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7 years ago 0 +0 / -0 808

Hi StellaBlue,

Like Penitent said...FORE EVER on the elation and euphoria, really! And like you said, succeeding in quitting does bleed over into just about everything else in your life. You are more confident in whatever you do, and you see things in a different way now. Back in control! YAY!!!

Just be sure and keep your guard up at all times. You know how easy it is to relapse.

Stay strong.

Not One Puff Ever

Quit Meter

$26,281.20

Amount Saved
Quit Meter

Days: 875 Hours: 7

Minutes: 39 Seconds: 47

Life Gained
Quit Meter

4344

Smoke Free Days
Quit Meter

95,568

Cigarettes Not Smoked

Stay safe & Strong.

Not One Puff Ever (NOPE)

Tim

7 years ago 0 +0 / -0 2534

For ever!!

I have never lost the sense of achievement and the euphoria that it brings!

The thought process has morphed from "have I really quit" to "did I really smoke".

Penitent

Quit Meter

$62,370.00

Amount Saved
Quit Meter

Days: 1293 Hours: 5

Minutes: 45 Seconds: 54

Life Gained
Quit Meter

5670

Smoke Free Days
Quit Meter

124,740

Cigarettes Not Smoked

7 years ago 0 +0 / -0 180

Day 48, and a busy and fun-filled long weekend behind me. I definitely had some intense urges to smoke over the weekend, particularly with one friend of mine who came to town and stayed with me (and who I have always smoked with... in fact, this latest quit attempt was in part due to the last time I visited this friend, and found myself basically chain-smoking a pack and a half of cigarettes in a 6-8 hour span of time... I felt so rough the next day that it began the thoughts of "enough is enough.") Anyway, bottom line is that I DIDN'T SMOKE. Today, I am so grateful I didn't give in. It was a close call a few times though, I really found myself entertaining the idea of smoking for the first time in several weeks. I have had plenty of ideas of smoking this whole quit, but have immediately dismissed them and moved on with my day up until this past weekend. I really got to see for myself that yep, I do need to go a whole year before I can fairly safely say that I've faced every smoking cue and situation and come out the other side, before I can say that I have successfully quit.

Now some positives of still being smoke-free, and close to 50 days:

My confidence and self-esteem have increased!
The pure joy at the fact that I am finally just getting on with my life - for so long, smoking has been such an intrusion, and so many thoughts were occupied by thinking I should quit/trying to quit/wanting to smoke. I feel like I have just unlocked a whole section of brain and am amazed by how productive and positive my thoughts have become.
Being successful at this quit has bled over into other areas of my life quite unexpectedly -I am finding myself almost effortlessly shedding other behaviours that don't serve me well - stuff that has plagued me for a long, long time have simply disappeared. I believe this is a direct result of learning how to detach from and dismiss urges to smoke. I am now capable of detaching and dismissing other harmful thoughts and behaviour patterns. And it becomes a positive feedback loop that feeds into my first point up there :)
I'm taking better care of my teeth (and not just because of the upcoming braces). Now that a dental cleaning isn't immediately undone by my smoking, I actually feel motivated to practice better oral hygiene. My teeth are STILL white, 2 weeks after the dentist. Usually by now they already look the same old (and I do mean OLD) as they did before the cleaning.
I feel like taking better care of myself in general, everything from what I eat to how I dress.
I feel way more capable of handling stress now that I don't smoke to deal with it. I can't believe I really thought I "needed" cigarettes to cope with stress (and life in general). It turns out that it is WAY easier to handle life without the crutches, because each stressor is no longer magnified by the fact that I surround and immerse it in crappy "coping mechanisms." It's simply an event, or a feeling, that requires no special attention or actions, and I can just GET ON WITH MY LIFE. In fact, I often feel like life isn't quite the big scary deal I always thought it was, now that it turns out that I don't need all these security blankets to keep myself safe.

For the long-timers quitters, how long did this period of elation and gratitude last for you? I am loving it. At best, I thought quitting smoking would result in a resigned feeling of "I finally did the right thing." I had no idea there would be a phase of "I JUST DID THE BEST THING EVER AND EVERYTHING IS TOTALLY AMAZING AND THE WORLD IS TECHNICOLOUR!!!!!" Lol.

7 years ago 0 +0 / -0 2534

And now, DAY 46!!!

Keep on keeping on SB!!

Penitent

Quit Meter

$62,370.00

Amount Saved
Quit Meter

Days: 1293 Hours: 5

Minutes: 45 Seconds: 54

Life Gained
Quit Meter

5670

Smoke Free Days
Quit Meter

124,740

Cigarettes Not Smoked

7 years ago 0 +0 / -0 180

Day 43

. I don't recall thinking about smoking at all yesterday. Yahoo. I did go in for my official consult and set-up for my braces, and I'm so excited! Thank you guys for your kind words about it, and holy crap melofga (which I only just now realized is "Melanie of Georgia" lol) that sounds like a terrible series of unfortunate events. Hopefully my experience will be a more linear process. The ortho said THREE YEARS. I'm getting the bottom ones put on at the end of the September, which is the soonest they can see me. By then I'll be 3 months smoke-free. I looked at my quit meter thing today and was shocked by how many cigarettes I haven't smoked in the past 43 days. I really did a lot of work cutting down before I quit, and honestly felt like I barely smoked at all (relatively speaking). In fact, I was embarrassed to post my quit meter because I thought other people would think I was a drama queen for being unable to quit such a small habit. As of right now, I have saved myself from smoking over 250 cigarettes. That's not "barely any".... If I ate 250 chocolate bars this month, I wouldn't consider that "barely any chocolate." And I have officially saved the equivalent of one ortho payment :)

7 years ago 0 +0 / -0 2534

Good Morning SB!

“Another day another dollar” – keep earning those smoke-free days, one day at a time!! They are building!! You are doing it!

As for the braces, my youngest (adult) is currently in an 18 month programme to realign his jaw and teeth. Doesn’t bother him at all.

Good luck!

Penitent

PS Melanie, headed your way next month. One of these days, Luna and I will get to Georgia!!

Quit Meter

$62,370.00

Amount Saved
Quit Meter

Days: 1293 Hours: 5

Minutes: 45 Seconds: 54

Life Gained
Quit Meter

5670

Smoke Free Days
Quit Meter

124,740

Cigarettes Not Smoked

7 years ago 0 +0 / -0 59

Congtras on 42 days now, Stella. I LOVE your love of your quit!

Don't give up! It gets better.

Oh no. Don't worry. You're not likely to have to wear braces twice. Not unless after the first time you then try and eat a steering wheel like I did....

. The first time was part of a procedure to straigthen out my jaw alignment, not so much crooked teeth. I had to wear braces for two years and at the end I had to have my jaw broken, realigned and wired shut for 8 weeks. Two years later I had a bad car wreck and broke my jaw again (among a few other things). Doc put me back together but then two years after that he didn't like the way it had shifted again. SOOOOO.....braces and jaw surgery again.

That's not likely to happen to you!

I know lots of adults in professional positions who have worn braces. It's not such a weird thing at all. You'll get used to them and not be self concious in no time.

Keep up the good work, Ms StellaBlue. You're inspiring a lot of people with your exuberance and joy. You're doing great!

JUST DON'T SMOKE and you'll realize your goals. I promise.

Quit Meter

$64,288.00

Amount Saved
Quit Meter

Days: 6075 Hours: 1

Minutes: 36 Seconds: 46

Life Gained
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45920

Smoke Free Days
Quit Meter

183,680

Cigarettes Not Smoked

7 years ago 0 +0 / -0 180

Oh, and for the record (in case I want to read this in 10 years), I totally forgot to keep taking my Champix once I decided to cut it down again. I forgot for a day, took half a pill one day, then forgot again until now, so it's been maybe a week? I'm officially flying this mission solo now (on a physiological level) and I think that is part of my newfound excitement about quitting. I was really worried that the only reason I was succeeding was because of the Champix (even though I was only taking a little bit throughout). I thought there was a chance that once I ran out, the cravings would return with a vengeance and I would suddenly become obsessed with smoking again (like had happened in the past when I jumped off the pill). Now that there are no quit aids involved, I feel like this has become much more real and more earned. The training wheels are off, guys, and I'm cruising on my own!!

(I've been so exuberant this past week, that I would be mortified to come on here and say I smoked at this point. Part of me feels silly for being so jazzed over such a short period of being smoke-free. I'm well aware that people relapse after a month/a year/a decade, and thinking that I am totally free after putting in only a few weeks is a bit ridic, but for today I feel free and I feel good).

7 years ago 0 +0 / -0 180

melofga - I am 35 years old :) Thanks for sharing your experience about [adult] braces, as I am a little nervous about it, especially in terms of professional impression. I give regular presentations and take a lot of meetings, and brace-face isn't quite the impression I want to give. I've grown pretty adept at hiding my teeth - when I announced I was getting braces most people were confused because they never noticed I have ridiculous crooked teeth to begin with. However, much like with quitting smoking, I am choosing to make it a positive experience. How exciting to be on my way to straight teeth at last, after 20 years of wishing! How cool that I am able to do this on my own dime, under my own steam - no parental coercion or coverage. If I look at this as exciting rather than embarrassing or difficult, I know I'll be fine. And it's so convenient that the monthly payment turns out to be pretty much what I was blowing on cigarettes every month :) If the money is going anyway, I'd rather it go to nice teeth that I can keep forever, rather than to fleeting desperate bursts of 5-minute toxin inhalation that leave me with nothing except smelly clothes. Now my big question - WHY DID YOU GET BRACES TWICE?????! Tell me what happened so that I don't do the same thing hahaha. I want one-and-done. I will do whatever the ortho says, even if he wants me to sleep upside-down balancing my dog on my feet every night. I'll be the most compliant patient ever. I can't afford not to be :P

Okay, enough of the topic hijack here.... Day 41 and feeling groovy

And this is my favourite part of the last post:

You're going to love it, Stella. It may take year to feel the full thing. It may take 5 years to never have a crave again. But by that time you can say, seriously? I wanted a what?

^^^ I wanted a WHAT?! I love that idea. I can't wait. Well, I have to wait, hahaha, but it's something to look forward to.

7 years ago 0 +0 / -0 59

Me too, Stella. I didn't mean to steal your thread (we used to hate that when it happened. We were a lot bigger group back then and it happened often).

My husband is playing Dead right now on stereo so I've got background music.

Braces! Oh lord I did that as an adult too. Twice! In my 30s (I don't know how old you are). (I'm older than Pen but only a bit and I'm not telling anything else other than that). (I once asked him to marry me. He had a total melt down. Dont tell him....I didn't really mean it but gosh it was fun!)

I hated them until I loved them. If you need braces, babe and can swing the money from all you save from quitting smoking. That is a fabulous reward.

I'm truly excited for you.

This quitting stuff is hard. Maybe some of the hardest you've ever had to do. Nicotine addiction is the hardest research shows.

You're going to love it, Stella. It may take year to feel the full thing. It may take 5 years to never have a crave again. But by that time you can say, seriously? I wanted a what?

You're doing the right thing. You're thinking about rewards and looking forward to the future.

Here's a promise, Stella from me to you.....if you stay the course, you will win this battle.....ONE DAY AT A TIME. Each day you put behind you gets you closer.

Melofga

Oh lord. I don't really live in Canada. I love Canada. I've been there once. They really have their **** together unlike us these days. In reality I live in Athens, Ga. In the states. I don't know how to change my settings.

Pen, it was fabulous to "see" you too! We're the bomb right? Quitting all those years ago. Wow! It feels good.

Quit Meter

$64,288.00

Amount Saved
Quit Meter

Days: 6075 Hours: 1

Minutes: 36 Seconds: 46

Life Gained
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45920

Smoke Free Days
Quit Meter

183,680

Cigarettes Not Smoked

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