IamDoingIt

In just my short amount of time in my quit, I cannot fathom where I made the time. I telecommute from home. I NEVER, not once, have smoked inside my house. My smoking spot is out in the garage. I would have to get up from my office, walk a hundred feet, putting on my jacket if required, and go out to the garage to get my fix. That happened every 15 to 20 minutes. I'm already noticing the time!

Although this quit is only 3 days old, I have been quitting since 01/04/2012. In that time, I have learned one thing, once we quit, there is no turning back. Once you decide to quit, you can never go back to that full-on smoker who never worried about health issues, money issues, or any other smoking related issue. Specifically, any quitter who has learned the slightest little bit about smoking and it's addiction. You can never go back to that person who never thought about quitting. That person is gone forever. No matter how much you smoke, you can never become that person ever again. So, I have been on this journey for over two years. When I quit, I love it! However, there are those times that I have relapsed. Even on the relapses from the very first puff, I have regretted it. However, that did not stop the addiction. Some relapses lasted one hour, some for several months. All the while during a relapse, I still wanted to be a nonsmoker. I know now that I have to go all the way through. I have to make it to the lido deck. This ride has gone on for far too long. As I saw in somebody's tag line that said something along the lines of: 'If you want off this ride quit standing in line for a ticket.' That's what I have been doing for two years. Getting on the ride, getting off when it just started and going back for a ticket. Getting back on the ride, perhaps riding until almost the end, because I still don't know when the end is, and jumping off to run around for another ticket. How many times have I gotten back in line? (That's another story) Well, this time, I am locked into my seat on the ride and riding all the way to the end. I am finally going to find the end of this ride.

I can remember the days when Drs. and Nurses would light up in the hospital. Times change!

I am a 50 year old man. I started smoking somewhere around 13 or 14 and was a regular smoker by the age of 16. The only time I quit smoking was when I was 18 and in the USMC bootcamp. That was in 1982. On Jan 2, 2012, I gave my first thoughts to quitting smoking. I googled quitting, and soon found my way over to whyquit.com. I read, I Read, I READ, and then I R E A D some more. At first, I hated that site. I hated what it was telling me about what I was doing, why I was doing it, and what it was doing to me. I kept reading any. I read EVERYTHING. On Jan. 04, 2012, I quit. I was done. Joel convinced me. I put down the smokes and walked away. It was incredible. I had become a nonsmoker. I had stopped! It was so easy. There was no gnawing and gnashing of teeth. There was no horrible monster that came and ripped my head off. No! NOTHING! I quit. After two or three months into my quit, I became comfortable. It was not the inner piece that old nonsmokers with one or more years, but it was a comfort that I could see life as a nonsmoker. Most of my time was not worrying anymore about smoking nor non-smoking....I was just happily going about my life. I was happily on my first forum of my life at ffn. I really enjoyed reading about other people's journeys and posting my own information. Then, one fine late spring or early summer day, I was all by myself. I was in a happy mood, I was literally joyous, and then it hit from clear out of the blue 'Boy wouldn't a cigarette just go great right now?' Right then and there, without a thought, I said it sure would. I went through all the 100 plus conscious steps to get into my truck drive to the convenience store and buy a pack of smokes. I didn't light up until I arrived back home. All the way....I'll just have one. It'll be good, and I'll put the pack away. I did have just the one, and I put the pack away. About 5 days later, the same thought came....'Wouldn't another smoke be good just about now to top this off?' I said, once again, 'It sure would.' It then became 3 days, 2 days and I held it at one a day for quite awhile. Then it became first thing in the morning and then late at night before the Mrs. got up and after she went to bed. Needless to say, the Mrs. soon found out, and I was a full fledged smoker. The journey to this quit is kind of long. I am going to spread it out over a couple of entries.

bakon.....I am sorry, I did not address your question: What method am I using? Well, after 35 years plus of sucking 30 or so cigarettes into my lungs to be distributed throughout my body to my other internal organs, destroying my teeth and gums, giving me a cough to hack up some major phlem, and not having the wind to do heavy anything, I put out my last cigarette never to ingest any nicotine ever again. I went cold turkey with a little help from sunflower seeds, carrots, ice water, and a few other aids, but pretty much put out my last smoke and walked away.

Just over 61 hours! I don't really like measuring in hours, but hey...it's better than minutes. At lunch, I am going to run to the bank and pull out a $20.00 bill. My quit meter has already said I have not spentt $23.80 on smokes. Each interval of $20 bucks I go over, I am going to the bank, getting a $20 and throughing it in the safe. I told the Mrs. Iam that I will pay for a vacation for us in June. We'll take the Goldwing and head up to Souix Falls for the weekend. We've never been and want to see the falls at night. Nothing big....no Vegas or anything, but an easy mark to hit. It's only 60 days, and I've already got 61 hours under my belt.

Great vow! We can chose to live or we can chose to die.

Aine....it's those moments that I am striving for now. Those minutes where you don't think about smoking, and you don't think about not smoking. I have experienced those in the past. I think that is what nonsmokers call 'life'. I gave up those beautiful moments with just one puff. Now, I am striving to get back to that exact place where you are right now. I know I will get there....it's only time. Time I could be a smoker and never reach that place or time as a nonsmoker and get there in about 6 weeks like you did. I'll never catch your time, but I will catch up to where you are today. You will then be able to tell me all the wonders of being 12 weeks free! Way to go. You're an inspiration!

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What a fantastic post. It is exactly that place that I want to get to. I know it will come in time. I just have to keep climbing to get there. In the past I would always get to the comfortable place in my quit. Then out of nowhere, I would let go of the rope. I would lose my quit. I would never let myself to get to that inner harmony all old time quitters talk about. Well, that where I am headed. Nothing's going to stop me. Excellent insight into the peace of quitting!!!!! Thanks leahcaR

Fantastic job Amy! You are doing this!!!!! You ARE a NONSMOKER!!!!

Juan, I am fresh in my quit. I can relate what you are going through. There are a few times where my AB (addicted brain) tries to trick me into believing I am missing something. I need cigarettes to fulfill something in my life. If I let that go on too long, I start romancing the cigarette. That is my biggest mistake. That is exactly why I am not 2+ years quit now. Cigarettes are NOTHING! The have never done anything for you and only did things TO you......they made you stink, they stained your fingers and teeth, they give you a cough, they gave you slight headaches, they made you a little dizzy and lightheaded. What in all of that is positive? What in all of that do you miss? As was stated in the video......Give me just ONE .... Only ONE ....POSITIVE thing about smoking?

What a great summary of our addictions. Smoking does nothing except keep a person smoking and slowly kill them.

I've got my seat, and I'm glad I'm on the train for the trip!

Hi Caroljo! There are only a few hours between our quits. In these early days, that's a big deal! But in the weeks and months that are coming up, it will not make any difference at all. Great decision to quit!!!!!!

None for me this Friday! NOPE!

The one thing that doesn't seem to want to grow around my house. I really like asparagus and have tried several times planting it, but it never comes up.

-16

NOPE for me!!!!

I understand about what you are saying about somebody's voice feeling like nails on a chalk board. Sometimes, I am so wrapped up in my nonsmoking thoughts, I just don't want to be disturbed by anybody or anything. That's when I know I need to get up and do something. Do ANYTHING. Distract my mind for just a little bit and let it calm down from THINKING. Hang tough Tiffany!

Well, I have made it over 36 hours. This is my second smoke free morning. I woke up this morning, and I again had breakfast instead of having coffee and a cigarette. A few thoughts not much of a craving, but nothing too hard to handle.

Welcome! There are a lot of GREAT people here!

I am sorry I am late to your post. It's now mornging where I am . (((((Evelyn))))) you are a few days ahead of me. Even with that being said, I have been through this before with a couple of long term quits. I never had to fight my quits. That is why I relapsed so easily. What you should do is analyze what you are going through. Burn every moment into your memory. You NEVER want to have to go through this ever again. Keep putting just one more minute between you and the last dose of the drug you are addicted to. You can do this!!!

Anything but smoking Tiffany! You have got this!

Such an awesome post.... Except you need to continue..... This year... Next year... The year after next... Well, maybe in four years.... Not four....we may as well make it an even 5. QUIT RIGHT NOW......when you quit, you get to quit wasting your life!