10 years! 10 frickin years. I now have the same number of days I couldn't comprehend when I first quit. No regrets, still the best thing I ever did for myself
A timeline of what I managed to do thanks to the money saved from not smoking:-
April 2014 - Holiday to China
September 2015 - Holiday to Orlando
November 2016 - Holiday to Galapagos Islands
April 2018 - Holiday to Borneo and Vietnam
August 2019 - Became a full time student
May 2023 - Still a full time student and working part time...
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![Got a reminder for this site from a FB post by @[[794:contact:Kerri]]. I haven't been here in ages. I'm now studying music in my 2nd year in university and teaching piano part time.I'm now over 8.5 years quit and just seen that I'm 3100+ days quit. I can't believe it. I remember when I first joined QuitNet and people like BoldPrint had 3000+ days. Now I'm one of those people!In other news, I have a kitten. I lost my 20.5 years tortoishell cat in May 2019. Meet Yoda - my first cat in 2.5 years and my first kitten in 21 years.Hope everyone is keeping their quit. The support in these sites are priceless. I wouldn't have been successfully quit without QuitNet.](https://notonepuffever.s3.amazonaws.com/images/photos/811/1234/fcb57e464a86c3720005b90c.jpg)
It's been a long time since I've been here. Just wondered if there would be an influx of NY quitters . If so stick to NOPE and you can't fail... Simples, not easy, and effective
Oops! Think there's a word limit to posts.
Here's the ending:-
5. Don't listen to the nicotine-addicted part of your brain. It will try its hardest to convince you to smoke. It will tell you that you have a great excuse to smoke, the best excuse in the world, the type of excuse that nobody could possibly blame you for choosing to smoke. Hell, your excuse is just so damn good that you suspect a lot of non-smokers would pick up a cigarette if they were in your situation. Trust me, no matter what...
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Been a few months since I was last here. Just don't have the time since becoming a full time student, but college now finished for summer.
To any new quitters, quitting smoking can be as simple or as difficult as you like (note, I said simple NOT easy). It all comes down to DFS. As long as you DFS you will have a successful quit.
Of course some actions can help in sticking to DFS:-
Following on from my 8 step plan to a successful quit and my guide to calling b@llocks on relapses, I now present...
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And now I'm thinking I'll stop posting cos I haven't a Scooby how to do it.
I won't wish you all good luck for your quote cos good luck doesn't come into it.
Instead I wish you confidence, common sense, research and felt belief.
Your future is in your hands, there's no one else to blame - the buck stops with you - make sure your stubborn enough to take the responsibility for itZ!
Yeah I can't come on here as often as I'd like as I'm a full time music student now. I'm absolutely loving it and never think about smoking albeit my course can be very stressful and busy.
Read and re-read all you can about quitting and nicotine addiction. Destroy the lies and your quit will be relatively easy.
I believe you can do it do the test is up to you!
budybe relativ
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Not quite sure how this site is working now but it definitely looks a lot better than the last time I was here in January 2020 so great job John S.
Still no earth shattering information on how to quit and stay quit except DFS. Do anything else you want to, it doesn't matter as long as you DFS. If you DFS it's impossible to fail.
I used to have loads of posts on the old quitnet with my tongue firmly in cheek but no idea where they are now.
Hello to BoldPrint, Kerri H, Menno, 1Q1S (or...
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QuitNet Profile
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Quit Date
May 13, 2013 -
Medication
Cold Turkey -
My Quit
Following on from my 8 step plan to a successful quit and my guide to calling b@llocks on relapses, I now present to you:
GogglesOff's Guide to WTF do I actually do when I come up against the inevitable craves?
A great question that I'm sure many a new quitter asked themselves when embarking upon the great and miraculous journey of Quit.
No. 1-Infinity - DFS (Don't f@cking smoke for those that are new here.
Infinity - Beyond (sorry, couldn't resist). I'm serious -DFS. This is the only thing you must do when you have to face a crave. Remember, every time you don't smoke when you crave you are one step closer to becoming a contented and happy ex-smoker.
Ok, even though DFS is simple, it is far from easy. So, what can you do to make DFS a bit easier? Absolutely anything you want (apart from kicking the cat or any other animals, or children, or other adults, or inanimate objects unless they happen to belong to you). The possibilities are as limited (or limitless) as your imagination - as long as you do anything other than smoke.
Some tried and tested methods are:-
1. The 5 Ds. Drink water, take Deep breaths, Delay that urge to smoke, Distract yourself and Discuss.
2. NOPE (not one puff ever). Always follow NOPE at all times - if you follow NOPE and DFS you cannot fail and you will have a successful forever quit.
3. Educate yourself. This, for me, was the most important thing after DFS and NOPE. Once you become addicted to nicotine, some of your brain chemistry was changed so that feeding your nicotine addiction became an important, if not the most important, purpose in your life. Only time away not ingesting nicotine will switch these receptors off. But in the meantime read things like @Gummer .. profile.
I thought of it as brainwashing myself but in a good way. In the same way as nicotine had brainwashed me into believing its lies, I could re-brainwash myself to learning the truth about addiction.
Think you like or enjoy smoking? Think again, your addiction is lying to you. The only reason you think smoking is enjoyable is because it relieves your withdrawal and postpones the crave and your feelings of being on edge, uncomfortable and anxious. Smoking causes this and will keep on doing this for the rest of your life unless you break the cycle and stop feeding the addiction. Short term pain for long term gain. Do not let the nicotine-addicted instant gratification monkey stop you from achieving your goal of being an ex-smoker.
4. Do not, never ever ever, leave any wiggle room in your quit. When I first quit I had this fantastically great idea that I would stop smoking, then once I reached 6 months of smobriety I was going to smoke - ONLY WHEN I WAS DRINKING! Luckily for me I discovered Quitnet at 7 days quit and by the time I reached a month I knew that I never wanted to smoke again - by the time I had 3 months I knew that I wouldn't smoke ever again. I still had a lot of craves to get through but the knowledge I had learned and experienced for myself meant that I knew that I would get through each and every following crave with NOPE because I was fully committed to become a non-smoker.
So don't think 'yeah, I'm not going to smoke unless (* insert BS situation here) happens because you are giving the nicotine-addicted instant gratification monkey the opportunity to start an argument with the now sane and responsible you. Don't leave a crack in the door open - DFS and NOPE all the way.
5. Don't listen to the nicotine-addicted part of your brain. It will try its hardest to convince you to smoke. It will tell you that you have a great excuse to smoke, the best excuse in the world, the type of excuse that nobody could possibly blame you for choosing to smoke. Hell, your excuse is just so damn good that you suspect a lot of non-smokers would pick up a cigarette if they were in your situation. Trust me, no matter what your excuse is - it is total and utter b@llocks. (NB - Calling b@llocks to relapses has been covered previously. I am not going knee-deep in b@llocks again - b@llocks to that, sorry!
So, to sum up, to deal with the unavoidable craves that will arise:
DFS x infinity, followed by NOPE for the rest of your life. -
Advice
Goggles Off's Guide to Calling B@llocks on Relapses
Once you have been a member of Quitnet for a while, it can become a little like Groundhog Day at times, with relapses happening all over it seems. Members will post that they have relapsed sometimes explaining WHY they have relapsed (notice I use the word relapse and not slip - they have not landed flat on their @rse, ergo it's not a slip it's a relapse - call it for what it is people.
I am here (thankfully with lots of others) to call b@llocks on any, and all, excuses given to choose to return to smoking.
1. I had too many stressful things happening all at once. Answer - B@llocks. Everyone has stress in their lives. I can guarantee that there will always be someone worse off than you. Are you seriously saying that you're going to smoke every time life gets too stressful for you? If so, prepare yourself to smoke until you die. You know what is really stressful? Cancer, COPD, and all the various other illnesses that smoking contributes to. Arguments with spouses, children, bosses, complete strangers can be dealt with choosing to smoke.
2. Bereavement. Very, very sad and feel for anybody going through a bereavement. But using it for a relapse is still b@llocks. Say you've been quit 30+ days, a bereavement will provoke some serious craves. Say you choose to act on these craves. What happens? Nothing has changed, the person you love is still dead, you don't feel any better - in fact you have a sore throat, maybe a sore head, you stink and now you have re-opened the door to your addiction and it has returned with a vengeance.
3. Weight gain. Also total b@llocks. I get it, I really do. However, getting a little fatter is not a reason to choose to return to smoking. In the 4+ years since I've quit smoking, I've put on weight, lost it, put it all back on again and am in the process of losing it again. Weight gain can be dealt with later, or at the same time if you so wish. It is another CHOICE, we aren't forced to eat barrowloads of junk food (well, after the first month anyway).
4. Illness. Biggest b@llocks excuse ever. This BS I hate more than any other BS. Only an addict would claim that they had to smoke due to illness. Any sane, reasonable, non-addicted person realises that the worst possible thing to do when you are ill is to breathe toxic fumes with sh*tloads of chemicals into your lungs. Like you're really going to say 'Ah, I can feel that 3000+ toxic chemicals doing my (* insert illness here) the world of good! Biggest b@llocks excuse ever!
Now, the only way to be free from smoking is to CHOOSE not to smoke when you face these issues, and you will face most of these issues and probably more. You will not get through the rest of your life without facing stress, bereavement and illness. These triggers lose their power when you choose NOPE. What else can you do? Wait until you're physically unable to smoke cos of COPD? That's what my Gran did. She didn't want to stop smoking but became physically unable to. Her last 10 years weren't pretty - she was unable to leave her house as she got totally breathless just going to the bathroom. Don't let that be you!
There is only one reason that you smoke (not excuse) and that is because you are ADDICTED. Free yourself from the addiction by researching what's called 'stinking thinking' and romancing the smoke, because if you think that smoking a cigarette actually helped you or your situation - well, that's just total b@llocks.
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