PinkyPromise

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Somebody stop me.

I can't even.

We seriously have the best Santa over here... will have to be going for a visit this week. He's got quite the reputation and the line gets so long. Up to 3-4 hours, so now they have a ticketing system for you to come back at a certain time. Last year when we got there our ticket said come back in 6 hours. It's almost an hour away from home, but we went home and came back anyway!

LOL -- we have 3 cats. 2 of them will be exposed to the tree for the fist time this year -- will have to report on how it goes Ohhhhh no... we don't have tinsel but our tree is artificial so has fake pine needles. I hope they don't try to feast on any of it lol We love ourselves some Christmas over here. We won't be putting out all of the houses and such. My son is too little to be trusted to leave it alone, but the tree is almost up now!

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We're putting our tree up!!!

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True -- I love all kinds of shopping NP prefers their coffee with cream & sugar

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Just a quick recording for personal reference. So, it's coming up now on 4 weeks since I smoked a cigarette. I never developed a daily "smoker's cough" or found myself clearing my throat regularly, but I assumed that after quitting I'd probably end up coughing a lot just as part of the healing process. Well, nothing happened. Nothing until a couple of days ago anyway. I started in late September/early October replacing smoking with vaping a few times a day and from then through mid-October I decreased cigarettes until my last one on Oct 16th. After that I continued vaping with the 6mg fluid through October. Then about 2 weeks of 3mg, then a few days ago, down to 0mg. During this time I've also minimized the frequency of vaping, not doing it at times I'd "normally smoke", leaving it at home when I leave for errands. SO -- during this entire time I hadn't been coughing, but I have been now for the last few days. I don't feel sick at all and do not have any symptoms aside from the coughing. It's mostly a dry cough, but I feel some chest congestion -- it kind of feels like I NEED to have more productive coughs, but so far, nothing. I know that coughing after quitting smoking is common, I'd just expected if it was going to happen it would have been sooner. For me it's correlated with the absence of nicotine... I feel like that has to be coincidental though. Far from scientific -- but the handful of people I know who used vaping as their "quit bridge" each said that after 5-7 days is when they could feel significant physical differences; reduced or eliminated coughing, more energy, shortness of breath was reduced, overall they said they "felt" better. Whatever. I'm gonna go swallow a spoonful of honey now.

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I will be there! With a very strong adult beverage

0

Thank you for the input, guys I learned (the hard way?) that going back and forth with personal opinions isn't conducive to either my quit or to the community here. I do mean that respectfully. In all of my own research, I can say only one thing we can all agree on about e-cigs: the jury's still out The UK is the first to officially list them as a smoking cessation device, while other countries have banned them all together. The FDA is now regulating the devices and fluids here in the US... some insurance companies consider e-cig users as smokers, some do not. The latest CDC report indicates at least 35% of people quitting smoking are now using vapor as their quit method. As you might guess... "Big Tobacco" is heavily involved and I'll be 100% honest: I don't have the time nor energy to sift through all of the most recent scientific studies, reports, and findings. When I decided to make use of the e-cig to aid in my quit, I hadn't seen or even heard of any kind of online community. If I had, would it have swayed my decision? I can't say one way or another with any truth, because I don't know. I'm totally on board with sharing the process of my quit with full, honest disclosure. I think being dishonest about any aspect of it would diminish not only the support I could receive but also any support I might be able to offer anyone else. In my heart, I know that my quit smoking date was October 16th. That was the last time I smoked a cigarette, for the first time in 17 years. I'm proud of that day; I'm proud of every day thereafter. If this community or individuals within do not feel comfortable with that date, it's ok with me -- I also mean this sincerely. It's sometimes hard to "hear" someone's tone in a written setting without visual ques and the benefit of being able to hear their voice. So, please don't read this as sarcasm or irritation in any way. Yes, I spent the 2 weeks prior to the 16th weaning down the number of cigarettes I had... and yes, also there was nicotine in my fluid up until a couple of days ago. I can be sure that it was significantly less than my cigarettes contained because there were some very strong withdrawals and cravings, many of the unpleasant quitting symptoms that most everyone here has had to move through. The first 2 weeks (for me) were the most difficult. I didn't know what to do with myself half the time and I believe that using the vape did aid me in stepping off over the edge a few times. I have heard people using nicotine gum or patches mention the same type of experience... it was not as physically satisfying as smoking (meaning it did not halt the withdrawals of the addiction) but it helped take some of the edge off. So, it's ok with me if the 16th of November rolls around and nobody blows off any bells & whistles for me... that's not why I'm here. What matters to me is that November 16th will come and go without me lighting up a cigarette... and then December 16th, and so on. That said -- from the start of my own quit journey, there hasn't ever been the idea that I'd continue using the vape after it's purpose was served.

-9 what fresh hell has happened here?

I don't know what it says about a person if they hear this song and don't at the very least, tap their damn toes.

My very first concert... well, *show* -- when I was 15 I think lol

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