Hi everyone, I will be 2 years smoke free on New Years day and I finally feel the best and healthiest since I stopped. Yes, it had its ups and downs but here to tell the story!!
I have been lurking on various smoke free forums during the last 2 years and really love the intimacy and honesty in this not so crowded group... looking forward to sharing my experience and to help with people struggling or needing advice in whatever way I can.
Huge welcome to our community Jared01 and huge congratulations on your soon to be 2 years smoke free, that is great 
I am over 2 years stopped too. We look forward to your experiences, help and advice, it will be much appreciated!
Welcome and thank you for the hope! It's always good to hear how everyone has gotten along after a good amount of time nic free, but I feel the battle to health is a rough road I've not conquered yet. And the lovely Roisin is a strong source of strength and warmth here- she is contagious! This is the best group I've been lucky to happen upon. Come back around when you can!
It is certainly the best group I have come across too
That's very nice of you to say. Ive found it to be an intimate & honest site too. Not sure id have made it w/out them & whyquit.com tips. Much agrees with Laureenc about Roison also. The lady doesnt miss a trick, she cares about each post& encourgages each to stay strong. Glad you are here and willing to share your experience in winning this battle.
Congratulations very soon 2 Years ...wow !!
Thanks for sharing your enthusiasm and happiness with all of us .. hi five to another healthy new year !!!! 🏆
Hello Jared01 Nice to have you here. I'm two days behind you on January the 3rd.
We have a joint New Years Party 
500 days smoke-free... wow that's inspiring... I'm on day 21 today and have some cravings because it's first of the year I guess..
Alexnovico i bet you're right craves are bc of New Years. Am having them too at 3momths quit. Is good to have knowledge one puff will take our addicted minds back to day one of withdrawls. Is why i love NOPE Not One Puff Ever. Helped me to read all i could. Whyquit.com has lots of good reads/videos about the mind craves. Great job on 21days!! Proud of you.
Happy New Year non smoker
Thank you Exsmo! I appreciate it You are three months in already, that's awesome and inspiring!
Yes I watched some videos on whyquit.com just now need to work and stop watching videos 
A bit hard but trying every day!
2 Years Smoke Free today Jared01 - huge congratulations, hope you have some bubbly to mark this great achievement on New Years Day!
Hey alexnovicov - they say it takes 21 days to break a habit, also you are at the 'Icky Threes' of 3 weeks see below posts worth a read if not already done so:
healthunlocked.com/nosmokin...
healthunlocked.com/nosmokin...
PS Really well done on 21 days, that is great
Thank you RoisinO1 ! I read them. Will the cravings last the whole week and then will stop?
Everyone is different with the cravings, they will be less frequent and severe for each day that passes and you will become stronger and stronger to deal with them
Okay cool thank you You are right, they are getting weaker
Alex, another great Roison tip was to drink ice cold water. Don't know how or why it worked but it did ...at my 3wks craves and now @3months.
A okay cool thank you for this will drink. I eat cucumbers and drink green teas it helped me a lot.
Cheers alexnovicov - 730 days today (2 years!)
These frequent and sometimes severe cravings are perfectly normal at this stage of your quit, they will ease and get more manageable, likely the time of year is a trigger, you are doing well, keep it up and post often here especially if struggling or having a bad day...
Thank you Jared01 Yes they are severe, I look at my girlfriend smoking near me in the morning and think that I can have just one cigarette but then remind myself not another puff
You should give yourself credit alexnovicov of how strong you are to be able to resist the temptation with your girlfriend smoking around you, personally I think you are well on your way to a smoke free life Well done!
Thank you very much RoisinO1 I appreciate it It gets better and better. I'm much more focused now and I don't actually want to smoke anymore. Started running yesterday as well so that's a new habit after gaining 7 kilos
Good for you alexnovicov - you are doing so well! Keep in touch with us when you can, nearly at your huge 1st milestone of 1 month 
Thank you very much Roisin, your help is unbelievable
Will do
Awesome! Thanks for being here with us and i look forward to seeing you more often. Congrats on a 2 yr milestone 😀
Thanks for the warm welcome everyone, excellent forum with great pinned posts to help and advice, hopefully I can add to it
Congrats Jared. And a great long holiday weekend to all.
You too CocoaXChange - hope you got over Christmas ok - hectic enough one for me, between a wedding, 50 year wedding anniversary of my in-laws, out for Christmas Day dinner, St Stephens Day dinner, tomorrow will be my only lazy day where I have nothing to do, will be spent in my PJ's, watching crap TV and eating the last of the xmas goodies
Christmas was good. Spent a few days with my sister and family. Even when I smoked I didn't smoke around my nieces. So I could not smoke for 3-4 days, but as soon as I left I would buy cigs. Pretty stupid in retrospect.
Dinner or drinks with friends most of this week. But I'm in for NYE. Too crowded and hectic here.
Yeah, don't do New Years Eve going out either, worst night of the year to be out in my opinion, heading up to my brother just up the road from us, for finger food and ring in the New Year with the rest of my family, find it a very lonesome time of year as don't know whats ahead and who will not be around for the next one 
Roisen very active holidays for you that’s awesome ! enjoy your day tomorrow you really deserve that .. for me my day to rest wil be Sunday when I can seat and relax I can’t wait.😴🤤😋
Welcome. 2years is awesome! That is so good of you to want to help. We will all greatly appreciate the things you have learned. Am at 3months today after 35 years of smoking. Can't believe it and kind of craving, but will protect this quit . Rather excited to make it this far. I can only imagine how great you feel. Already am inspired ever more to keep my quit and be able to write what you wrote...in 1yr and 9 months
WAY TO GO!!! Well done Jared 01
Congrats to you giving up smoking, I'm only 26 days free of smoking but also seeing and feeling the benifits already.
Me too Day 22 today and my cravings (thoughts) came back..
Thanks again for the welcome, much appreciated Wasn't around as working for the last few days, off now until 3rd. Will try to contribute more, hopefully there will be a lot of new people beginning their smoke free journey for the new year....
Well done!!! Very inspiring! I have never left s comment on this site so this is a first as I believe you deserve it!
Welcome Jemmalou8.
Hope you find many reasons to interact here. We have a few 2year quits we can look up to.
. We also have others very close to our same time quits that encourage as they are where we are.
For those a bit behind us in our quit we can encourage them and be encouraged as we see what we may have overcome.
How is your quit going?
Hello I am currently 1 month and 17 days into my quit. I am using nicotine patches. I am 31 and have spent my entire 20’s trying to quit. More and more as time goes by I am finding it easier and easier to go without smoking as I have been working for years on breaking my associations with smoking. Alongside quitting smoking I have been working so hard on recovering from binge eating and refining my healthy diet more and more and I honestly feel like over the last year I have turned a huge corner!
As a single mother of three and as a human that wants to have the healthiest life possible I am determined to succeed as I have big plans!?
Thank you so much for any support that can be given as I am quite isolated. I recently moved the children and I to a new city after their fathers death and we are starting again.
Xxx
What a wonderful inspiring story Jemmalou8 , happy to have you here. We wish all the best and success in your new start/life for your children (so sorry to read of the passing of your partner).
You appear to be an incredible strong lady and really well done on what must near 50 days smoke free (13 November your stop date??).
I too started a new chapter in my life back in 2016, long story short, was made redundant from an office job I was in for 20 years, followed my dreams, went back to college as a mature student doing Professional Cookery and now a qualified chef and starting a new job on Wednesday in the kitchen in our local hospital AND most importantly over 2 years smoke free!
Wow Jemmalou8 i feel your pain and am very inspired by you.
I lost spouse 3 years ago too (oddly enough from addictions) moved & feel very isolated too.
Am very proud of you! I also had an eating disorder when young & gaining weight has reminded me that addiction wasnt as dead as i thought but i have not returned to it though it is extremely tempting. You have inspired me to do healthy. Am not sure all binges are bad while quitting, but my carton of fudgeickleS a day were!😳
Hang in there & stay with us here. Though I don't have children at home (unless i could count the 2 wildcats that own me lol) I'd bet yours will be/ are a huge incentive for you.
Am really glad you shared. Please know you are never alone. Will also keep you in my prayers as i remember the harsh realities of the death of a partner whether y'all were still together or not.. Am so sorry it will get more bearable i promise.
We all have more than just quits going on that affect them. I hope you see the care all members seem to have that we ALL win this.
I am sorry to hear about your tragedy yes my previous partner also died from addiction! My way of coping after was to literally turn it on it’s head and work my hardest to overcome any health damaging addiction I had to turn to try to gain something positive from it and to inspire the children to live healthy lives. It’s working! Quitting smoking is TOUGH but it is CERTAINLY getting easier.
Taking everything is small steps, looking ahead at planned goals and working on self development in every area seems to be the key for me. I just want to be the very best version of myself that I can be.
I'd say you're making a fine job of it. Remarkable. I think i turned everything off for quite some time. I love your last paragraph taking small steps and working on all aspects of self improvement at same time. Am amazed at that & wish id stayed quit at your age. If if ever seems too tough remember me. Am now 50, smoked 35 years and have a few more consequences from it.
Though I was unablr to do it all at once am now going to tackle the weight gain & am forgiving of myself for it, which is new. I think you will do very well and your children too bc of your strength. There are helpful pinned posts on here, whyquit.com videos or reads helped me alot too (tho there's no chat & he recommends only cold turkey quits- while i used chantix) RoisonO1 is great at doing our badges and always has an encouraging word or pins inspiring posts we may be needing. Very glad we "met" here and encouraging thoughts sent yout way. Please keep in touch and read read read. Am so helped by N ever Take A nother P uff NTap & NOPE Not One Puff Ever as it will take us right back to day 1. This days were too hard fought won for me to ever want to start over!
Hey. Was wondering how you are today JL.
Am rather stoked at the possibilities a day can bring. Having kept most of my loss private it seems the revealing of it and another who experienced the same has opened a door. (I normally never talk about him) The fact that someone died over something so ludicrous makes me angry and i guess i just stuffed that anger.
Funny thing is, having quit smoking i now see the true nature of addiction and its "want" to keep me hooked. I think of it as the nicodemon because it just lies, steals and destroys like a real enemy monster would. That "just one" gets put into perspective when i think that name.
On that note, your "turning it all on its head at the same time" makes sense. I see i have some forgiveness to do-and get rid of some bitterness as an aspect of a healthy spirit to make the physical healthy too.
. Your children will look to your example one day, when they are old enough to understand it all, and be amazed at your accomplishments.
Keep up the good work. Each milestone passed makes other craves easier.
New but strong
To Roisin...3 Mighty years...Congrats !!!!
2 weeks smoke free
2 Days in on Champix