Changing your mind is NOT OPTIONAL, Addict....REPOST

This is a great re-post that really shows the true meaning behind quitting and staying quit. Relapse does not have to be an option! I was leaving the door open. I no longer will. We know we cannot control smoking. Surrender now!

 

A great quote from this is "Quitting smoking is a journey not a destination!"

 

Adam

 

Changing Your Mind is NOT OPTIONAL, Addicts!

From allsfair on 12/28/2013 8:44:36 AM

Quitting smoking is easy: you just have to change everything - at least there's no issue about figuring out what to change or how much...you have to totally change your mind.

If you're new, staying smoke free has to come first. I don't buy this notion that relapse is "part of a stop smoking program." I never relapsed (slipped, tripped or puffed, whatever), and I know many people who didn't. If you already start off with the notion in your head that relapse could be a part of your program, you're already making a reservation to relapse, and guess what? Relapse you will. 

However, if you do relapse (and ANY smoking has to be considered a relapse, period), it's not a moral deficiency: you just get right back to not smoking, even 10 minutes at a time, but don't go into it with the though that relapse is part of quitting. 

Quitting is quitting. Smoking (or relapsing) is not quitting, and never the twain shall meet. Likewise, not smoking is not smoking - smoking at any point isn't ever "not smoking," period, end of story.

So, don't pick up and light up, even if your ass falls off, and you won't smoke. That's the one and only "way" to quit: don't smoke. There is no other "way."

Now that we have that out of the way, what does it mean that you have to change your mind? You have to change your mind back to that of a non-smoker. For a non-smoker, smoking is never the answer to any issue, problem, celebration, task, stress, etc. A non-smoker never has an excuse to smoke, because they just don't smoke. A non-smoker isn't "quitting," an "ex-smoker" or someone who "used to smoke." 

As an addict, you didn't need any reason to smoke - you just mindlessly puffed away every day. You told yourself ridiculous stories about "enjoying" smoking and how it was your "reward" or how it "helped you." That's just silly addict talk. 

When you are first quitting, and trying to change your mind, your addict (who is a liar and wants to kill you) will produce all kinds of excuses (in the form of "reasons") why you should smoke - if you start thinking like a non-smoker again, these things never come up. This will be your first indication WHY you have to change your mind. Who wants to keep thinking about smoking?

There's no way to "control" smoking or "controlling your quit" - this isn't an issue of "control." Addicts by definition are out of control - and so were you - you couldn't decide to smoke 1/4 of a cigarette every time, or only 2/day or only a pack every two weeks - you tried that many, many times, but you couldn't do it. Even when you were deathly ill you had to smoke - so why tell yourself stories now about "controlling your addiction" or "controlling smoking?" Non-smokers don't have to "control" smoking - they don't smoke, period.

So how do we change our minds back to that of a non-smoker? It takes time. Time and work and effort - it just doesn't happen overnight. You don't declare yourself to "have arrived." What it starts with is a complete abstinence from smoking, usually one minute at a time. and then up to one day at a time. As time goes by, you will think about smoking less and less, until you're not thinking about it at all - your mind is changing back into that of a non-smoker. You weren't born smoking, so you are unlearning smoking and returning to your original position: non-smoker.

Other things to think about, methods, and strategies will appear to you from people with long-time quits, or you will come upon one of your own through working a daily program of complete abstinence and treating your addiction with love and care - but again, there's only one WAY to quit: don't smoke. 

You will get the idea - there's no declaring you are there, or finished, or finally quit or declaring you are "forever quit" - you haven't done anything other than not smoke since you woke up this morning - humility is more important than some imagined accomplishment. 

Neither can you rush your way into a long-time quit (unless ripping the fabric of the space-time continuum is an every day thing for you). This is a daily path of RECOVERY FROM ACTIVE ADDICTION that you learn to follow, it's not, nor has it ever been, a destination.

Take care of yourself today. Resolve not to smoke today (even if your ass falls off), and each day, one day at a time. Over time, things will be come more clear to you. You will change your mind and one day will be able to say you are definitely a non-smoker again...

Houston (Non-Smoker)

Day 3385

I didn't have any excuse to smoke...(RP)

I must be a giant wuss because I teared a bit at the end of this. I feel like this every day but I've relapsed so so so so many times...I know what it does. Sometimes you wanna give up. Sometimes you wanna throw it all away and in the moment you don't know what to do. When this happens the one thing I know I can do is KEEP THE QUIT! Stand up and work towards something bigger and better and keep movin forward!

REPOST~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I didn’t have any excuse to smoke

From Mamzer on 6/10/2003 6:52:22 PM

I got up late this morning because the alarm didn’t wake me. Well if reality were known I most likely shut it off and went back to sleep. I had 15 minutes to get ready for work. I ran to the coffee pot, it has a timer, wife made the coffee last night. Looked at the pot, no coffee made, the timer was set to PM instead of AM. Turned on the coffee pot and headed for the shower.

Not much time so I jumped in the shower, soaped down, got shampoo in my hair, some in my eyes too, and the hot water was gone. Oh great, I forgot to turn up the water heater after turned it down to replace the valve that blew out and flooded the hallway last night. So after rinsing the soap off with cold water, I reached for a towel, oh no, I used all of them to dry up the water in the hallway, I use 10 washcloths and my robe to dry off. Well at least there is no steam on the mirror. I grab for my hairbrush that promptly falls into the toilet that I didn’t flush because I didn’t want the water to change temperature while I was in the shower. Fish my brush out with the plunger, make a mess but, no way am I going to put my hand in there. I left the brush lying by the toilet, I don’t have time to do anything about it now and nobody will use it if I leave it there. Comb my hair with a small plastic comb from the medicine cabinet, it has a few teeth missing and when I finish there even more gone, put on my wet robe and head for the kitchen.

The coffeepot has only hot water in it, in all the hubbub my wife forgot to the coffee in the strainer. I use the hot water to make instant coffee. Yuck, gag me. 

There is a pack of smokes sitting on the cabinet next to the range, a thought passes through my head, I could sit down here at the table light one up then call my boss tell him I’m sick and not coming in today, but NO, I can’t do that, I won’t do that. A quick look at the clock tells me I’m already 15 minutes late and I haven’t even started dressing. I head down the still damp hallway in my damp robe with my, yuck, instant coffee, into the bedroom to get dressed.

My pants are hanging neatly the closet, only two pairs still fit my amply endowed derriere, I look for those but they’re not hanging in there. I stuff myself into the biggest pair in the closet, two sizes smaller than I am now, I suck in my ever growing gut, get them snapped and pray to God the zipper holds. Then put on a huge Hawaiian shirt to cover up just in case, grab my shoes and socks and head back to the kitchen. I wouldn’t want to sit on the bed to try and put on socks and shoes, I might never get back up in these tight pants.

Back in the kitchen sitting in a chair, still gagging on the instant coffee, pants too tight and already digging into my belly, holes in the toes of my socks, putting on my shoes when "POP" my shoelace brakes. I tie the shoelace in a knot and look again at the smokes beckoning me to smoke just one. I decline, I’m now 25 minutes late. I skip breakfast, my pants are too tight for me to eat anything anyway, and head for my truck. 

The ride to work was the normal 45 minutes of insanity. People swerving in and out and all around, thousands of people wanting to do twice the speed limit with one or two wanting to do 10 mph under it, in front of them all. Two garbage trucks in a neck-to-neck race blocking two lanes of the interstate highway and my favorite a gravel truck in the so called fast lane spilling gravel in all directions and proudly displaying a small sign saying, (STAY BACK 500 FEET – NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR CRACKED WINDSHIELDS), a sign that could never be read at that distance and if you are close enough to read it your windshield is already cracked or getting pitted. Why are these trucks on the highway during rush hour anyway? 

Finally I pull in to the parking lot at work and only 25 minutes late, but someone is in my usual parking space, I have to park a half-mile from the door. I hike to the entrance where in a cloud of smoke five of my smoking buddies stand. One says in a joking tone “Good of you to join us” and another “Good afternoon”. I think about bumming a smoke but go inside instead. 

I reach my office 30 minutes late, passed the bosses office he wasn’t there, I might get away with this. Oh great, there is my boss, sitting at my desk waiting and he really doesn’t look too happy. To put it simply, he wants to know why the France shipment is in Malaysia, the Marlow Bucks, UK shipment is in Munich, Germany and why I’m late. I mumble something about traffic jam, making up the time at lunch and tell him I’ll check the shipping forms. Could this all be due to CRS syndrome? Could I have been this out of it? Maybe I should just go smoke and get it over, no I can’t now, but I will later if things don’t improve. 

Things don’t improve, the messed up shipments my boss knew about were only the scum on the surface of a very polluted ocean of piss. 

I went down to talk to the guy in shipping, which sat outside on the dock and smoked while I tried to not smoke and explain the foul up. He offered me a smoke, my hand went out to grab and there it was, I wanted to smoke it, but I handed it back and laughed it off. As I left he told me the problem would be fixed in a few days, he smoked 5 cigarettes while I talked to him. I went back to my office smelling like I had smoked a few myself. Just what I need to smell like all day, I should have just smoked one with him. I sat down at my desk and spent the next two hours sending E-mail apologies.

Finally I can take a moment for myself and I need it bad, the first thing that came to mind is, I need to go smoke, always did after finishing a project. Oh well not this time, went for my new addiction, The QuitNet. I log in and start to update my profile page when my boss walks in and looks at me like, what the hell are you doing. I explained that the screw up was being handled and I was just taking a quick break. But the look was still there, that you think you deserve a break after coming in late a messing up all the equipment orders, look. I logged off the Q-net and started working on some broken computers, part of my job, the boss man walks away shaking his head, oh sure, it’s fine to go smoke for 15 or 20 minutes every hour or so but sit at my desk and do something not in the line of duty, God forbid. 

I am now in a piss poor mode and ready to smoke and not just one but a few hundred, one won’t help this and damn it neither will a few hundred. I’ll just wait and smoke later if I have to, maybe at lunch. Lunchtime at last, let’s see, go to lunch, or make up for being late, it’s go to lunch. Of course, the boss is in the lunchroom so I go outside with the smokers and no lunch. The smoke smells kind of good today, too good, I have to get out of here. I waunder back to my desk and start typing  my 100 day, Elder ramble. Somehow, someway, I make it to the end of the day smoke free. It’s time to go home. 

The trip home is the same as the ride in. Same gravel trucks, same NASCAR drivers in trash trucks, the same too slow people in front of the too fast and finally I home again. Grab the mail, all bills, the phone bill is due, the electric is due, the water is overdue, and the mortgage payment is now 65 dollars more a month then it was because the taxes went up. Maybe I should send in all of these credit card offers, I could use one to pay the other and maybe get by without paying anything for the next month or so, or I could mix them all up and send them all back to the wrong places, or better yet send them these bills. 

Wife, daughter and son-in-law are on the patio smoking, they all said they would quit if I did, I guess they were talking about something else. I join them and try to sit where the smoke won’t get me, maybe the moon. That’s it I can’t take any more, I reach for the pack and pull one out and stick it in my mouth, sure glad I have my Juicy Fruit gum.

Over the past 100 + days I have had several excuses to start smoking again and I could have used any one of them or none of them, but the truth is no matter how bad it gets there is no reason or excuse good enough to start smoking again or any good enough to keep you from quitting. Smoking will never solve any problem, it will only add to it. I didn’t have any excuse to smoke. So I didn’t

You Can't...(Gummer RP)

Plain and Simple!

Adam~D46~NOPT

REPOST~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

You can't...

From gummer on 10/24/2007 5:51:45 PM

.... lose a quit. You can only throw it away.

Conversely, a quit is not just going to happen for you... 

... you have to make it happen.

There is no luck... no accidents... no serendipity... involved in quitting.

You determine exactly what happens at all times.

And that is GOOD news.

Because this responsibility IS what makes it possible for any of us to quit.

Remember... it is all UP TO YOU. And it is all ABOUT YOU. And it is all FOR YOU.

Make it happen.

Gummer

An Open Letter from Addiction....(RP)

Simply put...Addiction is not a joke. You have to make that stand and take back control in your life or you'll forever be a slave until the day you die!

Adam 
d46 

REPOST~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

An open letter from Addiction
From judyinjersey2010 on 4/7/2012 2:10:42 PM
I destroy homes, I tear families apart. I take your children and that's just the start. I'm more costly then diamonds, more precious then gold, The sorrow I bring is a sight to behold. If you need me remember I'm easily found. I live all around you. In schools and in town. I live with the rich, I live with the poor, I live down the street...maybe even next door...I am made in such ways..you can shoot, smoke or swallow me.

My power is awesome. Try me You'll see,, but if you do you may never break free. Just try me once and I may let you go, but try me twice and I'll own your soul. When I possess you, you'll steal and lie. You'll do what you have to just to get high. The crimes you'll commit for my narcotic charms will be worth the pleasure you'll feel in your arms.

You'll lie to your mother, you'll steal from your dad. When you see their fear, you should feel sad, but you'll forget your morals and how you were raised. I'll be your conscience. I'll teach you my ways. I'll take kids from parents, and parents from kids. I turn people from God, and separate friends. I'll take everything from you, your looks and your pride. I'll be with you always, right by your side.

You'll give up everything, your family, your home, your friends, your money, then you'll be all alone. I'll take and take, till you have nothing more to give. When I'm finished with you, you'll be lucky to live.

If you try me be warned, this is no game. If given the chance, I'll drive you insane, I'll ravish your body, I'll control your mind. I'll own you completely, your soul will be mine.

The nightmares I'll give you while lying in bed, the voices you'll hear from inside your head the sweats, the shakes, the visions you'll see I want you to know, these are all gifts from me.

But then its to late, and you'll know in your heart, that you are mine,,,and we shall not part. You'll regret that you tried me. They always do, but you came to me, not I to you.
You knew this would happen, many times you were told
but you challenged my power, and chose to be bold, You could of said no and just walked away. If you could live that day over now what would you say?

I'll be your master and you'll be my slave. I'll even go with you when you go to your grave. Now that you met me, what will you do? Will you try me or not? It's all up to you

I can bring you more misery than words can tell
come take my hand, let me lead you to Hell

The Fork in the Road....(RP)

Wow!!! Amazing post. Thank you so much! I got to that fork in the road and new I had to make a final decision...

live in permanent misery and die earlier from smoking?

or

live in temporary discomfort and live every day to the fullest and for a longer time?

I chose the latter!

Adam~D43~NOPT

REPOST~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Fork in the road.

I often think what I would be like today if I hadn’t quit smoking almost four years ago. I imagine myself walking up to the still smoking me who is now on oxygen standing out in the cold on the street smoking because that’s the only place you can smoke anymore. I walk up on this other version of me and simply ask why. I start yelling at this other me saying look at yourself your killing us. You stink you can’t hardly breathe your carrying around oxygen and you look like death.

That’s when the other you says in a raspy voice, there’s no point stopping now I only have a few months left to live. I have been diagnosed with untreatable lung cancer and with our health I have no chance of a transplant.

Why didn’t I quit when I had the chance the other you says through tears. Then the other you says the same lame excuses you once made before quitting. It was just too hard, I was under too much stress, I was going to quit when life calmed down.

Well you say to the other you, If you had quit look what you would have become. I go to the gym four days a week. I can run over two miles without stopping. I don’t smell like an ashtray. I get to do fun things like hike with my kids, ride my bike to work and all with little effort. I don’t have to carry that oxygen around and struggle for my next breath. With a little courage and a ton of will power this too could have been your future.

All you can do is shake your head at the other you and gladly walk away from what could have been your fate. When will that other you happen? How many chances are you willing to give that other you? When will the next slip be the one that finally decides your fate and now it’s too late?
Don’t be that version that has to face that future.

Stay strong dont let the other you win and NO MATTER WHAT… DON’T SMOKE!!

Wolf D 1393

advice for a friend...

This is advice I gave a friend that I thought would even be good advice for myself. We are always good at giving others advice, now it's time to listen to what we have to say for ourselves also!

Have faith, one day at a time. anytime you have a crave reach out, talk it out, wait through it. You know what the answer is for smoking. I've been there and done that too. I barely have the right to say these things but I hope it keeps hope alive for both of us. I'm still in the thick of it every day but I'm not giving up or in this time. Gotta keep on going. I told myself whatever it takes this time. no excuse in the world to smoke no matter how low or high things go, smoking has nothing to do with these things.

Adam
D43
NOPT

The Snowball Effect of Recovery

Invest in yourself. Do small and simple acts that you've been putting off because of the smoking addiction. Your recovery will grow and strengthen. Every time you do something new, you are taking steps to stay accountable and build the foundation of your "new normal" life. They all add up to the bigger picture and natural balance of life. That's what I've learned!

Whether it's buying those shoes you always wanted but never had enough money, jogging that lake that you never had the energy for because smoking drained it, helping your elderly neighbor buy groceries or starting that garden you always dreamed of. BEGIN IT NOW! It will instill the new path, the new way of life and you'll see the contrast in how you used to live life under the dark shadows of addiction as a slave.
 
That is the snowball effect of recovery, and the main thing that propels my quit and makes it a reality every day and in the "NOW"! As you go along, others will catch on to what you are doing and the "snowball effect" will reach lengths and other people you never dreamed possible. BEGIN IT NOW!

Adam
D28/4weeks

Quitting Mantra's (Wisdom for Recovering Smokers)

Wisdom for Recovering Smokers

From lancer071 on 10/30/2009 6:53:39 AM

Wisdom for Recovering Smokers 

Quitting is as repetitive a process as smoking. So, try to create new habits which do not include smoking. 

It's better to be an ex-smoker with an occasional desire to smoke, than a smoker with a constant desire to stop doing it. 

I DON'T SMOKE! 

Smoking is not an option. It's just no longer an option. 

The craving will pass whether you smoke or not. 

I'm a puff away from a pack a day. 

There is no such thing as just one cigarette. 

I am not deprived of anything by having quit smoking. In fact, it is the smokers who are deprived - of health, energy, money, confidence, peace of mind, courage, tranquility, freedom, and self-respect. 

We only have one day to not smoke in. Today. 

Don't envy smokers and bemoan the fact that you no longer are one. Start seeing them as the miserable creatures they really are and pity them. You wouldn't envy a heroin addict. 

Someday I'll find it hard to believe that I ever smoked. 

The cravings do diminish with time. HANG IN THERE! 

Own your quit. 

It's takes practice to become an experienced former smoker. 

Hang Tuff! Don't Puff! 

You're GREAT! You don't smoke anymore!! You don't HAVE to smoke. 

Smoking is a choice. 

Quitting is a process, not a single act. 

The URGE to smoke does pass! 

Craving - Nicodemon - BITE ME! 

Remember your discomforts (of quitting - the first few days)...They are valuable in order to stay quit! 

H.A.L.T. - Don't get too hungry, angry, lonely or tired. 

There are better companions than cigarettes! 

REWARD YOURSELF! Notice how you are improving!! 

Tell yourself, "I've ended the habit, just not the addiction".....(to stay off cigs). 

Drink lots of water in those first few weeks, and take deep breaths and slow exhales when the cravings hit. 

Don't be afraid to quit, rather be afraid NOT to quit. 

There is no way out but through. 

I can get up in the morning and take a deep breath without that tightness or coughing. 

My house smells great. 

Congratulate yourself on the fact that you have STOPPED, not on "having a go" or "another try". YOU HAVE STOPPED SMOKING. 

You should feel FANTASTIC about yourself because you no longer smoke; it's the best thing you will never ever do again! 

One is too many, and a thousand is never enough! 

"Not One, Not now, Not ever" 

Theres always money in my pocket. 

You can do this, you are doing it, one day at a time. 

Practice stress reduction techniques. 

'Progress, Not Perfection' 

You have to gain 75lbs to do the same level of damage to yourself as a pack-a-day habit will. 

Confidence is nice, but doing the foot-work is better. Confidence is the RESULT of accomplishment, and my money goes on the one who's got blisters 

Once you stop smoking the tendency is to blame everything that goes wrong on the fact that you have quit. 

No thank you, I don't smoke! 

"If I light up now, eventually I'll have to quit again.... who the heck wants to go through that again?--NOT ME!!!" 

Being quit for a year is just a long string of one day at a time quits put together. 

In restaurants always remember to say: "Non-smoking, please." 

In the end, you will be very swollen from the steriods you're on to keep what's left of your air passages open. You will have an oxygen tube hanging from your face, and you won't be able to go anywhere w/ out it. Your fingers, lips, toes, feet will all be purple, and your skin will have little to no color left to it. At the very end, you will be so oxygen deprived that you will not be able to form a coherent sentence, or even recognize those people who love you most in this world. You will be gasping for air. 

Say it out loud - "Today I am proud of ME!" 

Whatever it takes to stay smober. 

It was a long walk into the woods, its a long walk out. 

When you have a craving or a smoking thought, confront it, face it and don't hide or try to avoid it. 

When you have a craving, ask yourself what if anything triggered it? what are you going to do instead? and, the hard one for most smokers, how do I feel about the trigger and how do I feel right now in general? 

Everytime you think a cigarette will stop a craving, imagine a heroin junkie pathetically spiking his/her arm with a syringe. Is that really helping their situation? Will a cigarette really help yours? 

---The NOT AN OPTION list: 

1. "JUST ONE" is not an option. 

2. "NOT BECOMING UN-ADDICTED" is not an option. 

3. "NOT ACCEPTING YOUR ADDICTION" is not an option. 

4. "WALLOWING IN SELF PITY AND AMBIVALENCE" is not an option 

5. "DOING IT OVERNIGHT OR WITH MAGICAL TRICKS" is not an option. 

6. "GETTING HOOKED AGAIN" is not an option. 

7. "TO QUIT QUITTING" is not an option. 

8. "TRYING TO DO IT ALONE" is not an option. 

9. "TO SURRENDER BEFORE GIVING IT A BATTLE" is not an option. 

10. "TO SAY THAT I CAN'T DO IT is not an option. 

Slipping is not an option. 

Skip don't Slip; Keep the Quit. 

Be more and more focused on living life,and less focused on how you need to change. 

Don't smoke no matter what ... no matter what don't smoke! 

Whatever you decide will work --- will in fact work. 

The Q LIFE: read the information in the library, don't smoke, check out the news section, don't smoke, read the posts, don't smoke, reply to the posts, don't smoke, post your own, don't smoke, chat, don't smoke, post, don't smoke, read some more, don't smoke, drink water, don't smoke, go for a walk, don't smoke, call a friend, don't smoke, have a bubble bath, don't smoke....do whatever you want to do EXCEPT smoke!!! That's out of the question!! 

If having problems, keep asking yourself "How is smoking going help this problem." It won't. Don't smoke! 

To everyone who is just starting to feel the benefits of quitting: smoking is pretty disgusting when you're a non-smoker. It hurts, it makes you splutter, it tastes bad. Smoking will never be the way you remember it, because you aren't used to it any more. 

If you fail to prepare, be prepared to fail

The Mountain of Life ~RP~

This is my favorite post I have ever read. I feel David is talking my story! I try to keep it in mind daily as I hike to the summit! SEE YOU AT THE TOP!

Adam

D26

NOPT

REPOST~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

The Mountain Of Life:

From Titotiger on 7/20/2010 11:28:42 AM

THE MOUNTAIN OF LIFE

by David L. Weatherford.

A young boy stood at the foot of an unimaginably enormous mountain. It was so tall he could not see the top. For a long while, he stared at the huge piece of earth, contemplating the challenge of climbing the mountain. Not far away, he spotted an old man. He approached the man and asked him about the mountain and what would be required to successfully scale the great obstacle. The old man, it turned out, had for many years watched as countless others navigated their way up the mountain, and he offered the wisdom of his years to the youngster.

"This is the mountain of life, young fellow," he began. "Everyone must face the challenge of the mountain; some will reach the summit, but many will fall. I cannot tell you how to reach the top, for each climber must find his own way. But I will share with you 10 laws that apply to climbing the mountain of life." He then went on to recite them to the young boy:

1. While many people believe there is only one path to the mountaintop, this is not so. Indeed there are many routes that lead there. It is not the path chosen that is key, but rather the way in which one travels.

2.If you stop to whine every time you step on a pebble, you will never reach the top.

3.The best climbers are those who stop to help pull up others who are struggling. It seems to strengthen their arms and legs when they lift others, making themselves more powerful climbers.

4.The difficulties and disappointments faced during the trek to the top will lead to many questions. As you ponder the mysteries of the mountain, take comfort in knowing that all questions will be answered at the summit.

5.The endeavor goes best for those who make the climb with a sense of purpose and presence. It is possible to find purpose in learning, growing and helping as one moves toward the destination; and there is joy in being fully present in each moment, enjoying the beautiful sights and experiences along the way.

6.It is well known that the journey up the mountain varies greatly over time. At times it is pleasant and calm, with cool winds and shade; other times, rocky and treacherous, with long periods of darkness and rain. The successful climbers learn to accept it all--appreciating and savoring the good times, while discovering their strength and will in the hard times.

7.Some will be lazy or misguided and will fail to make the required effort to reach the top. They will play, loaf, and indulge themselves never getting far from the foothills. They will forget the benefits of the hard, but wondrous pilgrimage and never know the rewards gathered at the joyful destination.

8.Remember,everyone you meet on the uphill journey is struggling with the mountain just as you are. You can never know what heavy burdens they must carry with them as they try to find their way. It serves no purpose to discourage, criticize, or judge anyone else. If you can help someone, do it--but never let your treatment of others add to their burden.

9.Because of the adverse conditions that occur along parts of the trip, accompanied by periods of discouragement and even hopelessness, one requires faith to transverse the most arduous aspects of the climb. How else can one navigate in darkness, find his or her way back after being lost, and stay strong when the specter of failure rises up again and again?

10.The Maker of the Mountain waits at the mountaintop to receive those who make their way to the summit of serenity. Wise climbers learn to talk in their hearts to the Maker as they travel, that they might receive an internal light to warm them when they are cold, and guide them when they are in darkness.

And with that said, the old man wished the lad well on his effort to ascend the great mountain. The youngster thanked him and walked away to begin the climb. And under his breath the old man said softly, "I hope I will see you at the top, my child."

And I know that I will.....

See You At The Top

Dave

2,656 Days Quit

The Breakthrough Comes....

This is a great post I've read multiple times from Gummer. He has such inspiring words. He always knows a better way to view this whole quitting thing. We have to stop believing the junky lies and see through the veil of smoke to the truth of what smoking really is. Smoking is Damage!

Adam
D26 ~NOPT

REPOST~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The breakthrough comes...
From gummer on 10/16/2009 11:17:48 PM
From gummer on 9/13/2006 1:54:42 PM
==================================================

... not when you stop craving, but when you stop seeing smoking as a solution to the cravings. It happens when you come to the conclusion that smoking (rather than NOT smoking) is the source of your misery.

At that point you will start to see the withdrawals quite differently... no longer as a desperate need to be filled... but as a side-effect of smoking, as damage to you caused by years of smoking.

Because this yearning to smoke is no different from other effects of smoking... it is damage, plain and simple, just like shortness of breath, or poor circulation, or gum disease. And as with all smoking damage the only hope you have of ever reversing it is by NOT smoking.

So when you feel that craving to smoke, try to see it for the damage that it is, rather than any deprivation of your needs. That urge to smoke does not necessarily mean that YOU want to smoke. It is not a natural and voluntary reaction... it is involuntary and a byproduct of the addiction. It is an effect, a symptom. It does not need to be satisfied. Once you see this, quitting no longer feels like burden.... not smoking will actually feel like therapy, like you finally ARE doing something to counteract this burden, like you are in control again. And that shift of perspective is a huge breakthrough that can finally turn the tables in your favor.

STOP THE INSANITY!! ~RP~

I am a serial quitter on my final quit. I am forever a nicotine addict. Every day I wake I have to take a moment and remind myself of the reality of my addiction to nicotine and the road it takes me down if I take even one single puff. It has driven me crazy and made me do some embarrassing things in the past, just to get my fix. 

I got this post from a quit buddy. This repost is from a man who freed himself from the clutches of this addiction, until the day he died from COPD. I never knew him, but I did see him around the Quitnet forum and he is an inspirational and supportive man! Cheers and RIP

Adam
D26
NOPT

REPOST~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

STOP THE INSANITY

Albert Einstein defined insanity as doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. One of the hardest things we have to do in life, to improve ourselves personally, is to change. But change we must because if we don`t like the results we are getting, and we don`t change what we are doing, we will keep getting the same undesired results.

Now I don`t like the term `Serial Quitter.` I prefer to think of my Q friends who keep relapsing, and keep resetting their Quit Date and Gadget Stats as `Serial Restarters.` These are the QSters who start over again and again and again and keep thinking, `This time I`m going to make it.` Understand, if someone is on the Q trying, I give them all the credit in the world for sticking it out. However, If a QSter keeps trying and keeps getting negative results, they have to take a serious look at what they`re doing. They have to figure out what`s not working; because if what they`re doing isn`t working they become like a car stuck in the mud with its tires spinning. They `re just not going anywhere and they will get frustrated and they will beat themselves up and think, `What`s wrong with me?`

So, do you think this post is addressed to you?. Then you need to step back, take a look at what you`re doing wrong and make a change. I know everyone has it in them to win this never-ending battle. But constantly thinking, `I`m only going to have JUST 1` or `Okay, tomorrow will be different isn't the way to go. You need to devise a Plan B that incorporates a `One Day At A Time` and `Not One Puff Ever` approach.

I know you can do it. I know you can quit smoking. You just have to `STOP THE INSANITY` and I`ll.....

See You At The Top
Dave

What's Ahead....(RP)

A post from a well seasoned Vet in the art of quitting, Gummer! This is a very inspiring post from someone who has been there done that and has made it over the hump and to the other side of addiction. In the early days we have to stay accountable, stay committed daily and most of all have faith and believe that we will come to a point where this whole "quitting forever" thing, doesn't have to be forever!

 

Adam

D26

NOPT

 

REPOST~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

What's ahead

From gummer on 5/24/2012 2:31:44 PM

Gosh, it was nine years yesterday. Nine years since I quit. It doesn't seem that long ago, but then I have a child a few months younger than my quit and he's huge, so I can sort of "see" how long it has been. It's a chunk of my life now.

I like to post around anniversaries just to... I don't know... report back to you from your future? ... let you know what is ahead... because when I first quit my fears of quitting and the struggle to come were far greater than the reality of what I have found. My fears got in the way and they should not have. I would have quit a lot earlier had I known what the future held.

Here is what I want you to know nine years after quitting:

(1) - No matter how you feel now, you will not be quitting forever. You get over the hard stuff. You return to your old self. You forget about smoking. You forget about quitting. You wonder what you ever found in it. Contrary to what I thought, you do not sit there pining for a smoke for all eternity. Quite the contrary, when you think of smoking all you feel is relief that you are no longer trapped doing it. Would I go back? Not on your life!

(2) You can never smoke again. But that's not a problem, because on this side of your quit it is a blessing rather than a curse. I really mean it.

(3) - By quitting TODAY, what you are doing is massively important. What you are doing TODAY will dictate where you find yourself in nine years. I was in my late thirties when I quit... now I am in my late-ish forties. I cannot even imagine how I would find myself today with nine extra years of smoking under my belt and in my lungs. That is an enotmous amount of unnecessary abuse and addiction. At just a pack a day that is another 65,000+ cigarettes I would have smoked!!! Sixty-five-thousand. And for what? Knowing what I know now that is not just tragic, it is criminal. I never needed to smoke. It was only smoking that made me smoke. And it took quitting to learn that.

(4) - You may think you love smoking. You may think you miss smoking. But you are just addicted. That's all. And that is not bad news, it is good news. Quitting is not going to deprive you of something you love... it is going to make you shed a huge burden you are carrying around. Realizing that you are just addicted is what will allow you to free yourself of this curse. Realizing that you are addicted is what will allow you to get yourself un-addicted.

(5) When you become un-addicted... can you smoke again? Nope, because when you become un-addicted the last thing you will ever want is another cigarette! If you find yourself wanting one, then you are still addicted, so you carry on quitting. But honestly, you'll most likely find you never want to smoke again.

(6) Last one, but this one is REALLY important: Your quit will not just happen, it will take place when YOU make it happen, not a moment sooner. There is no magic bullet, no accident, no divine intervention, no luck. It makes no difference if you use NRT or go CT. What matters is that YOU make it happen because until that day, you will continue to be a smoker. Understand that before you let nine more years go by. Only you can stop yourself from smoking. Only you can make yourself smoke.

These are some random thoughts, which I hope will ease your way during the early days. Sometimes you have to plug ahead on blind faith, so I hope that having heard your future is bright might make you hang on long enough to get through a bleak moment, long enough to unmask what is really going on, long enough for that lightbulb to suddenly go off and let you see it so clearly that you start to prefer not smoking to smoking.

Congrats on your quits! Time will fly by once you're over the hump.

Gummer

I just want to feel normal again (RP)

This post is a great reminder that we are finding a "new" normal now, and that we have to be patient with ourselves. Our "new and improved" normal is fueled with a stronger and smarter set of beliefs and wisdom. We will rise to the top...one day at a time we climb that mountain of freedom!

Adam
D26
NOPT

REPOST~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


I just want to feel NORMAL again!
From sallysails on 11/18/2010 8:18:01 AM
 
I wrote this over 3 years ago....New quitters, please know that what you're feeling now is so temporary. You WILL get through this :)

I just want to feel NORMAL again!
From sallysails on 11/3/2007 8:34:40 AM

I just want to feel NORMAL again!

I see lots of folks saying that. I said it. I thought it constantly for a few months after quitting. Around 3 months, I became depressed because I would never be NORMAL again. I thought I would never enjoy life again.

When we quit smoking we're doing a whole lot more than simply ceasing to ignite a tobacco filled tube. We are withdrawing from an addictive substance. One that wove its way into almost every aspect of our lives. The withdrawal process takes time. And we must be patient with ourselves. This is an instant gratification world we live in. We want it, and we want it easily, and we want it now.

When we made the DECISION to quit smoking that meant that we wanted to improve our lives. Already, that is not our old normal. Remember, our old normal was to feed our addiction. Our old normal was to build our lives around feeding that addiction.

So, we will never be our OLD NORMAL again. Thank goodness. We all are rebuilding our NEW & IMPROVED lives. And we will settle into our NEW & IMPROVED NORMAL. That's a very big deal. And it will take some time. And there will be frustration, tears, anger, depression. Weight gain, ugh. But there are also many, many great things, like white teeth, bright skin, fresh smelling house, clothes and car, more free time, self confidence. So please be patient and open minded. Because once you decide to improve your life, you must give yourself time to let the improvement happen.

And one day, in the not too distant future, you will look back on your smoking days and be very thankful that you no longer feel your "old normal".

Cheers,
Sally
enjoying my New & Improved Normal at 280 days
(and now simply estatic at 1391 days....my New & Improved Normal is now ME!!!! and it feels terrific! So very worth the initial days of feeling uncomfortable.)

Two Days We Should Not Worry! ~(RP)

For me, staying smoke free is an instant way to stay in the present moment. One thing I have realized with being free from smoking is that you are always thinking about the past in regret or the future of when you'll quit. I can never be in the "now" when smoking. That's not a way to live life to the fullest!

 

Adam

D26

NOPT

 

(Repost)~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

From Welshcorgimom on 12/10/2007 11:11:04 AM

I've borrowed this from another club I belong to. I really like what it has to say and wanted to share it with y'all......

Two Days We Should Not Worry

There are two days in every week, about which we should not worry,

two days which should be kept free from fear and apprehension.

One of these days is Yesterday with all its mistakes and cares,

its faults and blunders, its aches and pains.

Yesterday has passed forever beyond our control.

All the money in the world cannot bring back Yesterday.

We cannot undo a single act we performed;

we cannot erase a single word we said.

Yesterday is gone forever.

The other day we should not worry about is Tomorrow

with all its possible adversities, its burdens,

its large promise and its poor performance;

Tomorrow is also beyond our immediate control.

Tomorrow's sun will rise,

either in splendor or behind a mask of clouds, but it will rise.

Until it does, we have no stake in Tomorrow,

for it is yet to be born.

This leaves only one day, Today.

Any person can fight the battle of just one day.

It is when you and I add the burdens of those two awful eternities

Yesterday and Tomorrow that we break down.

It is not the experience of Today that drives a person mad,

it is the remorse or bitterness of something which happened Yesterday

and the dread of what Tomorrow may bring.

Let us, therefore,

Live but one day at a time.

Jill

D20

Build that Dream!

Wrote this for a quit friend and wanted to keep it close..... 

We gotta look inside of souls, be honest and do this for ourselves. Smoking has nothing to do with 3D right!!! We are addicts, one puff will just add back the big ugly problem that makes all others worse.

I'm not one much to talk. I am a student in this journey still. I am playing follow the leader. Let's do this though...surprise yourself and flip that attitude around and change your 3D, change your perspective...stay involved....keep moving forward. It's all we got now.

That addiction whether dormant or alive will use any little excuse, lie or problem to get us to open that stinky can back up. Anything that tries to get us to smoke, is a twisted brainwashed lie.

Chin up. Cheer up. Their is no excuse to smoke. period. period. period!
 
Time to build those dreams! Can't do it while smoking anymore!

KISS

Adam
D23
NOPT

It's not ever the quit...(RP)

This is a repost I definitely needed to see and let sink in for the last week or so. My junky mind is trying to blame every little thing on the fact I quit smoking. That's a lie. I keep reminding myself that it is because I smoked for 18 years that certain things are happening. This repost hits the nail on the head!

Adam

D22

(RP)===========================================

From CarlyKicksButts on 3/29/2012 6:19:16 AM

When you quit, you are going to have symptoms. You might....

-have bad gas

-get headaches

-get stomach cramps

-lose all focus

-get discombobulated

-forget things

-have dry mouth

-get little mouth sores

-get a sore throat

-develop a cough

-start coughing up dark gunk

-feel weak and tired

-feel anxiety

-etc.

This is NOT from "quitting" smoking. 

THIS IS THE RESULT OF THE SMOKING. Smoking caused the pain and agony you are going through.

"Not Smoking" does not cause people discomfort, folks. Ask a non smoker...."does not smoking give you a headache?" "The last time you didn't smoke, did not smoking make you tired?" :-)

Nicotine and the hundreds of chemicals are what CAUSE all your agony. The process of getting them OUT of your system isn't pleasant. But the GOOD NEWS is that if you do NOT take one SINGLE puff, this process is a ONE TIME thing. You never have to go through this ever again, and then you can enjoy "not smoking" like the rest of the world.

And it's even way cooler than you can imagine it is.

After smoking 32 years, I just didn't know. It's fan-freaking-tastic. NOT smoking causes happiness. Smoking causes all this crud you're going through.

Maintain the proper perspective and you'll love getting that toxic sludge and crud OUT of your system, even though it's not comfortable.

Just don't blame the quit. Please blame the smoking; that's the cause here!

Carly

d879