SOS new member

[Steely]

I have only just joined and unfamiliar with posting.  

I had not had a cigarette since 17th September 2017 but today have smoked three.  I am feeling so absolutely depressed and anxious and caved in.  I don't want to smoke.  Help. 

[Steely]

I'm replying to myself.  How do I change my display name?  

[Nicole Diver]

Denise you’re right, you don’t want to. You can’t change the past, but throw them out immediately.  Read up on this site to occupy your mind. You can do this!!

[Paul723]

Don't just abstained from cigarettes, quit them.  You are done with them!  Time to move on!  

[JB 883]

Three in a day is not a high volume to smoke, unlike regulars who go through about a pack.

I was using three a day for four days before i quit. So tomorrow, just use none. If you can manage to keep it down to three, then using none is not that much harder.

Just try not to light up that first one when you wake up. That will set the day of wanting more if you light up.

In other words - it will make the craving worse than if you left it alone. Many have quit successfully, you can too.

[Doreensfree]

Hi and welcome ...

As others have said..please take time to read all the information here...

The main board has pinned green squares...there is a ton of useful tips...says to help you along...

Educate yourself...you will need this to fight the monster.

You can do it..

[MarylandQuitter]

6 hours ago, Denise Steele said:

I have only just joined and unfamiliar with posting.  

I had not had a cigarette since 17th September 2017 but today have smoked three.  I am feeling so absolutely depressed and anxious and caved in.  I don't want to smoke.  Help. 

Learn from this.  Whatever you do, don't let this control you and allow you to continue smoking again.  If you want to get rid of that crappy feeling that you "caved in", stop smoking immediately.  No need to wait until tomorrow, after this or after that; just quit now.

[Wee fluffy me]

Hi Denise, sorry to hear that you caved in at this point in your quit after doing so well (I quit in August so I feel your pain)  you know you want to quit and are putting a stop to your cave by posting here for help. So you are already taking back control again.

There is no magic wand to take away the motions we have to go through or make them better but  the next best thing is education so please read as much as you can about this addiction as that will be the biggest weapon in your arsenal you will ever have. You have only had 3 puffs so please get rid of any more you have before you get yourself back into the clutches of the addiction..  we are here to help so please keep talking  and let us know how you are doing..

C'mon Denise roll up your sleeves and get tore in again you can do this..

[Reciprocity]

Welcome Denise

Sorry we meet under such circumstances  but please don;t dwell on what has already happened. You can't change that but you absolutely can control what happens going forward by making good choices - not necessarily easy choices but good choices for yourself. Quit now - right away and read up on this addiction. Let us support you here as you make your way to freedom. You CAN do this.

[Tyme2B]

Hi Denise ?

Please stay on this site. “Maryland Quitter” can help you change your name...just click on his name & send him a message. You will get the hang of how to use the site...I had to figure it out too but it will come. 

The people on this site are wonderful & can help us to quit. I caved too & you will get the support you need to try again...you have to keep trying always...as I was reminded, lots of people cave but because they kept on trying they were SUCCESSFUL! It’s such a horrible feeling of disappointment to cave...disappointment in ourselves...I know how you feel...but we CAN & WILL succeed. It’s up to us of course but the support we need is here. 

Wishing you good luck. ? And welcome. 

Edited November 30, 2017 by Tyme2B

[Reciprocity]

^^^ I sent Denise a PM on changing her display name

[Steely]

Hello everyone and thank you your replies re my recent cave, it really helped me.   This is so much more difficult than I ever anticipated even has me believe I am sick rather than 'simply' going through withdrawal.  My depression is loathsome.  

There was a tiny (and I mean tiny) butt left from the three that I smoked and even reduced myself to sucking in what was probably mostly filter in my search for tobacco.  I so hate the tobacco companies they have designed these things to keep people in chains.  

But, as Karl Marx said, "......you have nothing to lose but your chains."  Apologies to Karl, but think he did smoke so wouldn't mind me bending his most famous quote.  

Won't be having any today....with today being the only place I can be.   

 

 

[Steely]

Also thanks for teaching me how to change 'settings'.  

Edited November 30, 2017 by Steely

[Doreensfree]

Well done Steely...on both achievements today..

Read all you can here..the more knowledge you have ,the easier it will be...

Take smoking off the table...this saying worked for me..I understood this..

No matter what was going on in my head.... Smoking was out...

You can do it...

[Reciprocity]

Please consider posting each day on the NOPE page thread. NOPE stands for Not One Puff Ever and that is exactly what each of us HAS to do each day - just say NOPE. Not forever, just for today, Tomorrow we n=make the pledge again. This is how we do it. 1 day at a time. Even 1 hour at as time in the early days. Put the past behind you and move forward positively because you have learned something good from your experience that you can use to help you stay quit this time

[Steely]

Still learning how to navigate the site and pressed the little heart button to see what it did.   Everyone got a trophy, and I gave myself a face like a twisted sand shoe. I'll use it with discretion in future.  

I made it through yesterday without smoking and trophy for me as when sitting on the bus stop saw an UNSMOKED cigarette under the seat aarrgghh!  I was seriously tempted.  The dereliction of it all.  

Am just going to browse the site and look around but wanted to thank everyone in a big blanket THANKS as I'm convinced I would have rationalised having a smoke had I not linked up with you all.  

Feel stronger about approaching today.  ☀️ 

Edited December 1, 2017 by Steely

[Reciprocity]

That's great news Steely I'm happy you got through the day without smoking. Just take it a day at a time for now and do come on here as much as you can. You will find it helps you a lot even if you don't have anything important to talk about. Just communicating with others who know exactly what you are experiencing is important in getting you through things. It's always a lot of ups and downs in the early days but, be sure of this. Every little battle you fight and win makes YOU stronger and it weakens that little addiction voice in your head that wants you to smoke again. It's a slow process, as you know but, it does happen. We're here for you even if you just want to come here and vent

[bakon]

Don't be so hard on yourself. Three since September is better than three a day.  NOPE is the only way. Your a nonsmoker now. So don't think you can't beat this. You already did. Your a nonsmoker and when you grab that....Your done.

[Doreensfree]

Give yourself a massive pat on the back..what your achieving is flippin life changing and amazing...

Back in my addict days..I would have crawled under that seat for that sucker... But you didn't..so this tells me..your a non smoker...

Hanging about with a bunch of folks who have been through what your going through is a bonus...

Don't worry about buttons and such like..that will come with time...trust me I know about learning to do stuff here..3 years for a pic....duh !!!!!!

Keep going...

[Steely]

Thanks everyone and have committed myself to the NOPE thread.  

Feel embarressed to admit but I suffer a bit of health anxiety and wondered whether anyone else has thought they were physically ill rather than it 'just' being withdrawal?  

 

[JB 883]

Steely, that does come up sometimes about health anxiety.

It does seem fairly normal. When we decide to quit, one common reason is we finally decide to quit killing ourselves. At that point we may start to worry, "Just how much damage have i done so far?" Kind of like how someone with a ton of debt doesn't even pay attention to how much they owe until they decide they want to pay off that debt. THEN it is like, "OK, how bad did I mess up here exactly?"

But yeah, stick with quitting because even though you may feel tired, irritable, appetite and even restroom habits do weird things, it does pass.

For me, it took about a month before it was totally normal again.

 

[Reciprocity]

We have been putting a lot of toxins into our body, most of us for years and then we suddenly stop. There is bound to be a lot of adjustment going on internally and that manifests itself in many different ways. All "quit symptoms" don't necessarily happen to each one of us but we all seem to experience some symptoms from quitting. The news is all good though because what we are experiencing in the early part of our quit is healing. Our body is cleansing itself of the toxins and learning to carry on without them - you know, the way it did before we smoked? If you experience any symptoms that concern you, see your doctor and discuss with them. If the things you are experiencing are quit related, they will be temporary and will pass with time. Just know that long term, you are doing the best possible thing for your future health

[Steely]

Again, my thanks re my health anxiety.  I guess as I've been smoker longer than I haven't been a smoker, started at 15 years of age!  have a body that is now completely chemically adjusted to the reception of nicotine.  Even thought it has BECOME me.  It's going to take a long time and wonder whether I am too old to quit?  I'm 69 years old.  I could be dead by the time I wrap my head around this thing with any real feelings of comfort and acceptance.  I ask if its worth it.  

Going to NOPE thread to commit for another day.  

 

[Reciprocity]

NO! It's never too late to make improvements in your lifestyle. 69, 79, or 89, doesn't matter. My mother smoked for most of her life and quit when she was about 67. She is now 98 years old. I'm convinced she would not still be here had she not quit Most of us wish we had quit earlier than what we did and yes, there's no guarantee that we will recover completely after we quit a 40 or 50 year addiction like this. There are a lot of very long time smokers here on this site and we are all committed to making a positive difference in our future. What you are doing now is not adding to any damage you may have already done and that alone improves our chance for a better life as we get even older. You can not only add years onto your life but you will also improve the quality of life for the years you do have! That's the best we can do at this point but,  it's still important!!

The longer you are quit, the better you will feel and the more you will want to stay quit.

[PeaceTrain]

Rather than wondering if one might be too old to quit, a better question might be, “Am I too old to NOT quit smoking?”  The best thing about getting older is getting wiser and now that you’ve been around here long enough to know exactly what smoking REALLY is, you may come to realize that there’s no way you could go back to smoking-  not after all you’ve learned. If that’s not (yet) the case, stick around a little longer, read some more, watch some more videos and hang onto that beautiful quit you’ve got going. You may start to think differently about what the REAL question is.