Ramona

Have you all read BORN TO RUN???? Any and every runner should read it. I went from having only ever done 4 milers to DOING HALF MARATHONS...just because of that book!!!! Amazing.

Bye bye horrible first week. HELLO NEW LIFE!

You just kicked the three asses of those months....or something?? WAY TO GO CPK!!!

Nice of you to check in on us NUBES. Congrats on your solid quit.

Oh my god guys - - - totally off topic but I just made sugar cookies @ 2 AM and pretty much ate a stick of butter. URGH-ARRGHHHHHHHH ugh.

Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo Pe.

Starry - I feel the same way as you in the fact that I consider smoking to be my greatest life challenge. For some people it's just pretty straight forward!!! Some people put em down and walk away and never think about em again. Say WhAAAAaaaAAt? For me it's a BATTLE OF EPIC PROPORTIONS. It's always simple: N.O.P.E. But it's not always easy. That's why we stick close on this board and save each other from jumping ship. Welcome. TEW

Yes! Thus, my screen name! To cry is to cleanse all the grief we have lodged deep within. I cried for a literal day once - like, seriously - 24 hours. The next day I felt fantastic - I had purged all that emotional gunk. And literal gunk - I coughed up serious phlegm balls that same day! No exaggeration. CONGRATS ON YOUR SOBRIETY!!!! I think it's wonderful you are tackling these demons around the same time. I've observed people meeting with much success when they use your method. I was sober for 4 years before I attempted to quit smoking - that was 4 years of sober affiliations/triggers/reminders/associations THAT I NEVER NEEDED TO HAVE AND REMEMBER. I feel like I made my quit a lot harder than it had to be. Stay free now and you will have one, long glorious sobriety and smobriety!!!!

Congrats on a wonderful quit so far!!!

CPK - This is the cigarette I miss the most. In my first couple months I drank black tea instead of coffee because the association was so powerful. I went back to coffee around the 2.5 month mark. And still, after all these mornings, I occasionally experience nostalgia for the combination. ARGH!!! Why won't that association be entirely defeated yet????? That being said, I can actually TASTE my coffee now - - I can differentiate better between different roasts. Coffee is delicious. I think my experience differs from yours because I smoked that first one inside, at my kitchen table. You were smart to make it inconvenient and uncomfortable!! And I envy your gratitude! If I look at my memories more completely (and not with an addict's tint) I can also call-up the wheezy, gasping sensation of my lungs and throat first thing in the morning. What a way to wake up!!! To meet the morning with a sick reminder of mortality and impending disease??? No! One should greet the morning with an affirmation of life and one's personal prana. Crazy, insidious addiction.

Ridiculous is the word!!! I observe my BF in his early quit (2 months on the first of May). He creates the most cockamamie, & convoluted mental schemes in order to justify taking a drag. After he presents these ideas he sort of smirks because he knows he sounds absurd. Thinks he can pull one over on me?? Sorry Love, I know EXACTLY what you're doing. :diablo:

I auto-withdraw my cigg money into a separate account. I think I have like $800.00 in there right now. Vacation for me next year! Wooo-hoooooooooooooooooooo!

Day by day. One day at a time. Each turn of the calender is a major victory...TREAT YO-SELF!

The beginning can be rough: acne, bad breath, constipation, insomnia, body odor, weight gain, decreased sex drive.... ....but the fantastic news is that these syndromes all REVERSE THEMSELVES COMPLETELY: clearer skin, fresher breath, fuller BMs, deeper sleep, prettier smell, ability to exercise, and more lively/intimate sex!!!!!!!! Like CPK said - soldier on.

Happy 6 Month Birthday! Treat yo-self, you earned it.

A call to arms! Love this. Yes, when it comes down to it - it's always just me. All the support in the world is useless if I can't improvise and adapt to the circumstances of my life.

Hi Michelle, I too attend 12 step groups for my alcoholism. One of these meetings is HEAVILY populated by smokers. I totally understand what you're going through and I think it's a good idea to take some time off from the meetings. It's incredibly difficult to walk through that "camaraderie cloud"!!! Smoking butts seems to be a major way people bond in recovery (that and sugar & coffee). But you are entering a whole new tier of recovery. As for me - I'm actually changing my sobriety date from my booze date (March 7th 2011) to my smoking date (Nov 6 2014). I'm doing this because I'm experiencing a whole new level of recovery. This is REAL. This is honest. Of course I won't openly admit this to the groups - and I'd never tell anyone else they should do the same. It just feels like the right thing to do FOR ME. Booze was divinely removed but nicotine was NOT. Blessings and courage to you on this journey!!!!

I feel blessed to be a non-smoker today. Completed a challenge I would have never even attempted as a smoker. Nice.

Running is what kept me just a teeny bit sane on my recent vacation. Had an unbelievably beautiful and powerful 6 miler in the near-pouring rain. For whatever reason nothing ached and my lungs were super expansive. It felt like God was with me - I know, I know pretty dramatic, but I did sense some serious assistance. Tomorrow I am attempting a super tough run. I will report back with details.

Here's a couple more! Nicely done.

BTW - love your screename!!

I think a lot of us did care QueenGreen - - we were just totally deluded. We talked ourselves into believing we didn't smell. I smelled so bad for so long. Wow.

Thanks so much for your encouraging reminders! Marti, people in my life have been like that: "Oh, still quit...good." They have no idea what that means for me and how hard it has been - - but you guys do! The support here is incredible. And to hear the replies from people who have accomplished 1 + years! You guys know what's up. I feel stronger. I'm not 100% out of this recent "trigger forest" but I will be soon enough. I'm trying to pool my resolve & resources in order to move forward. Again, thank you all for the support.

Glad to have you back. The forum mother!!!