Paul723

Great Job Octain! Many more to come!

Well done Sslip! Treat yourself!

Have a great celebration Abby! Congratulations on your first year!

Congratulations on six years DD! What an amazing change you've achieved; we're all proud and happy for you.

Bump

It will ease up on you. Hold your ground! It was at about the third month when I quit that I noticed I hadn't thought about smoking at all for a whole day. We have been smoking for a long time, it takes a while for our heads to get right. Saz likes to say, "Free your head". For me, I found it best to dismiss smoking thoughts as quickly as possible.

You'll feel better when you accept that you are never going to smoke again. You are not abstaining, you are done with it. You are really close to that point, please wait for it. Come back and tell us when your thinking changes.

I would focus on cooking then on kitchen clean up. Can't smoke with your hands in soapy water.

Thinking that dressing with a poached egg would be a good breakfast while the turkey cooks.

Great job Jo! Two is fantastic!

A mantra I used was, "Smoking is not an option, so move on." I firmly believe that if you have this as a first thought it will make the process of quitting easier.

Bump

Good job johnny5! Thanks for helping with the celebrations. I hope you do something fun.

Now you understand why we celebrate anyone that breaks free from nicotine addiction. I've read a lot of remarkable stories on this forum.

Knowledge is power. You're doing great abbynormal.

Well done! Congratulations on two!

Bump

Wantsit has gotsit! Congratulations on your first year of freedom!

Good Job Hope2Nope! Congratulations!

Great Job! One's good, two's better. Guess what I'll tell you next month? Keep going!

I look forward to the Wednesday newspaper (am I the only one that still gets a physical copy) so I can check out the grocery store sales pages.

Congratulations on Six! Celebrate wildly! You have directly helped so many over the years and many times you were completely unaware of who else you indirectly helped and how (unless they took the trouble to post a thank you for it). Here is an example of you helping you that helped me too, so thanks! I should have said so a long time ago. For a while, I really missed stepping outside for some deep breaths, albeit nicotine-y breaths. Stepping outside for a break, or a look/see, for what to do next, for a Think. Then, I said, 'go outside, you big goof'. Go outside and take some good clean breaths...AND have a think. It is taking me a while to separate a break from a 'smoking break'. but, the ceremony of a break remains. It is an important time, stepping away and now it is smoke free.

The place in your brain that is responsible for your survival on an emotional level is also where the nicotine receptors are located. That's why nicotine addiction is tricky to overcome, your brain without nicotine will often switch over to a survival mode and dump adrenaline into your body. This creates a panic and edgy feeling. What helps is to start recognizing what's happening and use your rational brain to calm yourself. This episode started with a dream. Dreams aren't reality. The reality is you have a kind and supportive boyfriend. The reality is you haven't smoked. Go for a walk to burn off the adrenaline. Have you read about HALT? Your strength is still there. Have you read MLMR journey in the thread Introsucksion?

Congratulations and thank you. I vividly remember the commentaries you would write for the daily NOPE pledge page and give them credit for helping me. I hope you and your wife have a nice celebration!