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This Forum...a trigger?

giopetro

By giopetro
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giopetro Newbie

giopetro

Posted
Posted

Hi All,

 

Just a quick update from your buddy.. 

I have been smoke free since i joined this board on sept. I will admit i did have a few puffs a couple times. But the simple fact that i can go throughout the day obsessing and thinking about it is huge. I know what my most serious triggers are (my parents house, car in the morning) and those seem to be the time when im thinking about it most. Im reminded of when i used to enjoy it. 

Which brings me to this question.

Does this forum trigger anyone. I find that it makes me think about it more and thus seems to be a trigger. I feel the more casual i am about the quit..the easier it is. Like when i did have a puff 2 weeks ago i was kicking myself and thinking back to the book and this and that..and i think it just made it worse. i took a puff. big shit. i havent since..

just my thoughts :)

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El Bandito Apprentice

El Bandito

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Posted

Yep - it can be a trigger.

 

Depends on the person I guess. 

 

My wife prefers just to get on with life.

 

I find that thinking about smoking, trying to support others helps me cement my quit. Very individual I guess.

 

It sounds a bit like you are 'abstaining' GioP - which might be perfect, but also makes me think that there is a part of you that 'enjoys' smoking still.

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giopetro Newbie

giopetro

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See there you go. slapping labels on it! quitter, abstainer.. haha jk.

I have probably had the equivalent of half a cigarette in 3 months. just to see what i was missing i guess. i guess whatever the technical term  is for what im doing is far better than where i was in Aug. but the point of what i was trying to say is that Alcoholic Anonymous meetings would probably drive me to drink.  

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ChRiSpY Newbie

ChRiSpY

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It is not a trigger for me... but I can understand if it is for you.  It makes one think about smoking when sometimes all you want to do is forget about it.

 

Different strokes for different folks.

 

As long as you are not smoking... mission complete.

 

Keep on keepin on.

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El Bandito Apprentice

El Bandito

Posted
Posted

See there you go. slapping labels on it! quitter, abstainer.. haha jk.

I have probably had the equivalent of half a cigarette in 3 months. just to see what i was missing i guess. i guess whatever the technical term  is for what im doing is far better than where i was in Aug. but the point of what i was trying to say is that Alcoholic Anonymous meetings would probably drive me to drink.  

Yep!

 

100% agreed that you are way better off than you were in August - and good work to get there! Well done.

 

The question I was asking - was whether you felt you were happily 'over' smoking or still fighting it every day and 'denying' yourself?

 

You are the boss of your quit - and if just cracking on is what works for you - then I say Go for it!

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Tink Newbie

Tink

Posted
Posted

half way through my quit it was but I just distracted myself with the games as well as reading information, but knew I would be in worse trouble if I left the board at that time, I am glad i stuck around

 

Support and forums work differently for everyone - you have to go with your instincts in what works for you

 

keep going Gio but no more puffs or it could escalate

 

even at 1 year I know I have to stick to NOPE or back to square one I would go

 

good to see you :)

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Still winning Newbie

Still winning

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Ok, I hope this doesn't rock the boat then...

 

I have stayed happily attached to the board, your question is do others feel this board triggers them...for me no I don't. I feel like I was triggered anyway and the board was support.

 

My fella quit a week after me... He said not thinking about it worked better for him and got pretty agro at me when I would "over discuss it". He has slipped (his words) a couple of times and apparently smoking a cigar is ok if it's a celebration?!

 

My Mum, brutally ill, health concerns aplenty, linked to smoking (copd, heart failure etc). Quit 4 months after me. Thinks forums are for needy people or some such crud, still smokes when she's stressed...and or creates sceanrios to be stressed to smoke. This is nearly daily, but apparently where she used to smoke 60 a day, ow only smoking one or two is fabulous?!

 

From these 3 quits, and only these...I would say the triggers are there no matter what you do, albeit less frequently after the initial quit period of say maybe 2/3 weeks - and the forum can help to stop you smoking. 

 

This is my opinion. If yours differs and you're happy with your own then it's all good isn't it. That sounds a bit sarcastic, I truly don't mean it too...it's just you asked what others thought and that's honestly what I think. That said I'm really pleased that you are happy and I was only wondering a couple of days ago how you were...pleased it's well. xx

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giopetro Newbie

giopetro

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Great points.

Am I happy not smoking? Absolutely. so delighted that i dont have to run to the store and throw $10 on something that is killing me because i am addicted. The smell of cigaretts does indeed repulse me now. Even the few odd puffs I have taken were not enjoyable. But they were in the time of convenience.. like yeah let me see what the hell that felt like. I hope to god I dont ever go back to a pack a day or even one a day. I remember before i quit I had a friend that could have a pack of smokes last him 2 weeks. i envied him so much. and in fact thats where i wanted to be. because i guess you guys may be right. There is the 1 out of 1,000 cigarettes that I did in fact enjoy... Danger zone or what????

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MarylandQuitter Grand Master

MarylandQuitter

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Hi All,

 

Just a quick update from your buddy.. 

I have been smoke free since i joined this board on sept. I will admit i did have a few puffs a couple times. But the simple fact that i can go throughout the day obsessing and thinking about it is huge. I know what my most serious triggers are (my parents house, car in the morning) and those seem to be the time when im thinking about it most. Im reminded of when i used to enjoy it. 

Which brings me to this question.

Does this forum trigger anyone. I find that it makes me think about it more and thus seems to be a trigger. I feel the more casual i am about the quit..the easier it is. Like when i did have a puff 2 weeks ago i was kicking myself and thinking back to the book and this and that..and i think it just made it worse. i took a puff. big shit. i havent since..

just my thoughts :)

 

Great to see you.  Sorry, but you haven't been quit since you joined this board.  You had a few puffs a couple of times and most recently just a couple of weeks ago you took a puff, yeah it is a big shit because you relapsed.

 

Sounds like the forum isn't a trigger at all because you relapsed at least twice during your absence.  Perhaps if you were here you would have continued to learn about this addiction and how to beat it.  You're playing with fire my friend and until you learn more, your doomed to repeat the past.

 

We don't beat this addiction by being stronger than it.  We beat it by being smarter than it.  :)

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action Newbie

action

Posted
Posted

Hi Gio, good to see you!

 

Personally for me, this board doesn't give me any craves... It's weird, I can stay here and talk about smoking all day, and that's all it is - words. But, we are all different people, and that's great!

 

I have to be honest though, having a few puffs every now and again... Bad idea. You say it's so you can prove to yourself that you don't need it anymore. What happens when you take those few puffs but it's not enough - you have to smoke a whole cigarette to prove that you don't need it anymore... What comes after that. But hey, it's your quit, and you need to do it your way.

 

Merry Christmas :)

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REZ Newbie

REZ

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I joined the forum a couple of days after quitting and it did make me think about smoking and I was worried if it will keep smoking in the front and center of my brain.  Well it did for a couple of days but the excitement of quitting and meeting new people going through the same thing as I and the games soon overtook that feeling. What really was good for me and helped me to solidify my quit was helping other on the board when they were having problems. You just need to stay a little closer to the board and if you are thinking about taking a puff, maybe read a post or two on the SOS threads.

Best of luck to you! 

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jess Rookie

jess

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I am only a few months into my quit and for me, without QT and the wonderful support people I would have relapsed at least twice. I do recognize that everyone has different triggers so what has saved me may not save others. Initially, QT was my addiction. I would read read read and watch videos. Everyone was supportive and a few really took me under there wing.

Gio I until recently like this past weekend recently envied those that could social smoke. I know now I will always be one puff away from a carton. I cannot have one puff because eventually it will be two then someday maybe a half a CIG..and just a matter of time before the junkie thoughts win.

I know I will have more struggles and cravings but I also know I have QT to hold me up when I am having trouble on my own. I hope you can keep your quit whichever way you choose to .

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BAT Mentor

BAT

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Only speaking for myself, but joining this quit smoking site is the one thing that I did that is different from all my other quits. 11months later I'm still quit and will stay quit.

 

What I've learned this last 11 months is that all you need to quit smoking is NOPE, it's so simple that it boggles the mind.

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MarylandQuitter Grand Master

MarylandQuitter

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I think early on some people equate quit forums with the constant thinking about smoking but you would do that anyway when you first quit.  I've been quit over a year and this board in no way shape or form gets me to second guess my quit or losing it by taking a puff.  Instead, it reminds me that I'll always be a nicotine addict and to never let my guard down for the day I forget is the day I put my quit in jeopardy.  Complacency is a real killer.

 

Some people use the board and then are off enjoying a smoke-free life and never look back.  Good for them!  They got what they needed and are enjoying this precious life once again.  For some, a life they haven't known for many decades.

 

Me, I'll be here for a long, long time until I either pass on or get too old to type and then hand the reigns over to some young whipper-snapper.  ;)

 

Stick around and join the rest of us as we take this part of our journey together.  :)

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Jclarke241 Newbie

Jclarke241

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I'm less than two weeks quit and it concerns me how much time I spend on QT and whyquit.com. I worry that I'm obsessing on the subject of smoking. But maybe it's a good thing. Now, instead of smoking a cigarette with my morning coffee, I check out QT. When I get bored, which is a lot these days, I log on here or whyquit instead of smoking. Stuff like that. So yeah, smoking is always at the forefront of my mind but it most likely would have been anyway! But instead of craving a cigarette and wishing I hadn't quit, I feel like I'm celebrating my quit. Yes it's thinking about smoking but the quit aspect of it makes it a healthy thing for me.

 

I just rambled but I hope eventually I got my point across.

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