Lifelines! The Keys to a Successful Quit!!

[pir8fan]

There are a lot of new people here, and this is also a reminder for those who may have forgotten! Always remember your lifelines!

If you should have a serious craving use all of your lifelines before you smoke!

#1. Ask The Audience! Come here and tell us that you are in danger, and why! Wait 15 minutes for us to respond! Give us that opportunity to help you! That is why we are here!

#2. Phone A Friend! Befriend someone here that you feel you can trust! EXchange phone numbers with that person! If you are in a situation that you can not handle on your own, call or tEXt that person!

#3. 50/50! Make two list! The first list should be all the reasons you should not smoke! The second list should be all the reasons you should smoke! Now take the second list and mark out all of the "EXcuses" to smoke! EXcuses and reasons are two very different things! If there is anything left on the second list let me know!Keep your first list handy. Read it, if any of the "EXcuses" try to steal your quit!

This message was brought to by: The Freedom Train! "IF YOU ARE NOT RIDING WITH US, YOU ARE MISSING THE TRAIN"                  Tommy

[Barbscloud]

@Patcullop52   Welcome.   I just found your post at the end of this older post.  Consider creating a post to introduce yourself and you'll be visible to more people on the site.

I'm glad you reached out.  It appears you just quit a two days ago.  Two of the most helpful things to me were educating my about nicotine addiction and having a plan in place that identified the tools I would use and the new associations I would create instead of smoking.  I never did this before and I always failed.  It's not too late to do this.  Knowledge about this journey and being prepared, has made quitting doable for many. 

Exercise, especially walking, is a great way to keep your quit.  It helps you to refocus and replaces the dopamine lost from quitting.   Deep breathing also can help you to ride a crave. And taking the Daily Pledge is a great way to keep you on track one day at a time.

And of course, reach out the Ex when you need help.  This community saved my quit several times early.   We want you to be successful.

Barb

[MichalJordan23]

Thank you so much, appreciate it!!

[Van73]

This is a good read, thanks for the advice!

[MichalJordan23]

This ain't my first rodeo

[jlp5564]

I’m on the train- day 11! 

[Giulia]

@pir8fan   Hey Tommy, there are people responding to this blog.  May I suggest you do too as the creator of it. Obviously it's continuing to make an impact.   Be a lifeline.  

[pir8fan]

I can't tell you how happy it makes me to see that this old blog has indeed stood the test of time! It was penned in the heyday of the television show "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire". I am not sure how many people remember that show! The premise of the show was to answer 15 multiple choice trivia questions in a row without missing one! Doing that would win you a million dollars! To help you along the way you had three lifelines! They were #1. Ask the audience which was accomplished by polling the audience! #2. Phone a friend! This was a phone call to a preselected person who you knew was good a trivia! #3. was 50/50 which allowed you to remove two incorrect answers! Leaving you with 2 answers! One right and one wrong! Thus a 50/50 chance of being right without a clue!

I thought those same lifelines could help the people here who were struggling to win each day of freedom! So, I wrote this adaptation of those lifelines! Giulia was kind enough to include this blog in The Best of EX! Who would have thought that the ramblings of a poorly educated old msn would have the same relevance lo these many years later! It was, and still is, my belief that this community(the audience) can save your quit given a chance! I believe that having a person to call that will hold you to your pledge to quit is important! (The phone a friend) I think that having a list of reasons that you quit handy will give you pause to honor your commitment, and take personal responsibility for saving your own life1(The 50/50)

Of course none of these things will quit for you! You still have to do that yourself! But, you can! So, go ahead and do it! You can do this, and we will help!

Forever Free!

Tommy

[Giulia]

"Who would have thought that the ramblings of a poorly educated old msn "  Oh please.  I was poorly educated too.  Never went to college.  But I knows what I knows through experience.  Just like you do.  And I'll pass it on, poorly educated or not, just like you will.   We become educated, after all, by those things that interest us that we pursue.  Those who have become interested and thus educated about smoking and it's effects, and the "how to get it of their backs," are those who have successful quits.  Like you and me and so many others.

"none of these things will quit for you! You still have to do that yourself! But, you can! So, go ahead and do it! You can do this, and we will help!"   

You have to do it yourself.  YUP!

[pir8fan]

Giulia,

You may equal me in saying you are poorly educated! And I am pretty sure we both do our fair share of rambling! But you will never match me at being an OLD MAN!

[Giulia]

That's true.  I'm just an old woman.  With a chain saw.  So you better watch out when I'm ramblin' through them woods!