Nana20

NOPE!!!!

NOPE!!!

NOPE!!!!! WILL NEVER SMOKE AGAIN. NOT ONE PUFF FOR THE DAY.

Happy Father's Day to all of you father's out there. And I will serve up a big NOPE for today.

I agree with this. I just think that WE HAVE TO retrain our subconscious mind right along with our bodies. Because in my readings I have noticed it is the subconscious that causes the most relapses. That part of our brain that is on autopilot. So I agree we have to keep making those changes over and over, but we also have to be honest and realize that we can say that is a smokers dream(just an example) or that is a way a smoker thinks. If we continue to look at ourselves as smokers we will never change the patterns we have already established. You can't change the patterns if you don't change the way you think. I truly think our brains are like that saying "Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day, Teach a man how to fish he will eat for the rest of his life." We have to teach our brain that we are non-smokers.

Thank you @Sazerac I did reward myself with a celebratory dinner of crab legs and steak. Did it a day early so my daughter could be with me. Since she is my number one cheerleader. She will call and text me through out the day with inspirational quotes and just checking in on me. Letting me just be whether it is in a good mood, snappy mood, it doesn't matter. She just looks at me and says I don't know what you are going through because I have never smoked, but whatever it is I am here. So I didn't feel right eating such a good meal without her there.

So I have been doing a lot of lurking and reading, I post everyday in the daily pledge( I know, I know I missed yesterday), I check the S.O.S board and make sure nobody needs support and I then I go to the discussion board and read any new post there. I then start searching older post and blogs and read. I usually don't post unless I have something to say, add, or help(mine and others). I found that words have power and it is up to us to use them the right way. So yesterday I sat with the computer in my lap, board pulled up, a "Create New Topic" up and I just couldn't bring myself to post. I just didn't have anything to say, Well that isn't true. I couldn't figure out what I did want to say. So I waited and I thought on it and I read some and here I am. So, here is my ramble for today. Subconscious and how it affects our quit. The night the night before last I woke up and immediately reached to my nightstand for a cigarette. I then realized what I was doing and told myself that I don't do that anymore. I would then rolled over and went back to sleep. I woke up a couple of hours later and it happen again. I then told myself I am no longer smoking, that I am a non-smoker and proceeded to roll over and go to sleep. I woke up yesterday and I just had one hell of a day. I felt like crap and I had some pretty mean craves. Even with that I couldn't put into words what I wanted to say. So I pushed through I stayed on the board all day yesterday trying to figure it out. Just reading and thinking. This morning I read a post that went straight to the heart of what I have been pondering on. Our subconscious minds. The reason why is because I realized that no matter how long we are quit, our subconscious doesn't say oh hey we gave up smoking, NO it doesn't. It is wondering why we aren't doing something that our subconscious had us doing on autopilot. Just like the other night I woke up, I didn't have a dream about smoking, I didn't do anything other than wake up and during the time it took my brain to take over, my subconscious had me doing something that I had been doing for years. Wake up light a cigarette, get up, go to the bathroom, go outside, finish the smoke and go back in and go back to sleep. Now that I am quitting smoking I am having to relearn so many things and I think that if we want to be non-smokers we have to take our subconscious and take it off autopilot. I also think because of our subconscious we have a harder time truly believing that we are non-smokers. Just like Greenlight's dream. He had a smoking dream. He said "In reality I've not smoked a single puff in 8 years, I have no cravings or yearnings or anything whatsoever and never think about it when I'm awake. Why do I still dream about it every now and then? I always wake up confused and it takes a few moments to realize I've not actually smoked, my quit is real and all is well. Are these dreams ever going to stop? Is this the power of addiction?"( @greenlight 6/19/2020) I think the reason why he still feels that way is because he is still at war with his subconscious. He knows that he is a non-smoker, but he continues to allow his subconscious to think of him as a smoker. When you or anyone has a dream, we have to have confident in our conviction that we are no longer smokers. We can continue to link feelings and dreams due to our prior smoking history, or we can do like non-smokers due and just chalk those unconscious thoughts and dreams up to what they actually are. In reality we probably did something or saw something that triggered our subconscious into auto pilot. It is up to us to change our conscious and unconscious thoughts to that of a non-smoker. Now this is where I was struggling. How can I change my subconscious/unconscious thoughts? Well that part in reality is easier said than done. We have to chalk our occasional thought that pops up out of nowhere or a dream that just happens and we have to put the blame where blame is due. (this is more for the mental and later part of quits, but good to start practicing now.) Most of the time when a dream comes and were smoking in it we just assume it is a smokers quitting smoking dream and those cause a lot of relapses. when In reality we probably just watched a program on TV with smoking in it, we were talking/discussing smoking, or it could simply be we were around smokers. Something triggered that unconscious thought of smoking that plays out in our dream, and instead of saying oh that was a smoking dream. We need to start having a non-smokers reaction to it. Acknowledge the dream and chalk it up to some random weird dream. I know a lot of non-smokers and even they have smoking dreams every once in a while. They also dream of being naked in class, being a clown, whatever their brains were thinking about or saw right before we go to sleep. WE as ex-smokers have to realize just because we have a dream(with/without an urge or crave) doesn't mean our junkie side is coming out it just means we are like everyone else we dream what is on our minds whether thought or saw. So that is what has been going on in my little corner of the world and been going on through my head. I hope this makes sense and I hope it helps someone. @greenlight using your dream as and example.

Hello everyone I am a day late, but I am here and I am saying it loud and proud. 2 WEEKS SMOKE-FREE BABY!!!!

NOPE I am here and still kicking.

@greenlight I know what you are talking about I had one in the first week of my quit and it had me waking up with a full on body and mind crave. It took me a few moments to realize that it was the dream that caused it and acknowledged the crave took several breaths as I started to make me some food. I then proceeded to shove breakfast in my face until the crave went away. But my point is haven't you ever dreamt about something that didn't make no sense and when you wake up your like why would I do that in a dream that makes no sense, whether be taking a test naked, smoking, whatever the case is. Even non-smokers dream of smoking a cigarette. My best friend who has never touched a cigarette in her life had a dream she was the girl from Grease that they show smoking a cigarette trying to french inhale. My point is she didn't think about it as a smoking dream. I think because we are smokers we automatically associate smoking dreams with a desire to smoke, when in reality it could of been a scene you saw in a movie, it might of been something you read. Hell it could even be the fact you got a newbie or this board on your mind right before you fell asleep. Because most of the time we dream about the last thing we either thought about or saw. I think that you should look at those dreams like my best friend did she didn't look at the dream and think OMG I just had a smoking dream, no she was like I had this epic dream I was this girl from grease. You see even when we are quit for 8 years our brains are still trained to associate things to being a smoker. So next time you have a "Smoking Dream" don't focus on the cigarette, focus on every other detail of the dream. Train your brain/subconscious that you are not a smoker anymore and that you will no longer associate anything whether it be a dream or whatever to smoking. * sub·con·scious adjective of or concerning the part of the mind of which one is not fully aware but which influences one's actions and feelings.* Right under subconscious's definition is "my subconscious fear".

@jillar excellent post. I am still here and still quit free. This right here is true it has happened to me a many quits, and I did find out why those quits weren't successful. I believe that support is an amazing thing to have when you are trying to accomplish any goal, but to become a non-smoker you really do need the extra support that these boards do give. If I was honest over the last couple of years I have tried to quit and I have used message boards. One thing I noticed is that like Jillar said that they come here so gung-ho on quitting and then they just fizzle out in front of you. I think it has more to do with over-confidence and I don't think that they realize just how much support that they are getting and that probably if they look back they can see where there online support has saved their quit many times and then all of a sudden they are gone. to confident. I know I was one of them(previous quit). The reasons why I left. 1) I got to cocky and over-confident.2) My husband started to get upset at how much time I was on the board. So I just got tired of it and I got over-confident and said you know what I got this and I am tired of listening to my DH complaining about me always being on the board and so I just stopped. I am not saying that is what caused my relapse, but I will say this. If I hadn't been so confident. I would be still smoke free to this day. As I have been trying to get back to this point of quit since 2015. You see if I would have continued to lean on my online friends for support, I would of been called out on my junkie thinking that caused me to make the decision to smoke. @Mona I can happily report that I am still here, and still kicking. Hitting the 2 week mark yesterday, but I do have a few that I suspect as well. I don't post everyday, just simply because I just don't have anything that will offer any insight or help to anyone. You see I learned a long time ago that words have power and its up to us on how we use them. Also I learned moderation. I had to compromise with my husband that I wouldn't let the message board take over my life, but I would go and use it for as often as I need/want. We are both in agreement that I need to quit(even though I surprised him with this one) and that I need to use whatever means necessary. I think that for whatever your reason for coming here is, Whether your just finding this tool (a online support group) or it is a tool you have used many times. You coming and joining us you are silently not only making a promise to yourself, but you are also making a promise to us.(fellow members). Whether you are using this tool to help yourself have more accountability. You see the reason why doesn't matter. You are here because you either need/want this to work, or you know the benefits of an online support group. so utilize it, and let us help you.

so @idontsmoke I am going to jump on your reward for being on the quit train. I am making Surf and Turf, oven roasted red potatoes, with rosemary and olive oil on it. I am also going to make broccoli although I don't know how much veggies I will be eating I am going for the crab legs and steak. How are you doing. I hope everything is going good. I hope you are doing good in your quit. We are here if you need us.

Also don't be afraid to ask them to either move away from you or to keep them put up out of sight and out of reach. Just keep us close and let us know how you are doing.

NOPE!!! Not today..

So proud of you. I know you can do it.

I appreciate that you think that, but I'm really not. I mean I am in the trenches right along with all the other newbies. I am just sharing some of the ramblings that are going through my head. Things I am starting to realize. Things that have all aided in many failed quits. And to be honest this quit is only as good as the very present. We all have to stay vigilant and on our guard. Yes when you are freshly quit, you are more susceptible to relapses and slips. but if you think about someone who has been quit for years can have a relapse to. So I think our quits are as good as the last completed minute smoke free. Because the next minute is not guaranteed. We are all in this together, we just have to continue the fight. the longer you are quit the easier it is, but a ongoing battle nonetheless.

Good morning everyone. First I want to say thank you for all the support yesterday it really does help and it does make a difference. I promised a longer post so here it is.I think the last time I actually posted was like last Thursday, now I have been commenting on threads and stuff, but I have felt kinda just quiet feeling. Like I have the peace on the outside and sometimes a war going on inside. I know that now all my physical withdrawal is over with. I know that the battle I am fighting right now is a mental and emotional battle. I have done a lot of nature things in the last week in a half. and thus have done a lot of thinking. And I don't mean romanticizing a cigarette. I mean I have been doing a lot of thinking about who I am, what I like, and don't like. How smoking cigarettes has changed me. Then I read. I read post like "Does Brain Ever Recover From Nicotine" wandering if our brains could ever recover to the way it was before we smoked. I was reading some of the answer and some of them ranged from no not really to glimpses. I don't know about you, but I started smoking when I was 15, and having my brain go back there is a big NO. But who would want to. Yeah most of our teenage selves made really big stupid life changing decision when we decided we wanted to smoke those first few cigs, but would I change anything else about my life no. And I do believe smoking has held me back in so many ways, but I would not be me if I did go back and change it. and "Rip the Patch off" where we all rallied behind Mona and encouraged her to take the patch off and leave it off. We encouraged her by being there and hearing her fears and telling her that we are here to catch her if she let us be. That is truly amazing. So to all of you that are wonderful and generous with your time, words of wisdom, and your compassion. Thank you.

NOPE!!!!!!!!

Thank you all. I will do a longer post later.

Hello, everyone I am still here lurking and reading. I make sure I come here everyday to pledge nope for the day. Then I check it periodically throughout the day. I am still smoke free. I Haven't had a cigarette in 11 days. I have been keeping busy cleaning our the house and car. Going fishing, and hanging out with family and friends. Dealing with everyone and everything. Like I said I am coming here when I need to, sometimes reading, sometime posting on my blog or on the forum. Just wanted to let people know I am okay.

NOPE

You can do this Mona. Just remember to take a deep breath I like to sound out NOPE for each half. I think that is why it works. Because as we repeat it whether we say NOPE or we say Not One Puff Ever. We take back control and those urges and craves will become less and less. Most times I don't even acknowledge the craves/urges,

NOPE. Taking a small road trip from east coast Florida to the gulf to do a little fishing today. Hope everyone has a great day NOPE'ING through today.

NOPE NOT EVER AGAIN. Not going down that rabbit hole.

NOPE!!!