Good morning everyone.
What a beautiful day it is here in Cheshire. The sun is shining the sky is blue, a bit of snow still on the ground but no more snow over night, hooray !
I hope you all had a good night's sleep and are starting another smoke free day feeling refreshed. Have to be honest I'm not, I'm still feeling a bit like yesterday's picture 
I did sleep well, just need a couple more coffees to wake me up which is where I'm going now.
Kettle's on if anyone wants a cuppa?
Good morning, a not so sunny or warm day here in hampshire,sky still looks full whether thats snow or rain its hard to tell..but heating and jumpers are on and coffee being sipped 
Having not yet quit,I am wondering why this habit is soo hard for me to stop..I dont enjoy it,if thats the right word,rather i get nothing from it except the it stops me wanting another for a short while lol yes you will all know that feeling. I have come to the conculsion that it really is a senseless habit,95% of it is done without thinking..what a hold ! what a ridiculous state to be in ! I know this site is helping me A LOT ..its making me think,look at it in reality. I am get stronger I know..I just have that niggling voice that keeps saying Im scared,,scared I will fail and gain loads of weight. I am working very hard on stopping that voice :)).
Have a great day all whatever your place on this journey and whatever the weather :))
Hi everyone,
I didn't make morning, had a bad nights sleep not helped by the gale force winds, and the horizontal hailstones that's how bad the wind was, so slept in.......again 
That's brill you got no more snow Kazz, think you've had enough down there did you get any snowmen built enjoy your coffee, I'll be along for one in a minute
Hi mad, you be careful if you go out, I hate icy pavements as well, hopefully you get loads of rain later and it will wash it all away stay warm and safe mad
Hi thenunn,
I'm glad this site is helping you, have you looked at Emjays blogs, that's one of our Advisors, there full of helpful info, well done on coming on here and taking the first step towards a smoke free life
It can be scary to think your never gonna smoke again, but think of the benefits, write down what they would be, what the positives would be to stopping
You say your scared you'll fail, and put on weight, why? what will happen if you fail, many of us have, this is my umpteenth attempt to stop, I never give up cause i know i will succeed one day, yes some do put on weight, but not a lot and now we're gonna lose it, nothing terrible will happen to you. I'm sure some of the others will jump in and give you some great advice, I wish you luck on your journey, and keep posting, we will help you all we can
Hi Sue,thank you..you're right 'nothing terrible is going to happen'. Yes ive read and keep reading Emjays blogs and others..they really help. I guess the fear is because Ive tried before to stop ,even went 7 months and im still here ,trying,..i dont want that again .
But you struck a few chords so thank you
Hi John ..Im new here ..who are Amour and Vida ?
Hi John, I'm glad your cravings aren't bothering you too much, and go quickly
If Amor and Vida are like me they'll just have moved the celery about so you think they ate it, I don't throw mine on the floor though
Can't wait to see the new pics of your kitchen it will look brill, how about some more of Amor and Vida pleeeeeeaaaasssee
have a great day John
Hi thenunn,
I know what you mean about the fear, i've been there myself, having stopped many times before, then after coming on here and reading a lot, i now look on them as practice runs, i learn from everytime i started again, what my triggers were, how best to overcome the cravings, then applied these this time, i take it one day at a time and try not to think too much, although i know that's not always easy
Amor and Vida are lovebirds, there beautiful; hopefully John will post some pics of them later
That looks great John your kitchen is really looking good
i'm on my phone just now, when i get on the computer i'll get you a cake :D, have a great evening
Hi all,
Goodness me, what a carry on! I couldn't log on, when I did it was telling me join again! I used my usual email account and it said that it was already registered, how strange is that!
I had to use another email address. Can someone please assist as to what's happened?
Has this happened to anyone else?
Will pop back later when I've sorted some bits out....
Hope everyone is having a great day!
xx
Hi Chickles,
That has not happened to me, so sorry I can't help you, did you report it? HU should be able to explain to you
Hope you have a great evening, will see you later xx
Oops! I must have inadvertantly logged out! I can usually get straight here. Goodness knows what happened. I've noticed that I've had to log in to another site I go on recently. Must be 'Gremilns' again...
I guess I need to delete Chickles2....help, how I do that...
Deary me, it's been one of those days But hey am still smiling!
Catch up later
xx
I
Hi everyone
Sorry to hear that you didn't sleep well Sue, I bet it was a noisy night with wind and hail stone hitting your window. I hope you managed to catch up. I didn't build any snowmen Sue but I did think about building one at work I stayed in doing my crosswords instead
I hope you are coping with your cravings John, and glad they aren't lasting too long. I know some days are worse than others.
Hi thenunn, I know exactly what you mean about being scared of giving up smoking and putting on weight. I had the same problem but to be honest with me it was a bit of an excuse as well. This time I just thought, I am going to give up smoking and if I put weight on then I will deal with it when I have got a few months of no smoking under my belt. I am struggling a bit with not smoking and dieting but so far I am sticking to both Still not doing regular exercise though, that is very spasmodic, but I don't like exercise so not sure I can tackle, not smoking, dieting and exercise as well at the moment.
I didn't have a problem logging on Chickles, that does sound a bit strange. I hope it sorts itself out soon.
I am off home now then going out tonight, so I will wish you all a very good evening and sleep well when you get to bed.
I hope you have had a good day Peetie Weetie, enjoy a nice cuppa when you get in.
Hi Jillygirl, I am not sure which day you go for your Chemo this week, but I hope everything goes well and you are ok xxx
Bye for now xxxx
ah how cute
Yay, Chickles2 is now deleted! Gosh what a numpty I am...
sounds like everyone's having a good day
been a busy day here, catching up on sky + programmes this morning (am too tired to stay up and watch them in the evenings) and went to work early because of the snow and ice, took me 1/2 hour to travel 4 miles which usually take me 5-10 minutes, was not a nice trip at all.
Didnt do much when home either, did my pizza base which turned out REALLY good if I do say so myself, the only complaint was there was too much herbs in the sauce (usual complaint)
kids got to go out sledging after school tonight, they were happy because they should have had piano, I could not get hold of their piano teacher to ask her how her road was so told the kids to just go and have fun
now they are all cosy and have full tummys and the dishes are done, the kitchen is clean, sitting down now with a lovely clean sitting room ready to relax for the rest of the evening without having to go out again tonight (Boy's Brigade was cancelled, saves petrol and entrance fees) so it's all good
cravings for ciggy's seem to be getting better and better, not too bothered with the cravings as I was at the weekend so I am happy with that
I am one week down now and £45 richer and I have noticed a big difference in my breathing at bedtime and in the mornings, also my tounge is not furry and getting looking lovely and pink again
I am sleeping early which is good because it means that I can get up in the mornings so that's fine, I am having really weird dreams though but that happened the last time I stopped smoking too.
Im really happy that I am not eating much rubbish
I am eating the same portions as before so here's hoping that my weight doesn't go up much.
Hi everyone,
Have a great night Kazz, and get home safe and sound
I'm struggling a bit with the no smoking, no dieting as well, so I'm sticking to the no smoking just now, my problem is snacking, I don't have much appetite for some reason so I'm picking instead of eating proper meals, I'll try and sort that out later
Chickles, your not a numpty, the gremlins just came calling, I have spears if you need them anytime
have a great night
Hi Sarah, I'm glad your having an easier time with the cravings today and your seeing the all the benefits of stopping smoking, that should help you to stay with it
I remember Emjay did a blog on strange dreams, you may want to read that, it really helps to explain why these happen, if i can find it I'll post it on here for you
hope you have a great night Sarah xx
I found this for you Sarah, hope this link works
For those of you who are newly quit, I thought I'd repost the following...
James, one of our lovely Stop Smoking Advisors has found some information that I thought you might all find interesting;
Vivid dreams are found to not be a side effect from stop smoking products. It has been discovered through research that it is part of the recovery process. The brain begins to repair itself and reverse damage caused from smoking. Neurobiologists have discovered that brain cells sprout new axons and nerve fibres during dream sleep. A chemical named serotonin in the brain triggers the brain to dream.
Smoking depletes serotonin production in the brain. When serotonin levels in the brain are balanced it creates a happy and contented state of mind. When serotonin levels are low a depressed and anxious state of mind is created. It is believed that smoking cigarettes can deplete serotonin levels by up to 50%. What compounds this problem is that the brain accepts the chemicals in a cigarette as a serotonin substitute on the basis that any chemical response is better than no chemical response at all. So therefore, when an individual stops smoking, serotonin production improves and the brain begins to compensate itself for lost serotonin production. The brain then produces more serotonin than needed, resulting in vivid dreams and nightmares.
Research has shown that it takes the brain 3 weeks to regulate serotonin levels.
Further research suggests that with an increase in serotonin levels there must be an increase in oxygen levels too. When a person stops smoking, carbon monoxide no longer takes priority over oxygen on the red blood cells. As a result of this change, oxygen levels of the individual increase. More oxygen is carried around the body and to the brain. When the stop smoker sleeps there is a higher percentage of oxygen reaching the brain than when they where a smoker. This process helps promote a process called rapid eye movement (REM) while sleeping. REM is an important process in dream production along with serotonin production.
It is essential to reassure a client that the first three weeks of a quit attempt are crucial. Vivid dreams are all part and parcel of the recovery process and the pathway to a healthier life style.
It is a positive symptom as it is the brains way of repairing itself and returning to a better deeper sleep.
I thought it was part of being on the champix! good to know that my brain is starting to work better (not that it has ever really worked that great! or I wouldn't have started smoking in the first place!)
That's the case with all of us Sarah, we were all daft at one time, it's good to know that it's another positive sign though, Emjay is brill at finding these things, in this case with another advisior
If you go into the quit support blogs you'll find loads of stuff, you can use the search bar if you want something specific, and if you don't get an answer there you can ask us or message Emjay
Hope your having a nice relaxing evening after not doing much! just making tea then cleaning your kitchen and living room
oh I've done LOADS in the past few days and I am exhausted
I am SO looking forward to 9pm so I can go to bed and SLEEP
this no smoking is tiring me out! lol
Wish I could sleep at 9pm Sarah maybe the air up there would help me
they say the Orkney air does help, heard lots of tourists saying it
I'll need to come up there then I have to say it is the one part of Scotland I've not scene yet, would like to go and to Isle of Barra, my mums family originally came from Barra, many years ago though
I've no heard many good reports about Barra, my mother in law used to live there because her husband came from there.
I would love to move away from Orkney (we nearly moved to New Zealand) and people were like 'why would you move from Orkney
it's def worth coming up in the summer though with the long light, winter aint so nice though, horrible, dark, wet, windy and just depressing! lol
I think it would be the summer I would go,would love to go someday
If I'm not being nosey, is Barra not a good place to visit then, cause I was hoping to visit a few of the Islands
That was clever John, I wouldn't have thought of that bet it looks good now, plus you've saved some money
I think your fridge will be safe tonight, at least from me, I'm way too tired
That came out brill, you'd never know it had been fixed John
Aww mad you'll have to do that again, it happens to me a lot, it's so annoying
Aup all
Aww noo we aint got them gremlins again have we 
Or is it that Mad
Hey now thats what i call a spear Sue
Hi Pete, I think it's just mad cause I've not had any
Are you still doing okay on the Champix?
Ha ha ha, just googled spears, and got pics of Britney Spears
Mind you I dont know whether she could get rid of the gremlins or not
bet she could Pete
I bet she could sort JC out
here you are John, and she has something for you
yeah Sue i think Mad is having a senior moment
Champix - rite I started taking 2 tabs yesterday, 1 in the morning and 1 at night, so that means i'm taking 1mg dose now, and so far ok ;o I think
its my 5th day of taking it today, so still early days yet
Hows your day been Sue, ok I hope
As long has your not feeling sick on it, that's the main thing
Have you had your cupinie yet
i1.cpcache.com/product/6944...
ha ha ha luv the mug gal and yes am actually slurpin on one now 
I'm not feeling sick at all, but am taking Kazzes advice and eating something before I take the tabs
I'm fine Pete, thank you stayed in cause it was too cold to go out Brrrrr
Just bin readin some of the blogs, and you say you had horizontal hailstones gosh it must be windy up their
It was last night, you should have seen how bad it was, but today we have no wind at all
Sue, you get under your duvet gal and keep warm cos i bet your about noddin, so I will say nite nite to you, and I hope you have a lovely sleep tonight Sue, luvs ya gal and will speak tomorrow, xxxxxx
nite nite Pete, sweet dreams, I'll see you tomorrow
luv ya to xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
DAILY CHAT/ TUESDAY/12/03/2013