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Nicodemon , Loch Ness Monster and the Tooth Fairy


14 years ago 0 5009 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
Great post BREATHER,
 
However we personify it, it is indeed beatable as I'm sure that you are finding. It's tough, but you can have it if you want it!
ED

My Milage:

My Quit Date: 2/13/2006
Smoke-Free Days: 1276
Cigarettes Not Smoked: 38,280
Amount Saved: �10,048.50
Life Gained:
Days: 216 Hrs: 4 Mins: 22 Seconds: 25

14 years ago 0 816 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
Thank you everyone. I knew this would be controversial. Just my opinion as you're allowed yours. I've never needed anything to be mad at or blame for my smoking , only myself.  Nobody held me down on the ground and wouldn't let me up until I smoked. I was given free will and the choice to do as I pleased. It was also my choice to not smoke as well , not some bogeyman making me. Today I won't smoke under any circumstances. Today my thoughts will be on my new associations , people who aren't smoking and that have found a new way of life.  Best wishes Spacecas , you're the author of this day.  breather
My Milage:

My Quit Date: 11/11/2008
Smoke-Free Days: 269
Cigarettes Not Smoked: 13,450
Amount Saved: $6,456.00
Life Gained:
Days: 49 Hrs: 7 Mins: 15 Seconds: 37

14 years ago 0 95 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
Breather..i totally love this post of yours because I feel the same way..but for me what everyone calls nicodemon is nothing more than myself..that voice I hear in my head is me..A friend of mine said that quitting was a battle with yourself and he was right..It isn't battling some demon or addict..i am the addict and cigarettes are not a demon..they are just tobacco wrapped in paper with some pretty powerful chemicals sprayed on them..it is myself that i am battling to say no..it isn't always easy to tell yourself no, when you want something..But it can be done,we just got to find self control and make ourselves stick to our goals..It is like when we was kids and wanted to do something..We would keep on until we eighter got into trouble or eventually got our way..well we have to accept one day that we aren't kids anymore and that yes we can do as we pretty much please now,but sometimes what we wanna do still isn't safe for us...
14 years ago 0 1904 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
I "master" my universe by categorizing, analogical thinking--metaphors and similes. By giving what I think of as the evil side of me a name, I feel like I can tame it--outsmart it maybe, get to know it better. "It" has a boundary. I realize that I have practically no control over being an addict. However, I also know that there is a difference between having no control and having no influence. The good side of me, the God side, gets to decide what it wants and how it will handle various things as well, and I believe that it is actually stronger. I feel that I sometimes fail because my relationship with God isn't as tight as I need it to be, that I have a difficult time letting go and letting God. It's a trust issue. I try not to get too intellectual with concepts such as God, Nicodemon... I figure if whatever it is I'm doing and believing are having positive effects, then leave them alone before I talk my way out of believing. So I usually pull back when I find I'm starting to intellectualize.

My Milage:

My Quit Date: 5/1/2009
Smoke-Free Days: 97
Cigarettes Not Smoked: 2,716
Amount Saved: $1,052.45
Life Gained:
Days: 10 Hrs: 16 Mins: 22 Seconds: 11

14 years ago 0 3875 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
I found the terminology here to be very helpful. After trying to quit many times, coming here and finding tons of ex-smokers who used this lingo and talked openly about how it felt and what you go through when you quit, it was such a breath of fresh air. It gave me more confidence in myself because others had done it and were here telling me how to do it too.
Whether or not 'nicodemon' came from the homely little demon in the commercials or just a name to put on the little voice in your head that pleads with you to go back smoking, it is nice to have a name for what it feels to be and nicodemon seems to fit.

My Milage:

My Quit Date: 3/5/2007
Smoke-Free Days: 885
Cigarettes Not Smoked: 22,125
Amount Saved: $9,336.75
Life Gained:
Days: 117 Hrs: 4 Mins: 11 Seconds: 41

14 years ago 0 363 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0

Most folks who read my posts know I never use the word nicodemon. I prefer the word junkie, because thats pretty much how I see it. Addiction is a part of my life I have to constantly monitor, whether its nicotine, alcohol, gambling, ect ect.... I think your right Ashley, people can direct their anger toward this fictional being and it probably helps with focusing on the quit. I just prefer to come to terms with the fact that I'm vulnerable to addiction, and I think that self awareness has helped me this time around.


My Milage:

My Quit Date: 4/2/2009
Smoke-Free Days: 126
Cigarettes Not Smoked: 5,040
Amount Saved: $1,512.00
Life Gained:
Days: 18 Hrs: 16 Mins: 44 Seconds: 45

  • Quit Meter

    $37,626.23

    Amount Saved

  • Quit Meter

    Days: 989 Hours: 13

    Minutes: 30 Seconds: 31

    Life Gained

  • Quit Meter

    5513

    Smoke Free Days

  • Quit Meter

    165,390

    Cigarettes Not Smoked

14 years ago 0 11214 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
Interesting Breather.
 
It's the human condition to want to categorize and label things.  It is how we make sense of our world.  I think many refer to the Nicodemon so they have a place to direct their anger.  But you are right, by giving Nicodemon a name we are almost giving our cravings more power.  Interesting to think about...
 
Members, what are your thoughts on the Nicodemon and other SHO terminology (ie Hell week)
 
Ashley
14 years ago 0 816 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
I see the name Nicodemon being used and I wonder what exactly is this Nicodemon. I think the Tooth Fairy was more tangable than Nicodemon because at least you might have ended up with a quarter under your pillow. I think there are better words for Nicodemon like immediate self gratification , selfishness , and even going as far as saying greedy. Somebody somewhere decided that there was a Hell Week. Was it really the first week ? Did it come at some other time or not at all ?
Obviously whatever it was didn't have much to offer except emptiness , loneliness and turmoil. I don't know what to call it but it's a resident of myself. A creditor whose interest rate is too high and who will lie , cheat and steal from you to get it's way. I'd like to kick the bum out once and for all but I don't know how. I'm hoping that someday it will leave of it's own accord when it realises there is nothing more here for it. Wishfull thinking as it's part of our very fibre. Maybe it's another process that will fade in time as well. Hope so.  Excellent breather

My Milage:

My Quit Date: 11/11/2008
Smoke-Free Days: 268
Cigarettes Not Smoked: 13,400
Amount Saved: $6,432.00
Life Gained:
Days: 49 Hrs: 4 Mins: 27 Seconds: 26


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