The struggle is real and usually kinda ugly.

[anaussiemom]

Lets chat about first 3 months in on the uglies of being a quitter" (Non_smoker)

I feel very irritable today.  day 1. Like do not mess with me I have my mind on something very important  for my body.

Honestly looking for the uglies of quitting   anyone else?


Not menopause.  What some experience from being a quitter.   I will probably be 4 people today or maybe more personalities.  I pray to be to sleepy, and non-hungary" this final quit.  Amen

[Baby-J]

The calendar really is a treat. Sometimes I dont wait until the day ends I write it down if I just over came a bad urge/crave it gives me a boost like I'm holding myself to what I wrote down I will make it through today without a smoke...kinda like telling myself whenever I had a bad urge or crave that "I cant smoke now I already wrote down today was day number "10" and its in permanent marker." I think a big part of quitting smoking is playing mind games with yourself and winning at them which is really hard to do.

[Baby-J]

So I was just talking to my husband and bragging that tomorrow will be 2 weeks he said no Friday would be 2 weeks because it was a Friday the last day you smoked. And he is right I mis counted I counted the last Sunday in March and Sunday when changing the calendar to April oh I feel like a ditz right now. Oh well still I'm soon going to be two weeks free!!

[elvan]

DOUBLE DIGITS, that is worth celebrating.  There really was something celebratory about writing that number and some of them were really BIG because I felt like I had come a long ways.  You're doing great.  First week is called Hell week, Second week is called Heck week...not sure there is a whole lot of difference between them but I guess that first week really is a zinger.

Ellen

[Baby-J]

I think I was just looking forward to heck week being almost over Haha. I am super proud of myself for making it this far. Never had I made it half this long without smoking. The anxiety alone would have me snapping at my son who doesn't deserve that climbing the walls if someone came to my door during that time they'd have me committed

 With chantix it's a bit different. The hard parts is always the battle in your head. Before chantix and trying to quit I would tell myself to do three different things when I got a craving and so I did and I would still feel just as bad and anxious and wanting as I did before. With chantix I did the same when I got a crave/urge i would do three different things, I would make it half way through the second thing and I would feel tons better. I felt myself not wanting to smoke I could remember what it was like to be a non smoker. It was so close I could see it. I knew this is my chance so I tell that little voice every time he talks to me I shut him up because this is more important. I dont consider myself a non smoker yet because I still battle but I know I am going to make it this time this quit is mine. 

My health and to save money were my reasons for quitting along with expanding our family. I want to reward myself for the two week mark. I am debating between a new pair of walking shoes or a massage. I think I'll go with a massage with all the bending and cleaning and scrubbing I've been doing. Oh that's what I wanted to ask, we want to save money so together my husband and I spent 400 dollars on smoking each month. So with me quitting thats saving 200 dollars a month and I want to reward myself and dont want to ruin my primary goal to save money by giving myself rewards every week that costs the same as what I am trying to save. With the exception of a massage because that's just gonna have to happen it's been decided

so my question is what did you reward yourself with and how often. And what have you heard other people using for rewards?

I think if I'm having a particularly bad day I should have a planned treat for those days just cuz I like to be spoiled

[Mandolinrain]

   Baby-J I  used one of those HUGE pickle jars and kept it out where I could see it and put my smokes money in it. I was saving for a mandolin and the one I wanted was about $800.00. So it took awhile to reach that but it was fun watching the jar fill up and realizing how much money I had wasted over the years on the 'Stinkerettes'. lol And for every week I stayed free from Nicotine I went out and bought myself something that reminded me I was cleaning out my insides and getting healthy, so I made many trips to health food store, for essence oils, ideas, books or whatever...to keep me focused on the 'New healthy me' concept.

[AnnetteMM]

I bought myself a lovely ring for my 30 Days of Freedom reward!

[maryfreecig]

I chose to quit. But I did not trust myself. I felt angry that I could not trust myself to not smoke, angry that I had to do back flips, summersalts, bungee jumping off tall peaks (so to speak) just to keep myself devoted to my decision to quit. I felt depserate to feel that I was in control of my decision. Desperate and angry. Thank God that's in the past is all I can say.

[minihorses]

There's one thing not shown in the picture. One of these women needs a serious shotgun because the beginning steps of becoming an ex can feel like an elephant charge about to run you over. But unlike the elephant attack you CAN get through it.  Be sure to love yourself, guard yourself and your quit by climbing in a boma, having a game plan in case you hear the elephants coming, hunker down, and eat lots of cake!

[Mdye]

I should of had a t-shirt made at the start of my quit:

I am a QUITTER and it is going to get UGLY!!

[elvan]

I got my very first pedicure when I had been quit for a month...I saved my money in a jar and planned to use what I saved for the Holidays.  I wanted stress free Holidays.  Didn't quite work out that was because the jar was in our house when it burned down on my ten month anniversary in November.  No, I didn't smoke.  I knew it wouldn't help, never helped with anything, I wasn't going back there.

Save for a trip, something you and your husband can both enjoy!