Spring is almost here

[RoryPlog]

Two and a half months. I’m pretty proud of myself. 

 

I’m sitting in a Coffee Shop parking lot doing some reflecting. I’ve just come from the Heart Clinic where I was directed after I had a heart ‘event’ a week ago. Pressure on the chest, sweating, anxiety. 

So far all is good. A bunch of tests, and I’m wearing a monitor for a couple days, then all the bright folks will take a guess at what’s going on. 

My guess, i smoked too long and did some damage to my heart/lungs. Thirty four years of smoking comes at a cost. 

Like all of us, i am under tremendous life pressures, and certainly this adds to the likelihood that my health will suffer. 

I suppose if I can impart any message here it’s this, keep the quit and get checked out by your doctor if something seems odd. 

Peace

R

 

[Sazerac]

You should be really really really Proud of your quit, R !

Remember to breathe and take exquisite care of yourself, copious rewards etc.

Spring has sprung down here on the Delta and birds will be making their way North soon, I trust.

 

 

[Lin-quitting]

Rory, sending wishes that your event turns out to be nothing worse than quitting anxiety. I know how hard it is to stay disciplined in the midst of life's crap, so I join in your pride at your staying strong. Six weeks quit is fantastic work! KTQ, and Happy Spring tidings.

Edited March 19, 2018 by Lin-quitting

[Reciprocity]

Hopefully the test results will not indicate anything serious. I do agree with you though that years of smoking does take a toll on our poor bodies. It's sad that a lot of us, including myself, only realize this after we quit. As smokers we're in constant denial about the real health effects.

 

You have done the right thing by quitting though regardless. Just remember that now you have seen the truth and, you can never go back! You're far enough into your quit now that things will gradually get easier for you on that front. Just keep pushing forward. There is no turning back now

 

 

[barry]

Two and a half months, you SHOULD be proud of yourself!  That's a major accomplishment!

Now that you've have a heart "event", I hope the importance of keeping your quit hits home! 

We're here to help if/when you have rough patches.  Just reach out!

[Sslip]

Hey Rory,

 

Needing to get tested out sounds a bummer, hopefully it's a temporary thing and you're on the mend quickly.

 

Be extremely proud of yourself buddy and keep rocking your quit!

 

Take good care of yourself.

[Joe7]

Hi Rory,

 

Two and a half months is indeed something to be very proud of. Congratulations.

 

I hope the current testing gets to the bottom of things for you.

[jillar]

My positive thoughts for your health too rory, and congrats on two and a half months quit. You're doing awesome!

[despair not]

Well done on 2.5 months.

 

I'm sending you good thoughts hoping that the event is not serious.

[beazel]

You are doing great with your quit!

 

Hope you can stay positive while waiting for test results, please keep us posted.

[catlover]

Sending ((((((good vibes)))))) to you Rory,  2 and a half months is brilliant, hope the outcome is favourable with the tests.

Take care and look after yourself x

[Doreensfree]

I wish you only the best Rory...addiction stinks for sure !!!!!

Huge congrats on your  two and a half months....keep us posted !!!

[Stewie]

Keep strong lad. Keep the quit and take care of your health. Be smart. Respect.

[RoryPlog]

15-20 cm of snow promised for tomorrow. So much for spring. 

 

Day 88 today. No results yet (which I hope is good news) but feeling ok. Mostly, I feel like I haven’t smoked through a ton of misery and for that I’m thankful. 

 

A long tricky road this quitting. A couple folks around me ‘fell off the wagon’ lately. I had a little argument with myself this weekend that maybe they were doing the right thing. I mean, I can see from an outside perspective that my quit might be getting ‘a little old’. 

 

Dont panic, I’m just having a little pity party. The lido deck seems like a lifetime away. The little victories don’t have quite as much uhhhmph. 

 

On a funny note, I vaped some pot on the weekend. This isn’t a normal thing for me (neither vaping or getting stoned). It made me want a smoke for a short time. Then made me mad that I wanted a smoke. Then made me wonder if vaping pot was actually cheating my quit. All in all not a great experience, but it did make me laugh at myself which I think I need lately. 

 

Reafing back, it looks like I needed a little company tonight. Thanks all for being there. 

 

R

[notsmokinjo]

Glad your still with us and coming up on 3 months... You know how all those lido deck cool kids say ya get an Aah ha moment... Well its true so hang in there mate because ya quit ain't ever gunna get old.... You are stronger than that.

[jillar]

Hi Rory, it's good to hear from you you're nearing no man's land now so your feelings are totally normal. We brought a great post over about carrying your own balloons https://www.quittrain.com/topic/9815-mental-balloons-repost-by-gonfishn21/

it's very fitting at this stage of your quit.

As far as whether you cheated by smoking pot? My answer will always be no. I've been known to enjoy the wacky stuff so I'm in no place to judge

[Rozuki]

Roryplog, good for you keeping to your quit. Yes, it is scary awaiting test results being done to assess all the damage we have done to ourselves with those poison sticks, as I well know. Going through it myself right now also..you are not alone! KTQ! 

[Sazerac]

You are doing great R,

keep rewarding yourself, it's important to retrain your pleasure/reward receptors

and don't forget to have some Fun.

The Blessed Herb is NOT tobacco and not nicotine

but, I stayed clear of activities that made me think,  'I want to smoke'.

For a while, it was alcohol, for a while it was certain people.

[Reciprocity]

Hang in through these unexciting days of your quit because the motivation to carry on largely needs to come from within YOU. You say a couple of folks around you fell back to smoking? Did you speak to them about it? Just wondering what their thoughts on it might be. On these forums I have only heard how devastated and disappointed people felt after relapsing. I suppose if you speak to someone in person about it they might wish to downplay the fact that they chose to fail at something like this - but know this ..... YOU have made the right choice to continue your almost 3 month quit. I promise you that you would not be happier if you started smoking again and threw away all the hard work you have done to get to this point. Think about how you admired those people with 3 months quit during your first week or so of your own quit. Well, NOW that's you!! You have come that far ...... there's no turning back now

 

Oh and ..... I'm one of the cool-kids from the Lido Deck so I know a little something about the challenges of getting there. Just sayin'

[JB 883]

If you do get strong craves at three months -

Yeah, that is one of those times when some quitters get these craves out of nowhere. Like christ what is going on?

 

Power through it. I think that three month mark battle may be the last bad one. I been quit about 6 months and yeah the three month mark was a bitch.

However, you may not have to face it. I imagine plenty of quitters elude that battle somehow.

[Reciprocity]

1 hour ago, Jetblack said:

If you do get strong craves at three months -

Yeah, that is one of those times when some quitters get these craves out of nowhere. Like christ what is going on?

 

Power through it. I think that three month mark battle may be the last bad one. I been quit about 6 months and yeah the three month mark was a bitch.

However, you may not have to face it. I imagine plenty of quitters elude that battle somehow.

I honestly don't remember the craves being particularly difficult at 3 month in my quit but ......... that's me. I know you suffered a lot at the 3 month mark. It will be different for everyone and I would venture to say that at 3 months, whether it be strong cravings or just the drudgery of quitting without anymore support from close friends and family, it becomes tough to maintain your focus. Why? Because it's been such a fuc*in' hard job getting to the 3 month point for most. That's why not everyone makes it all the way to the Lido Deck. And, that's why getting to the Lido Deck is SO SPECIAL! It takes commitment & dedication and a lot of self discipline!!

 

But you know what? Slow and steady wins the day with this quitting thing. Take it one NOPE day at a time, all the way to the Lido Deck if necessary.

That will get you there - guaranteed!!

 

[Lin-quitting]

It's good to hear from you Rory. Keep fighting the good fight: it's worth it, I promise you.