Pre Respond to your own SOS

[lml]

Dear Linda (lml), 

 

Hugs to you. Breathe deeply and meditate. Find that place in you that knows how precious life is and how much more you enjoy it without nicotine taking so much of your time and attention. Nicotine and smoking does nothing good for you - but it will lie to you. You know the lies.

 

Breathe deeply, meditate and find that place - you know how now that you are smokefree. Every time you do this, you get stronger and learn some new tidbit of gold about yourself.  Believe in yourself and that this too shall pass. 

 

Love...yourself

[Ren]

I hope this link never stops working...cold hard biology gets me every time. 

 

http://uk.businessinsider.com/what-your-lungs-look-like-after-just-20-cigarettes-medspiration-experiment-on-healthy-lungs-trachea-2016-7

[TravellingSunny]

17 minutes ago, Ren said:

I hope this link never stops working...cold hard biology gets me every time. 

 

http://uk.businessinsider.com/what-your-lungs-look-like-after-just-20-cigarettes-medspiration-experiment-on-healthy-lungs-trachea-2016-7

 

@Ren OMG that's scary!

Edited May 7, 2018 by TravellingSunny

[Doreensfree]

My poor  lungs.....52 years worth...I dread to think !!!!

[GraceLove]

On 5/30/2017 at 9:44 PM, GraceLove said:

Dear Grace,

 

Really? You are actually considering going down that road again? What? Is life not working out just how you planned, Grace? Are you feeling like a not-so-special little snowflake? Awww... That's too bad. :rolleyes:  Sack up, girl! Quit being a pu$$y! Smoking is bullshit. 

 

Keep it together for f's sake!

 

With (tough) Love,

 

Grace

 

 

Haha Just reading my own post to myself. Made me smile...that attitude has carried me through almost 16 months now. Smoking is bs and for pu$$ies. No excuses. Just don't smoke.

[Sazerac]

This thread is incredibly important.

Please post your Pre-Response to an SOS.

It helps us know how to help you and reminds you how to help yourself.

[Devil Doll]

This thread has saved quits. When I see an SOS the first thing that I do is check this thread for a post from the person needing help so that I can show them their own words. 

I encourage everyone to write a post here! 

[notsmokinjo]

On 2/28/2018 at 6:30 PM, notsmokinjo said:

Are ya farken kiddin me! You got through Christmas Eve to New Years Day without havin a flippin fag. If ya were gunna turf ya quit and were trying to splain it that time was it, but nah ya grit ya teeth an kept on keepin in then ya dumb mole, so why should now be any different. Ffs get a grip. Besides if ya do light up the kid won't let them play "am I Eva gunna see ya face again" as they haul ya coffin outta the church.

 

Edit: OK dipshit, having a smoke is not gunna give you back ya Vegemite, for starters they don't taste anything alike, secondly you don't like the smokes and ya frickin love Vegemite so there is no comparison... Its for 3 weeks, maybe a bit longer... Suck it up princess cos you can do this. Right... No smoking...got it cos the Vegemite angels will smite you if you do and Vegemite will taste like sh¡t for ever and a day if you do.

 

Edit: The Kid's (12) response a few weeks ago when I was worried my Vegemite deprivation would make the nicodemon more powerful and I might be in serious danger of tossing my quit... What does smoking have to do with Vegemite? That's not even logical mum that just stupid? I call Bullshit. Just go away and have a good hard think about how silly and immature you are being. That is so stupid, "I really want vegemite and I can't have it and I'm really worried because of this I'll have a smoke". Go put ya big girl pants on ya sooky sooky la la, you need a time out mum until you can be normal again."  Outta the mouths of babes!

 

Edit: Are you insane, you can control if you smoke or not, only you control that not anyone else, not a doctor, or a blood test, or a reading on a monitor... you control that, its the one thing you do control and you want to give that up, for what 30 seconds of aah and that's it... that one first drag, don't be a dickhead.

 

Just had to put this here so it was on the first page that opens... I have been procrastinating for 4 hours about starting to sew my daughters costume because I am scarred the sewing machine will make me want to smoke... so self... DON'T BE A D1CK.... smoking will not make the fabric do what you want.... smoking is not a reward for finishing that section, even if it was kinda tricky ... smoking is not a reward for anything.... if you are a good girl and finish a section and really need a reward you can pop in and play some games.... there will be no smokin, there will be no flippin trips to 7 eleven in the middle of the night... its not frickin happenin dipshit.... you with the program yet??... right if for some frucked up reason you go from thinkin about a smoke to wanting a smoke or needing one you will enact the disaster plan....Step 1, read this frickin post.... Step 2, post another frickin NOPE, read this again.... Step 3, post a frickin SOS.... Step 4, interact with those responding to the SOS.... Step 4, PM the emergency contact who is in a time zone that is awake.... Step 5, let your emergency contact call you to talk your arse down from the ledge you have stupidly put it on..... ALL of those steps MUST be completed before you will toss this quit and you WILL NOT TOSS THIS QUIT because lets face facts you wont need to go past step 4.... you have this, this is the sticky quit and you are a non-smoker, you do not smoke, you do not need it, you definately do not want it, it gives you nothing.

[MLMR]

 

So, somehow you feel like you don't care anymore. Maybe it's the depression, anxiety, or just some sh☆tty situation. Let me tell you this: you do care and you definitely give a lot about it. You used to think you didn't care, because it was easier and less vulnerable. Back then, it was your only way to survive. But now things are different, you have changed. Be honest with yourself and listen to the soft voices. They want to be heard. They will help you continue this journey. X

[Doreensfree]

When I was feeling a wobble ...I came here and read every bodies posts...by the time I had finished ...my wobble had well past...

It's a great tool to have in your box...

[Sazerac]

On 6/18/2018 at 4:24 PM, Sazerac said:

This thread is incredibly important.

Please post your Pre-Response to an SOS.

It helps us know how to help you and reminds you how to help yourself.

 

 

[Lilly]

If I post an SOS I need to remind myself of how I feel right now. I'm desperate to make my next quit stick and that won't happen if I give in every time things get tough. 

 

If I smoke I will keep taking myself back to square one which is where I am now. If I ask for help and cling on whenever I feel shaky I will keep moving forward. 

 

Everyone else here is fighting for their quits and I have to start fighting for mine. I want to quit while I can and not be lying in a hospital bed sobbing because I kept on smoking. 

Edited October 9, 2018 by Lilly
To add picture (borrowed from c9jane29)

[RhinoDragon]

REMEMBER WHY YOU ARE DOING THIS . . . QUITTING !!!

IF YOU HAVE A CIG, FAG, TAB, SMOKE YOU'LL BE BACK IN THIS SAME PLACE TOMORROW.. GUARANTEED & BELIEVE ME YOU WILL!

DO IT FOR YOUR KIDS.

IT WILL BE HARD    YOU KNEW IT WAS GOING TO BE HARD AT TIMES BUT YOU CAN, REPEAT CAN QUIT & WILL DO IT NOW... THIS TIME ROUND.

IT IS ALL TEMPORARY AND DOESN'T LAST LONG . . ITS YOUR TURN NOW.

SMOKING IS A VISCIOUS CIRCLE & WILL BE FOREVER UNTIL YOU DIE . . UNLESS YOU DO IT NOW . .  ANYWAY ITS YOUR TURN NOW.

YOU ONLY HAVE TO DO IT ONCE . . . THEN ITS GONE, THAT'S IT . . DONE! . . ITS YOUR TURN NOW AND OH . .

YOU'VE QIUT

 

[Rozuki]

Oh, Rozuki.....you are stronger than this....you know it!!! With all you have been through in this life you are not going to let a bunch of poison sticks get to  you! Think about how great it has been to no longer stink, worry about do you have enough to get through the night, the money you are saving, the fact that not smoking means your COPD will not get worse (according to your pulmonologist), the fact that your arteries will get better (according  to your cardiologist) , that you never want to go through another bypass operation or stent procedure!!!! So what if you are carrying around some extra pounds for awhile..... you will eventually lose them.....by walking more, which you now can do since you quit!!!

[Kate18]

Spoiler alert: There is nothing redeeming or interesting in the following. 

Note to self: recognizing you want to smoke, but think how cold and miserable it would be to get into the car in order to go to a gas station to give over hard-earned money for the privilege of making myself sick and putting a new swimming pool in the acreage of some tobacco ceo's mansion. May then rot in hades with karma for company.

Remembering to H.A.L.T.

I'm not hungry, but I'm craving something sweet. Solution: make a couple of pancakes and eat with maple syrup. Sigh. Weight gain.

Angry. Not angry. Annoyed covers it.

Lonesome. Sofia is here to keep me company. Maybe she wants a walk. Doubtful. She likes to go to sleep at 7:00 pm. But she peed on the carpet last night, so I'll take her out for a minute. 

T. Tired. Yes. It's 11 pm and I prefer to go to sleep by 8 pm. Got caught up in watching Criminal Minds on Netflix. In the first episode I watched tonight, there were people smoking.  I was watching and thinking about smoking.

I can skip Hungry, push through Annoyed, walk with Sofia,  then go to bed. That'll cover the four bases. And I'll avoid gaining another pound of weight.

 

"Every day in every way I am getting further and further from that last cigarette. I really don't want to trash another quit attempt. Tomorrow is a danger day. It's my day off. Day four. Last time I went this long, I was housesitting. The owner was a smoker and left a half pack of a yucky brand on the table. I called or emailed and asked permission to discard them. He said yes. I took them out and put them in the trash. The trash was collected that morning, and when I went outside to fetch the trash bin from the curb, the cigarettes were sitting on top of the lid of the emptied can. It was too much. I snapped. That was at least two, maybe three years ago. Yes, day four was a bad day. Tomorrow is a new day four. In the morning, I'll plan carefully.  And I'll probably ramble on posts. Sorry about that. I can be verbose. It's just thinking out loud. Just wrote "danger day" across December 15th. It'll remind me that I have to stay mindful, rational, and do the HALT quiz if I feel weak.

[Reciprocity]

^^^ And, as you get past your "danger day" (as I know you will this time), you will see it as an exciting accomplishment and you can use that to spur yourself on to even greater heights  

[Kate18]

Danger Day, craving coming in like an ocean tide. 

H.A.L.T.

H. Am I hungry?

Not really. Aching for wanting to smoke. Headache. Didn't get enough sleep. Sofia woke me up by trying to chew on one of my ears.

A. Annoyed. Fortunately, it would take a lot of effort to drag myself out to a cold car and to a gas station for cigarettes. I'd change my mind along the way and come back without cigarettes. Then be more annoyed because I'd have wasted time, energy, and gasoline. And disgusted on top of that if I'd actually smoked. Somehow I know I won't go to the store or smoke. All those times when I did relapse, why do I feel settled into being a non smoker now? Maybe I'll look back in a year and recognize something I'm not seeing right now.

L. Lonesome. Sofia's enough company. And I'm on the forum, so I feel a connection.

T. Tired. Yes. Maybe I just need a cup of coffee and then clean the kitchen. And check grocery ads. A lot of energy. Sleep, I could go back to sleep. Sofia wouldn't let me. She wants a buffalo chew and I haven't replenished her supply. Maybe I could trot off to the grocery store and get Sofia's chews and my food shopping done before crowds arrive.  And then go to sleep. 

Debated about putting on a nic patch; I think I'd better. Stick with forming new habits, then deal with drug withdrawal. 

Gotta get up and do something, anything.

OK, potential crisis averted. That was a lengthy craving.

Plan is made. Coffee, shop, walk Sofia, sleep.

[Doreensfree]

Stick with it Kate ...it's all Temporary..... Keep fighting .....

[Reciprocity]

9 minutes ago, Kate18 said:

All those times when I did relapse, why do I feel settled into being a non smoker now? Maybe I'll look back in a year and recognize something I'm not seeing right now.

This may just be YOUR TIME! There may not be an recognizable reason why this time is different but be glad that you feel this now because that is significant progress  

Realizing that smoking will do nothing but lead you back into a life of addiction slavery is a huge step forward. When you truly believe this, it's not possible to follow through with smoking again because, that's a choice you would have to make and it's a choice you have made before and regretted so guess what? It's gotta be different this time because that old road you have taken before is just a dead end and you know that well. This time is different - be encouraged by that!

[Mee]

Kate, Hang tough.  You are doing a great job of redirecting you thinking.  You've got this!

[Kate18]

Just returned from the grocery store. I took my time before I went to make a list. Took my time at the store to select the right purchases. Delaying the time when I would get back into my car and have to drive past the store where I used to get my cigarettes. Craving is strong.

Just realized I forgot to put on the patch this morning. Probably why the craving has doubled down on me. 

H.A.L.T.

Hungry. Yes. Was shaky. When I got home, ate a kiwi fruit and then a banana. Bought corn tortillas and guacamole so that I can have a snack I will really enjoy.

A. Annoyed. I'm close to angry because a part of me wants the relief I got from a cigarette after abstaining for several hours. It's been more than 12 hours since I had a nic patch on.

L. Lonesome. Nope. Sofia is here, chewing on her buffalo braid that I bought at the grocery store. 

T. Tired. Yup, definitely. I'd go to sleep, but then I wouldn't sleep tonight and I'd be wasted tomorrow at work.

 

Objective: Remain smoke-free and get relief from cravings to get through Danger Day.

Strategy: Focus on one tactic at a time. When one tactic has been accomplished, immediately turn focus to the next tactic. 

Tactics:

1. Put on a nic patch.

2. Put away groceries. 

3. Reorganize kitchen and refrig

4. Fry up some corn tortillas for chips and eat nachos.

5. Take Sofia for a walk.

6. Eat peach pie while watching Peter Attia lectures on health and longevity

7. Go to sleep by 7 pm. 

Really struggling here. I'm afraid that if I leave my chair and the forum, I'll pick up my purse and head out the door to get cigarettes. Gotta stay focused. 

Breathe

[jillar]

@Kate18, you got this. You're almost past your danger day, you should be so proud of yourself. Stay close, I did and it helped a lot!  

[Mee]

Kate,  I did sleep a lot the first three days.  It did not affect my night sleeping.  I think it helped get me through those tough days. 

You are doing great .  Don't give in to that crave.  You will get stronger every day. 

[Reciprocity]

Stay strong and get through today Kate! You won't buy cigarettes because you don;t smoke anymore. Your lungs are happy about that. You just need to retrain your brain until it's comfortable with it too. It will happen. Keep yourself distracted and get to seelp as early as you can. Can't think about smoking or craving when you are asleep.

 

Tomorrow's a bright new day  

[Kate18]

5 minutes ago, reciprocity said:

...You won't buy cigarettes because you don;t smoke anymore....

 

That's a good line for a mantra. Think I'll ruminate on it and let it sink in.

Thanks