DenaliBlues

laser

Queen King

NOPE!

Hey, Sandi. Thanks for the check-in. I’m around a little less often right now. (Still slogging through the aftermath of medical treatments that give me headaches, so being online isn’t my favorite thing these days.) But that’s temporary. And in spite of that limitation, I really love and value this community of lovely, kooky, kind, wise and supportive souls. Quit Train has had my back during tough times. You all helped me keep my quit and offered a welcoming connection. I’m sure a many of us can say the same. So count me in on the Train!

I’m sorry for your hard times @Pilgrim. You nailed it when you named the core issue - addiction. You cannot bargain with an active addiction. “Just this one” or “Only a few puffs because I am so stressed”… they are not real logic. They are rationalizations. Stinkin thinkin. Find your fierce. As @Christian99 said, the only way to stop smoking is… to stop smoking. Whether you’re going cold turkey or using nicotine replacement or medication to quit, it all boils down to the same thing - refusal to smoke. One day you’ll be sick of the cognitive dissonance, the failure, the stink, the wasting money, the inability to breathe right, the chemical enslavement. One day you’ll will step off the merry go round, withdrawal be damned. You’ll defy the beast. And you’ll learn that your addiction has been skewing reality the whole time… it’s not your friend and you won’t die without it. The moment that lightning bolt hits your brain, the moment you refuse to comply… you win. Time to fight. Time to WIN, @Pilgrim.

NOPE

Fled the scene

rag doll

obtuse

snarl

hand picked

NOPE

Canned kipper snacks

Tired of everything.

kick back

Mojo

Astrologer

Fife and drum

lox lunch

krakens

sling

We’ve all been there @Pilgrim. Your seat on the train is ready to welcome you back any time. There is not one thing that smoking makes better. It does not resolve conflict, bring back people we’re mourning, heal broken bodies/souls, or alleviate stress. It does not soothe a troubled mind, make us financially secure, or anything else. The only thing smoking accomplishes is to intensify the bottomless need for our next nicotine fix. A need that we can never gratify. Because 1 is too many and 1000 is not nearly enough. That is the wretched irony of addiction. But it doesn’t need to be that way. Come back soon. You CAN do this!

NOPE

NOPE