abbynormal

-4 Hey, Saz! Hey Doreen! How are y'all?

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-15

-4 Hey, Doreen!

-2 hey, ya'll~!

That first week is an amazing milestone! Congratulations, Mona!!!!!!

I agree with the others above who have said to get back on that quit as soon as possible! Each cigarette you smoke reinforces those addictive pathways in the brain. You don't want to make this any harder on yourself than you have to!

Thank you all so much! I'm suffering with a cold today, but I'm so thankful that I'm not fighting the urge to smoke while sick! That's reason to celebrate right there! Thank you all for being here. Thank you for the support and encouragement you've given me this past year. Now let's get this Lido Deck hopping! I'm ready to party!!!

Be prepared to do the work. And educate yourself about nicotine addiction so you will know what to expect when you put that last cigarette out. When I quit on Jan 1 2019, I was told by many of my friends that I would be better off to pick another date. Lots of people quit on New Year's Day, they told me, but they go back to smoking when they realize how hard quitting can be. My case was different, though. I wasn't new to quitting. I had quit before, for long periods of time. I knew exactly what to expect. And I was prepared. I wasn't picking New Year's Day as some kind of last-minute New Year's resolution. I was picking that day because I decided that I wanted 2018 to be the last year I ever smoked! I wanted to start the new year fresh and smoke free. Has it been an easy ride? At times, yes. At other times, not at all. The first two weeks take a lot out of you. I was prepared for that. I gave myself plenty of time to rest. I asked my friends and family to be extra patient with me while my moods were all over the place. I had lots of Twizzlers on hand to chew on when the cravings struck. I had my tool kit ready to go. But the biggest thing I did to prepare was to tell myself that smoking would no longer be an option for me. I decided to get off the serial quitting cycle for good. I took smoking off the table and told myself I would do whatever I had to do not to smoke. Because, you see, quitting is very easy in one major respect: The only thing you really have to do to quit smoking is to not smoke. Don't light up. Don't take that first puff. That's it. That's the secret to quitting. Just don't smoke. And here I am, almost a year later, still smoke free! I'm so glad I didn't listen to my friends who told me not to quit on New Year's Day. I'm so glad I declared that 2019 would be a smoke free year for me. I have never regretted that decision. Not once. I would love to support any quitters who have decided to make 2020 a smoke free year. I am here! I'll be a shoulder to cry on. A listening ear to vent to. Whatever you need. I'll be here!

I had to. Those who love the movie "Love, Actually" will understand.

I think I've hit a breakthrough in my quit. I was thinking the other day about New Year's Eve and planning my adventures for the evening. (They involve pizza, pajamas, and The Twilight Zone marathon on Syfy.) I was remembering last New Year's Eve and recalling how I spent most of the day smoking as many cigarettes as I could in preparation for my quit the next day. I thought about how I spent the last moments of 2018 smoking my last cigarette, which I extinguished at 11:59pm just as the fireworks were starting in my neighborhood. And I realized something... For the first time, I didn't feel any type of nostalgia for my former habit. All I felt was relief that I don't have to deal with it this year! I won't spend the entire day running outside (into the freezing cold) to light up every 15-30 minutes. I will be able to watch an entire episode of The Twilight Zone without taking a smoke break. My pizza will taste SO much better now that my taste buds aren't dulled by smoking. My pajamas will smell like fabric softener rather than a dirty ashtray. I won't feel the rising panic as the day winds down and my quit day draws closer. I won't have a literal panic attack as I stub out my very last cigarette. I will be with my husband at midnight instead of outside on my porch. (And I'll get a New Year's kiss this year, because my breath won't stink like cigarettes.) In short, this New Year's Eve will be something to look forward to rather than to dread. Isn't that wonderful? I don't miss smoking. Not at all! I love being a non-smoker!

When you first quit, you are all gung-ho. Each day you remain smoke free feels like an enormous victory in the beginning. (Which it is!) The problem is that the farther you get away from day 1, the more than enthusiasm can wane. Because it's not a shiny, fresh, and new quit. Now it just feels like work. (This is sometimes referred to as No Man's Land.) And the inner junkie is taking this opportunity to start whining extra loudly. You've gotta ignore that whining! Because believe me, there are many exciting milestones to come. I have been in No Man's Land for a while now, but my excitement is revving up because in 2 short weeks I'll be at my one year anniversary! And I intend to party hardy. Learn to feel happiness in the little moments. Like, I now feel excitement when I finish an entire movie without a smoke break. I feel joy at the fact that I can linger over after-dinner conversation without having to rush outside for a fix. I see others smoking in public, and I feel thrilled with the fact that I am not one of them. I don't have to huddle in the cold and rain, enduring the disdainful looks of nonsmokers as they pass me by. I get to drive in my warm, clean, fresh-smelling car without the windows rolled down in winter. Teach yourself to notice those little moments. I go days (and even full weeks) now without thinking about smoking. That's thrilling stuff! There is joy to be found in being a non-smoker. You just have to reframe your thinking a bit. You'll get there.

-4

Congratulations, @Sunshine59!!!!! I hope you did something nice for yourself to celebrate!

I recently re-watched (for the 100th time) the movie De-Lovely, which spans several decades beginning in the 1920s. And the characters in the film are smoking almost CONSTANTLY. The one thing that keeps it from being too glamorized is the fact that one of the principal characters dies of emphysema. But still...it shows the prevalence of smoking as part of the culture of the times. I'm glad that this isn't as much the case today!

I have daily contact with smokers and almost daily contact with cigarettes themselves. My in-laws live upstairs from us, and they both smoke. They leave packs of cigarettes everywhere. I often find them in the garage or on the patio table by the pool. For many months, just the sight of them was enough to trigger me. They don't bother me anymore. Thank goodness!

I normally prefer the old classics, but this newer song grabbed my attention last year. His voice has the quality of the old crooners, like Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin.

@Lilly I don't always feel positive about my quit, either. The first year is the hardest for almost everyone. We face the majority of our usual smoking triggers throughout that first year, and that requires us to be extra vigilant. That vigilance can be exhausting, I know! I'm about to face my first Christmas in several years without smoking, so my nagging thoughts have returned. It's annoying, but I can deal with it. Because I know next Christmas will be so much easier. AND because I'm not having genuine cravings right now. Just nagging thoughts. There's a huge difference. I can ignore the thoughts much easier than I could the actual cravings. I remind myself of that any time the thoughts of smoking become intrusive. I'd rather face a nagging thought than a constant craving. You will feel like yourself again. You will. I will. We both will. I've read that it can take quite a long time for the brain to adjust to being a non-smoker. It takes a while for the brain chemistry to balance itself once the nicotine is gone, especially if you struggle (like I do) with any sort of chemical imbalance. My doctor has had to adjust my medication to increase dopamine absorption since I quit. That has helped a lot. But I still don't feel quite like myself. Not yet. I know I will, though. I had a long quit in the past, and I remember what it was like. I remember I felt SO much better after that first year. We gotta hang in there. I'm here any time you want to talk. You can be as open and honest with me as you want to. I'm never more than a private message away. We are both in the thick of it. We might as well make the journey together!

I don't really have anything new to add. You've gotten some great responses above. The only way to get rid of nicotine addiction is to starve it to death. You do that by not consuming nicotine in any form.

Welcome, Dylan! Congrats on your 6 months quit! I concur with Lilly...I'd definitely get a second opinion. Did your doctor order a lung xray? Or a CT scan? I would push for one or the other, if not both. (A high-res CT scan is the best in terms of being able to see just exactly what is going on with the lungs. But a low-res CT is also a good place to start.) Just to be on the safe side. It's your continued fatigue that worries me. Everyone is different, and this may very well be quit related. But it's much better to be safe than sorry. Try not to stress, but definitely don't be afraid to advocate for yourself with the doctors. Sometimes they need a little push. (I have an autoimmune disease that causes a TON of problems, and I'm very used to having to push my doctors to give me the appropriate tests!)

I craved almost continuously. I think my normal jonesing period was about 15 minutes after I put out my last one--if that long. I have been known to light one cig off the other. Man, I don't miss being chained like that!

The Smoker's Vow by Joel Spitzer To be said just before taking your first puff after having quit for any appreciable period of time. With this puff I enslave myself to a lifetime of addiction. While I can't promise to always love you, I do promise to obey every craving and support my addiction to you no matter how expensive you become. I will let no husband or wife, no family member or friend, no doctor or any other health professional, no employer or government policy, no burns or no stench, no cough or raspy voice, no cancer or emphysema, no heart attack or stroke, no threat of loss of life or limbs, come between us. I will smoke you forever from this day forth, for better or worse, whether richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, till death do us part! "You may now light the cigarette." "I now pronounce you a full-fledged smoker." https://whyquit.com/joel/Joel_04_11_Smokers_Vow.html

Happy birthday!!!! Sorry I'm a bit late!

Thank you all so much! I'm so glad to be aboard this Train with y'all! Prepare for some serious partying next month!

Congrats, Steve!!! That first month is a tremendous milestone. I'm so glad you did something to reward yourself. It sounds like you are making some very healthy lifestyle changes! Good for you!!!