Jenny

Thinking of you Tracey, We often cannot control the chaos in our lives but we can control our reaction to it. Congrats on sticking to N.O.P.E

I think a party is in order on Friday night in chat!! We need to break this place in! Anyone else ready for a party!

No smoking for me. :)

So good to have you all here. It really is.

YAY Juan!! Good to see you. You can do this!

I love this article on why you can't have just one. It Takes Just One Cigarette to Relapse. January 14, 2013 by Cameron Kellett You will never smoke again. Accepting this is perhaps the most daunting aspect of quitting smoking and nicotine addiction recovery. The thought of never having another cigarette can be so overwhelming, that smokers will willingly go to the grave an addict and never again taste a life free from the disease addiction. If you have decided you no longer want to be a drug addict always in need, the reality of never smoking again is what you must ultimately confront. In order to heal from addiction and achieve freedom you must be completely resolved to never smoke another cigarette again. Why? Because the next smoke is always going to be just one cigarette. As will the next one and the next one and the next one! You see, the thing with healing from nicotine addiction, is that it relies on a large number of neurons and neural connections within your brain metabolizing and breaking down due to INACTIVITY!. The moment you smoke, especially during the early stages, you re ignite weakened connections that have been laying dormant. Instead of allowing them to break down, you re invigorate them and in turn, re enforce them. Quitting immediately becomes harder. To be free, you have to heal, and to heal, you must absolutely not smoke. Having a smoke will always be a step backward. Having a smoke will always be a step backward. There are going to be times, even in the medium to long term, the deceiving allure of tobacco will force you to recall the high of dopamine that came after relieving withdrawal. If you find yourself arguing that “just one cigarette,” won’t hurt, you are in all likelihood, not fully resolved to quitting. Chances are, you’re also not prepared for long term recovery and have possibly quit under false expectations. Full recovery takes many months and there will be many craves and many individual neural connections to break down. Of the very small percentage of smokers who relapse after medium to long term recovery, each and every one started with just one cigarette. If you decide that one cigarette won’t hurt, you will almost certainly spend the rest of your life a miserable full time smoker. Recovery always begins and ends after your LAST cigarette and never, ever, the next. The fact is, until you choose to not smoke, EVER, you will never become a happy and free non smoker. Recovery always begins and ends after your LAST cigarette and never, EVER, the next. If you find yourself debating whether to have just one cigarette, ask yourself this question: Are you willing to undo everything you have achieved, all the recovery you have been through, and waste all that pain you have suffered, just to satisfy an extremely short and momentary whim? A whim that will pass in less than a second if you allow it too. No? Then I guess it’s time to get on with enjoying the rest of your life!

Throughout your quit you are likely to be faced with events that bring thoughts of smoking back to the forefront of your mind. I've been quit nearly two years (28 year smoker) and while it does not happen often, it still happens. Not like when you first quit and craving a cigarette can be a whole body experience, but more of a thought. Your mind after so many years of smoking has been conditioned to think that a cigarette is what you need when you are stressed, mad, sad and even happy. We told ourselves lies for so many years to justify the need to get our fix. We allowed ourselves to believe that a cigarette helped us in these situations. Of course it didn't. It was just the addiction talking. We just needed nicotine and no justification for that was deemed ridiculous, even though it was. In the words of a wonderful woman named Susan, a thought to smoke is never a command. Remember why you quit and push those thoughts away. Always keep the quit.

I will not smoke today.

Gaining weight when you quit is a problem for many, including myself. I quit smoking nearly 2 years ago and I have gained a lot of weight in the process. It didn't have to be that way for me. I've started a diet and exercise program that is working for me. I have never felt better and it really helps me with the stress in my life too. I'm gaining more than weight loss, I'm gaining a new healthy way of life. If your just starting your quit smoking journey or if you've been quit a while like me, incorporate exercise into your day. For those newly quit, it helps with craves too!