Rain Forest

Jackie, what you just said is getting "real with yourself"... you are at a point in your quit that the craves are less often so when we do have that thought, like you did (who will know???), that's a make-and-break moment. You won! Be very proud of yourself because you came out of this like a 5-star hotel in the Bahamas: marvelous!!! And you know what? You're discovering the biggest secret that none of us realize we're doing until we look back: You crave? Heck, go support other people with their quits... what it does is make your quit stronger because you realize you are not alone, you can do this! Rain

haha, welcome to my world!!! :P

You got this because you're rockin your quit! :)

* raises hand *

babs, you know what hit me when I said that about the skin of your teeth? It's something jwg would have questioned... miss that guy :)

That poses a question from me: how many "Likes" are allowed over here each day because I don't seem to run out? lol!

NOPE for me! We all rock!

Aine, I guarantee you that the day will come that you will ask yourself "did I really used to smoke or was that some crazy nitemare???" You will find that the longer you're quit, the less the "thought" of wanting a cig will become... until the thoughts just fade away. You are rockin your quit, good job!

Very powerful post... and it just goes to show how our "friend", the cigarette, is one of the most abusive relationships on the planet.

I am a person that laughs a lot... it's awesome to laugh without starting to cough up a lung 5 seconds later :)

The more you post, the stronger your quit will become... it's odd, but that's how it works... and after you've been quit a little while, by helping others you will continue to help yourself because of your positive awesome attitude. You are doing beautifully :)

Hot damn, I made it by the skin of my teeth (hmmmm, didn't know teeth had skin)... I think I was #94 or #95. I'm enjoying this forum, that is for sure... lots of awesome people here! Rain :)

Here's an idea of how old I am: When I was a kid, when I would go to the doctor, people were smoking in the waiting room... they even had those chairs with the ashtrays built in them (like in airplanes). So be glad it's just stale smoke, not fresh! lol :)

Iamdoingit, I'm really glad I have met you. I have my eye on you because I want you to win this time... so look out! lol (kidding you, well, the "look out" part, but I am watching) :P You can do this and we are gonna help you... you're gonna be a winner... you are already a winner for making the choice to put down the smokes. You so got this! Anyway, nice to meet'cha!

lol Ava! I don't make smileys, but if you want a particular one, I'm good at finding em... just let me know :)

omg Ladybug, you just described me when I decide to start eating healthy... never a right time! lol And you are so right: there isn't such a thing as a "good time to quit" smoking because our addicted minds won't listen... very good post you did!

lol @ bakon :P Evelyn, good idea. Treat yourself to nice things now that you don't need the money for cigs. And not only are flowers nice to look out, you can smell them much better as a non-smoker... good job!

Jonny, I couldn't have said it better. Since I have been smoke-free, I had to have my two dogs put to sleep (ages 17 and 18) because they were too old for anything to do about it; the death of my mother; dealing with my husband who had a brain tumor the size of a baseball (a 10-1/2 hours surgery and radiation treatments saved him)... thru all of this, I can honestly say that I never once craved a cig. And it's because of what you said: You have to REMOVE EVERYTHING that you think would make you smoke. I was around 3 months quit when I finally realized that this was it, I was done, there would never be a reason to smoke again... from that day on, I was at peace with my quit and never craved again. Awesome post, my friend! Rain aka Suz

Jonny, I remember when I first met you... I knew immediately that you were gonna kick the cig habit, you had that attitude about you... and you knew the secret (something we don't realize we know until we've been quit a while): help others because while you're doing that, you're helping yourself :) Ava, my smilies are neverending... lol

Jonny, I never even thought of this, but I must say it's a brilliant idea!

Evelyn, by posting an SOS, it tells me that you truly want to be a non-smoker, so be proud of yourself for that: you are seeking help to keep your quit, that gives you like a 99.9% advantage! I love herbal teas also, especially Celestial Seasonings... I even found an online place that I can buy Chocolate-Coconut herbal teas... lol... and it works, it's soothing. Now here's a suggestion I've said a million times before and has proven to work: get a plastic straw, cut it to the size of a cig, and pretend-smoke it... take deep puffs off of it because all you will be getting is fresh air, no smoke, and your brain will be fooled into thinking you are smoking (because the "ritual" of smoking is the hardest part to deal with, it's why we crave in the first place). :) Hang tough, you're doing it!!! You're still a non-smoker!

^^^^^^ this right here, excellent post!

Keep a fake plastic-straw "cig" with you... not only will it help you when you want to smoke, it will remind others that you are now a non-smoker. Win Win, there ya go! Rain

IAmDoingIt, be proud of yourself for choosing to become a non-smoker now. By the way, I would have been over 7 years quit, but I did relapse. Don’t be too hard on yourself now… it’s time to look ahead and not look back! Have a plan of something else to do when you crave: I smoked “pretend cigs” (plastic straws cut to cig-length)… and it worked… my brain actually believed it because I would get the same ritual including flicking fake ashes… lol Donna, the longer we’re quit the easier it becomes. After a month, I didn’t have many craves, but when I did get one, it was really powerful. You’re doing really good… believe in yourself… make YOU be the WINNER this time, not the cig… you can do it!

Trish... do yourself a favor... write down 3 short reasons why you want to remain a non-smoker... keep it with you because you will have some craves again... and when you do, pull out that list, remind yourself why you're a non-smoker now. When I first quit, when I craved I wouldn't remember why I wanted to be non-smoker, that list saved my ash many times. Rain