Baseball Coach

I've said NOPE for almost 3 years! NOPE.

It is always tough to lose a loved one. Now it's your turn to prevent that for yourself. Just quit. Stop it. Now. Making plans to quit means you are not serious about it. It's like talking about taking a trip or going on a cruise. It's just talk. You are not going on the trip or taking a cruise until you go. Cutting down, using alternative methods or fooling yourself is not quitting. Like jumping into a cold swimming pool, no matter how long you wait, the water is still cold. YOu have to confront the demon called nicotine and go to war against him, vowing never to bow to his influences ever again. We're here to help. Put them down today and never buy another pack, never borrow another butt. It's tough for a week, then it gets better.

Isn't it funny how the addiction works to convince the brain to go buy (or sneak, or borrow) some smokes? Or to justify lighting up because life is tough right now and a cigarette will make all of your problems disappear. It won't. It will suck and you will be REALLY disappointed in wasting som much time in the current quit. Recognize these things... You don't smoke any more, you haven't smoked in a long time, there is no nicotine in your body to cause the craving and you are not going to smoke no matter how your addiction tries to control you, and two, at some point, you no longer have a physical addition, it's all mental. Slam the door on the mental side with the HUGE conviction that it's just not going to happen ever again and continue to keep slamming that door on the addiction. BEGONE BRAIN! No more smoking no matter what you try to pull over me. Keep it going!

One of the things that got me through the first couple of weeks was getting even. The tobacco companies take from you - your money, your time, your time on Earth, your natural scent, your clean fingers and lungs, your very breath. Take from them. Never buy another nicotine product again and make them hurt. Feels good to inflict a little pain to your adversaries, doesn't it! How much money are you NOT going to give them today? Best wishes. You can do it. Any way you can. Chris

After two years, I think most of my triggers are gone. But you never know. Thanks to all for participating and helping others stay strong.

Triggers can come out of nowhere, and in order to understand them and beat them down, you have to expect them, or recognize them for what they are - just a habit that you need to break. Here's an interesting example. I was over six months into one of my previous quits, working on a baseball diamond preparing it for our Opening Day games. A friend of mine was running a Bobcat loader moving some dirt onto an infield - something we do every year. He brings it to the diamond with the loader, I spread it out on the infield with the field groomer. In previous years, anytime he would leave to go get more dirt, I'd reach for a smoke. He turned and left, and I reached for Salem Lights. Except this last time, I didn't have any because I hadn't smoked in months! But the trigger was there, and I fell for it for a second or two and reached for the pack without even thinking about it, recognized what it was and had a good laugh, happy that I was still smoke free. Like I said, a trigger out of nowhere...

Hoping you made it through the weekend! If not, start again. We are here for you. Sometimes you have to get through it hour-by-hour, but eventually, it gets easier. Stay with it!

Awesome. Remember, after almost 6 weeks, you no longer have a physical addition, now it's all mental. There is no nicotine in your body, but your brain wants you to smoke because it thinks you will get the same satisfaction that you used to before you quit. Guess what? You won't. It will suck! All you will have is regret from throwing away the time you have already done and you are magically back at square 0. It's not worth it. Get mad: at the tobacco companies, at your brain, whatever it takes. Just don't do it. Be determined because you will have nothing except regret, regret, regret. You THINK you will get that Ahhhhhhh feeling, but you won't. Ask me how I know. I quit several times, once for 12 years, and went back. Never again.... On Friends, Chandler took a drag of a cigarette and said, "Oh my God." And he was hooked again. Just that easy.... But... it doesn't happen like that. You will say, "Yuk, this doesn't feel like it used to, as a matter of fact, it sucks, and I just blew lots of time and effort because I just re-introduced nicotine into my body." Crap, now I have to fight the physical addition all over again. Keep it going, and it gets easier. After 2 years, there are still times I think about smoking, but they are few and far between, and when I do think about it, I know it will never be the same, so why start?

Grit your teeth, breathe deep and say "Hell no, I'm not gonna do it." Get mad at the tobacco. Get mad at the tobacco companies. Just say, "I'm not gonna buy any, I'm not gonna borrow any, and I'm just not gonna smoke any... and I sure as hell ain't gonna throw away the time already spent being nicotine free. One day, one hour, one minute at a time, whatever it takes, just get through it, it will pass. Do not let the demon win. Do not let the tobacco companies win. They are strong, but you can be stronger. I guarantee that the relief and pleasure you think you would receive by lighting up will not be worth it. IT NEVER IS! Then you'll try another to continue the search for the relief, and guess what.... you're a smoker again and they win.

Thanks all. Having a support group like this is a huge help. Except for my daughter, none of my family smoked, so no one understood what you go through when you try to quit. The key is truly wanting to stop, truly never wanting to smoke again, and in my case, understanding what my body and brain were doing to try to trick me into lighting up again. Sometimes, as I said, during those intense cravings, I just said wait, and the craving will pass. The more you do that, the longer the time period between cravings. Don't quit because your wife told you to, don't quit because your friends told you to, don't quit because your kids told you to. Quit because you want to be free. Free from the expense. Free from the stink. Free from being an outcast. Free from the higher chances of illness and death. It's not just lung cancer. It's cancers of all types: pancreatic, liver, brain, throat, mouth, larynx, etc. Nicotine affects 'em all!. It's also emphysema. It's heart disease. Strike back at the tobacco companies that are robbing you of your money and your life. Don't give them any money. Never again. If anyone wants support, please let me know. Lurking on places like this got me through, and I would like to give back. I'm sure I speak for everyone on this forum.

2 years ago today I smoked my last cigarette, and a lot of my success was because of trolling forums and sites like this one. 730 days 3/4 pack per day average (probably a little high, many days were less, some were more.) 10,950 cigarettes 547.5 packs ($8 each) $4380 not spent Do I miss it? Sometimes. Less and less as time proceeds. However, the fact that I know the date and time and where I was should tell you something. Glad I quit? Yes. Was it hard? No. Not this time. Once I understood that nicotine is a chemical that lies to you while making your brain think that cigarettes are your friend and that you need it and deserve it and that is it good for you, it's easy to walk away from your enemy. That knowledge provides the strength to defeat the chemical dependency and that the cravings for the nicotine are the vehicle that the tobacco companies depend upon to take your money out of your wallet. A couple of tough days, sometimes an hour or a minute at a time, and you become free. ("OK, I won't smoke today" is the trick I told my brain). The key is not to ever give in and re-introduce the nicotine back into the body, because the brain recognizes it and instantly, you are a smoker again, even if it's only one drag! That's why cutting down slowly, gum, patches, vaping, e-cigs, pipes, cigars and nicotine-replacement therapy do not work. The goal is NO NICOTINE EVER AGAIN. Have I ever been tempted in these two years? Nope, not even close, because I understand what happens. I'm done. I win. Do I feel better? Not really. Blood pressure is still the same. Gained about 15 pounds. Am I going back? Never.