One or Two Important Ideas

[bakon]

Not a book, no more than two. You can post more than once....but no long list that will bore the heck out of people. I don't care if your cat is the reason you stay quit or some catchy line...just give the group something to think about....

 

Post one or two things that help you stay quit or something that caused you to fail in the past, and why that wont happen again! Everyone needs to participate, old timers and people with two hours quit. I want to know how you did it or what people need to avoid.

 

 

#1 I wanted to quit. Took a week to do it. But I wanted to.

 

#2 Found a site and joined, learned NOPE. Just repeated it again and again first few days/weeks.

 

 

 

(I'll do a fail later)

[Jenny]

• I wanted to get it taken care of so I would not have to think about quitting anymore

I joined this site and promised myself that failure was not an option

[ChRiSpY]

1.  I wanted to quit because I love my kids and I want to live to see them be as old as I could

 

2.  I used to have some wicked stomach issues.  I could not eat anywhere where I did not have access to a bathroom (Just in case).  I could not eat at the fair... I could not eat on a road trip... I could not eat before I drove home... for instance at a restaurant, we could not leave right away for fear that I would be caught between point 1 and 2 with searing stomach pain.  I literally have stopped the car before and gotten out and ran into the woods.  This is real stuff folks.  So get to point ...I know.... I did not contribute any of my stomach issues with smoking... but guess what???  I no longer live in fear.  I can eat whereever...whenever I want.  I am going to try to get of acid reflux medicine as well... trust me...this was a wonderfully beatiful AMAZING benefit to my quit.  And best yet...I had no idea.

 

Keep on keepin on.

[Tink]

1. I knew I needed education on the addiction

 

2. I knew i needed support from real people going through the same thing as me

 

I found both here :)

[Nancy]

1.  When I first quit it helped me to learn that a real physical craving only lasts 3-5 minutes.

 

2.  It also helped me to learn that just one puff triggers the addiction. N.O.P.E.

[sgt.barney]

1) Quitting is waaaaay easier than you think.

 

 

 

 

Easy Peasy

 

 

 

 

 

EDIT: words are hard ...

[JackiMac]

Smoking Kills.....would like to be around a little longer so it pushed me to a quit, took a while to build up to this one, I planned it, read alot of information on it, looked at the best ways that I could quit for me.  Made a plan to quit for good.

 

Saw the Doctor spoke at length on my quit strategy offered "My last chance" Champix, set a quit date, went online for information and joined Quit Train, find I need the support and be able to talk about it daily, NOPE and SNOT work a great deal for me.

 

I have had many fails, some after 6/8 weeks some shorter, my longest was a year 11 years ago when I fell pregnant with my son, 6 weeks after he was born, I had a hell of alot of stress in my life, not an excuse but I used it at one bought a pack of fags and went to the pub, fast forward to 16th January, 2014 and here I am.

[bakon]

My two fails

 

1. Drinking and looked like I could handle a couple and stay quit. 10 years later I did.

 

2. Group of friends on vacation, knew I wanted to be COOL and hang with them when smoking. Looked like fun, cost 5 years smoking that time.

 

Both on year long quits or more.

 

What I learned, not then but now, how drinking and nicotine combine to form a more powerful addiction, one feeding the other. And alcohol removes nicotine at a fast rate from your blood, so you smoke more to make up for it.

[El Bandito]

1. Smoke. Don't smoke. It's my choice. Always.

[Gemzee]

1. Fed up of being controlled by my nicotine addiction

 

2. I don't want to smoke

[Nancy]

Having a ticker really helped me...had nightmares about having to change it...

[Melody]

1.)  I hated smoking and something else being in control of me besides me, so I woke up one day and quit.

 

2.)  I stay quit because I truly do not want to smoke anymore, I hate everything about it.   

[Still winning]

1. What helped me is knowing it could be done, reading smoking horror stories and genuine support. I did not want to let myself OR you guys down and sometimes you lot are the reason I held on. Although of course I was super happy after the event there were 3 times I would have previously failed.

 

2. I failed previously as I had no understanding. I also think every failure contributed to the quit I now have, almost a year of trying to be varying smokers (social, weekend, evening etc, 5 a day etc). I actually struggle to see why I was so thick about it actually lol but pleased I'm good now.

 

I hate the craves/trigger thoughts now, but I love the freedom so I will trek through them until they are merely reminders of what I used to be dumb enough to do.

[Still winning]

PS -  I don't know if previously I really believed those craves would ease?!  I fell off the wagon quite regularly because I thought I would feel like that forever and it was less "painful" to smoke - however it was only ever mental pain, not real!!  Don't think I actually understood that either.

[action]

1. I was ashamed to be a smoker

 

2. I was angry at myself every day for being weak

[Shaddykat]

1: I like to be in control

 

2: I hated the smell

[Leanna]

1.)  I hated smoking and something else being in control of me besides me, so I woke up one day and quit.

 

2.)  I stay quit because I truly do not want to smoke anymore, I hate everything about it.   

This is me. I hated smoking so much, even before I quit. This attitude really has kept me motivated over the months. 

[Fay]

I, like Action, was ashamed. 

 

Most of the people around me did not smoke.  (different than when I was younger when everyone smoked) 

[bakon]

I can relate to all the above.

 

hate smell and hated hiding it from people at times

[Melody]

Being ashamed was a big one for me too.

[MarylandQuitter]

1. I knew that there was no way I was going to be a smoker for the rest of my life but unless I got serious about quitting, I most likely would be.
2. Living with the guilt because I knew what I was putting my only body through.  You only get one.  Quit and let the healing begin.

[bakon]

Two fails which I see as common are

 

Drinking too early on a quit

 

And thinking you can have just one.

[queen greenlover]

1. didn't want another heart attack.

 

 

2.wanted to prove to the tough love people that I could get free & as a bonus-like it. :rolleyes:  :rolleyes: :rolleyes:  

[Paul723]

Reading that nicotine had rewired my brain to make cigarettes more addictive helped me understand what I was up against.

 

Smoking cigarettes because I had a bad day was a 22 year mistake that I wish I could undo.

[REZ]

1) You have got to want to quit with your heart and soul!

 

 

2) Be honest with yourself about your quit because nobody else will be watching you, no cheating!