jillar

Glad it helped @Sslip

Congratulations jo on being half a year quit. And for all you do here, you have really showed everyone the meaning of paying it forward and for that I thank you. You give me a smile and giggle everyday with your wit and wisdom and it's truly an honor to call you my crazy friend

Woohoo devo, congratulations on two years my friend and quit buddy Hope you're super proud of yourself, it's HUGE!!!

Posted 20 June 2014 - 03:14 AM No I'm not trying to hypnotise you or play Jedi mind tricks. I'm talking about relapsers or quitters who continue to have smoking thoughts and desires. Nobody WANTS to go back to smoking. They quit because they want to quit (for whatever reason). What they want from time to time is to smoke. And what that means is something else. It means all of the things that people "like" about smoking: A break in the day Stress relief Bonding time with buddies Anxiety relief Thinking time Reward for finishing a job etc And it also means not having to THINK about not smoking all the time. Gawd I remember that. I remember thinking - "When will it ever end?...I just want to stop thinking about not smoking!" I see people saying it here all the time "I don't want to fight with myself any more! When will it end?!" But it's not that you want to be a smoker again. I reckon most smokers don't want to be smokers! If you gave someone a choice between being a smoker (with all the expense and smell and health fears and social shaming etc that goes with it) and being a happy non-smoker - of course they would choose the latter. But most smokers simply don't believe they can be happy without smoking. They believe they LOVE and need their cigarettes too much to live without them. And when we quit it (generally) takes a lot of retraining for the brain to dismiss all of that addiction thinking and learn that we can actually get all of those good things in other ways without all the bad stuff you get with smoking. Some people are lucky and once they make the decision to quit, they are solid in it. Easy peasy. But lots of people struggle. And that's OK. The struggle is part of the process. Embrace it as part of the process. Look at it as the price of freedom. That's basically how I did it. I wanted freedom most of all. Freedom from smoking addiction and everything that went with it. The price became easier to pay over time. It took less. Every now and then I have a "want" to smoke but it's fleeting and easy to dismiss. Because I KNOW I do not want to be a smoker. No way. Make a commitment to yourself. A promise. Promise yourself that you will never be a smoker again. And don't worry if you want to smoke from time to time. That's fine, because you know that it's really about something else and you definitely don't want to be a smoker again. No way. Ewgh.

Posted 30 March 2015 - 09:14 AM by hermine (qsmb) Quitting smoking leaves us with a terrible emptiness that, for a while, we don't know exactly how to handle. And we may even ask ourselves if we will ever be able to fill these voids with anything. What helped me to get over this was eventually understanding that the source of the problem wasn't the absence of cigarettes, but the mere existence of those terrible feelings I was dealing with. They were there all along, but I was trying to cover them all up with smoke... The moment I stopped smoking, I started to realize and acknowledge all those things that were wrong in my life and I've been trying to get rid of by hiding behind a curtain of cigarette smoke. But they didn't disappear, they have been watching me silently and now, as the smoke cleared, we are starting to make eye contact again. Should I light a cigarette so I become blind again? Or should I finally tackle the beasts? The answer is clear. I will attack. So ask yourself, as you are ripped by this feeling of emptiness: is it ok that a small piece of paper filled with tobacco has become such an important part of my life? Is it ok that I have become emotionally attached to a small piece of paper filled with tobacco?! Don't hide behind the curtain of smoke again. Don't choose to run again. Make the most of the fact that you are finally capable to see your life as it really is and you finally have the chance to fill those voids. Fill your short and precious life with people, places, hobbies and knowledge. Put things that actually matter inside those voids, because blowing smoke inside them will never, ever, make them disappear.

Posted 12 April 2014 - 09:56 PM It's no big deal to be an Old Pharte. Sure, it's nice to achieve that milestone and receive all the accolades, but it's not hard anymore to not smoke. By one year, you are far into your new life as a nonsmoker and you don't have to struggle to stay that way. By one year, the benefits of your quit have improved your life and your lifestyle. You are reminded every single day how great it is to be a nonsmoker. Your bank account is bigger and your health is better. And for many of us, there is a whole new way of life outside of just getting rid of the cigarettes. We have discovered new activities we love, we eat better, we have a new found confidence, we're proud of ourselves. What's so hard about all this? You know who are MY heroes? That person who has been lurking here and has finally made the choice to quit. And those who just got past that magic 72 hour mark, or hit their one month milestone. My heroes are the people who have blind faith and believe us when we tell them it will get better. It's those who get up every morning and log onto the QSMB to make the daily pledge because they know that's the only thing that will keep them from smoking that day. It's the person who is out the door to buy cigarettes but instead turns around and posts that SOS. Newbies, you are why this board is here. You are the ones that are the big deal here! So, cheers to all those brave souls who one day will join us on the lido deck. You're in the trenches now, but keep on climbing and if you need help reach out and we'll grab your hand. Because you are why we do what we do.

Wow, four years quit! Congratulations Sirius

Congratulations farmgirl, you're doing great!

Ugh, so glad I didn't smoke in my house or new car. When I bought my car in 2007 no one believed that I wouldn't smoke in it. My neighbor even brought me a car ashtray which was kinda insulting but more fuel for my fire that I wouldn't! Now I'm so glad I never did!

Is that candy @notsmokinjo? Fun fact: I used to get all my vintage candy for my ice cream truck from candy warehouse

Are you saying that I'm really smart and you're mental?

My cookie is really smart instead of mental. Does your cookie hack your phone often?

If your cat types isn't she a smart cookie like my dog Cookie is? Do cats eat each other hence the pvssy pizza?