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Just wondering

13 years ago 0 +0 / -0 925

Hi Sparky,

You’re an amazing person and I’m glad you’ve never quit on the quit! You’re so right, you do not have to keep doing this.

Over the years, I’ve noticed a few things that seem to be common threads with all the successful quitters I’ve met here. I’ll share my observations in case something might help you stay quit or it might help one of the new people.

1. Refuse to fight the addiction and start embracing YOUR quit. This is easier for some than for others and it’s often done unconsciously. Some people are actually strong enough to white-knuckle their way past the fighting part, but it's an unusual quitter who can make that claim. We are all nicotine addicts here…and the only way to STOP the nicotine addiction…is to stop smoking! To stop fighting, we need to get powerful in our thoughts about this addiction and KNOW it only has control over us if we let it! Throw out the words: I will try, I want to (stop), I hope, and all the words and thoughts that gives the addiction control over us. WE are not powerless. Replace those words with: I can, I will, I do, I have and all the positive words that give us a perspective that can’t be clouded by the sneaky, underhanded nicotine addiction (it's just an inanimate substance waiting very patiently for us to get tired of “fighting” and cave in). Refuse to cave in by refusing to fight! We can, with our free will, go off and do something other than smoke and have a fantastic smoke-free life!

2. Think in the NOW. It makes no difference what happened yesterday, last week or last year. We can’t change the past. We also have no control over tomorrow, next week or anything the future will bring us, even one second from now. What we have control over is NOW. How we react in any situation boils right down to...either we smoke, or we don’t. It’s really that simple. After an unidentified, personal period of growth and recovery time, the choice to NOT smoke becomes our new NOW “habit”. That’s when I think the feeling of freedom everyone talks about comes into play! It’s truly exhilarating during this time and leads to the last hurdle in staying quit.

3. Don’t EVER let our guard down! When you feel this intoxicating freedom, don’t allow the horrible, patient, nicotine addiction to get even the tiniest foothold in your life. There will be good times, bad times and life changing events happen to each and every one of us at some point in our quits. Prepare for these days. I think these times are when so many quitters out-and-out loose our quits or have that slip that gives the addiction a life of its own again. Instead of worrying about some near or distant trigger, make plans for it NOW…imagine your least and worst-case-life scenarios and prepare mental/physical/emotional plans of what to do INSTEAD of lighting up (and write them down to carry with you as long as you need to)!!!! Then when that little smoking “thought”, the mother-of-all “craves” or the GIANT-over-the-head “trigger” hits….pull out your plan and use it like a hammer over the head of the addiction, instead of lighting up a cigarette.

Hang in there Sparky. You will beat this addiction, if nothing else, simply by outlasting it!

All the best to you and Dewy,

Pat

Quit Meter

$120,787.20

Amount Saved
Quit Meter

Days: 962 Hours: 1

Minutes: 52 Seconds: 21

Life Gained
Quit Meter

6291

Smoke Free Days
Quit Meter

301,968

Cigarettes Not Smoked

13 years ago 0 +0 / -0 3307

Thanks Breather and Leslie. I understand what you are both saying and everyone who posted is 100% right. I do not have to keep doing this. Someday, I may find the word to explain what happens. But for today I am a non-smoker and life is good.

Keep the Quit

Sparky

13 years ago 0 +0 / -0 816

Sparky Not to take anything away from anyone else but Jim just hit the nail square on the head. Quote " We went through all that preparation , agony , etc. to only continue our addictive ways and try to do it all over again !!! Bingo ! Jackpot ! What were we thinking and why would we WANT to do it all over again ? If there's one piece of valuable information that people don't realize it's this. " We only need to stop once". We never need to go through the pain and anguish again EVER as long as we don't release the dragon again. This knowledge and mindset is invaluable. To realise that one moment of instant gratification ( artificial joy ) will cement a lifetime of problems. You've already been through the ( supposedly ) worst week so simply don't go through it again because you don't have to. Until we had that first cigarette we didn't need one and it can be that way again. Excellent for you Sparky. breather

13 years ago 0 +0 / -0 55

Sparky ~

It all comes down to your ability to "just say no" when the crave hits. You have to say no over and over and over.... until finally you realize the quit is yours. The first time you give in because of stress or a bad day is when you have to struggle to keep your quit. Give each craving at least 10 minutes to subside, then you'll see that they go away. Say 'NO' to all stressful events and bad days and family issues... etc... and you'll eventually be a longtime quitter too!

Leslie

Proudly quit for: Eight years, seven months, three weeks, 4 hours, 22 minutes and 42 seconds. 126207 cigarettes not smoked, saving $18,930.84. Life saved: 1 year, 10 weeks, 4 days, 5 hours, 15 minutes.

13 years ago 0 +0 / -0 2778

Hey Sparky!!!

Glad the weekend wasn't too rough on you!!! I just wonder, when we relapsed on previous quits, what the heck were we thinking??? We went through all that preparation, agony, etc. to only continue our addictive ways and try to do it all over again!!! Like I said... what the heck were we thinking!!! That's why we're here, though, to stop that "Groundhog Day" cycle and obtain freedom! I'm so glad that you didn't quit quitting because I believe in you and just know that your going to get 'er done this time!!!

Jim

Quit Meter

$44,167.50

Amount Saved
Quit Meter

Days: 1057 Hours: 1

Minutes: 44 Seconds: 17

Life Gained
Quit Meter

5889

Smoke Free Days
Quit Meter

176,670

Cigarettes Not Smoked

13 years ago 0 +0 / -0 1843

Sparky, so happy to see you here! You know that I'm rooting that this will be your final quit! Grab my hand if you need help! You know where to find me!

13 years ago 0 +0 / -0 816

Hello Sparky It really is good to see you taking another kick at the can. The short answer to your question is that I really don't know why it's easy to stop but hard to stay stopped. Why do people go back smoking after 2 , 5 , 10 and 20 years ? I can only offer some insight into what I think works and the circumstances to avoid that may be detremental to a successful quit. As everyone's different I can only post on facts that are meaningful to my own quit and might be useful to yours. I've always found it harder as time goes on up to a point. Do you remember your first cigarette ? I do. I remember how the smoke burned my lungs and made me choke. I need to remember this when I start to think about how good it would be to smoke. The last cigarettes I smoked were particularly stale so there is no fond memory of the last ones either. All the others don't matter. I think it's all in the perception of it. To say that there is anything that's good about smoking is an illusion that goes up in a toxic cloud of chemical smoke. That after dinner smoke stopped working for me long ago. Addiction in the extreme and not even enjoyable. Remember the bad points and focus your thoughts on your new life. Craves we have no control over but dwells we do. Amazing isn't boring. Excellent for you Sparky. breather

13 years ago 0 +0 / -0 223

Hey sparky,

Quitting, as many have said, is a process. There will be many challenges along the way and it is your ability to get back to it after a slip that really counts.

You make want to revisit the coping with triggers section of the online program (section 3). Quitting requires a little upfront work to identify what some of your possible triggers may be. Do you have an idea what situations trigger you to smoke?

Also, please take some time to think about how your will celebrate your quit. Small rewards each day and larger ones for weekly and monthly milestones. This will allow you to have something to look forward to.

As always, use this forum as a means to delay smoking when you feel the urge. Lots of great people here to help you along and help with motivation.

You can do it!

Jason, Bilingual Health Educator

13 years ago 0 +0 / -0 1387

Sparky:

I am proud of you for starting this again. Your determination will pay off. We will be here to help you along your way. WHOO HOO for you !!!!!

Kaiser

13 years ago 0 +0 / -0 3307

Just wondering why I have done what I've done...........quitting and starting. I look at the members logged in and remember either quitting with them or they came before me. I can't redo the pass, but if only I could have been more committed. Quitting has been easy since the first try, but it is the staying quit that is hard for me. If I can make it through just one of those moments then maybe I will have a chance. I am going to try with my whole heart and soul, I promise. This addiction is the worse of the worse.

Life is dealing my husband and me a real trial and it would be so easy to use that as an excuse, but I will NOT. I know to well that smoking will not change anything it only complicates it.

So those are my thoughts at the moment. Have a wonderful Sunday

Keep the Quit

Sparky

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