Halfway through the week already, can you believe it? It'll be December before we know it!
Plenty happening for lots of people on Quit Support today; positive steps forward to a nearing quit date, quit dates arriving, celebrations of another week under your belt.... all good things happening, all that needs to be done by everybody is to remain positive and make sure good solid plans are in place to get you to where you want to be
Andi, I'm sorry to hear about your friends dad. The sad thing with being a smoker is that we can never tell what damage is being done until it presents us with the symptoms which, unfortunately with lung cancer it is usually at a later stage. However, we can stop things from progressing in lots of cases and knowing that it's never too late to quit. Remember one of our other members, Lang, who is over 70 years old and finds that stopping smoking the past few weeks had brought huge health benefits....
In terms of exercise, have you thought of trying a hula hoop? It could be fun and is something that you could give a go whilst in your own home I'm right with you on the one piece swim suit ha ha
Jillygirl, you are doing fantastic. Buying and selling a house / bungalow at the same time as giving up smoking could send anybody potty. You are also a great role model to your Grandchildren and at least they have you smelling lovely and sweet instead of stinking piggies! Keep it up
Lenne, brilliant news on your lower carbon monoxide reading. This is a real good sign, can you remember what your original reading was? I love your toast of tea to freedom too!
Pete, today is the day, I hope work goes okay for you and you are sporting a fantastic looking nicotine patch as planned. You haven't gone back to square one at all, just learnt a couple of lessons on how to go back to smoking in a few easy steps. You are so supportive to everybody, sometimes it can be difficult trying to motivate and support oursleves, so let us all help you out. We'll take each day as it comes until eventually you'll see yourself as a non-smoker rather than an ex-smoker. I remember one time that I quit for 9 whole weeks and then started again, I think it must have been another year before I gave up for good. Relapsing, is a common thing, it's what we do with the learning that counts. So here you are, having practiced over the past few weeks, putting it all back into play again. You can do this Pete, I know it and I'm sure everybody else here knows it too. Just stay positive
Wonder, you are doing ever so well and I love how positive you are too. Staying positive really is the key to success. I'm on your wine versus coke battle too, I know what my winner is
Loopyloo, I am so happy that you have started to plan your way to your next quit date. We shall support you all the way and get you on the right track to a smokefree future. You have been through so much and yet you are still having a go at taking steps forward. I shall reply seperately to your blog in a moment.
Although I have been working in the world of helping people to stop smoking for a number of years now, I am still learning things along the way. Something that I learnt the other day really shocked me, however, I thought if I could share it with you then it will arm you in your efforts to combat the ciggies and to stay smokefree;
70% of people who stop smoking will go back to smoking within a year....
This just goes to show how addictive smoking actually is, remembering that it's both a physiological (in your body) as well as a psychological (in your mind) addiction. As much planning, preparation and learning from each quit attempt is needed to ensure that we all go onto leading a smokefree life.
Today, I will be reposting some old blogs for you all as I think it will help to refresh on some of the things that we may have to go through to help us to stay quit.
You are all doing amazingly well and the fact that you are all supporting each other is amazing too
Please use our daily chat to let us know how you are doing with your quit attempt, at whatever stage you are at - Planning, preparing, quitting, staying stopped and even relapsing....
However, if you have any specific questions, then please still post in the questions section, or if you want to blog seperately on your quit story then please do so.
Remember, that any questions that you have may help others wondering the same thing.
Soooo..... chat away!
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EmJay
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Good morning EmJay- I look forward to your posts they are so motivational they always make me feel good, and inspired!
Hey Pete, I hope you're kicking nicotine bottom today, thinking of you treacle! xxx
Today I plan to go with my postive good mood and tidy, get paperwork organised and look for some new recipes. I made my first ever curry from scratch last night and I didn't give anyone food poisoning so that's a plus! It's about confidence, I don't have very much so I am working on that in all aspects of my life. I am confident that I am winning the battle against smoking though, I truly thought because I am pretty much housebound without an escort the boredom would push me back into smoking but it's actually motivated me into looking for things to do (tidying, cooking proper meals) it's so bizarre! I didn't know you really could change your life if you wanted to, if you believed you could.
I hope you're all okay, as always I am thinking of you all, my fellow fighters against the nicotine monster! xx
I do love your comments Lenne. I think we're all on a life changing path at the moment so once we think we can handle the quit we are looking how to move on and improve our lives in other directions.
Indeed Andi, after being denied therapy by my docs for years and years I truly thought I was beyond help, and utterly useless and stuck. I may still be denied treatment for my mental conditions but I am working my bottom off trying to make other things in my life more comfortable I wish I could do what you do with fitness that's on my list but at the moment it just seems a bit too out of my grasp. One day though right
Hi Emjay, I couldn't do the hoola hoop when I was young but after weeks of doing circuits some years ago I finally mastered it but haven't got a clue where I could buy one! The only hula hoops I'm interested lately are of the crunchy variety!!!
Am having seemingly continuous cravings today - have worked it out that I think it's the fear factor of running tomorrow will just have to keep on shoving in the mints, breathing heavy and glugging back the water!!!
Maybe it's also something that kicks in again a few weeks in (start of week 5 today )
Congrats on the cooking of your first curry Lenne You are such a bubbly person and only for you sharing your story with us it is hard to believe that you are not confident. You are right in that you can change your life, if you really want or need to. Look at what you have achieved so far, you're an amazing person I always think to myself - "If it's to be, then it's up to me"
Andi, remember that cravings / withdrawal signs quite often appear to be the same feelings as stress or anxiety. These are things that we can have in our lives at anytime. During the early stages of quitting, we can get these feelings confused with each other and whilst we may be feeling slightly stressed over some of the things that life throws at us, we tend to think that we are craving for a cigarette... so it's worth stopping our thoughts in mid track before we let them run away with themselves! I hope this makes sense?! How far are you planning on running tomorrow?
I remember buying a hula hoop a couple of years ago, couldn't do it so just settled for the fact that I had bought a 'dud' one!
Perhaps my cravings are stress/anxiety - before, I would light up at the least sign of such.
Running tomorrow? who knows? not very far - as you probably read elsewhere I'm a "can't run, won't run" person up til now!! It won't be far as I'm sure I can't run more than a few hundred yards and he said we'd be out for about 15 to 20 minutes. Yikes!!! Will let you know how I got on tomorrow.
PS I found that a slightly bigger and heavier hoola hoop was a lot easier to get going but as I said before, it did takes weeks before I finally managed to get it going and keep it up!!
monkyAdministratorCake sniffer outer in reply to andi22
Aup Andi, you said that you had 2 bikes, 1 had got a pucture, well!!!! kill 2 birds with 1 stone gal!!!! take the tyre off,--chuck it on the floor,-- jump inside it,-- bend down and pick it up,--then get them hippppps of yours a swingin baby!!!! , then when you are worn out, fix the puncture!!, job done
Cheers EmJay! I try to not let the depression win when I can, and when I feel it winning I try to post positive thoughts anyway most of the time or I go back to bed hehe.
Think I had a dud hula hoop too thinking on it...
monkyAdministratorCake sniffer outer in reply to Lenne
Hi Lenne, you are just doing super gal, you really are!! your one hell of an amazing young Lady, to go through all of your troubles, and still concour, drugs,drink, and now cigarettes!!!!, your just fantastick gal and i love you to bits, ado
Hi Emjay, I got up this mornin, doned my patch, went to work, yeh a good day, drove home the safto, yeh ok, got home and those s--- erm little piggies were waiting for me!! cus they aint half naggin at me!!!! even more than you doooo!!!! but just readin through all the comments and blogs is helpin me
I just wondered if Loopy loo drinks when she gets home from work ??
Oh yes and about you havin a dud hula hoop, did you ever try puttin battries in it ???? huh bet i get nagged at now, im out a here.
Hi Suepagal, if your listening, you know we are all here for you and thinking about you, and when them piggies become a boor, you just kick them outa that door!!!! Luv ya gal
I just wondered if you had tried the hula hoop!! cus i know that you cana swinga thema hipsa ofa yours!! and well a thought just came into my head,,,, if you were to tie two dusters to the hula hoop and give it some ''jive''-- then you can dance, exercise, and dust!! all in one.
Luv ya Sue and you know that gal try to hang in there!!
Rite!! goin to bed now, sweet dreams Sue, and everyone else toooooo hmmm got to find a sleepy smiley!!
Night all my battery is about flat and I don't have much inspiring to say today. Wine free tonight, but have had a kitkat and a cup of tea. Lovely to read your comments and another day over. Keep positive and smiling....take care and keep healthy and happy
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will just have to keep on shoving in the mints, breathing heavy and glugging back the water!!! 
but just readin through all the comments and blogs is helpin me 
