It rained but I refrained !!
After so many years of loaded guilt , self destruction, fake happiness due to the smoking addiction, I am able almost 10 month guilt free, really happy that I have not smoked.
After months of hot and sweaty climate, finally it rained for a long time washing away all the negativity and leaving behind happy feelings and a fresh evening . Normally I would have smoked out of joy but now I enjoyed the fresh aroma coming out of the breeze ..
Those of you are feeling sad about smoking and trying to read all these blogs including mine, my key messages for you are
1.Stop worrying. Accept your smoking habit rather fighting with it . 2.Understand that you need to quit as it is not good for anything.
3. Set a date and quit ( Cold Turkey finally worked for me after many failed attempts of gradual decrease as it never came to zero)
4. You have to really stuggle for initial few weeks say 4-6 but than life will come back to normal gradually as your brain will be repgrammed during this period to live without nicotine
5 Embrace the journey . If you fail start again .
6 NOPE is the mantra- NOT ONE PUFF EVER . stick to it like your shield for few months and then it will become a part of your thoughtprocess. You never know when the weak moment of self confidence can destruct your hard work. I am staying off from a single smoke since close to 10 month now and still believe that I have to follow NOPE no matter what the occasion or mood is.
Finally, do come back to this forum to share you experience and help others in this journey of like minded people.
Great advice Dontsmoke.
Cutting down on the cigarettes is a great start, but only while you do other things. Perhaps writing down why you are having it. Tasting it, the poisons within, and asking yourself why you are /or are you enjoying it. Doing this while just smoking and doing nothing else. Remembering that every puff that goes into the bloodstream deposits toxins that your body has to fight to stay healthy. Blow a puff through a tissue to see what residue it leaves on your lungs. Picture the cilia which sweep the lungs clean, dying off until unrepairable. Try enjoying your cigarette now.
It tastes awful, it stinks, it makes you stink. You are standing having a relationship with it while you could be having a better relationship. It does nothing for you, while you waste time inflicting damage to yourself.
Soon you will start to resent the cigarette and its incessant need to be in your face. When you realize that you can put off smoking because those cravings are just thoughts and you are stronger. When you decide to stop being bullied and stand up to it...
The forum i first joined was the push i needed, the boost of self confidence that i needed. Seeing other people succeed gave me hope that i could do so as well. I saw many struggling with willpower alone, even while on NRT's. Others like myself, had an easier time of it because we retrained our minds to the way we think of smoking. Accepting the journey, learning about nicotine and ourselves until we really do WANT TO become non-smokers. It should not be about giving up anything, but about making desired changes.
Nicotine addiction can be beaten. The battle is won within the mind.
Awesome job Dontsmoke,
You are absolutely right- there will always be weak moments when nicodemon will raise its head and NOPE is the only way to go. Keep it up and good luck.
Don't Smoke great advice. after months of not smoking some urges returned but not giving in to the dark cloud. Great to hear from you!
Hi. Totally agree with all you sentiments and advice. Agree about the bit about quitting cold turkey. For over 1550 days it has worked. I recall so-called cutting down periods. What a joke! I was kidding myself. So many times after cutting down I would celebrate and smoke even more. There is no such thing as cutting down. Either bite the bullet or else. Sometimes it takes a while to wake up.