Made it through yesterday! Yay! Woke up still feeling good about staying quit, which is always a good sign. Sometimes I’ve woken up thinking I might wait an hour then go buy some. Today is day 3 for me. I don’t need to go anywhere today, so I’m expecting to get through relatively easily. At least it feels easy right now. That can change so quickly.

I hope everyone is having a wonderful Friday!

Jenny

Amazing, Jenny! Get past Day 3, and you are over probably the toughest first stage of quitting smoking. I will keep you in my prayers for your successful quit! Keep up the good work!!

Hey everyone! My roommate and I are ready to quit smoking! You are a few days ahead of us! He is signing up for this forum now!

Jerthie, thank you! Finishing day 3 now I had some rough moments today, but I got through each of them without too much self-drama. I ate chips, chocolate or irked on my cross stitch instead of smoking. My arms a bit sore from all the cross stitch.

I hope you have a fabulous weekend!

Jenny

Hi Nircelaj5,

so happy you and your roommate are here and ready! It’s nice to have people to share the journey with. I’m feeling good going into day 4, but it’s hard. I’ve been so thankful to have this forum and the wonderful people in it. 

 Do you guys have a quit day picked out, or did you already quit? 
 

Jenny

Thank you for that kind welcome!! I saw you post your name already but what is it again? My name is Erika and my roommate’s name is Bob. I’m so jealous you have 4 days! What an accomplishment! Congratulations! Keep going! I found this forum when I quit in 2019 for 6 months. I loved this and it helped me tremendously! So actually I have approximately 4 cigarettes left in my pack and he has a few left as well! So I didn’t want to post on the forum yet. But I’m hoping my quit date will be January 7th (today). Last time chewing gum and trying to let the feeling pass helped me! What about you? I’m so proud of you! Btw, where are you in the world? We’re in Boston. Last time there was someone I spoke to from France!

Just saw your name, Jenny. We just watched Forrest Gump too!

Nircelaj5,

haha, my husband sometimes says my name in Forrest Gump style. That’s great you’ve had 6 months before! I’ve had multiple quits over the years, but then I eventually think I can just have a few and end up starting all over again. Sometimes I’d only smoke a couple weeks a year, then stay quit the rest of the time, but I’m sure that kept me tethered to smoking and the thoughts that I still wanted them. You’d think after multiple times of thinking I can just have a few I’d never believe it again, but that’s just not how it’s gone. 
 I have cinnamon candies I sometimes sucks on which remind me of the nicotine lozenges I used during a quit years ago. I used them to stop the lozenges, so it seems like a good time to use them now. I’ve also had unhealthy snacks like chips, chocolate, and cheesecake. Oh, and tea. I have a bottle of brewed tea always next to me, so I sometimes take drinks of it when I think I want to smoke. I also have a cross stitch project I really want to get made for my daughter’s music teacher. She’s a senior this year, so it’s my last chance to get it made and I haven’t wanted to work on it while I smelled like smoke, so I’ve been working on it a lot the last few days. It’s weird to be able to sit with it for a few hours!
 

I hear January 7 is a wonderful day to quit. It’s so easy to decide to put it off (that’s been me this past year), so I hope you both push through! 
 

I’m in Northern California. I guess California is at least more interesting than Nebraska (no offense if someone reading this is from Nebraska, lol),  but not nearly as cool as France. We visited Boston this summer for a trip my husband had through work. It was so fun!! I had the best burger I’ve ever had at some tiny shop. I think it was a steak burger or something. I can’t remember the name of the restaurant, which is really bothering me since I definitely need to go back there if we visit again! My daughter is really hoping to get into MIT (she has a less than 10% chance of that), so I’m crossing my fingers. I could visit and get that burger!  
 

I’ve been popping in here a few times a day to read some of the links posted in one of the welcoming posts. It’s definitely helped some cravings pass to read about why I think I want one and realizing what a lie it is. My favorite has been the article about how smoking is like a toxic relationship. I’ve always been baffled by how someone could go back to be with someone who’d hurting them so much, so it REALLY hit me when I read it 2 days ago. 
 

I hope today is the day for both you and Bob! 

Jenny

Hello everyone and Happy New Year!  Sorry I haven't checked in for a couple days but wanted to see how everyone is doing.  The beginning (and middle) is just so hard so just focus on one day at a time.  There were times I focused on one minute, one hour at a time.  Don't worry about the past or how long you've smoked, you can get past it.  I smoked for over 35 years.  My husband is actually trying to quit now too so I'm trying to support him also.  Taking on that NOPE mantra each morning is huge.  Just make it through each day without smoking.  You can do this! Read as much as you can to educate yourself and take deep breaths.    Once you realize how smoking is an addiction (similar to heroin and cocaine), you can free yourself.  We romanticize it and think the cigarettes are our "friends" but that is simply not true.  

Verywell Mind

The Toxic Relationship With Nicotine Addiction

Some people think they like smoking, but the truth about why smoking feels good has little to do with enjoyment. It's a toxic, addictive relationship.

Read more from Verywell Mind

I will never forget this article that I have read over 1,000 times.  It was my go-to my first year:

https://whyquit.com/joel/Joel_02_01_my_cig_my_friend.html

My Cigarette, My Friend

How do you feel about a friend who has to go everywhere with you? Not only does he tag along all the time, but since he is so offensive and vulgar, you become unwelcome when with him. He has a peculiar odor that sticks to you wherever you go. Others think both of you stink.

He controls you totally. When he says jump, you jump. Sometimes in the middle of a blizzard or storm, he wants you to come to the store and pick him up. You would give your spouse hell if he or she did that to you all the time, but you can't argue with your friend.

Sometimes, when you are out at a movie or play he says he wants you to go stand in the lobby with him and miss important scenes. Since he calls all the shots in your life, you go.

Your friend doesn't like your choice of clothing either. Instead of politely telling you that you have lousy taste, he burns little holes in these items so you will want to throw them out. Sometimes, he tires of the furniture and gets rid of it too. Occasionally, he gets really nasty and decides the whole house must go.

He gets pretty expensive to support. Not only is his knack of property destruction costly, but you must pay to keep him with you. In fact, he will cost you thousands of dollars over your lifetime. And you can count on one thing, he will never pay you a penny in return.

Often at picnics, you watch others playing vigorous activities and having lots of fun doing them. But your friend won't let you. He doesn't believe in physical activity. In his opinion, you are too old to have that kind of fun. So he kind of sits on your chest and makes it difficult for you to breathe. Now you don't want to go off and play with other people when you can't breathe, do you?

Your friend does not believe in being healthy. He is really repulsed by the thought of you living a long and productive life. So, every chance he gets he makes you sick. He helps you catch colds and flu. Not just by running out in the middle of the lousy weather to pick him up at the store. He is more creative than that.

He carries thousands of poisons with him which he constantly blows in your face. When you inhale some of them, they wipe out cilia in your lungs which would have helped you prevent these diseases.

But colds and flu are just his forms of child's play. He especially likes diseases that slowly cripple you - like emphysema. He considers this disease great. Once he gets you to have this, you will give up all your other friends, family, career goals, activities - everything. You will just sit home and caress him, telling him what a great friend he is while you desperately gasp for air.

But eventually your friend tires of you. He decides he no longer wishes to have your company. Instead of letting you go your separate ways, he decides to kill you. He has a wonderful arsenal of weapons behind him. In fact, he has been plotting your death since the day you met him.

He picked all the top killers in society and did everything in his power to ensure you would get one of them. He overworked your heart and lungs. He clogged up the arteries to your heart, brain, and every other part of your body. In case you were too strong to succumb to this, he constantly exposed you to cancer-causing agents. He knew he would get you sooner or later.

Well, this is the story of your "friend," your cigarette. No real friend would do all this to you. Cigarettes are the worst possible enemies you ever had. They are expensive, addictive, socially unacceptable, and deadly. Consider all this and - NEVER TAKE ANOTHER PUFF!