Too Busy that I missed my Anniversary.

[Popo72]

So my 2 years stopped was Sunday - two days ago. I missed it!

Today somebody asked me how long I had been stopped now and I had to think about it for a bit and realised - damn I missed my quit anniversary.

I hope to all the new quitters and those struggling that what they read from this is that actually two years in and I dont even give it a second thought. The thought of having a cig stuck in between my fingers is so very very alien to me that I find it hard to remember smoking some times, then I laugh at myself cause I did love my smoking.

You guys all keep hanging in - for the first 6 months just keep the faith that it DOES get better, providing you never have another smoke it WILL get better, and then after the first year (for me it was approaching month 9 or 10) everything just absolutely clicks into place...

The huge secret, the big key, is just never have that one, deny yourself it, lock yourself up, go to bed, anything and do not have it..and join me on the road to happiness and freedom.

I will hang about for a little few days now to see old faces and new faces alike you have found this forum, like I did two years ago, and share laughs and tears and most of all get confirmation that the dzziness, the gut wrenching anxiety and panic, the bleeding gums, the horrific cough, the sore legs, itchy skin, horrible taste, colourful phlegm, all of it is perfectly normal for a body breaking the shackles from years of abuse.

Keep up the faith people. If I do not type again then I will next year.

Paul (Popo)

[nsd_user663_2681]

Omg I loooove this post! It has totally incentivised me again, I can relate to most of the ailments you have said so glad I am normal, the thought of smoking being alien to me is...well....alien to me! so sooooo looking forward to getting where you are now, massive congrats on your 2 years quit, look forward to your 3 year quit post x

[Popo72 5 Years Smoke Free]

Donna,

Good to see you still here and still quitting. To start Donna it is indeed a leap of faith, there is no rewards there for you. it is ALL pain and sorrow, it is mentally and physically draining. It hurts as you know. Every bit of you demands for you just to end it, one way or the other...

For me it was not quite like the Allen Carr and lots of people said - that it would suddenly one day I would wake up and the sun would be shining and I'd be tap dancing down the street. Ermmmm No.

IT was rubbish for a whole six months, I would be standing in Boots buying mints (I loved the mints) and somebody would walk past me and that smokey, metal smell would set me off into an full blown anxiety attack where the world would start spinning. It was beyond a joke.

But it got better....I just had to, not matter how scared I got and how down I got and how much it hurt, I just had to remember that little tiny tiny bit of faith that what long term quitters all said was that it DOES get better. You will NOT think about it at all.

I did not believe them at all, but just held onto it in the dark months. Now I am one of them.. It is crazy, but if you do nothing, just hold on very tighly to that tiny tiny little bit of believe that these feelings do ALL get better. I promise and a million people who have went before us do to. Not a single one of us is lieing to you.

Keep it up girl.

Paul

[nsd_user663_2681]

Donna,

Good to see you still here and still quitting. To start Donna it is indeed a leap of faith, there is no rewards there for you. it is ALL pain and sorrow, it is mentally and physically draining. It hurts as you know. Every bit of you demands for you just to end it, one way or the other...

For me it was not quite like the Allen Carr and lots of people said - that it would suddenly one day I would wake up and the sun would be shining and I'd be tap dancing down the street. Ermmmm No.

IT was rubbish for a whole six months, I would be standing in Boots buying mints (I loved the mints) and somebody would walk past me and that smokey, metal smell would set me off into an full blown anxiety attack where the world would start spinning. It was beyond a joke.

But it got better....I just had to, not matter how scared I got and how down I got and how much it hurt, I just had to remember that little tiny tiny bit of faith that what long term quitters all said was that it DOES get better. You will NOT think about it at all.

I did not believe them at all, but just held onto it in the dark months. Now I am one of them.. It is crazy, but if you do nothing, just hold on very tighly to that tiny tiny little bit of believe that these feelings do ALL get better. I promise and a million people who have went before us do to. Not a single one of us is lieing to you.

Keep it up girl.

Paul

^^^^ awesome! 5 stars and thankyou, I mean that xx

[nsd_user663_60833]

Congratulations Popo!! Your comment regarding "the dark days" hit home for me- I thought I was somewhat melodramatic about the depths of depression I dealt with for several months (thinking it might never end)!! But I finally started feeling better and can assure anyone going through it that it does indeed pass (eventually)!! Posts like yours are really helpful- thanks!!

[nsd_user663_62294]

Hello Popo, what a brilliant post, certainly does help with incentive as Donna said

I can't wait to not think about cigarettes ever, though to be honest I don't much now (I keep thinking it's some sort of trickery and it will hit me again any second!) and I'm only just over 4 months.

The side effects of quit are pretty much as you described, especially bleeding gums and nasty cough.

I too will look forward to your 3 year post. Thank you

[nsd_user663_61586]

Huge well done !

[nsd_user663_60964]

Wonderful post, Popo. I remember some of those feelings all too well....

It's always splendid when an Oldboy comes back to tell us undergrads that there's life beyond the Penthouse. It's so inspiring.

A huge well done to you for what you have achieved.

[Popo72 5 Years Smoke Free]

Just going to add to this thread. IT is now three years since I decided to quit and all is well. I geenrally do not feel anything about smoking at all. IT is a distant memory and the thought that I did smoke seems alien to me. I know starting this journey I thought I'd be different, I'd be the one that could not do it, I would miss it every single day - I thougt all those things and I was wrong. I now dont give it a second thought other than around my anniversary when I come to pay gratitude to this forum.

I hope you are all doing well, I certainly notice from perusing over the forum a few old faces have left for pastures new and no doubt new faces have appeared. Good luck to everybody on this journey.

Paul

[Hercu Valued Contributor]

Paul ....This is amazing. Congrats on three years and must have been a wonderful journey. I hope to come back Year after year and report on my smoke free healthy life....

Thank you for giving us hope .....

[RoisinO1 Administrator 3 Years Smoke Free]

Paul, this thread has made me very emotional but in a good way, well done to you and thank you so much for giving us all new quitters hope and strength with such great words of encouragement.

[Popo72 5 Years Smoke Free]

Just adding to this thread - I missed my anniversary again - 4 years gone and not a second thought is given now to smoking.

I look back in amazement at how terrified I was to give up - convinced I was so addicted I could never do it, I did not want to feel so bad for ever... and now I realize it was just the habit of doing something every waking hour and the terror of stopping a habit that throws my brain into panic... Kind of the same panic I get now if I can't go for a run or gym.

Good luck to everybody starting out - hold on tight and you will win.

Paul

[Popo72 5 Years Smoke Free]

Today is my 5 year anniversary. I am not sure how may people are about who used to frequent these forums but I needed to check in as always. Cant even imagine every having smoked now, it feels like another parallel life to my own. So much has happened as well which before would have had me smoking again. But yet I have not, I think I can safely say there I dont even think about it anymore.

Keep going people

[RoisinO1 Administrator 3 Years Smoke Free in reply to Popo72]

Wow Popo72 /Paul, missed your anniversary update last year - congratulations on 5 years quit, that is amazing. I just passed 2 years quit there last week - your words of wisdom are so inspiring and encouraging - perhaps create a new post with your remarkable journey so our new members and members struggling at the moment will see it in the news feed. Matt28 - Paul's post and his other posts are worth a read

[Popo72 5 Years Smoke Free]

Hope everyone is coping with Covid and they stress of lockdown all ok.

I have not even thought about this site or smoking now for so very very long. It seems alien to me that I even smoked.

Keep up the good work people my life is totally different now from how it was then. The gym became my crutch and when we went lockdown I had a fleeting thought about how I would cope without my crutch but alas smoking ha a never entered my mind.

I hope everybody is coping. I quit I think 8 years ago now and life has never been better.

P