Phoebe2

Back in the day I was very passionate about quitting smoking. There were so many benefits, expected and unexpected, that I wanted every single smoker to break free and feel amazing. I hated cigarettes and what they do to us. I guess it was my passion that has kept me quit for the last 5 years so it can't be a bad thing, right? But oh my. When ever I saw a thread about yet another quitters relapse I had steam coming out my ears. I'd post the brutal truth especially when the relapser had little insight nor had taken any responsibility for their relapse because I knew they were probably never going to keep their quit. And that made me sad for them and for others in the early quit because it would have been scary for them to read how 'easy' it was to relapse. And it almost made a mockery of those that worked their butts off protecting their quit. As if a 'little relapse' was nothing to get your knickers in a knot about. Righto ... 5 years on and I have learned you can't fix other peoples addictions and you can't blame others for their brain wiring. If you have the energy and patience to sooth a relapser then that's wonderful. Everyone deserves support. Even the ones that don't post SOS's. But remember, your time and energy should be focused on YOU and YOUR quit. That's where your passion should be directed towards.

It's a defining moment when you realise you didn't go to the old and outdated "I'm stressed I need to smoke like a chimney" method of 'coping' with stress. I hope you find a great job soon!

Thank for the congrats everyone! Johnny5 you are not far behind either! Way to go! DoreensFree and you have passed the 5 year mark too. Congrats! In fact congrats is due to everyone here because its amazing to me that we here have managed to quit. We got it right! Jo, way up North? Last time I looked I was way down South but not as South as the Map Of Tassie. *cheesy grin* How you going?

Hi Jillar! I know I don't come by and visit very often these days but you all are close to my heart. I've been looking around and it seems it's pretty solid these days with Mods and admin looking after the place. Thanks for the cake! Take care x

When I stopped coughing my lungs up. This recovery happened so fast, within a week.

23 April today (hurry and catch up please rest of the world!) 5 years ago I made one of the best decisions in my life! No one ever thought I'd quit smoking. I decided to quit cold turkey. I remember I psyched myself into hating smoking so much I actually gagged while smoking my last cigarette. I educated myself for a few weeks before I quit on how the Big Tobacco companies use emotional and physical means ( like putting bronchi-dilators in your cig to help you breath better) to keep you addicted. I watched Youtube video's on how they market cigarettes to a certain demographic these days - young people (kids really) in Third World countries. It's criminal. I'm not saying it was easy. There were days I cried with frustration. Days I didn't know what to do with myself because I wasn't engaged in all that smoking time i.e thinking about it, buying them, smoking them. Having to deal with the odd trigger even a year or two after quitting. You just have to accept you will feel uncomfortable while quitting and don't be afraid of who you are underneath the addiction. Let the real you arise and deal with any emotions as they appear instead of smoking them down. You become a better person if you weren't dealing with your real feelings. There were so many benefits to quitting it's amazing to look back with 5 years of hindsight. NOPE works for me. I protect my quit with everything I have. Thanks for being a big part of that journey :)

What a cutie darling little sweetie pie!

Hiya Jo fellow Aussie non smoking fabulously incredibly strong woman! How have you been? Sazerac that's exactly how I feel .. keep the never ever (NOPE) and we'll always be successful! It's really a no brainer but surprisingly how hard it is to keep it that way for some?

Hi Jillar, lovely to see you too! Hi Recip and Sslip! Life is treating me well. I'm a non smoking Grandma and loving it so much. Hope you are all doing well too!

I've been quit 4 years and 5 months but it's been way too long since my last visit so I'm back to 'keeping it humble'. I think part of the reason I've been a successful quitter is because I will never ever feel complacent about my quit. I was a 40 year smoker and I know my addiction is lurking somewhere in my brain ready to trick me into thinking I need a cigarette because of some deeply ingrained trigger. Welcome to all the newbies and hellooooo to the oldies keeping the quit!

Sadly she decided to smoke right up to her surgery and then quit during her recovery period. So yes, she only quit because of her diagnosis. I guess to justify the smoking in her mind surgery 'cured' her of lung cancer so it will do so again. Apparently she smokes because she 'enjoys it'. Yeah that old chestnut. I used to use that justification too. :(

I look at it this way ... we smoked no matter what was happening in our lives. We smoked because we were addicted and after a certain x amount of time our nicotine levels got critically low and our brains told us we needed a cigarette to boost us back up to 'normal' or we'd soon start to suffer from withdrawal symptoms. Stress, whether it be good stress or bad stress depletes nicotine faster in the body so that's why we crave cigarettes more during these times. It's all about keeping the nicotine supply to 'what the brain thinks is 'normal'. But we don't need to keep our nicotine levels up because we have quit smoking. So now it's just an old trace memory of what we used to think were good reasons to have a cigarette. PS Thank goodness those toxic people are out of your life. I'd be celebrating too if a certain supervisor got the boot

I still managed to pile on the weight though .. I made a great sugar free low carb lemon cheesecake ? Probably wouldn't have piled on the weight if I could have sucked on an all day lollipop. *sigh*

I know Jillar. And I see this every day (well, 5 days a week) because she's a work colleague. It just does my head in that it was a miracle she survived and all the love and support she received while recovering doesn't mean shite. I guess her friends and family will have to do it all over again down the track God forbid. :(

I was on a no sugar low carb diet when I quit. I really could have benefited from having lollies and sweets at the time!