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Give and get support around quitting

Roller831
Member

NML & In-betweener Weekly Check In - Celebrate NML - 07/02/2018

We have this discussion every Monday to offer encouragement and camaraderie to those in NML, basically months 2-3-4 of a quit and to those inbetweeners who have not yet made it to the 6% club. Regardless of how long you’ve been quit, anyone who likes the conversation and wants to offer support is welcome to participate!

 

We are happy if you just stop by to say hi and let us know you are still with us in NML.  Feel free to offer up ideas on topic question and I will include them in next week’s post!  Stop by daily or as often as you like!  Don’t forget to post to the Daily Pledge! 

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This week’s topic: Celebrate NML!


I have something to say that might surprise you – I enjoyed No Man’s Land.  Really!  We talk about the “dangers” of NML so much that some people think it’s a scary place, but the truth is, No Man’s Land is something to celebrate!


You’re getting back to your life. Putting the roller coaster behind you. Your quit meter is really adding up, you’re feeling better and looking better. You’ll probably have your first encounter with a doctor or dentist, and you’ll get to tell them you quit – I promise you, their response will make your day! You’ll start to feel a sense of freedom that can actually leave you a bit giddy. You’ll do the math on how much money you’ve saved, how much time you’ve saved, and you’ll start to feel like that smoker you remember was a different person.


Of course those bumps in the road are still there – quitting isn’t over, but you know how to deal with them. Because you took the time to learn and prepare. Most of the other blogs in this NML weekly series are about the bumps – let’s not forget to enjoy the rest of it! NML is an important part of your journey, so celebrate it!


And one day, maybe in month 4, maybe in month 6, maybe even later, you’ll have an Ah-Ha Moment that will make you laugh out loud.

 

Have you had your Ah-Ha moment?  What was it?  If not, what is one thing you CAN celebrate about being in NML?  Have you avoided any grenades or landmines?  How are the villagers helping you to celebrate?

 

Sharing your experience, strength, and hope is a great way to help others!


ENJOY the journey! 

                                 

Click here to read Dale’s helpful blog about No Man’s Land:No Mans Land Days 30 to 130 (approximate) 

Click here to read what to expect in the first four months: What To Expect In The First Four Months 

 

Checking in here will help you get through NML and on your way to the first year where you can celebrate being in the 6% Club and graduate to eventually become an Elder!

 

Please let me know if you are interested in posting the NML Weekly Check In.  I am happy to continue it, share it, or pass it to the nEXt EXer in NML who is ready, willing, and able.

6 Replies
AnnetteMM
Member

At 6 months and change, Freedom finally means more to me than being free from chemicals or financial burden or ill health.  It means resting in the shade and not worrying about offending the villagers with my nasty smoke.  It means walking with my hands free.  Freedom means being free from the constant thought of smoking.  Invited somewhere - can I smoke there?  Sharing a ride - when can I get out and smoke?  There's a new baby to ooh and aah over - great, but I gotta get outa here to smoke.  NO MORE!  I am FREE from thinking that nicotine is more important than my life.

Barb102
Member

Im at 165 yet I still have moments. Sometimes under stress.  I think others are the memory craves. I don’t give in. I’ve come to far to blow this quit. But I am waiting for the day when I don’t think of it at all. I know I’ll get there one day. I can’t wait for 24hrs to go by without a thought

Barb

Giulia
Member

Fabulous blog, Roller, as usual!  I'm way past NML, now in the land of Freedom, but one of the biggest "ah ha" moments was when I could look at a cigarette without craving one.  I'd be happily going about my day without thinking about a cigarette and then I'd see a butt on the ground and it would instantly remind me and trigger me.  And I'd get so MAD! Because I was FINALLY getting a few hours of respite from the constant thought of the things.  But finally I had a day when nothing happened inside me when I saw that butt.  And then the day when I could watch someone smoke and not want one.  That is worth the price of admission!  And it's an expensive ticket, I'll tell ya!  lol  I still enjoy the smell when I pass someone smoking, and there's a momentary twinge now and again, but it's a minor blip in the radar.  

To all of you in NML - keep the faith!  Those "ah ha" moments are around every corner.

elvan
Member

roller831‌ I enjoyed NML too and I really didn't want to leave because I was afraid that I might fall apart without all of the amazing support I got in NML.  This is a great blog ...I think my first "ah ha" moment was when I had a particularly rough day at work thanks to the laziness of a coworker.  Normally, I would have found some way to sneak away and smoke but I didn't smoke and I didn't even THINK about it.  It wasn't until I got home and came to EX that I realized what a sign of growth that was.  It has never stopped...every day, my quit grows stronger and longer.  

Thanks for reminding everyone that NML and inbetweener time is all part of this incredible journey.

XOXO,

Ellen

SheriU
Member

I'm at roughly 60 days smoke free.  I'm constantly thinking about cigarettes and talking myself into not trying just one cigarettee.  I continually say... Have to go though to get through.  Doing okay but look forward to the day that I just don't think about a cigarette at all.  I t may never happen but I will never have another puff.  NOPE is my new middle name.  This site helps me so I do stay close and read often.

Sheri 

elvan
Member

SheriU‌ I remember thinking that I would never stop thinking about smoking or rather NOT smoking.  My husband is a recovering alcoholic...over 33 years and he quit smoking five years after that...I asked him if there was anything I could do to make the thoughts go away or at LEAST diminish.  He told me that what I was going through was called "mental obsession"...then he told me to get down on my knees and pray to God to have the mental obsession removed.  I will admit that I didn't have much faith that it would do anything but I did it...I got down on my knees and I prayed.  Honestly, it helped me more than I could possibly have expected.  I did it more than once when things got rocky and like you, I made NOPE my middle name.  It really does get easier.  When you think of smoking...think about WHY you are thinking about smoking and absolutely accept the fact that smoking will do nothing FOR you but it sure can do a lot TO you.  

Ellen