jillar

Congratulations @AceWhite on two years quit, that's AWESOME! Hopefully you'll check in and tell us how you're doing

Lots of us get insomnia in the beginning of our quits but thankfully its only temporary. I took an OTC sleep aid a couple times and that helped get my sleep pattern working again. Glad you're sticking close and reading all you can. We also have a huge video forum with lots of information there. I'm going to move this thread to our main board since you'll be using it to track your quit

You're doing great @darcy and as you get past each trigger will become easier to get past in the future. Glad to see my JAC (jillars air cigarette) is working well for you. I used mine the whole first year of my quit.

Welcome @Slow progress, Congratulations on deciding to quit this nasty habit The first year can be a struggle with thoughts of .pissing the very thing that was killing you but as your quit grows and things like your sense of taste and smell return, your breathing improves and your bank account grows you'll start seeing that there's more to love about NOT smoking then there is to miss smoking I recommend making yourself a ticker for your signature so you can see all the time, cigarettes NOT smoked and cash saved since quitting, it's a huge inspiration to keep the quit

babs609 Quit Date: 07/13/2012 Posted March 29, 2014 Quitting tobacco is a process. It doesn't happen overnight, but compared to the amount of time most of us spent smoking, recovery from nicotine addiction is relatively short. Years of smoking taught us to react to literally everything by lighting a cigarette. When we were happy, we'd celebrate by lighting up. When we got angry, smoking would calm us down, or so we thought. Tired? Smoke a cigarette to stay awake. Hungry? Feed yourself a smoke. This list goes on and on. Between the physical addiction to nicotine and the mental associations that tie what seems like all of our activities to cigarettes, it can feel as though we're chained to the habit with links of steel. Successful recovery includes learning how to hear the message behind the urge to smoke and respond with more appropriate choices, such as a nap or a meal, for instance. Have patience with yourself. This skill takes some time to hone, but you'll get better at it. Eventually, cigarettes will fade as a fix for physical and emotional needs, and you'll make choices that actually address the signal your body is sending without thinking twice about it. When the Urge to Smoke Hits, Think H.A.L.T. H.A.L.T. (Hungry,Angry,Lonely,Tired) is a powerful checklist to help you decode the urges to smoke that you experience. Nine times out of ten, a craving can be traced to one of these four things: Hungry Have a snack or a meal. If you are hungry, food is the answer, not a cigarette. If you're concerned about weight gain, try drinking water before you eat a snack to help control the amount you eat. Keep healthy snacks on hand. Celery sticks, raw baby carrots and frozen grapes make good low calorie snacks. Normal weight gain due to quitting smoking is 5-8 pounds. Metabolism does slow a bit initially, so some daily exercise is a good idea. Things will balance out and that quit-related weight will drop off within a couple of months as long as you're eating the same as you were before you stopped smoking. Don't be too hard on yourself. Try to eat in moderation, but until you get your quit program under solid control, don't fret if you gain a few pounds. Quitting tobacco must be in the top slot of your priority list for as long as it takes. Weight can always be lost later. Angry Anger is a big trigger for most of us. Find healthy outlets for your feelings of frustration. If at all possible, deal with the situation that is bothering you head on and be done with it. Talk to friends and family about your feelings or write in your journal. The important thing is not to let anger simmer and get the upper hand. Reaching for a cigarette can seem like a quick fix, but it is a false fix. We may not always be able to choose the events that happen around us, but we do have control over how we let external situations affect us emotionally. Come up with a few ideas of things you can do to help you shift negative energy that bubbles up before it has the chance to do any damage. That way, when a situation arises, you're prepared. It will help you maintain control and get through it without smoking. Remind yourself that no one has the power to affect your emotions without your approval. You control your inner environment, for better or worse. Take responsibility for how you feel and it will empower you to control difficult emotions smoke-free. Lonely For most ex-smokers, loneliness is more accurately described as boredom. Smoking was such a constant companion it was an activity in and of itself. Early on in cessation, distraction is a useful tool that can help you manage feelings of boredom. Get out for a walk, watch a movie, or work on a hobby. Come up with a list of things you enjoy doing and do some of them. Make them fun and they will help you over the hump of this type of smoking trigger. Depression also falls under this category. People quitting tobacco are especially susceptible to the blues, at least early on. Leaving cigarettes behind can feel like the loss of a friend, albeit a destructive, life-stealing friend. After years of smoking, most of us feel the loss of smoking in this way to some extent. If you feel yourself slipping into a funk, take action. Change your environment(internal, external, or both) and it will help you change your attitude. It's ok to mourn the death of your smoking habit, but don't glorify it as something it was not. It was out to KILL you, remember that! Tired Fatigue can be a big trigger for the newly quit. Instead of lighting up when you're tired, give yourself permission to slow down and relax a little, take a nap, or go to bed early if you need to. Sounds so simple, yet people often push themselves too far with all of the demands of life these days. Be aware and take care. Don't let yourself get run down. A tired you is going to be more susceptible to junkie thinking and the threat of relapse. Protect your quit by protecting your health, both physically and mentally. It may feel like you'll never be free of cigarettes and thoughts of smoking will always plague you, but have some faith in yourself and the process, and please be patient. We taught ourselves to smoke, and we can teach ourselves to live comfortably without smokes too. Soon enough, you'll get to a place where smoking cessation is no longer a daily effort. You may even wonder why you didn't quit sooner, because life without cigarettes has become natural and easy. In the meantime, keep H.A.L.T. in your arsenal of quit tools and use it to decipher those urges as they come, one by one. great article by Terry Martin Link to original post: https://www.quittrain.com/topic/9-halt/

7. Make tropical fish

4. Improvised paint pallet

Congratulations @overcome on being a half a year quit! That's fantastic Its also great to see you offer so much support to your fellow quitters. It means so much, especially to those coming behind you

You're doing great @darcy, you're done with HELL week, the hardest week of all and you're also almost through HECK week already! Yay you!!!

@Kerry, glad to see you're stepping down. Even if it gets a little tougher it's only temporary so hang in there. The only way past is through....

2. Use for lunch sandwich and chips

Congratulations on five years quit @catlover, I hope you have a great day and thank you for sticking around and giving your support to everyone

Don't feel that way @Kerry, there's no wrong way to quit our addiction so long as you have an exit plan to be off the nicotine gum, you're fine Lot's of members here have quit the same way, so no shame in that game

Great to hear @Kerry, congratulations on over a month vape free! That's HUGE

REZ Posted April 30, 2015 Everyone has a lot of stuff on their table and in their life. You might have job stress, lots of bills, some medical issues and a host of other things going on that makes the thought of quitting seem impossible but it's not! All those things have nothing to do with smoking. You might reach for a cigarette when your dealing with them but if you think about it, smoking doesn't help resolve any of your other problems. All it does is makes the bills more difficult to pay because your paying for your smokes with money you could be putting towards some of the bills, increases the medical issues in the long run and your job stress probably will always be there but you will be able to cope with it better! Only thing smoking does for your table is keep it cluttered with ash trays, stink and haze from the cigarettes! Once you take smoking off your table, all the other stuff will start to fall in to place and your life will be easier in the long run and you will have a clean organized table that's easier to deal with. You will smell better, have more energy, more money, no more smokers cough and look better with your pearly white teeth and that could be a factor in getting a raise or promotion at work that you were wanting and that will help with the bills! You can even save that cigarette money to help pay for that vacation you have been putting off. Everyone will see your new found pride and self confidence of what you have accomplished and people especially employer like that! You might not see some smoking friends as much anymore but that's probably because you will be hanging out with some new nonsmoking friends! By taking smoking off your table your body will immediately start to heal itself physically and mentally. You will be more active again and have a brand new attitude towards life! You will want to do the things you used to do again like going to the gym, bike hikes, sled riding, swimming, playing a sport of some kind because your energy level be way up there. You will not be so out of breath and sweaty in the summer and in the winter, not as cold or get as many colds either! Your attitude towards anything will be "OK lets do it" instead of "OK we'll see, maybe tomorrow"! How do you take smoking off the table? To be honest it's not that easy but I guess that where the pride and self confidence comes from once you quit smoking and not one way or size fit all of us either, just like everybody is a little different, every quit is a little different. The biggest thing I think is your mind set, you need to want to quit smoking more then you want to smoke! A wise man once said, Why would you put something in your mouth and light it on fire! Next you need a tool box to help build your quit, see: http://www.quittrain.com/topic/2008-quit-tool-boxes/?hl=tool Fill your tool box with what you will need to quit not necessarily what others put in there's but take a look at theirs anyway, you probably could use some of there tools and ideas. Armed with the right attitude and the right tools for the job, you can take smoking off your table or even build a whole new bigger and better one! Link to original post: https://www.quittrain.com/topic/5245-take-smoking-off-your-table/

9. Make a knapkin holder

Happy six years quit @reciprocity, we sure miss you around here! I hope you celebrate today

Sorry you're having a hard day @darcy, unfortunately it's to be expected at this stage of your quit. It will get better though with each day and each trigger you get past. It was promised to me and I'm promising it to you About getting on with your smartphone, I just got my first smartphone last year and found that all I had to do was go to QT and in the settings of my browser there is an option to add to my home screen, now I have a pretty QT icon that gets me one click to get here

7. Tile your kitchen backsplash

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5. Put it on your fireplace

3. Use a decorative tile for a spoon rest

Bump

You're doing so well Darcy I just wanted to remind you about our SOS board. Come on here and post you're struggling so we can help you off the ledge. It works if you really want to save your quit