Well the lovely long bank holiday weekend is over and it’s back to the grindstone for the rest of the week. What a wonderful weekend and thank you everyone for all the fun of yesterday – has this website ever been so pink and sparkly before?
Thank you EmJay for my Sparkly Pink Badge – I know it will only be temporary and that’s fine, it’s lovely to finally achieve a badge, and I have to say it really was worth the effort! It’s funny how something so small can become so significant on this journey but I feel incredibly proud to have got this far and look forward to progressing further. Besides, I copied and pasted my special badge across anyway because every time I saw it, it made me smile, so I now have both a keepsake and fun and happy memories of that very special day!
I would never say stop smoking because you can get a badge, but I would say if you plan to or already have stopped smoking, focus on one day at a time, keep focussed and positive and get through each day and those days really do add up, and the reward or the real achievement is having stopped smoking, that is the life changer. But I was more excited than even I imagined yesterday to receive my badge because it proved to me that I am winning this battle and that was a wonderful feeling!
Never give up giving up – it really is worth the effort and you CAN do this!
Have a brilliant day everyone
Chrissie xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
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ChrissieG
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Hope everyone had a fantastic bank holiday, I ended up back in Paris, and went to an amazing exhibition, and to Notre Dame, it was another tough time away for a new non smoker
I don't know why but lately I have been obsessed with cigarettes, my ecig doesn't seem to be hitting the spot at all. Not had a real one, but on the ferry I nearly bought some....how ridiculous is that!!!!
Ah well back to work and a routine again so hopefully it wont be ALL I think about lol.
Hi Al, glad you had a lovely weekend away in Paris, sounds like you had a brill time. It is hard, especially when you see other smokers around doing what you used to do. Like you say now you've got back to a familiar routine where you're used to just having your e-cig things might be a bit easier. Stick with it, you've come this far and got through difficult times without giving in, it would be a shame to have to start again at some point.
I am really struggling at the moment i kid you not, hit a bit of a low i think, so feeling the whole "whats the point" kind of thing, i am sure it will pass, but i actually am convinced right now that i miss smoking.....after all I have been through and nearly 3 months it feels like torture, and i am sure i would take a whitey and vomit if I did have one, but its ALL i think about at the moment lol!
Will just push through it, but think i am going to go back onto the full strength nicotine when i finish this bottle. I am convinced that is part of the problem...I have even bought stronger batteries so that i get a bigger hit when i inhale!!! arghhhhh i would sell my granny for a benson and hedges right now x
Aww I know exactly what you mean, I'm on 16mg but I got some lozenges on Saturday as I was finding I never had the e-cig out of my mouth. I could never have stopped with the e-cig alone so you're doing well, just go back on the higher strength if you feel you need to, it's still early days in your quit journey.
Benson and Hedges along with clove cigarettes are my vices! Luckily for my quitting, B&H are rare to come across in the US and clove cigarettes have been banned for a few years (we now have the cigar variant that taste like... well, not the same). Not sure what type of ecig you are using but I've been using a Halo ecig with a variable voltage selector. Getting a liquid with a higher PG content gives you that bigger hit and throat hit that you may be looking for
I dropped my nic level about 2 weeks ago, by mistake lol, i just picked up the wrong strength, so though i might as well see how it goes, but i am not sure if i have just hit a wall with it all, or if it is due to the nicotine, i am tempted to go back up to full strength as afraid i might snap and have a real smoke, and that is not what i want, but then think, if i give in and go back up....i still have to come back down at some point, i am proud i am smoke free, but i do want to get nicotine free too! x
I would say do what you have to do to prevent having a real smoke. Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to dissuade you from getting off of nicotine whatsoever but if the choice is between going up or smoking, I'd put my choice into upping. Whichever you choose, just keep swimming
You know what im finding hard....trips...new exciting times....because I kind of associate fun happy times as to when I would get excited and then smoke ...So im finding things like that hard!! I went to a spa weekend with a friend this weekend...and its all I could think about while I was there watching the others going out puffing....cos I was in a new, exciting and chilled area I really wanted one!!
I know exactly what you mean, i struggled when i was away both times its like we reward ourselves with a ciggie, which is ridiculous, as it kills us, so not really a reward, but you know what i mean, oh i have walked around for an hour will grab a coffee and a smoke kind of thing. I have never been closer to buying them as i was on the ferry, i actually went back with money in hand, luckily the queue was long, so i talked myself out of it, but i was rationalizing it in my head, that if i only had real ones on holidays then it wasnt so bad!!!! MADNESS lol xx
I have the same feelings....thou I'm quite a determined person so don't think I would ever give in....but all the things u say in your posts are how I feel!!!....lol...I know it's sad and crazy the way we think...oh it will be so much better with a fag...but why...lol!!
Sorry I didn't make it across to chat yesterday, I just about made it on to see that our PIPPS were awarded their badges I had set I had the GrandBabies all day and then went to a gig to see Mat Cardle last night. He was absolutely brilliant. A very talented musician with an amazing voice and a very good looking young man at that!
I hope you are all feeling well rested and all refreshed following our lovely Easter break. There has been some serious partying going on here over the past couple of days
MinderMummy and Chrissie, congratulations on reaching your 4 week celebrations and welcome into your 5th week
Sin, I think it is a positive move that you have decided to change your choice of product now. You are not on your own as many e-cig users find that they end up using their e-cig a lot more than they would usually be smoking a cigarette. How about we help you get a good plan in place that involves a cutting down process of the lozenge until eventually you are not using them? I think it would be best to start off with monitoring how many you use and how often you are using them. Maybe do this today and tomorrow, What do you think? Happy Birthday to your little Grandson too
Al, you are at a funny stage within your stopping smoking journey now. It is quite normal to feel the way you do and have a (what feels) constant 'want' of a smoke. You are right though, it will pass. Try and see it as another positive milestone within your stopping smoking journey - something that you have to go through to make it safely to the freedom of being smokefree. Keep on keeping on Missus and we'll help you to get through this
Pete, I need a little hand in checking your number of weeks quit As far as I can work out, are your next badge should be ready for you next Monday, can you let me know if I have worked that out right? I've been busy nodding you see, so may have confused myself a tad It seems that you really do mean business now
Briarwood, have a lovely swim and we'll have a cuppa waiting for you when you get back
Fresher, glad to read that you stayed strong and never gave in yesterday. Also, happy to hear that you are finding our community helpful and supportive. Your 4 week celebrations will be here before you know it
JillyGirl, let me know when you're around for a cuppa and a catchup
Gibbers, welcome to Quit Support There's lots of friendly folk about here to support you on what can be one of the most craziest of roller coaster journeys I've just had a gentle nudge that you have left a post. I'll pop over and have a read now
Big waves and a Happy Tuesday to everyone else looking in
Hi EmJay. Hum, I haven't changed my choice of product, I'm just back to where I was in February of this year, using e-cig AND lozenges. I managed to pack in the lozenges on 28th Feb and haven't had a single one until this Saturday just gone, I've just relied on the e-cig with 24mg nicotine. Then there was the very short period of, I think it was 4 days, when I had no nicotine whatsoever because I was so sick of the e-cig and the mess they make and the sore throat I keep getting because of it. But by the end of day 4 I was like a new quitter completely climbing the walls.
So, I give up, may as well just resign myself to being addicted to nicotine for ever. It's 15 months now and nothing is changing. People say better to be on nicotine without the smoking. Well nicotine isn't good for you. For one it's addictive and I'm totally fed up of lozenges and e-cigs. And nicotine raises your heart rate and needs to be topped up on a regular basis. I am currently on 5 lozenges a day, interspersed with 16mg e-cig. I'm fed up of the roller coaster ride now, it doesn't go anywhere, just up and down, up and down and round and round like for ever.
I am with you on this one, I am having to up my liquid back to 2.4 as I cant manage at the moment on 1.6 really annoyed with myself but its not worth the risk of me buying real smokes x
monkyAdministrator35 Months Winner in reply to EmJay
Hi Emjay, your looking as pretty as ever may I hasten to add ( creep creep )
Yes, Chrissie was right, typical flippin Woman how come all you Women get it right and I dont !! Is it cos you can multietask I'm on my 8th week now, soooooo wont have actually quit for 8 weeks until next Monday Your spot on gal
It must be all this flippin partying, just cant swing like I used to eh
Really proud of you Pinkyzoom, no surrender! Have to face each challenge and bat it back as it comes, and it can come from any flaming direction! We have so many ways of using cigs, rewarding ourselves, marking occasions, stress relief, like punctuation between changing activities.
I'm all PJ'd up and letting the Bank Holiday antics, drinking and busyness gently leave my system. Really tired after today's first day back in the office
Sin, I thought you meant you'd dropped the e-cig sorry. That's what I was going on about
I know that you aren't happy about still being addicted to nicotine but please only resign yourself to staying that way if you really want to. If not, then let's crack on and help you away from it at a pace to suit you. If you are over using your e-cig, why not use an inhalator as well as the lozenges? There is a way out of this but only if you are up for it
Pete, at least I have a bit more time to polish up your badge for you eh?!
Hey SueBetts, I like the metaphor of a cigarette being like a punctuation mark. It's great
monkyAdministrator35 Months Winner in reply to EmJay
I'm sorry Emjay, I got a bit carried away about how long I was quit for I will be ready next Monday, to have you pop it on my head
I wont keep you gal, as your all Pj'd up, ready for some well earned nodds eh Speak soon and you take care now
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I had set I had the GrandBabies all day and then went to a gig to see Mat Cardle last night. He was absolutely brilliant. A very talented musician with an amazing voice and a very good looking young man at that!
As far as I can work out, are your next badge should be ready for you next Monday, can you let me know if I have worked that out right? I've been busy nodding you see, so may have confused myself a tad 
!! Is it cos you can multietask 
