yup, you fight your thoughts - your own thoughts - this means you are fighting yourself.  That's what makes it so tough or so easy.  If you tell you, you are happy with not smoking (happy no nic) each time your thoughts wonder in the direction of trying to regain that fix of nicotine or smoke, you can turn the whole experience into a much more enjoyable one.

Be pleased with yourself, pat yourself on the back, applaud yourself every time you get a craving.  Every single craving is an indication that you are winning.  It is a winner's badge.  Tell yourself - well done, way to go.  I am not going to give myself a cigarette  but I am going to give myself a round of applause for not smoking and thank you craving for reminding me how wonderful I am that I no longer smoke.  Way to go self.    

Cheers

Good job Tiny, keep it up! You are doing great! No matter what you are not smoking....... be proud, and when you are ready, you will wean yourself off! Everyone is DIFFERENT, so don’t think because one is doing it, you should.

Again congratulations!

Thanks! I sometimes feel like I'm not doing this the "right" way because many people here have quit without nrt. In the past, I quit for about 7 years cold turkey. For some reason, it's just not working that way now. So here I am, needing an aid and I will do my best to be proud, because like you said: I'm still not smoking. In a little over a month I won't need the patch and I'll be on my way. Thanks for perking me up about it, I feel much better.

  It doesn't matter how you quit, as long as you get it done! The goal is to remove all nicotine from your body, how you reach that goal is of little importance!

  Take Care!

Tiny I’m glad I could help! Remember don’t put yourself down, all of us are 7 years older, and something in the past may not work the way it does now. 
 

I know my eyes don’t! Lol

Well, it's rainy and windy here. I went for a long walk with the dogs anyway, they don't mind and seem to enjoy all the walks we've been taking lately. I'm on day 17 and counting. I've been using a free app to keep track of my progress. It's called easy quit, I think, and it gives you a lot of fun calculations about how long you've gone, money saved, a matching game to pass the time, and a lot of other stuff. If you enter your quit reasons, it will send them to you throughout the day. I got some more patches, as I'm still on the big boy ones, and have a while to go before I step down to the 14. I'm feeling better about using them after some feedback here. I think I agree that I need to do whatever it takes to quit and that I'm doing what works for me, no matter what reading material tells me the opposite. I've been cleaning house and am enjoying the fact that I don't have to burn a candle all day to smell it. And it smells so nice! I can even smell my dogs oatmeal shampoo from the groomer! All silliness aside, I've been much more active since quitting and don't find myself so winded. I do not regret this quit. I know that I stand on a knifes edge, such a fine tightrope between smoking and not. I keep reading and learning from everyone and it's great. 

Tiny,

I use an app as well! It is neat to see the progress made. Mine also has health benefits - healthier teeth and gums, breathing functions, etc. Isn't it amazing that after smoking our bodies will being to heal themselves? If that isn't forgiveness.. I don't know what is! :) 

As far as the NRT goes, do not let anyone/any article make you feel like you are not quitting the "right" way! Numerous people use NRT to quit, and lets be honest, it would not exist if there was not a need for it! Every quit is different and beautiful at the same time, with NRT or without. I too used NRT, and as this thread will tell you, I have successfully weaned off of it! I found that NRT took the edge off while I learned to alter my behavior to that of a nonsmoker - and there is nothing wrong with that!

Kudos to you and 18 days - you are SO close to 3 weeks and a life of not smoking! 

I'm trying so hard, but I admit I'm feeling romancing the cigarette today. I think about sitting on the deck one cool day with my lemonade, visiting with my husband. I have to keep telling myself that I can do that without a cigarette, and that it only made my throat scratchy and I stunk. This last few days I've had some pretty strong urges so I'm really having to work a little harder at staying smober. I hope that one day I won't dream and think about smoking. 

You need to change the record.  Those smokes don't sing that song.  Take another look at you reasons for quitting - look online at people who are dying from diseases of smoking.

You are actually trying to convince yourself that you want to smoke when you know you do not.

Take deep breaths, eat some chocolate, go for a walk, take a nap, just don't smoke.

Unless you really don't want to quit.  Then by all means, smoke your brains out.

Tiny- 

Unfortunately, these thoughts happen to most of us in the beginning. We have spent so much time training our brain when to smoke, now we have to do those same activities without smoking. A month or so ago, there were a handful of us who did some gardening and that weekend we ALL had the urge to smoke! That is because previously, we would garden and then smoke - we had to create a new memory of us completing/doing an activity without smoking. It is not the easiest, but it can be done and I know you will be able to do it. That is combined with you nearing the 3 week mark which is notorious for cravings popping up. 

It sounds like you powered through and remembered why you quit and why smoking sucks- so, kudos to you! You are doing all of the right things, and because of that, there will be days that you forget about smoking all together! I promise :) 

Is your hubby still holding tight?