you really read that message, the shock is that she's been trigger free and is surprised any have come back. That's the real story here. In only 10 short months, after literally years of smoking a trigger has taken someone by surprise. Hang in there Toni. A bad day is not a bad quit...all quits are good and I see your commitment is not in question anyway. I just wanted to say don't assume you will feel like you do today because there will me more highs than lows for sure. x

I think a lot of us are with you. I wobbled at 9 months with a new trigger of christmas shopping (of all things to really shake my quit). I very nearly asked someone too...but then like you I still chose not too. That's the thing here, we forget how tough those triggers were. I found it helped to treat myself to something visual (I bought a rug) so I could literally see how much better life was with more money and smoke free. xx

Might of known it was totty slowing him down, fibber said he was having computer issues lol. Good work Tom. He does confirm he is happily smoke free but we never doubted that :)

My chill was knowledge. I really accepted that my situation was proper shitty and so was smoking...then I cried...cause I realized smoking would just add another problem to my mountain of unaddressed problems. I'm not saying you're situation is the same but offering another version of chill...action! For everything else I learnt how to breath. Even now, if something winds me up I take a deep breath, and another, and another...until I can think straight. I journal and blog, so it comes out of my head and I can "see" what I'm dealing with. I vent, I never used too! I was sooo private and repressed, now I'm a frequent flyer on the swear thread and my friends are getting to know me. In essence, you change! It's not scary tho Char, it's liberating! Let yourself start to grow into who you were supposed to be and don't try and keep things the same out of fear. My best advice. xx

Yep!! Left the kids at home and went on date night to see it with friends! Awesome film, loved it. x

So it's been sunday, now monday, let's get this party on :) You can absolutely do this, just jump and get it done. xx

nope

nope

Good luck Karl!! Sat: Load removal van tomorrow morning for my mum. Afternoon have a how to run a spiritual business course to attend. Sun: Paint mums floorboards so they don't look so bad. Come home, watch motorbike racing Mon mayday bank holiday: Probably go round some car showrooms, try and find a cheap runaround car as I will be without one now my mums moved and taken hers. Busy but good I think :)

nope.

This sounds quite a breakthrough moment TEW :) The thinking a new way can feel pretty tough to learn to start with but actually, we become more of who we were always meant to be. As the fog lifts and we accept that we never needed a crutch, in fact we needed a clearer head to drive solutions or indeed, wait for new opportunities to arise. I wanted to add some clarity on stress in the body with nicotine, mainly cause I never knew it till recently and I think it would have helped me in a way. It's on Markus post a bit further down. When we stressed as smokers, the body's reaction is to pull nicotine from the bloodstream (that flight or fight thing I guess) and so of course we crave instantly. When we are not smokers, that doesn't happen. It simply doesn't exist! This is why in all scenarios it is much better to be a non smoker because we have a greater clarity than an addict driven to feed their addiction prior to making any choices, whether that be to walk away or deal for that moment. That's pretty cool I think. I am seeing this in action very clearly myself this week. There is a potentially a stressful situation here. The smoker is smoking and I am resolving calmly. x

CRUSHING IT :D You are amazing, can't believe you're at 7 already...great job!!! Much love. xx

It sucks balls this addiction!! However you're a winner my friend, months clear and every day is a step closer to the freedom on the horizon. I love that QT blocked out p ussy for you too, lol. By default they are trying to make you smile but I hope your more innocent cuddles helped and here's some from me (((JACKIE))). You got this sweetheart, one step at a time. x

nope

You need to start working on flipping your thinking. Perhaps try telling yourself you do not want to smoke, going with the positive reinforcement or fake it till you make it.. It will make it easier for you when you can do that. Acknowledge you have a trigger, because hey we smoked for years so of course we do but it's only a thought association, it has no power! What it is doing is simply reminding you that you used to smoke at this time/in this circumstance/in this scenario. So an inner monologue of "yes I did but now I don't want to smoke anymore, or I don't want to smoke today" will honestly be better for you. The other thinking of god I wanna smoke SOOO bad but I won't, leaves you in a weaker place, trust me. x Also some days are just bad days and in reverse, some days are much easier. x

Every time you're tempted but don't smoke..you grow stronger. Your quit box grows and so does your confidence. Get some techniques in place for when you crave if that will help, carry gum or mints or whatever. Take a different route. Whatever works is my motto :) However I agree, you didn't smoke. xx

Well done on recognising what could alleviate how you're feeling. Our sleeping patterns seem to be disturbed slightly as we are healing. Tiredness seems to alternate with some insomnia for some, not for all. I think it's great to get checked out, that said most GPs have no idea what symptoms are from the quit and that's just because no two quits are alike. Water and movement and vitamin D sound like a winning combo to me. xx

massive congrats on one week of freedom!! Now we march onwards and upwards. NOPE just for today. xx

Ah, sometimes it whatever works isn't it. Although I would advise "more togetherness" on the board :) x