KEL

Morning! Here in the mountains of Colorado we are looking at a the mid-50's and no snow. Sadly. I appreciate the warmth but its too warm these days.

NOPE. @Cbdave Love the pictures. Thank you for sharing your beautiful country.

Thank you for the inspiration.

Hang In Darcy. It gets easier. Sending wishes for peaceful night for you. And for everyone on the train.

NOPE.

Congrats! Hoping you are feeling so good. You deserve it!

NOPE.

Is it a "thought" (habit) to smoke or a true desire to smoke? For me, smoking served as a pacifier. I had severe physical trauma when I was little (2-3 years old) and, as a result, I sucked my thumb for years. I believe smoking was an extension of that, i.e. the need for some type of primal comfort. I had to go to speech therapy which was shaming. Braces for years. In unpacking this over the last four years (when I got serious about quitting), I realized that smoking does not do much to pacify the fear. In fact, it heightened it and kept it going. The more I smoked, the longer I smoked, the shittier I felt about myself. It was a spiral. I still have thoughts of smoking regularly-how could I (we) not? But every time I do, I remember just how bad it felt to do it. Somewhere there is the belief that we can go back to a time when smoking felt "good." I don't doubt there were many times I "thought" it was helping. Or was fun. But the truth is it hurt. And it smelled. And it made me feel disgusted with myself. What has begun to shift things for me (although not instantaneously) is to remove the thought/belief/feeling that smoking conferred any benefit whatsoever. I am militant with myself on this. Not sure if any of this resonates. Thanks for sharing and I'm sending prayers for strength your way.

I had one of those a few weeks ago. Rather horrifying because when you wake up you aren't sure what exactly is going on. For me, I take them as a sort of subconscious cleansing if you will. But it makes me ever vigilant. Hope you feel better soon!

Gluten-free, vegetarian, sober alcoholic. Sadly, the holiday doesn't hold much for me in the way of things I can enjoy. So I am headed to the gym and celebrating the fact that I do not need (or want) to smoke. At least for today. That is the biggest blessing I could ever hope for and am praying this upward trajectory continues. I am certainly going to stay close to you all in anticipation I too can enjoy sustained freedom. Happy Thanksgiving everyone and thanks for being here.

Congrats! I am right behind you. Happy Thanksgiving everyone. Hope the day is blessed.

NOPE

NOPE.

I appreciated this so much. Just cruising through postings, reinforcing the commitment. No particular cravings thankfully. Was at the shelter last night and one of the clients asked me for a lighter. I got to say, "No I don't smoke." How lovely. I did find her a pack of matches in the bowels of my backpack and was just shocked at how bad it smelled. How even being near it just felt toxic. Feeling gratitude for the freedom but maintaining vigilance. Holidays are here and usually present us addicts with challenges. Hoping you all are well tonight. K

I love this. I can make my pledge a good twelve hours in advance! Thank you.

Inspiration for us newbies! Thank you. And hope everyone is having a great day.

Nope.

NOPE

Congrats! I'm sticking right behind you.

Darcy! I know the shame well. And without speaking for everyone else (although I think I can), we all feel this way until we don't. Today is a new day. Glad you are back.

@intoxicated yodaGood morning. That post shows a lot of dedication. The "easiest" way to resolve those issues would have been to smoke. Only to start all over again. I recall a lot of bloat in the first few times I tried and this time really focused on getting a handle on it (water, water, water) from the beginning. Blessings to you. It does get easier.

NOPE.

I'm with Kris. A little shimmy just to keep me on my toes. Thanks all.

For sleep, I have used Valerian root for years. Celestial Seasonings is making an extra potent "Sleepytime" tea with chamomile and valerian. Just my 2-cents. I FOUND THE EMOJIS! Life is on an upswing.

I had to share this splendid example of how the junkie (my) mind works. This time my quit date is October 2. My sobriety birthday is December 2. The thought that crossed my mind the other day went something like, "Well, it would really make it easier to celebrate both your nicotine and drinking quits on the same day wouldn't it? So why not pick up smoking again and quit on December 2 so everything can be nicely aligned?" Sheer insanity.