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Thought for Today

Monday Smile

Repost:  Transition from being smokers to ex-smokers

I consider myself an exsmoker.  Exsmoker, nonsmoker - matters not - just don't smoke period!
KTQ
Cara
D6620

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transition from being smokers to ex-smokers
From DabL on 5/9/2005 5:00:14 PM

The transition from being smokers to ex-smokers.

One of the things we face as quitters is the transition from being smokers to ex-smokers. Early in your quit, you're a smoker in withdrawal. Eventually, you're a smoker who's not using. At some point, you do actually become an EX-smoker.

It's a scary transition for anyone to undergo mentally. Years upon years of memories are associated with smoking. A mountain of stressful situations that we dulled (and in doing so, partially avoided dealing with) by administering nicotine. The belief that we NEED that drug to get through these situations in the future.

In a sense, we're newborns, facing a new world, and not sure what to expect. We're children, and children are often frightened by the unknown. As our conscious decision to reach out to this new world and embrace it becomes more and more real and tangible, the fear within us makes us want to run back, grab the security blanket, and hide under the covers. It's like the monster under the bed.

And, like the monster under the bed when we're small, the best way to deal with the unknown is to face it, to understand it. As long as we hide under the blankets, the monster under the bed grows bigger, scarier, more menacing. Once we finally get the courage to lean over the mattress, and stare under the box spring... only then do we understand there's nothing to be frightened of. If we avoid looking under the bed, seeing the "monster" for what it is, we risk letting that "monster" dominate our conscience, and drive our actions.

Right now, you're dealing with your monster. There's the fear of failure (you've been down this road before). There's the fear of success (oh my God, what am I going to do now that I won't have cigarettes to help me?). And there is the voice in your ear telling you things: You want a cigarette, you can handle JUST one, you NEED just this one, this crave is going to last forever, this crave is unbearable, quitting is just TOO DAMN HARD, I wasn't meant to quit, I'm not strong enough.

It's time to look the monster in the eye. It's time to confront the voice. There are non-scary answers to the things it's telling you.

1. Fear of failure:
Yes, I've been down this road before, but I didn't understand that I'm an addict, and that for the addict; one puff is the same as a million. I will never be able to take another puff without recommitting to a life of dependency. I've learned this the hard way in the past, even though I might not have understood the lesson at the time. Now that I know, I know that I won't take that puff.

2. Fear of success:
Millions of people have moved from smoking to a life without smoking. Some have had more difficult situations to deal with than I have. All have discovered that the nicotine fix doesn't really help; it just masks. I belong to a group of hundreds of people who have traveled this road, and the fact that they're making it through family tragedy, poor health, good health, work stress, celebrations, raising kids, divorces, day-to-day life of all sorts, good times and bad times, without nicotine tells me that I can too. I'm an individual, and as such, I'm not 100% like anybody else, but I share little bits in common with many of these people, and from these similarities comes my understanding that I too can live my life in the absence of nicotine.

Repost: Transition from being smokers to ex-smokers

I consider myself an exsmoker. Exsmoker, nonsmoker - matters not - just don't smoke period!
KTQ
Cara
D6620

***************************************************************************************************

transition from being smokers to ex-smokers
From DabL on 5/9/2005 5:00:14 PM

The transition from being smokers to ex-smokers.

One of the things we face as quitters is the transition from being smokers to ex-smokers. Early in your quit,... Show more

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Good morning all
Happy Monday!!!!!
Start of a new week with some crappy weather coming. Know we need the moisture but lets decide if it will be rain or snow - we do not know yet lol. No matter the weather, you will not find me smoking thank you much. I am saying NO to smoking and keeping moving forward along the Freedom Road. I hold my hand out to the next winner joining me kicking ash to the curb.
Have a good one.
Cara
D6620

3Y 9M
Life Saved
$98,307
Money Saved
178,740
Unsmoked

Show previous comments (1)

Well good morning again. 1:25 in middle Tennessee where the current temperature is 66°. The sky is partly cloudy now and will be mostly sunny after the golden orb makes its presence known at daybreak. We will head for the expected high of 81°. No rain is expected today. Another great day for a NOPE day. No smoking here.

The work day yesterday....well it was busy. More orders than you can imagine. The store was busy too. Employees were busy whining about everything. Customers have finally found... Show more

ThanksMysticcat for starting the bonfire. I'm throwing my 132 unsmoked cigarettes onto the bonfire!

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I'm throwing my 70,520 unsmoked cigarettes onto the bonfire!

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Thank you Mysticcat for hosting Sunday night bonfire WoooooWOOO I appreciate you and only by God's grace I'm throwing my 243,050 unsmoked cigarettes onto the bonfire!

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The Sunday Funday Bonfire 4/28/24

Welcome to the Sunday funday bonfire. It’s offically the start of the week yet still being part of the weekend. How cool is Sunday? Let’s wrap of this weekend with celebrating our quits and starting our week as non smokers! Now this bonfire is to be enjoyed by everyone so please all join in the fun. No matter where you are with your quit all winners! We gather here to toss our worries and sick sticks away and to support each other as we live our lives free of smoking and nicotine addiction....

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Thought for today

Sunday Smile

Repost: Slow Moving Train

I love, love, love this one. So happy I took my butt off the tracks!
KTQ
Cara
D6619

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Slow Moving Train.........................
From ronread on 11/18/2007 8:15:35 PM

Have you ever stopped to wonder how embarrassing it would be if you got hit by a very slow moving train?

Not a bullet train or even an express train but a slow heavy ponderous... Show more

Good morning all
Happy Sunday!!!!!!!

I have some work to get done today and I am going to run out to the store. I figure at some point we will manage to go out shop and get everything we need on one trip lol Oh well it will all get done. I am not sure what all I will get up to today but what I know is smoking will not be part of it. Saying NO to smoking and keeping to my path along the Freedom Road. My hand is extended to the next winner joining me kicking ash to the curb today.
Have a super... Show more

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Good morning!! 1:33am. 68° outside. We have some clouds however lots of sunshine is in our future with a high temperature of 84°. A great day in middle Tennessee and a better day to have a NOPE day.

Work yesterday especially in the beginning was chaos. One call out for the first shift. 1600 picks for the 8:00 hour of which many were late arriving. Just made for a tough start. The good thing for today is no construction crews, no set up crews, no scissor lifts, peace and quiet to start. Yay!!... Show more

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Thanks for starting the Bonfire WaynenMary! I have 111,925 unsmokeds for disposal tonight. Have a wonderful smoke free evening firebugs!

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Saturday April 27 self serve bonfire

Welcome to the BONFIRE this beautiful Saturday Evening! It’s a self-serve bonfire tonight – so please carefully throw your unsmoked nasties into the bonfire and head over to check out the many different diversions available on NOPE Island! We encourage you to toss any worries or problems you are experiencing tonight into the fire as well! 🔥 Everyone is welcome at the Bonfire! Whether you have 2, 20, 200, 20,000 or 200,000 stinkeroos, we want your unsmokeds to make this fire blaze high. We...

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Thought for Today

Saturday Smile

Repost:  Filling the Pages

This is a long one, but really worth the read.  I love filling my pages with what I want, not what my addiction tells me to do.  What I love the most about being quit - is being free.
KTQ
Cara
D6618

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Filling the Pages
From Eric7704 on 11/11/2009 12:42:48 PM
A fellow quitter inspired me to write this

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A common topic a quitter might talk about since they quit smoking, is the fact that there seems to be void in their life now. Now that they're not smoking it feels as if the days have grown longer and they are unsure of how to fill this time. Sometimes this can actually put stress the new quitter, because this is so unfamiliar to them.

Cigarettes have been so deeply intertwined in their life for so long, that the new quitter is constantly being reminded that they no longer smoke just from everyday activities.

They may ask how do they unwind after work now that they don't smoke? How do they deal with stress, now that they don't smoke? How do they puncuate finishing a task now that they don't smoke?

For the smoker, that cigarette after finishing a task was like putting the period at the end of sentence. Now that they don't smoke, daily tasks can just feel like a long running sentence with no punctuation.

The cigarette was also like the smoker's pause button. If they needed to concentrate on doing something or were under a stressful situation. They would step back, smoke a cigarette and think about how to resolve the problem. Now that they don't smoke, there doesn't seem to be a pause button for the quitter. That "magic button" that says" Whoa give me a minute" is now gone. Now they are just left with the situation and a very unfamiliar way that they now have to deal with it. Without the cigarette.

One thing that should be pointed out though, is that we have lived our lives and dealt with stress DESPITE smoking, NOT because of it.

There was a fellow quitter that was talking about this and it was really stressing her out. She was having a hard time dealing with stress and everyday scenarios without smoking.

She was getting discouraged about this and felt that her life just felt kind of empty since she quit. She felt that there was now a void in her life.

One thing she said though, that I thought was an interesting way to look at it, was that she said that since she quit smoking, was that she felt she now had to rewrite her life.

When I read this, for some reason it reminded me of someone writing a screenplay about the day in the life of a smoker. This is what it might say.

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THE DAY IN THE LIFE OF A SMOKER.

Dear (anonymous)

I'm just making this up, but let's just say this is how your typical day when you smoked would look like.

You wake up. Smoke a cigarette. You get ready for work. Smoke a cigarette. You have breakfast. Smoke a cigarette. You get in your car and drive to work. Smoke a cigarette. You get to work. Smoke a cigarette before going inside. You go to coffee break at work. Smoke a cigarette. You go to lunch. Smoke a cigarette. You go to second break. Smoke a cigarette. Maybe something stressful happens at work. Sneak out and smoke a cigarette. After work, as you drive home, you smoke a cigarette. You get home and unwind. Smoke a cigarette. You cook dinner. Smoke a cigarette. After eating dinner. Smoke a cigarette. Have a glass of wine or beer and of course smoke a cigarette. Watch TV. Smoke a cigarette. Get ready for bed. Smoke a cigarette. Before going to bed. Smoke a cigarette.

Repost: Filling the Pages

This is a long one, but really worth the read. I love filling my pages with what I want, not what my addiction tells me to do. What I love the most about being quit - is being free.
KTQ
Cara
D6618

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Filling the Pages
From Eric7704 on 11/11/2009 12:42:48 PM
A fellow quitter inspired me to write this... Show more