Angeleek

snowed all night

moist

luna

warners guard us

jacaranda!

I have probably spent about $50,000 on cigaratted and nicotine products during my 34-year nicotine-addiction career. Plus dental costs, extra dry cleaning bills, fights with the family over smoking, lost opportunities at work. Turned down by eligible men who don't want a smoking girl. Praying I don't get heart or lung disease or anything else terrible. What has smoking cost you?

I've been reading scary statistics about teen vaping lately, such as approximately 25% of middleschoolers in the US are vaping. Wow. If the anti-smoking campaign has reduced US adult smoking down to approx. 14%, from 40ish % in the 1950s, but teen vaping is now skyrocketing, what does this tell us about nicotine, and the anti-smoking campaign the first world has been engaged in all these decades? Does it mean we're spreading the wrong message by saying Smoking kills? Should it be Nicotine kills? Nicotine is the enemy? You can be happy without nicotine? No nicotine needed? Nicotine steals your happiness? Is nicotine happiness? Are our youth so depreased they need a super rush of nicotine...or is it just fun? For me, as a kid, it was fun. Until nicotine stole my happiness, and made me an addict.

In school, they warned us about lung cancer and heart disease to try to deter us kids from smoking. I was already smoking by the time that messaging started, plus I grew up in a smoking family. But they didn't tell us smoking could make your teeth fall out, and that new teeth cost $80,000 dollars; that it ruins your kidneys, causes loss of limbs, blindness, COPD, and all the terrible stuff I have since learned about. Had they told me those things when I was a kid, I wonder if it would have made any difference? Do you think better and earlier education would deter kids from starting?

Being at an event or place and realizing that no one is smoking, and I am not either, and feeling wonderful for not being the stinky one who is wrecking it for everyone else.

Way cool, Jim! Hopefully that means you have no lasting damage!

Awesome! Welcome back to your quit, Linda! You know what to do. We're all rooting for you here. Congratulations on getting back up and on! You're not alone...remember that when you're working through your craves. Slay that dragon! You do NOT have to smoke! Plan your rewards now -- reap 'em with gusto and a lung full of clean air when you hit that milestone. Remind yourself of what that reward will be so you can look forward to it! Goodie for you!!!

Welcome Squirrel! Great job stopping smoking! I was hooked on the gum for over a decade so you wanna quit that as soon as possible. It wrecks your gums too. Congratulations on taking back control of your life! Quitting nicotine is hard at first...but it gets easier quickly. You can do it!

Welcome Pedro! Congratulations on quitting smoking! Joel Spitzers videos are extremely helpful. Hope to hear more from you.

High five, Mac, for staying off them cancer sticks! 5 months is mega...and it'll be 6 before you on I it. Keep up the great work. Your lungs are doing a happy dance! Celebrate!

Woohoo for you, Idontsmoke! Excellent job staying quit and I bet you feel so good by now! Keep going cuz it gets easier bit by bit. Hope your surgery recovery is going great.

Congratulations on 1 year, ekptr! You must be proud of yourself and I bet you feel great! No need to ever smoke again! Right on!

Congratulations JohnQ on holding that quit steady! 3 months is fabulous and you never have to smoke again!

Way to go Darcy! Congratulations...I bet you feel great!

Woohoo Upinsmoke! Great job staying off the nicotine! Keep going...it gets easier! Congrats!

Way to go Sunshine! Never look back! Well done!

Great job Midmale! Keep going!

Congratulations, Garry!

Hi Kate! Random thoughts are also part of the old habit. I remember asking random people if they have an extra smoke if they happen to be smoking and I happen to not have any in me, especially when I was much younger. I get random thoughts and sometimes little craves, but they come and go within seconds and don't really worry me. If I start to dwell, I remind myself what it would mean to smoke another 10,000 cigarettes and that pits an end to it. Nearly 8 months in, the thoughts are getting fewer and fewer, and farther in between. Don't worry.

Hi Linda! You are in fact winning the battle because you keep on quitting and are determined to become an ex smoker! Just keep on quitting and one day it will stick! I found that Joel Spitzer's videos were very good counsel cuz they helped me sort out the mental aspects of being without nicotine. Please don't berate yourself for relapsing, because life is depressing enough. Remember nicotine hijacked our happiness, so we have to fight against that process and activate our inner happy in order to undo that programming. Always congratulate yourself on your resolve to quit and to quit again if you happen to relapse. For me, one of the biggest hurdles was to find a new way to reward myself because every time I made it to 2 or 3 weeks, I rewarded myself with a cigarette which of course led to full-fedged smoking again. Once I was able to outsmart that particular inner junkie process, I was able to stay off the smokes longer and move onto the next mental thing...and it's all mental after the initial body withdrawals fade (3 weeks for me). You can do this, Linda. Your mind and resolve to be free are stronger than your addiction. If you relapse, assess what went wrong and how you can prevent that from happening next time. You can definitely do it! I hope to read about your next quit very, very soon. All the best to you, Linda.

Great job quitting and staying quit, John! 2 months is radical...and it gets easier...you will see!! Well actually now u r almost 3 months in....woohoo!!