Genecanuck

Not One Puff Ever!

HI @Chrysalis ... I hope you are still healthy, happy and smoke free. I had to re-read your post today because I am going into a long weekend and will be visiting smoking friends. I am am experiencing fear. A type of romancing smoking thinking about experiences I had smoking with good friends. It's strange. I don't have a phsycial desire to smoke but I am afraid that I will break down and smoke with good friends. I know that is crazy stinking thinking but it is a sign that I have to work my recovery..... I can be around friends who smoke and remind myself that it is the friendship, and not the smoking that I need in my life. Thank you for this insightful post. Kind Regards ... Gene

Some old advice that might help: Advice for Newbies or anyone beginning this journey... Quitnet Re-posts. June 3, 2004 From Y2Kfree on 6/3/2004 5:34:54 PM From Monika on 11/23/1998 5:58:19 PM We have so many new people here and that's wonderful. But it seems everybody wants the same thing...advice. How about all of us posting our Quit advice. I know several of us have our lists...BroKen, ToddL, etc. let's post...Here is my advice... Suggestions for Quitting: 1. READ<READ>READ, to be forewarned is to be forearmed. Read anything at all related. Make notes of anything that catches your interest. Follow links. Learn as much as you can about your addiction & the process. 2. START A JOURNAL. It is important to remember where you have come from. You think you will never forget but you will, & the Nicodemon will help you forget. You want to document your struggle. There will be days you think you have made no progress & will need to remind yourself that you have & what you would have to go through if you have to start over. a. List all the things you’ve done/accomplished so far to help quit smoking (Cut back, limited locations, etc.) b. List why you want to quit or the benefits to you in quitting c. Make a list of all possible excuses you can think of that you or the Nicodemon might use to tempt you to slip & write down why they are not true or won’t work. You will need to refer back to this list many many times. 3 .Before you quit, pay attention to where it is & why you are most likely to smoke. Count how much you smoke. Wait 15 minutes before smoking. This is to recognize what those cravings will feel like. Look at options like Zyban, the Patch, or Gum. 4. Before the quit, eliminate some places where you are use to smoking. Ex. the car, at computer, your bedroom. This will reduce triggers when you do quit. 5. Drink lots of water, avoid sugar, exercize (It releases dopamine in the brain same as Nicotine does (stimulates the pleasure center) 6. Join a support group (Such as QuitNet, or others) 7. Post often, ask questions, read & post , read & post- get the idea? Respond to posts, give of yourself to others who are quitting.It will reinforce your quit as well. 8. Try to keep busy, especially your hands. How about knitting/crocheting a security blanket to replace the fiend/friend you think you lost. It helps when you’re tired or watching tv. How about cleaning the windows? You’d be amazed at the brown gunk on them! 9. Never give up the war, even if you lose the skirmish. A slip is just a slip, it doesn’t have to be a fall. 10. Think of some mantra or saying to repeat to yourself. Mine is “Smoking is not an option” & “I don’t smoke anymore” -say this out lout-auditory stimulation to the brain. Say it often enough & you will believe it. 11.Take Vitamin B Complex, lots of Vitamin C, eat good healthy food. 12. If you believe in a higher deity, pray. Ok, what's your list? love, Monika 5 1/2 months Here ya go! Good idea, Monika! From BroKen on 11/23/1998 6:37:37 PM Some QuitNet Basics For Newbies, From a Recent Arrival Hi, and welcome to the QuitNet, a friendly crew of quitters determined to help one another remain smoke-free, a day at a time! Here's some basic info I've been gathering and saving: A little info on YOUR Profile pages would make it easier for all of us to get to know one another. A little biographical data, some quit info (first time? tenth? patch/cold-turkey/Zyban/gum?), makes it easier for us to find common ground and gear our advice/suggestions, when solicited, more appropriately. Suggestions for those of you in, or approaching, Day One: Breathe deeply. Drink lots and lots of water and/or cranberry juice (flushes out nicotine, thus hastening the END of withdrawals). Walk, write, read, talk, move, swim, bike, jog. Pray. Sleep (as much as you want to!). List your reasons for quitting (positive AND negative), and add to them and refer to them often. Break pencils. Pace. Scream. Remember: the cravings ALWAYS pass, WHETHER YOU SMOKE OR NOT!!! So stare at your watch for 2-3 minutes, write a novel, hold your breath, ANYTHING BUT SMOKE!, and it will pass. Make lots of buddies on the Q and post to them often. Love and forgive yourself. This list is by no means conclusive. Feel free to add your own.... Some basics about the QuitNet: If the Messages or People text at the bottom of your screen is yellow, you have new messages or buddies logged onto the Q. Click on it to see them. You can file posts into your personal library. You can send messages to others on the Q privately, by clicking on the person's name (in blue HTML text), then clicking on Send a Message when the person's Profile page comes up, and typing your message into the popup window that appears. There's plenty more, but that should be enough to get ya started! You (we) can do this thing! "What one has done, another can do." "I'm one puff away from a pack a day." Good luck on your quit! Yours in recovery, Ken Re: FOCUS....Repeat: I CAN DO THIS!!! From Keith45 on 11/23/1998 7:26:33 PM 1. You have to want to quit because YOU want to! 2. When you have stressful situations, smoking Will Not Make It Better!! 3. PLAN what to do NOW instead of smoking, make a list of what to do...like do situps, walk, listen to music, clean something, write letters and post them here at Q (IF not for the Support in Q I'm sure I would have failed along time ago!!) 4. Write down why you Quit or why you are going to quit, and put them around your home. 5. Pray to your Higher Power for Strength & Courage To Do This! 6. FOCUS 7. Repeat This: I Want To Do This, I Want To Quit, I Am Quitting For Me, I Can Do This, I Will Do This. I Am Doing This! GOOD LUCK & COME HERE OFTEN P.S. If You Fail..Do Not Beat Yourself Up, We All Make Mistakes In Our Lives... Pick Yourself Up, Brush Yourself Off & Try Try Again!!! Keith 193 Days 18 Hours 25 Minutes & Counting 15,440 Cigarettes Not Smoked 772 Packs Not Bought $ 2,702 Not Spent! In addition to Monika's awesome tips: From HMike on 11/23/1998 6:43:31 PM -Write your top five reasons for quitting on a 3 x 5 card and put it in your pocket or purse. Also write those same reasons on a piece of paper and take it to the copy machine. Make about a bazillion copies and put them on the fridge/mirrors/car/office/bathroom/ everywhere, and read and remember - remember -remember. - Don't wait 'til your quit day to do the things that Monika suggest....start at least a week in advance. - Reduce or eliminate caffine and alcohol for at least 2 weeks. Caffine is the world's biggest trigger, and booze makes you stupid and forgetful. - Premedicate with your favorite pain killer 24 hours before you quit. Aspirin/advil/whatever...you're gonna get a headache. - The effects of withdrawl are timebound....they end. Maybe not soon enough for many, but BE PATIENT. - Above all else....YOU CAN DO THIS. Mike Attn Newbies: Listen to this guy! He quit, like, before I was born!!!! (nt) From BroKen on 11/23/1998 6:52:10 PM Jeeeesh.....thanks a LOT Ken....:~) (nt) Groovy idea, Monika! From Barbiedoll on 11/23/1998 7:03:47 PM Well, I never did make a list. What I did is write out my advice (for what it was worth) so very many times that I started feeling like a broken record. So, finally, on my 7 month anniversary I tried to put it all in a post (my "ramble.") Like I said, it's not a list, but it DOES answer a lot of questions that newbies have always asked me. Hope it helps, let's see how well I can cut and paste it....... I know that seven months might sound like an impossibly great amount of time to a newbie (I know it did to me!!) , and quite often it seemed like hell, but there were some things that made this quit beautiful…… like, the Q. If you spend much time around this place, you'll see it's magic. I know I've made friends here that I'll keep forever, and I'm sure I made friends here who made my quit possible at all-at least in the beginning!….. Another thing that made this quit so Worth It was the whole "reinvention of myself" thing that many people have mentioned. When you quit, your life changes. There's no getting around that. But it can be viewed as a time to really take stock of what's going on, and do a little reorganizing. We can "rewrite" ourselves, and it's kinda cool to live through, and watch as others do the same. The other good stuff about quitting (health benefits, increased energy, more money, less ruined clothing, nice breath, etc) make it seem almost like a party!! (I'm sooo kidding!! At least in the beginning!) Speaking of the beginning……. My friends and quitmates, if it IS your beginning, here's a little more advice from Barbiedoll the Wise One (?)…… HANG ON, IT WILL GET BETTER!!!!! I know I've said this so many times but it's true. The beginning sucks. The beginning hurts. The beginning is hell. But if you just hold on/exist/put one foot in front of the other--you'll get past it. In a couple days or weeks you WILL feel better. You MIGHT cry less. You WILL stop yelling at people/animals/cars. You MIGHT get some work done. It doesn't get EASY all the sudden, but it gets EASYer. And you can't get to that "middle part" unless you get past the beginning part. So just please hold on. And come here. A lot. That's how I did it. And this is my 4th serious (3 months or more) attempt at quitting. (And my 400th less-than-serious attempt). And while we're on that subject, I just have to say a little bit about the Just One syndrome. I'm saying it to myself as well as to any of you who are still listening, cuz--dang it!!--I was just going through this the other day. The "negotiation," that is. Trying to talk myself in to having Just One…… But I had to remind myself that Just One Smoke is not just one decision, but several. Because NO MATTER WHAT I TELL MYSELF--ONE can always turn into MORE. Which means giving in to my addiction. And starting all over again. And feeling like all the changes I've made in my life were for nothing. And putting all my loved ones and friends thru hell again. And feeling very, very disappointed………. Please think about all of that (grammatically incorrect as it was) the next time you are Negotiating w/yourself. I hope you will come up w/the same answer that I have for the past 7 months: "Today I will not smoke!" (and I'm pretty sure I won't tomorrow, either!!) Oh, speaking of tomorrow, cockiness should be avoided! I really think complacency is a big enemy right now. I think it's the reason why people refer to day/week/month 3 as being so hard. The euphoria of 1 and 2 are gone and a person starts to feel over-confident. That's when s/he ends up stepping on a banana peel!! Don't do it!! Be gentle w/your self!! This is one of the most difficult things you'll ever do!! Cut yourself some slack!! [Especially if it's your first month!! Major Slack!! You'll (hopefully) never have the excuse of it being your first month again-so go all out!! Eat everything, drink everything, spend money, cry, laugh, argue, space out!!] And, like I said, come here often. Because this place is really what did it for me. I was lucky enough to have the time to spend (and friends, boyfriends, work, etc, to sacrifice, LOL) and be here a lot. It meant so much to me. And still does. "The best way to keep your quit is to give it away." Soooo true!! Have I rambled enough?!?!?!? I love you all!! Have a Most Groovy weekend!! We ALL are awesome, and we will Make It, After All!!!!! (and the Yanks, too!!)

Needlefish

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Not One Puff Ever

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The Nicotine Addiction Story. Quitnet Re-post, November 23, 2005. From GidgetPicklebrain on 11/23/2005 12:47:15 PM THE NICOTINE ADDICTION STORY The Nicotine Addiction Story Nicotine is probably the most addictive of all drugs we know of. The addiction process is very complicated, with dopamine receptors, neurotransmitters, etc. This illustration is an oversimplification of the process, but helps smokers to understand the reason for the difficulty in quitting. Imagine that you have a factory in your brain which makes acetyl choline (you really do, but it doesn't quite work this way.) The acetyl choline workers work 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, no breaks, no vacations, no union representation. Acetyl choline is an essential part of our nervous system and without it we could not function very well (ask a smoker who is trying to quit how they feel and you will know how acetyl choline works.) These factory workers work day and night and produce as much acetyl choline as the body needs. That amount is determined by the foreman who does continual blood testing to make sure there is an adequate amount available. After about 10 or 12 years you decided to try a little tobacco (either smokeless or smoking.) In 7 seconds th nicotine is in the brain and the foreman cannot tell the difference between acetyl choline and nicotine. He announces to everyone, "I don't know what is going on, but there is plenty of acetyl choline available. It looks like you can take a break". The factory workers go out on the lawn, in the sunshine and have a glorious time. They are only out there about 30 minutes and the foreman calls them back in. He tells them that the acetyl choline levels have dropped and they will have to resume production. The factory workers continue to work 24 hours a day, but they also remember how nice it was out on the lawn. You decided to have another cigarette. The foreman hardly gets the words out of his mouth and the factory workers are all out on the lawn. Again because the half-life of nicotine is just one half hour, they are soon called back in. You try tobacco again, with their encouragement — and again — and again. Pretty soon you are smoking quite regularly and the factory workers are on the lawn most of the time, having a wonderful time. So you become fully hooked and smoke on a regular basis. The factory foreman tells the workers, "You haven't been needed for quite some time. Why don't you go on vacation. I'll call you if you are needed." So they take off to the Caribbean. They are there for many years. Finally you decide you've got to quit smoking. You stop. The foreman checks the blood levels and panics. He starts trying to round everybody up, by sending letters and telegrams and making phone calls. The factory workers have to say goodbye to all their friends, find their cool-weather clothes, make airline reservations and prepare to leave. They are not happy and they let the foreman know that. He passes that information on to you and you give in and start smoking again. One day you finally make it. You quit. It takes one month for the factory workers to get home and start working again — but they never forget the Caribbean.

Not one puff ever! Tulip Festival in Ottawa, Courtesy of iStock

Thank you for bumping this up @Doreensfree

Sex Is in the Heel, Kinky Boots Soundtrack

Quitting is the best thing a smoker will ever do. Quitnet Repost, Sept. 19, 2003 From palNdrom on 5/14/2008 11:16:04 AM Quitting is the best thing a smoker will ever do for themselves. There are no 2 ways about that. Everyone knows that smoking kills, stinks, costs....etc. etc. etc. There is nothing good, satisfying or fulfilling about it. Logic and common sense dictate that smoking is bad and quitting is good. So why is it so difficult to do the sensible, logical, good thing? Smoking brings you down, it makes you weak, it encourages you to hide, it hinders you from being comfortable, it forces you to give up control. And all this so that it can ultimately kill you. Let go of the mistaken belief that you've lost something or lost part of yourself. Be proud that you are finally doing the right, good, healthy, logical, sensible thing! That you are showing your loved ones and children that you feel worthy and that they should too. That everyone has a right to be/do the best that they can. You only get one life. This heavy sense of loss or deprivation is an unnecessary burden. Let it go and feel your shoulders rise, your scowl erase, your back straighten, your steps lighten and your spirits lift. Once you do that, you'll KNOW you can do or deal with anything else. Mady

Well, its still Sunday evening in Canuckland.... but pledging not to smoke on Monday.

@QuittingGirl... wishing your mom a speedy recovery. And good for you for keeping your quit during a very difficult period! And thank you for your support. Hugs, Gene

Shaddap You Face Joe Dolce • Shaddap You Face