DenaliBlues

8. Make a cat scratcher (for kittehs to pointedly ignore as they shred the rug)

So thankful for the QuitTrain: the platform @MarylandQuitter, our fab moderators @Doreensfree and @jillar, and the community that comes together from everywhere. It’s good to hear stories from veterans and fellow newcomers because you all "get it." You help me stay accountable and help me understand this journey. I never expected to find a tribe when I quit smoking. But it’s nice to have people. And it’s nice not to be the only fruitloop in the bowl. Happy anniversary, QT. Thanks for being here to make my quit stronger.

Good for you for saying all of this aloud @JustinHoot99. This addiction is tenacious. The farther I get into my quit, the more devious it becomes. It will resort to bargaining and deception, saying that smoking only once in a while would be comparatively harmless, that I can ration myself, that nobody needs to know... It’s all a trap. You speak truth when you say there is no such thing as “just one” smoke. Also, a perspective: My partner used to abuse substances when I was away on business trips or when she left the house alone. Her using was a problem for me, but it was the secrecy and evasion that almost destroyed our relationship. It made me realize that the “Nobody needs to know” idea is 100% Addict Mind. You’ve got a GREAT quit going. Sharing honesty is part of your strength. Your posts help me shine some light into my own dark corners, so thanks. We can do this!

5. make a time machine

Try regular hygiene.

samosa

2. Build a fort!

Good morning, @JustinHoot99. I'm with you and will make this a smoke free day, too. Like you, I'll be doing something that I always associated with smoking: being outside in the yard. The pattern of pairing that with smoking is so deeply ingrained, almost automatic. But I'm not going to be a nicotine-programmed robot anymore... today I have free choice. Thankful!

Congratulations, @intoxicated yoda! I really admire your quit. I think you are one of the "Luminous Beings" that Yoda talks about when Luke's starship is stuck in the mud. Thanks for being on this Train and for helping me and others break free of the mucky Dark Side of smoking!

Love you, dear.

Emptied lint trap.

Dentist insisted, "Take tooth out." tense

Hi @JudiMD. You betcha, I’m still on the Train - thanks for checking in. Sometimes I’m frazzled. Sometimes I’m fierce. But I’m always smoke free, and that’s what ultimately counts. I’m benefiting so much from the company, perspectives and support I’m finding in this forum, and it’s getting incrementally easier. Glad you are doing great, hope you continue to heal well!

10. Show them who's boss: NEXT: A CARDBOARD BOX

Welcome to day 24, @JustinHoot99. You've got a fantastic quit going, and it's great that you are strategizing to protect it! I have a "stinkin thinkin" soundtrack that runs in my head, too. Addict brain is wily and tenacious. It lurks in the bushes waiting to pounce, it whispers false promises. It revises history to edit out all the bad parts about smoking and inflates its supposed enjoyment. We just have to be wily-ER and tenacious-ER than those hobgoblins! You nailed it when you said: For me, I'm in an interesting transition with how I stop that catastrophic 1st smoke. In the first couple of weeks, my quit resembled a frenetic dodgeball game. Then it became an increasingly gritty exercise in self-discipline. But I don't think that white-knuckled self discipline is sustainable over a lifetime, personally. I am just not that perfect. So what I'm trying to do now is channel some pride in the days I've got. I WANT this quit to stick. I don't want to let the #%!*ing drug win. I want freedom, and I'm earning it at a high cost. I hope someday this will evolve into the kind of peaceful aikido of love and acceptance that I see in others on the Train. But for today, I'm using Quit Pride as my touchstone. Knowing you and others are fighting the same fight really helps. We can do this. Whatevah it takes! Like Hamilton said:

Kitty litter often creates perfume. fumes

littleneck clam

yelling doesn't endear

5. cuss while untangling them