abbynormal

Aww, there was a pig sighting and I missed it??? Dangit!

Hey Mokajava, I don't have much to add that hasn't already been said, but I wanted to chime in and add my support! You CAN quit. If you want it badly enough, it is totally possible. It sounds like you have plenty of motivating factors to help you make the right decision!

So glad to hear it's going well for you, Kate! It's nice when the triggers get fewer and farther in between. Just don't let them sneak up on you! Prepare yourself for sneak attacks. The Nicodemon is tricky. Just tell yourself that you wont light up *no matter what* and you're golden!

That's it. Right there. It's about never ever again taking that first puff. I know that simplifies what is a very complex addiction, but it's the truth. And I continue to remind myself of that. Just don't take that first puff, and you won't ever be a smoker again. I love my wine. I do. But I had to quit drinking in the beginning. For several months. And I still can't drink around smokers. If there are smokers anywhere in the vicinity, I just say no to alcohol. It's safer. I protect my quit at all costs. I'm very lucky that the bars here don't allow smoking anymore. Not that I go to bars often. Usually I enjoy my wine at home or at a friend's house. It sounds like you really, really want to quit. That's half the battle. Now it's all about the business of quitting. We can help you get through that. Take it one day at a time. You CAN do this!

Welcome aboard, Andrew! You've gotten some great feedback above. I wanted to add that I've gotten heart palpitations with anxiety attacks, and anxiety attacks are common early in the withdrawal process. Your mind may not even feel all that anxious, but the symptoms will show up in your body--racing heart, shortness of breath, sweating, etc. Nicotine withdrawal can certainly cause this to happen. It's great that you got checked out just to be sure, but now IF it happens again, just remind yourself that your body is healing from a very nasty addiction, and take some slow, deep breaths. I had some heart palpitations early in my quit. I used them as incentive. I don't want to have a heart attack, and if I continue to smoke I will certainly have one--probably in the next 10 years. (I've lost several family members to smoking-related heart disease. They all had heart attacks very young.) Keep going...one hour at a time! You can do this!

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Welcome aboard the train, @HAL 9000!!!

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Get well soon, Jill! Your presence is very missed here!

Well done! The first 72 hours are the toughest. You've proven to yourself that you can exist without smoking. That's good work!

- abbynormal - 384 days quit - We got a new truck, so like, that's pretty cool. It'll be the first vehicle we own that I won't smoke in ever! - I don't do selfies, but this pretty much sums it up:

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Did you really enjoy the smoking? I mean REALLY? Think hard about it. What was it you "enjoyed"? Was it the sense of relaxation? Because you can get that from healthier means, like deep breathing, listening to relaxing music, meditation, drinking a cup of tea, etc. I became a huge fan of deep breathing when I quit. And one important thing to remember is that the sense of "relaxation" that we get from smoking is actually just relief from withdrawal. It's not true relaxation. I always thought smoking relaxed me, but after I quit I realized how much more relaxed I was overall without that constant nagging withdrawal. Did you enjoy having something to fill the time? That was a tough one for me when I first quit. I smoked so much and so often that once I quit I had to figure out new ways to fill those hours! I played a TON of Wordscapes on my phone when I first quit. What other activities can you do while you relax? Do you like to read? Watch movies? Play video games? Do jigsaw puzzles? You will find eventually that you are able to fill that time. It takes a while, but you'll get there. I now can enjoy simply "being." Sometimes I will just sit on my couch with my dog's head in my lap and just be still for a while. It's nice. Now think about all the things you didn't enjoy about smoking: - The smell - The cough - The cost - The stained fingers and teeth - The fear of smoking-related illness - The shortness of breath - The guilt and shame - The filthy disgusting ash trays (and having to clean them) - Etc., etc., etc. Smoking sucks. Breathing is so much better! You'll get there. You just need to retrain your brain. It takes time and a bit of work, but it's worth it. I promise.

YAAAAAYYYYYYY! So glad you kept your quit over the holidays. That's a great accomplishment, and you should be extremely proud. The holidays are hard for a lot of us (for so many reasons) and to keep your quit safe during them is no easy feat. As Sazerac said above, make sure to reward yourself as you continue to conquer those craves. It's important for creating new neural pathways in the brain!

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