RoryPlog

Great move coming here first. It might not matter to you right this minute, but I really love no be a smoker right now. Right now I feel ok Right now I can resist the urge to smoke I'm glad you came here first, thats a great move right now.

Shameless plug

Thank you all.. Been a really long time since I came for a visit. My quit is going great, and with the exception of the global chaos that's going, most things are going well. Most of my health issues have slowed down to a dull roar. I am actually feeling a significant difference in my breathing and how much breathe I have, and I will never take that for granted again. I wish you all health and happiness. Peace, Rory

Gentle wave at any of you Old-Phartes that are still around.

Nope :-) Still and really proud of it today. So proud, that I remembered about all you folks that helped along the way. Thank you all

I think the logo is awesome. Great work

Del - you're in a terrible spot. 2 cigs is a relapse. The cravings will eventually become something that don't seem so overwhelming, but only if you don't never have another puff. Take a breath, remember the things that helped you decide to quit. If you don't smoke then smoking can't hurt your health any further. Smoking can't rob you have energy if you don't do it. Sleeping is good for your body, and you can deal with weight as you get further away from your quit date. I don't remember any magic formula that made any of the crappy part of quitting go away. It sucks, and the only thing that actually makes it go away is time. You've made a great decision to quit, it's ok to want to snap, freak out, and stamp your feet, but if you take a puff it all starts again. This can be a great place to get support when everyone around you seems not to care. Take a breath del and be at peace as best you can. R

The cravings/triggers are starting to become just a dull roar now for me 'most of the time'. Now and again a 'moment' crave or a 'stress' trigger will still grab my attention a little more. I don't really understand why some of them will stand out or become something I have to 'fight off'. Either way the tactics and strategies that I have used since I started my quit, get me though all the moments. Take a breath........address what is really going on "I want to smoke because I used to be addicted to smoking - now I don't smoke"..........distract myself from the moment 'grab a guitar and play a few licks'. Peace Rory

Saz thats super cool thanks for the link. Now I have a whole tour of shops to hit :-)

Theres a guitar store somewhere in your neck of the woods (Norm's Rare Guitars) thats always been on my bucketlist. One day I'll get down that way :-)

Well friends, I have become one of them. One of what you ask? One of those folks about to rant about smokers :-) I took a quick little trip down to the Dominican Republic where I got to take in some vitamin sea (see what I did there :-)). I walked a ton, and checked out as much of the local fare as I could. I was astonished that while eating supper there were people smoking at the tables all around me. While I was playing guitar a couple of nights at local bars, people were smoking two feet away from me. Imagine, while I was trying to entertain these wonderful folks, there was a grey haze three feet from the ceiling. Everywhere I went, the beach, the bars, the pool, the ....... everywhere were people smoking three to five cigarettes an hour. It was overwhelming. Not in the way of "wow do I need a smoke', it was more like 'I'm dying a little every time I breathe. For nearly a week after my little adventure, I felt that I was trying to soft cough up something in my lungs that I hadn't experienced in a long while. I'm taking this as a hugely positive experience. I played (guitar and sang) at two bars while I was in the Dominican and I had a blast. I enjoyed the local people, the beaches and bars, and all the expats that I got to meet. I also didn't smoke. Not a single puff. Not only that, but I didn't obsess about smoking at any point. All the smokers around me, and all the smoking triggers and situations, yet it wasn't an issue for more than a fleeting moment. My journey continues and I appreciate the friendship and support all you folks offer Peace Rory

Hey Sslip, late just means the party keeps going. Thanks for being part of this crazy adventure.

You guys are all awesome. I wanna thank you all so much for your patience, tolerance, enthusiasm and kind support. Well, I did it. I checked my ‘app’ quite a bit over the holidays as my quitversary was approaching. I had a great Christmas holiday, surrounded by family and friends. I did it all without a single puff. I am really quite proud of myself, and really thankful for the help along the way. I wish you all great success in your quits, and peace in your lives. Rory

Congrats Wren. We got this :-)

Well I can't believe it's right around the corner........1 year.....without a single puff...... I sadly didn't celebrate this monumental event. The moment past completely unremarked. I actually didn't notice the day until a few days had past. This a good thing, that I'm not hanging on every moment of quitting means that I am actually healing from this crazy journey. Life never stops regardless of quitting smoking, good days or bad. As such I have been focused on family health issues and putting mine on the backburner. So what does almost a year of quitting look like for me. It has passed remarkably fast. I have yet to feel much in the way of positive health benefits but have convinced myself that this is because I have no perspective. I can't compare pre quitting me to post quitting me as my memory doesn't really stretch back that far (I smoked 34 ? years). I don't think i snore quite as much as I used to, and now and again my lungs feel the strain a little less. This leaves me hopeful that time is on my side, that the further my quit day falls behind me, the more benefits I will receive health wise. Temptation---------The little demon does raise its ugly head now and again. I'll give you an example......My wife suffers some significant health issues from an accident. As a stress reliever I was watching a comic on Netflix (Dave Chappelle) and having a laugh. About halfway through I realized that his smoking/vaping was triggering a craving. I hadn't had a craving that made me take notice in a while, and it was an uncomfortable moment for me. I was a little torn that I wanted to continue watching (which I did), but I also didn't want to keep subjecting myself to the constant lighting up. Distraction------- I have played a ton of guitar in the last year, like 30-40 hours a month. It is my meditation, my distraction and my passion. I have fished more this year, and caught more decent fish than I have in years (like since I was a little kid). I also learned how to film (with a gopro and iPhone), edit (on an iPad) and record audio (both my guitar playing singing and voiceover) and put it all together on a series of YouTube videos. I put together videos of fishing and some videos of guitar playing that I'm pretty proud of. It has been a great hobby to learn. It scratches my creative itch and makes a great record of family, friends, events and my musical journey. Lastly, I was presented with a beautiful granddaughter last month and I have been enjoying my time with her. The Christmas season is upon us. This will bring lots of happiness in my clan, but with it there will also be the stress of organizing all the events and of course the history of close people being lost over the years. I mention this to remind myself that smoking will not change anything for me, and by extension will not change anything for you folks. There will be celebrations that will not be any better if we smoke. There will be a few sad moments where our friends and family that aren't with us anymore will weigh us down, and smoking will not change how we feel. A year - - - - That was my first goal - - - - A Year - - - - - I still have a hard time envisioning myself as a non-smoker. Maybe, my friends, consider this - - - Though I may not view myself as a never smoker, my granddaughter will never know me as a smoker. This is the most positive role model moment I've had in long time. A YEAR -------- I'm not sure what changes I have to look forward to between year one and year two. That said, I'm sure happy to be looking forward to the ride without the habit tied like a weight around my ankle. I have gained time with my family and friends. I have gained time to pursue my passions. I can find no downside to being a non smoker. There is nothing in my life that would be improved if I lit a smoke and started back down the road of smoking and trying to quit again. Nothing, no upside, not one reason to light up again.........EXCEPT .............now and again a little war happens inside my head...Now and then the habit sneaks around looking for a weakness, an opening to say 'just a puff'. It takes me by surprise. Most times a little shock, a laugh, I tell myself 'no sir....not you again...you can crawl back in your hole'......Then its gone......for a time............Be aware always. A Year is one puff away from vanishing forever. The Lido deck sounded so far away just a short time ago. It's right around the corner now and I'm taking it one step at a time the same as I have since day one. Peace Rory