Rain Forest

Jonny, I believe that we all have a "wake up and smell the coffee moment"... it's then up to us to decide whether we want to listen to our inner voice or not. I often wonder why everyone doesn't listen to that voice in their head, and I have no answers... I would like to think we're stronger mentally, but who knows? :)

action, this is the first thread I came to tonite, I wanted to know how you were... it sounds like you're gonna be a-ok! And I'm happy for you and the new dentist too... lol

Things are changing while I'm posting... I wondered if I finally had lost what is left of my mind! lol

Awesome post!!!

LB, never give up hope with your husband… mine quit 5 years before I did, and we were supposed to quit together… I felt guilty that I still smoked but it didn’t stop me, not until I finally came to my senses 5 years later. So yes, there is always hope! Action, yep… and this all started about 7 years ago when she was first told that she had to stop smoking… yet she went right back to it when the Chantix was gone… and now she had a real scary thing happen and did the bargaining, but she still smokes. Babs, I did the same… but at least we are smart now! Lol That’s why I can’t be mad at my friend or keep telling her to quit… I know that only she can decide. She knows because I told her that if she ever wants to stop smoking, to let me know, that I can help. It’s up to her now.

Colleen, awesome post! It never hurts to be reminded what smoking can cause... you never know who is reading this that will finally choose to become a non-smoker because something clicked in their head. I have very minor COPD (no drugs, no inhalers), I'm lucky that I quit smoking when I did... I wasn't even diagnosed with it until 2 years after I'd quit, even though I figured I had it because of the shortness of breath if I did a lot of stuff. Jackie, it's wonderful that you are now 6 years free, I'm really happy to read this! :)

Markus, don't come to Oregon to gamble... we have a few casinos (one right on the beach), and they allow smoking on the main gambling floor, but they have a "non-smoking" area too... omg, shouldn't that be in reverse??? Crazy crazy crazy.

action, whatever you do, listen to Colleen: do not go to WebMD or google searches... all they do is scare the hell out of you and 99.9% of the time you don't have what they say... trust me, I used to do this all the time. I have a feeling you're gonna be just fine... hang tough... and if the dentist pulls a tooth: get painkillers, they'll make you a little happier about the situation for a while. :P Anyway, best of luck to you, well wishes headed your way.

When you first quit smoking, the most horrible people to be around are the ones still smoking, and it’s not because they smoke. It’s because they don’t understand at all, you are making them feel guilty as hell because you are doing what they “wish” they could do, and they are almost worst than the Nicodemon and it’s craves: they try to get you to smoke. I relapsed a few times before I found my sticky quit… but I sure remember when I first started “trying” to quit, I was still working in an office… all my smoking buddies would come by my desk to get me for our breaks, even offering me a cig… I heard it all, the “so you’re still not smoking?” and “I wish I could quit too, here, come have a smoke with us, one won’t matter.” Then even worse, they hid from me as if what they were doing was sneaky. I felt particularly bad for this one woman I worked with because she is the reason I quit smoking. She had been to the doctor and was told if she didn’t quit, she’d be dead in a few years because of various health issues… so they put her on Chantix and she was able to quit smoking… now I saw this: she wasn’t upset, she didn’t seem to have trouble with her quit… so I went to my dr and asked for Chantix too… then I used it… well, the first time I lasted a few months (I was still not educated on my addiction, didn‘t have a clue what I was doing)… my friend ended up going back to smoking as soon as she stopped the Chantix. But I couldn’t keep happily smoking… once I was quit for more than a few days, I started to see that it’s possible to quit for good. It took me another year before I found my sticky quit, so please, even if you relapse, DO NOT QUIT QUITTING!!! You can do this, you truly can. Do not give up. One of these times, a bell will go off in your head... kinda like what the fox says... DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING!!! lol This past year, my friend had a really huge scare… they found something on a cat-scan on her lung, and she was terrified that “this is it”. She lived thru the whole Christmas holiday in fear, thinking the worst… she told me she will quit smoking if it’s not cancer… Well, after the new year, she found out there was nothing there, she was ok. She’s still smoking with no plan to quit. God, I hate to say this, but she is gonna die a smoker. Are you?

Congrats Joe, it sounds like you GOT THIS! 5 months is wonderful so be proud of yourself, you are showing everyone: you are a winner :)

Betsy, 11 months and going strong... YES!!! Just think, one more month and you will be an oldie or whatever you guys call it around here... what a wonderful day this is for you. I remember when I hit the 11-month mark, I started the big "countdown". CONGRATS!!!

Well done, Comrade! Congrats to you for making the choice to be a non-smoker... 3 months is MAJOR!

Paul, 9 months is a long time, you could have had a baby during this... lol!!! Congrats, you have an awesome quit. Be proud of yourself!

Jonny, it's like I told you on fb, it's your attitude: it's not often that I come across someone with such a major, special way to deal with a quit, and you have a few things you've quit. I wish all smokers and newly-quit smokers could figure out how to get your attitude because if they did, they'd have no problem with their quits. Major huge groovylicious congrats on being sober and quitting the cigs... as for the caffeine... eh, I like my coffee! lol

For people that are still smokers, and also people that are "never been a smoker", it's the same idea: they don't get it because they haven't done it, you "quit smoking", you didn't "try"... lol... you are totally groovy, LB!

Soberjulie, exactly! Most of the time, we don't even know we're helping ourselves when we're helping others... this was an awesome post!

Evelyn, have you gone here and done this? I'm thinking it would be a great time to do it, today! :) http://www.quittrain.com/topic/790-quit-smoking-contract/

^^^^^ Yes!!! Loved this post... and I'm glad to see you're hanging in there, Amy, you CAN DO THIS!!!

Evelyn, do you have any hobbies? Have you ever considered some kind of needlework? It really is helpful early in a quit and it takes your mind off of smoking. By the way, you are doing beautifully!

Having smoking "thoughts" are very common, especially the first year of smoking... I know of people who had a few thoughts thru to their second year too... the good news is that it's just a thought, not a crave, and by now, you realize the truth: You, my friend, are in control :)

Oh how awesome!!! And just think... if you choose to smoke after signing that contract, you can take yourself to Judge Mathis and we can all watch you on tv! lol (teasing, of course)... This is a really good idea!

I bet it took a while for those to burn... lol My husb used to smoke the occasional cigar, and he'd buy the expensive ones... shocking what some of them cost!

Awesome post, babs, you described a whole lot of us, I just bet ya! When I was a young teen, I figured I'd quit when I was 20, then I hit 20 and said 30, at 30 do you know how stupid I was??? I said I didn't need to quit because there would be "a cure" for lung cancer before I ever got it... the junkie mind has no rhyme or reason. I'm so proud of the young people that I see who are quitting nowadays... they seem to get younger and younger too; instead of being 50+ I'm seeing so many people 20+, 30+, etc.

One of the hardest things for me to deal with are seeing people that you care for, but you know you can't push them because the truth is: they have to want to quit more than they want to smoke. I truly hope to see both Beckys here very soon. :)

And if you join us and participate, your quit will be even easier because you will be with people that understand exactly what you're going thru... you'll find the support to be phenomenal. So to future newly-quit people: