Starting over at DAY 31....just so you don't get confused

[schoney50]

I have been remanded that I slipped  on the 7th day after my quit day...soooooo instead of 38 days of no smoking I am declaring I am now on DAY 31...remember there are rules set somewhere..(let me know if you find them) about the way to count your days of non smoking....If you even put a lit cigarette to your mouth you must start all over again!!! Be warned....there are things called NOPE..meaning Not One PUFF Ever?  I hope I got that right...Someone who has been here for awhile needs to blog on this site and tell all the Newbies the rules...we are not informed and then chastized for not knowing...because the name of the group is NEWBIES TOGETHER we did ask for help from all the elders on here to show us the ropes...and not just hang us from them...lol

More questions arise everyday from the now 47 members of Newbies Together and we do love chatting and socializing that is how we support each other..we care about how the day is going and what problems and stresses we each have...it is a group to help each other and find our way together in this new clean air atmosphere...we love taking deep breaths and counting to 8  and yes some of us have made it to counting slowly to 8 breathing in  and then exhaling slowly to 8 ....it is NOT easy when you are used to just inhaling through your mouth and sucking smoke into your lungs...now your stomach goes up and down..you can feel the bottom of your lungs getting clean air and great oxygen.....when you exhale you can feel the carbon dioxide expelling all the impurities from your once smoked filled lungs...your thoughts are easier...your energy is getting greater everyday...and you can walk now...to parts of your neighborhood you could only drive by before!  Parks are becoming one of your favorite places...it doesn't matter that there is NO SMOKING in them..YOU DON'T SMOKE now!!!  The Mall is much more inviting..and you even have a little more money in your wallet...even a lot more money in your wallet...from $5-$10 more a day!!

This "quitting" has so many more benefits than just smelling better!!!  Keep staying positive and know that if 47 people are now your new friends.... that is a lot of support from people who know EXACTLY what you are going through!!!  Newbies are TOGETHER and we are strong and committed to do this TOGETHER!

{{{{{{HUGS}}}}

Barbara in SC

[barbara42]

i was just reading some comments on the newbi,s group and 15 days ago, a new person 73 years old talked about the N.O.P.E. mantra, so just sayimg that some new people has had word of this !

[joyeuxencore]

Barbara...you have deleted everything i have posted in your newbies group and also the comment I posted on your blog here. i will no longer support your efforts but wish you the best.

   "Why are you so hard on the concept
of cheating when quitting smoking?"

 

  

"When I go to Weight Watchers and say I cheated on dessert, they still applaud and cheer me on to keep trying." "Why don't you offer me similar support with cigarettes?" Recently, an angry clinic participant attacked my lack of enthusiasm for her technique after relapsing on her fifth day without smoking.

  

I explained that trying to change a behavior such as overeating or an addiction such as smoking requires two distinctly different treatments. While it is true that "cheating" in dieting is a common practice under certain conditions such as holidays or parties, cheating with an addiction is synonymous with total relapse. Taking a piece of cake will not make a person 50 pounds heavier the next day. On the other hand, taking a cigarette can and will lead an ex-smoker right back to smoking, usually reaching the old level of consumption within days or weeks.

  

While many weight control programs may condone the possibility of a slip, dealing with addictions such as heroin, alcohol, or nicotine requires the total commitment of the addict to completely avoid any use of the abused substance. Because of this simple rule of total abstinence to ensure success, I can offer no applause to any individual who allows himself or herself to take a cigarette because of stress, weight, partying or any other reason.

  

Relapse is relapse, no matter what the reason for its occurrence. The goal of any ex-smoker is to avoid returning to the nicotine addiction. When you encounter situations that seem to warrant having a cigarette, take a minute to reflect back on what it meant to be a drug addict.

  

Coughing, wheezing, sore throats and shortness of breath. Constant threats by your doctor of "quit smoking or else." Bad breath and smelly clothes and hair. Headaches, exhaustion, and just generally feeling miserable on days when you oversmoked. Always worrying that you may have left a cigarette burning in your home or office. That panicky feeling when you realized you ran out of cigarettes. Being unwelcome in the homes of family and friends while smoking. Spending hundreds or thousands of dollars a year on cigarettes and clothes and furniture which needed to be replaced because of cigarette burns. Nagging from children or parents to quit. Being the only person at a party smoking and feeling like a social misfit. Being totally controlled by cigarettes. Not a pretty picture, is it?

  

So next time you feel like you need or "deserve" a cigarette, consider the consequences. There is no such thing as cheating, slipping or experimenting. There is no chance of smoking "a cigarette." The only options that exist for you are success or failure. Total freedom or total relapse. Within seconds you will realize that you have no desire to return to such a miserable existence. You can pat yourself on the back for overcoming another obstacle. You realize you like yourself too much to smoke. Continued success depends on one simple technique - NEVER TAKE ANOTHER PUFF!

[JonesCarpeDiem]

Barbara
when you start deleting blogs, you lose EVERYONE's RESPECT

[imadeer]

I believe the word is reminded not remanded.

We didn't choose to smoke. You did.

There are no slips in the law of addiction.

Failures are the reminder not to do it again unless you play them down and minimize them. Then they don't mean as much.

therein lies the danger

You posted on your own message board that you smoked and were going to start over the next day after the doctors. Starting over means resetting your count.

It does not mean you are a failure. 

Plenty of people relapse. some over and over. 

There is no shame in that. they made the wrong decision and smoked.

everyone must get to a point of responsibility with themselves where they understand nothing makes you smoke except you. There are no excuses. You are either smoking or not. Not one day off and two days on.

That's all it's about. You were going to take responsibility but then you chose not to.

I think you knew the rules the day you started your quit because you said you were starting over after you smoked that seventh day. Why would you say it in that way if you didn't know that was the protocol?

[Nyima_1.6.13]

Barbara, most people blog here and not in individual groups! If people really want information and support the blogs are the place to get the widest range of those things! If you want to know the way the majority of people think come here to the blogs! Thoughts/ rules/ knowledge/ experiences and opinions about quitting are shared constantly on blogs and in comments! 

My opinion, if you want knowledge, Blogs is the place to be! Groups certainly have a place but, most people sign up for a group to establish a certain identity and then come to Blogs to do the work! No one has to 'join' to ask questions,get feedback,celebrate accomplishments or make friends! Yes, there is a social element!

Please,come ride the freedom train today and celebrate your success!

[Michwoman]

Barbara - you speak about quitting as if you are telling us about it. We already know all of those things. Nobody wrote the "rules". They are what they are - REALITY. If you smoke even one puff you have reawakened the receptors in your brain and therefore have become a smoker again. I think your philosophy is going to cause people to think it is OK to have "just one". In my opinion your posts are dangerous to the quits of many.

Dale is right - deleting blogs only proves my point. It's a denial thing.