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Quitting tomorrow

6 years ago 0 +0 / -0 180

I so resonate with your last post, it sounds like we have similar backgrounds. And my opinion is that it's harder to QUIT hard drugs, but it's easier to relapse with smoking, if that makes sense. Plus, when you relapse with cigarettes, you now have 20 or 25 of them, vs just a hit or two of dope. I used that line on myself in the earlier days of my quit - if I bought a pack, I wasn't buying one relapse; I was buying 20 relapses. That was a lot less justifiable and more obviously ridiculous and pathetic, and therefore it was easier to stay away from it. Keep kicking at this can. You already know it's in you to leave this stuff behind, because you've done it before in other areas of your life. Keep trying.

6 years ago 0 +0 / -0 802

Hi Sparrow,

Its been said that quitting smoking is HARDER than getting off heroin. I tend to agree with that. Smoking is legal all over the world, and when you can run down to the corner store and buy a pack, it's too easy to stay addicted.

I'm glad you have a new start date, and I wish you the best on this attempt! As fictional hero character once said: "Never give up, Never surrender!".

Stay strong.

Not One Puff Ever

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$24,623.50

Amount Saved
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Days: 793 Hours: 0

Minutes: 3 Seconds: 52

Life Gained
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4070

Smoke Free Days
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89,540

Cigarettes Not Smoked

Stay safe & Strong.

Not One Puff Ever (NOPE)

Tim

6 years ago 0 +0 / -0 175

Ive had problems with addictions in the past and conquered them all. Compared to the scale of a drug addiction l figured smoking was nothing and l was ok with doing it all my life. But now lve realised its that same thing of something external having control over me that l hate. I tell myself that compared to drug addiction this should be a piece of cake. But quitting smokes creates in me those same ugly feelings that it did with quitting drugs. And in some ways its harder because smoking is an action you perform all day long. I want to reclaim my freedom once and for all from ALL negative influences in my life. Though lve been trying to quit for about a year now l dont think l was serious enough about it until recently.

I have a lunch this Tuesday with smoker which is too tough for me in these early stages so lve decided lm going to cut down until then and stretch this packet l have to last me until then. So l will be smoking 2 and a half to 3 hourly and make Tuesday my last day. After that l have all the time in the world to do this with no interruptions or stresses as lm off work and single so no family pressures or anything. I realllllly want the sunshine and rainbows

l know quitting will bring me. Take 10.

Quit Meter

$15,744.00

Amount Saved
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Days: 115 Hours: 2

Minutes: 18 Seconds: 13

Life Gained
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1968

Smoke Free Days
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39,360

Cigarettes Not Smoked

6 years ago 0 +0 / -0 175

Hi guys

Thanks for your posts. Timbo l hope youre right because this yo-yoing quitting attempts is taking its toll. The whole thing stresses me out that l end up smoking more because lm trying to quit....crazzzzy

Stella thanks so much for sharing your experiences with me. Its helping me so much because l relate so well to all the quitting feelings and behaviors you experienced it makes me think l can get there too. Sometimes when l quit l feel so strong the early stages feel easy. But most times l quit l feel pretty weak and feeble about it so l give in pretty early telling myself lm not mentally strong enough. Stella you said that the quit that stuck for you started out as "more of a whimper than a bang". Im so glad you told me that because lm feeling pretty "whimpery" about quitting today but lve realised that it can still be done. Its about feeling all those negative feelings lm bound to feel and doing it anyway. I feel so blessed that lve never had any medical problems from smoking...lve put so much poison in my body. Really our bodies are so amazing with what they can tolerate and keep functioning healthily for us. My poor body deserves some respect. Im not giving up on giving up!!

Thanks again people for your support. I hope to come back with some good news very soon

Quit Meter

$15,744.00

Amount Saved
Quit Meter

Days: 115 Hours: 2

Minutes: 18 Seconds: 13

Life Gained
Quit Meter

1968

Smoke Free Days
Quit Meter

39,360

Cigarettes Not Smoked

6 years ago 0 +0 / -0 802

Hi Sparrow,

How are you doing today? Are you still with us? Never give up trying. One of these times it's going to stick for you.

Stay strong.

Not One Puff Ever

Quit Meter

$24,623.50

Amount Saved
Quit Meter

Days: 793 Hours: 0

Minutes: 3 Seconds: 52

Life Gained
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4070

Smoke Free Days
Quit Meter

89,540

Cigarettes Not Smoked

Stay safe & Strong.

Not One Puff Ever (NOPE)

Tim

6 years ago 0 +0 / -0 180

What made this time different for me? Honestly, I was just sick of myself, pure and simple. I had yet another plan to quit on this certain date (when my chain-smoking partner would be away), and it just sort of dawned on me how pathetic I was making myself with all these grandiose attempts and ideas about *some day* when quitting would suddenly be easier. I had been telling myself the same old story, and falling in the same old holes, for years. I was sick of quitting. I was sick of myself. And I realized that I either had to resign myself to smoking for the rest of my life and let it go, or I had to just quit and stick with it for once and for all. Doing the back-and-forth dance was too much bullsh*t for one brain to deal with. Sh*t or get off the pot, as my grandma used to say. So about a week or two before that Big Quit Day, I ran out of smokes at bedtime. And I didn't buy any the next morning, because I simply ran out of excuses to justify putting it off. There was never going to be some magic opportune time, there was never going to be a day that it would all be easy, I was never going to magically grow out of the habit; I had to put my foot down and just stop the nonsense. This quit really began with a whimper instead of a bang. One night I smoked the last cigarette in my 20-pack, and the next morning I decided that I wasn't going to buy another pack. And it was super uppermost in my mind that if I had one cigarette, I would be drawing this out for another day/week/month/year. I wanted this whole phase of my life (this "I need to quit smoking" phase) to end already. And Sparrow, it gets SO GOOD! It's finally over for me! Now I'm just ironing out the kinks in my thinking, so to speak. The hardest part is long behind me. It really does not take that long to get through the muck of it, and the residual stuff is very manageable in comparison. But the only way to do it is to simply do it. There's no short cuts or magic beans. It's finding that inner resolve (which began as simple resignation for me, but it grew into resolve!) and keeping my eye on the prize but my mind in the present: right now, in this moment, I am choosing not to smoke. Moments add up.

6 years ago 0 +0 / -0 175

Ohhhh Stella youve described me exactly...buying the small packs, going back and forth the tabacconist because "this is my last pack for sure", people making fun of my lame quitting attempts. Its an un-merry-go-round. Tell me something...what made the last time different for you? Was it easier or was your resolve stronger? What made it stick for you?

Thanks so much for your wisdom and support

Quit Meter

$15,744.00

Amount Saved
Quit Meter

Days: 115 Hours: 2

Minutes: 18 Seconds: 13

Life Gained
Quit Meter

1968

Smoke Free Days
Quit Meter

39,360

Cigarettes Not Smoked

6 years ago 0 +0 / -0 180

Penitent said it best - "You haven't failed until you give up trying."

That was entirely true for me. I tried, and failed, to quit on an ongoing basis for 1.5 years (although now I'm seeing it was more like 2+ years ago when I made my first feeble attempts). I "quit" sometimes up to 20 times per month. Sometimes I made it a few hours, sometimes several days, and occasionally I gave up altogether and just smoked freely for a couple weeks at a time. But I kept coming back to the quit, and I learned from the mistakes. I wish I learned faster, but at least I finally learned deeply. I spent much of 2017 feeling demoralized about smoking, and flirted with thoughts of "this is too hard, I'm different somehow, maybe I don't even want to do this, maybe I'm okay with just being a smoker." 2018 started the same way, and quit after quit after quit ended up with me buying yet another pack of smokes. My local convenience store clerk was unabashedly teasing me by the end of it - "Come on, get the 2 pack deal, you know you're going to be back again in a few days! Hahaha." I kept buying the 20-packs, insisting that maybe *this* time, it would be my last pack so no need to buy a 25-pack, let alone TWO 25-packs. Anyway, I'm sure you're intimately familiar with the drill. If you are here on this board, though, that means that your highest self wants to quit. It's only your addiction that wants you to keep smoking. And habits can be broken, as long as we don't give up. KEEP PRACTICING, it does get easier!

6 years ago 0 +0 / -0 2534

Sparrow!!

Do you want to know how many times I failed before it stuck!! Countless!

You haven't failed until you give up trying.

Regroup and start again. You can do this but you must work on your mind-set to get the desire to quit greater than the desire to smoke.

Here is an extract from a post I made to another earlier today and it applies equally to you:-

"Accept in your brain that quitting smoking, for most people, is no easy ride. Assume that you are “most people”. It takes guts and determination to achieve your goal and you must want to quit so much more than you want to smoke. If that mind-set is reversed, you will fail, believe me.

And do not indulge in mind games “Hey, I’ve done well, just one won’t hurt” It will. When you quit, you quit for good! But don’t look at it like that, it will drive you mad if you do and it will beat you up emotionally, threatening your quit. Quit just for today, that’s all, and in the early days when the cravings are at their worst quit for just an hour or for just 15 minutes until those nasty cravings pass, and they will. Do not succumb.

Remember, every day without a cigarette you get stronger and old “Nicodemon” gets weaker and weaker. Remember that during the difficult times.

You are winning from the moment you decide to quit but you must be serious about ending this awful addiction – no wavering and definitely “Not One Puff Ever”"

Come on Sparrow, back on that horse and let's get this job done!

All The Best

Penitent

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Days: 1175 Hours: 16

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6 years ago 0 +0 / -0 175

Hi everyone, thanks so much for all your support. It is so appreciated and makes me even sadder to say that l failed yesterday. I dont know if lm ever going to get this right. I just kept thinking and thinking about smoking. My days felt so strange and had this real lonely feeling. No matter what l do to try and distract the thought of smoking is with me. Arrrrggghhh lm so frustrated with myself....and because l keep failing this is reinforcing in my mind that l cant do it. Each time l fail l feel weaker.

Ok well l start fresh tomorrow morning...better luck this time heres hoping.

I feel so bad to keep reporting failures because youve all been so supportive

My hats off to you all for doing this

I think smoking is such a hard addiction to quit because you do it all day long so the mind has to fight cravings 24/7.

Thanks again lovely people!!

Quit Meter

$15,744.00

Amount Saved
Quit Meter

Days: 115 Hours: 2

Minutes: 18 Seconds: 13

Life Gained
Quit Meter

1968

Smoke Free Days
Quit Meter

39,360

Cigarettes Not Smoked

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