Alberta Quits Group

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Alberta Quits

4040

This group is for quitters from Alberta both new and migrating from Alberta Quits allowing us to...

4040

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Thought for Today

Saturday Smile

Teach

17 hours 17 hrs

6,619 Days Quit

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.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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

Teach

17 hours 17 hrs

6,619 Days Quit

Good morning everybuddy!
Happy Saturday.

Nice sleep in today. I am going to share my posts today and get dressed and hit the grocery store. Get groceries done and head for home. Unsure what else I will get up to today but smoking will not be part of it. Saying NO to smoking and YES to kicking ash to the curb. I hold my hand out in friendship and support to the next winning quitter joining me.
Have a good one.
Cara
D6618

3Y 9M
Life Saved
$98,277
Money Saved
178,686
Unsmoked

Show previous comments (2)

Thought for today

Friday Smile

Teach

yesterdayyesterday

6,619 Days Quit

Repost:  Rules of Quitting

A post to give you a smile today.....some truth mixed with smiles.
Have a good one!
Cara
D6617

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Rules of quitting
From Dr.Avery on 5/9/2011 7:31:20 PM

Disclaimer: This post is just for fun, and not meant to be taken too seriously.

In order to successfully drop smoking like a bad habit once and for all, there are certain habits - rules to follow - that tend seem to be instrumental to success.

1. Don't smoke. Don't smoke if something bad happens, don't smoke if something good happens, don't smoke even if nothing is happening. Don't f@cking smoke.

2. For the first week, NyQuil is your best friend. Stay sauced, stay groggy, stay asleep. If you don't feel comfortable misusing an over the counter drug, consider the fact that you've been inhaling a potent combination of known carcinogens for several years now.

3. You don't have to know why you want to smoke to break under the pressure, but you DO have to know why you don't want to smoke if you're going to survive.

4. Smoking was, is, and will always be your decision. No one else can make you smoke. Once you start blaming others for your habit, you are no longer responsible. Once you eliminate your personal responsibility for your addiction, you have made the first step towards relapse.

5. If you can't drink without smoking, quit drinking. If you can't eat without smoking, don't eat. If you can't drive without smoking, quit driving. If you can't enjoy marital relations without smoking, sleep on the couch. Once you are tired of depriving yourself of everything to avoid smoking, you will learn the truth: You *can* do all of these things without smoking.

6. That said, protect your quit. If hanging outside with the smokers is going to be more temptation than you can handle, go inside. Can't go to Vegas without smoking? Postpone your vacation. In a few short months you'll be ready for real life. Take it easy when you can.

7. If you use a gum, patch, pill, lozenge, or other cessation aid, buy extras and carry spares. For example: If you use the lozenge, keep 2 vials in your pants, keep a vial in your room, a vial in your car, and a vial at your desk at work. That way, when you forget to put your lozenges back in your pocket, or if you run out unexpectedly, or if you wear different pants, you always have a backup.

8. It might not yet seem easier not to smoke if you don't smoke today, but it will be almost infinitely harder not to smoke if you do. We are all one puff away from being full time smokers again. It will never be safe to have 'just one'.

9. Start easy and ramp up the difficulty as you go. Visiting your indoor chain-smoking in-laws might have to wait a few months. Sooner or later, you will have to deal with the world on its own terms. Start slowly, and work your way into harder scenarios. You can't live in a cave forever. Eventually the world is going to force you into a worst case scenario. Be prepared.

10. Your old smoking buddies will test your resolve. Constantly. Try to remember that deep down inside, they want to quit and your success is a constant reminder of their own shortcomings. Just don't be a jerk about it. Your confidence in your quit is revenge enough.

11. You eventually have to quit your NRT / prescription. Take your time, but if you're using a cessation aid, that's the next thing you'll have to quit.

12. Learn to take breaks for no reason. Smoking used to be the reason for breaks, but breaks are still important. They keep you from burning out at work, and they keep you thinking effectively.

Repost: Rules of Quitting

A post to give you a smile today.....some truth mixed with smiles.
Have a good one!
Cara
D6617

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

Rules of quitting
From Dr.Avery on 5/9/2011 7:31:20 PM

Disclaimer: This post is just for fun, and not meant to be taken too seriously.

In order to successfully drop smoking like a bad habit once and for all, there are certain habits - rules to follow - that tend seem to be... Show more

Show previous comments (1)

Teach

yesterdayyesterday

6,619 Days Quit

Good morning all
Happy Friday and a huge TGIF!!!!!!

I am up and going for the day today. In the office and after my week, this will be like a vacation. Smoking is not going to be part of my day not today, not any day. Saying NO to smoking and keeping moving forward along the Freedom Road. I offer my hand in friendship and support to the next winning quitter joining me today.
Have a fantastic Friday!
Cara
D6617

3Y 9M
Life Saved
$98,262
Money Saved
178,659
Unsmoked

Show previous comments (2)

Thought for today

Thursday Smile

Repost: How to make quitting really hard

I made my quit hard in the early days by focusing on all the negatives - I can see that now. Today, all I feel is FREE!!!!
Quitting is doable.
KTQ
Cara
D6616

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by thinking you're missing out on something great by not smoking
by remembering how great they taste and how much you enjoyed them
by thinking you can't be yourself/enjoy yourself or do things without them... Show more

Good morning all
Happy Thursday!!!!

Up and going for the day today. I am heading out to Cochrane again today for the day. I am already tired lol. Smoking is not going to be part of my day today. I am saying NO to smoking and keeping to my path along the Freedom Road. I hold my hand out to the next winning quitter joining me kicking ash to the curb today.
Have a good one
Cara
D6616

3Y 9M
Life Saved
$98,248
Money Saved
178,632
Unsmoked

Show previous comments (1)

Thought for today

Wednesday Smile

Repost:  Recognizing Needs

Excellent repost - great reminder that sometimes what we need has nothing to do with smoking - we just think it does.
Have a great day.
Cara
D6615

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Recognizing Needs (repost)
From Eric7704 on 8/3/2007 3:34:25 PM
Post by Bob 5/26/2002

I still have to remind myself of things.

One of the most insidious things about the drug nicotine, and it's most common vehicle of entry, the cigarette, is that, over time, the crave they generate hijacks the natural, healthy craves we, as human beings, go through on a regular basis.... daily... hourly.

Things like hunger, thirst, the need to sleep, the need to exercise, sex-drive, the need for companionship, the need to be creative, the need for escape, the need to take deep breaths and count to 10....... over time, the crave for nicotine becomes entwined with the natural, healthy, instinctive craves that are associated with healthy living. The nicotine crave feels similar to the others. They become confused. We take nicotine instead of food. Use instead of quenching our thirst. No time for a nap, I'll inhale nicotine instead. I've got a long drive.... I don't want to pull over, I'll use nicotine.... I'm restless, I'll take nicotine (instead of going for a walk).

Eventually, the nicotine crave takes over. We use as either a replacement for or as a constant companion to the fulfillment of our normal physical and mental needs. Like a cuckoo bird's egg is laid in the healthy nest of another bird, the nicotine crave is planted amongst our need-to-live craves, and eventually, like a parasite, takes over.

This is important, because, when we quit, we face the challenge of learning to recognize the natural craves of our bodies and minds for what they are. As work 6 or 8 hours without a bite to eat, and we start to feel edgy, we assume it's the call of nicotine, without recognizing that we'd substituted cigarette breaks for lunch breaks so often as smokers that we never understood the call of hunger for what it was. As 3am rolls around, cramming for a final, and the body's need to sleep starts making demands, we mistake it for the call of nicotine, because we'd always used that instead of sleep in the past.

One I still encounter results from not drinking enough water. I'll get wrapped up in some project, and forget to have a glass of water or any kind of liquid for hours on end. The pack was always right in the pocket, and an easy reach when I was a smoker working at home. I'd smoke instead of hydrating then. So, now, when I get thirsty, I still occasionally recognize it as a nicotine crave.

I've learned -- and this is the point -- when I get what I think is a crave to examine it. To ask myself, okay, I'm craving something... is it really nicotine? Have I eaten? Have I had enough water? Am I run down? Have I exercised in the past couple of days? As often as not, I find that I'm craving something I actually NEED, and not nicotine at all. I find this especially when I get any kind of physical type of crave. I know I'm WAY past withdrawal. But I feel this physical call... my body is demanding something, but it's not nicotine.

Learn to investigate your body's craves. You feel something... DON'T assume it's a nicotine crave. Sure, they come now and then, but our body uses similar feelings to get us to fill the daily needs of life. Go through the list. Are you hungry, tired, thirsty, angry, restless, run down? Do you need to eat, sleep, drink, vent, exercise, rest? Your body and mind have real needs, and it has ways of asking for them. Learn to listen, and you'll find that they might not be asking for nicotine as often as you thought. Learn to answer the needs by fulfilling them, instead of replacing them with nicotine, and you'll find health benefits you might not have expected.

Repost: Recognizing Needs

Excellent repost - great reminder that sometimes what we need has nothing to do with smoking - we just think it does.
Have a great day.
Cara
D6615

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

Recognizing Needs (repost)
From Eric7704 on 8/3/2007 3:34:25 PM
Post by Bob 5/26/2002

I still have to remind myself of things.

One of the most insidious things about the drug nicotine, and it's most common vehicle of entry,... Show more

Good morning all
Happy Wednesday!!!!!!

Up and going for the day today. I am off to Cochrane for the day and I have a massage appointment tonight. Smoking is not on my agenda today or any day thank you much. I say NO to smoking and I am keeping to my path along the Freedom Road. I extend my hand in friendship and support to the next winning quitter joining me kicking ash to the curb today.
Have a great day
Cara
D6615

3Y 9M
Life Saved
$98,233
Money Saved
178,605
Unsmoked