Some of us call quitting without NRT's SMART turkey and not cold turkey because we are doing it through education and support. I promise each of you that if you stick with your quits and if you stick with the site, it WILL get easier. I would strongly recommend reading JonesCarpeDiem's page with "What to Expect the first 140 days." I read it over and over again when I quit and I had smoked for the better part of 47 years except for pregnancies. I had a few very short term, failed quits because I did not understand this addiction for what it is. It IS an addiction and addictions play all kinds of games with our brains and lie to us about how much we need nicotine. Smoking fixes NOTHING, it does not take away pain, depression, stress, or anything else you may possibly feel. The addiction TELLS you that it helps...anger was my biggest trigger and it never got any better when I was smoking but I kept going. Smoking caused all kinds of issues for me that are irreversible. I have been smoke free for over three years now and I do not regret one day of my quit, I regret EVERY day that I smoked. My mantra was NOPE, Not One Puff Ever, which I got from this site...I said it over and over again along with all of the other catch phrases here and I stayed very close to the site, reading, commenting, asking for help, learning all about this addiction and THEN learning about myself. What a bonus THAT was.
You can ALL do this,
Ellen
