Alberta Quits Group

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Alberta Quits

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This group is for quitters from Alberta both new and migrating from Alberta Quits allowing us to...

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Thought for today

Frosty funny - even though we are in a chinook here lol

Teach

5 hours 5 hrs

6,918 Days Quit

Repost:  No Man's /Woman's Land.

Love this one.
KTQ
Cara
D6918

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No Man's/Woman's Land ... ACK Blech.. !
From ClearColors on 11/23/2011 10:14:02 AM

repost

Peace to all who read this.

I seldom start a post, unless it is to honor someone's anniversary. But I feel compelled to share something that I seem to be sharing a lot of lately... and that is my thoughts on 'No Man's Land'. No Man's Land is a dangerous and scary place... and it is a lonely time during a quit.

I call No Man's Land that period of time between about 1 month and 3 or 4 months into your quit, or about the time from the end of your first month until you become an Elder. This is a time when many people slip and go into a full relapse and have to start over... if they can start over, that is. I have some observations that may help some of you who are literally hanging on by your fingernails... or who may find yourself there tomorrow.

The first month is an exhausting but exhilirating experience... you are locked in nearly daily struggles and you get the satisfaction of successfully beating your addiction that day. You go to bed a WINNER each night (as Troutnut would say), and you are justifiably proud of yourself. Your friends and family are also supportive as they see you struggling each day to maintain your quit. And you are being constantly supported here, whether or not you post... just being here is good for your quit. And so, the battles are won and it actually becomes easier and the battles occur less often as you finish 30 days or so.

Around 60 days, you're starting to have some really good days, with very few craves and some nice insights about yourself... but then again, you still have some bad days. Those bad days can really be depressing... you begin to wonder if you're ever gonna be able to relax. Your junkie is whispering to you, telling you that 'just one' won't hurt. You've conquered your daily triggers, but now you start trippiing over the occasional ones... a death in the family, unexpectedly bad news, money problems, health problems, going on a long car ride, a trip to the bar, or whatever. You have a strong crave and you begin to doubt your ability to keep your quit.

In addition, the 3D support that you used to get is pretty much gone... non-smokers figure you should be 'over it' by now, smokers don't like to hang around you much because they feel guilty and addicted (remember that feeling?), and people who have quit may not remember just how much love and support you need well into the first few months. They all think you should be 'over it', you think you should be 'over it'... and the temptation is to have 'just one' to see if you ARE over it.

But of course you're not over it, are you? That 'just one' whisper becomes much much louder and becomes 'just one more'... and each time you give in to that whisper, the craves come harder and sooner. The one way to guarantee that your craves will never go away is to light up, to slide that old cigarette needle into your arm and shoot up. Those craves will be back and keep coming back. But if you protect your quit, your craves will eventually weaken and become even fewer and farther between.

As you get to around 100 days or so (some will be a bit longer)... you will begin to really get a healthy perspective on your addiction. You will see the huge role that smoking played in your life, you will see clearly what that addiction really cost you. And you will understand that it was a very high price to pay... the loss of your confidence, your emotions, your self-control... your SELF. All enslaved to your addiction.

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Teach

5 hours 5 hrs

6,918 Days Quit

Good morning all
Happy Friday and a huge TGIF!
It was a short week but it did not feel like it. I am up and going off to my problem child centre. Children are fine it is the adults. Cannot wait to retire. No matter, I will not be smoking today or any day. Saying NO to smoking keeping to my path along the Freedom Road. Hand offered to the next winner joining me kicking ash to the curb today.
Have a great day
Cara
D6918

3Y 11M
Life Saved
$102,732
Money Saved
186,786
Unsmoked

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Thought for today

Frosty funny

Teach

yesterdayyesterday

6,918 Days Quit

Repost:  It's Not a crime to admit you are struggling....

Always ask for help - remember the 3 post rule.  I was either 4 or 5 years quit and had an extremely stressful situation come up and the thought of smoking came to me.  I came and posted to help and saved my quit.  I will never again smoke without asking for help.
Quitting is doable.
KTQ
Cara
D6917

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It’s NOT a Crime to Admit You Are Struggling……….rp
From melder7 on 1/1/2012 10:47:35 AM

….no matter HOW far into your quit you are.

One of the things that longer term quitters often try to avoid admitting in here is that urges can STILL occur even after you’d think we’d be long past them. Usually the reason that we DON’T like to discuss this kind of stuff is because nobody wants to discourage newer people just in case they see this as a deterrent to staying quit.

Well frankly I think it’s good that we talk about this stuff. This addiction can be tricky….by talking this stuff out we are much better able to avoid some of the traps that can occur if we see ourselves as being alone in our struggle.

Whether we are at day 1 or at day 1000……we are still on a level playing field when it comes to that “just one.” We can’t ever forget that.

But that knowledge is NOT something to fear or be ashamed to admit.

We are recovering addicts.

Hiding from the truth of that won’t protect us. Let’s face it……how many of us had such a great fear of the unknown that we were reluctant to even TRY to quit.

It’s o.k. to have urges………and it’s ok to talk about it no matter HOW long you’ve been quit.

I’m planning on being quit a very very long time.

That means looking this addiction head on.

maureen
Day3429

Smoking and the DESIRE to smoke can be beaten

Getting there will probably require just a little bit of accepting that you will probably be tempted along the way.

The secret to getting there is do NOT smoke...NO MATTER WHAT.

(and yes you can)

Repost: It's Not a crime to admit you are struggling....

Always ask for help - remember the 3 post rule. I was either 4 or 5 years quit and had an extremely stressful situation come up and the thought of smoking came to me. I came and posted to help and saved my quit. I will never again smoke without asking for help.
Quitting is doable.
KTQ
Cara
D6917
... Show more

Teach

yesterdayyesterday

6,918 Days Quit

Good morning all
Happy Thursday to you!
Week has changed - I am off to the office today and out to Cochrane tomorrow. Today, tomorrow, anyday I will be shouting NO to smoking and keeping to my path along the Freedom Road. I offer my hand to the next winner joining me kicking more ash to the road today.
Have a great day
Cara
D6917

3Y 11M
Life Saved
$102,717
Money Saved
186,759
Unsmoked

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Thought for Today

Wednesday Smile

Repost:  Don't Give a Damn!

I think this is a great repost.
I was very negative early on, try when possible to focus on the positives. When I did that my quit got easier. Now, I cannot think of 1 single reason to smoke as it does nothing for me but kill me.
Quitting is doable.
KTQ
Cara
D6916
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Don't Give A Damn
From DJD8960 on 2/7/2007 10:03:03 AM

I liked this advice...
Donna

Sometimes, it can seem that you are not making any progress, but you really are!

You're going through a stage that we all know.

You are still AFRAID of and want to GET RID of the desire to smoke.

Today try to notice if you are still FIGHTING the desire to smoke -TRYING to make it go away.

I bet you are feeling:

"Oh, I wish this craving -this feeling would go away. When will it go away?"

And I bet you, now and then your mind whispers to you:

"What if it NEVER goes away? What if you will always feel like this?".

Don’t worry if you have this thought. .

It is ONLY a THOUGHT in your mind.

And it is not even ‘your thought.’ EVERYBODY who gives up smoking has these thoughts.

Try to accept: you are going to experience the desire to smoke for a long time yet.

You can decide to hate it and push it away OR you can say to yourself.

"OK, I going to stop kidding myself. For the next few weeks, I'm going to have these feelings -this desire to smoke. I'm NOT going to wish it goes away. No, I'm going to EXPECT it. I'm NOT going to run away from it or EVEN TRY TO MAKE IT GO AWAY.

In fact, I'm going to LET IT BE and say to it;

"You can do whatever you want......You can make me feel good OR bad, comfortable OR uncomfortable - I don't care. I REALLY, REALLY don't mind. You're finished. You're in your death throes. I'm just going to WATCH, NOTE AND OBSERVE you for HOWEVER long it takes...........

And if you can really adopt this attitude you'll experience the GREAT PARADOX: When you can get to the stage where you don't GIVE A DAMN whether the desire to smoke is there or not it will totally disappear!

Just wait and see!

Repost: Don't Give a Damn!

I think this is a great repost.
I was very negative early on, try when possible to focus on the positives. When I did that my quit got easier. Now, I cannot think of 1 single reason to smoke as it does nothing for me but kill me.
Quitting is doable.
KTQ
Cara
D6916
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Don't Give A Damn
From DJD8960 on 2/7/2007 10:03:03 AM... Show more

Good morning all
Happy Hump Day!!!!!!

Up and going for the day today. I am keeping myself busy by going to visit some of my kids on my caseload this morning. Into the office after that. Saying NO to smoking and keeping to my path along the Freedom Road. I hold my hand out to the next winner joining me kicking ash to the curb today.
Have a great day and survive this last day in the deep freeze before the arrival of a chinook.
Have a good one
Cara
D6916

3Y 11M
Life Saved
$102,703
Money Saved... Show more

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Thought for today

Frosty Funny

Show previous comments (1)

Repost:  The brain thing…….
Excellent repost!
Have a great day
Cara
D6915

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BoldPrint ..boldprint3917 Days Quit
17 hours ago 
REPOST: the brain thing.... 
From loretta4living on 10/21/2007
 I got a qmail asking for me to explain what I learned about nicotine recovery during the post acute withdrawal stage to you.
 First let me say this, as with ANYTHING anyone deals with in life, attitude and being able to keep one’s perspective makes a huge difference. The mind can be a powerful tool. 
That being said, nothing could be further from the truth than the premise that once the nicotine is out of your system in 72 hrs what you are experiencing is purely psychological. 
That is not true. How you choose to look at it and mentally handle it may make a world of difference but it doesn't make what is happening not be happening. A person can psyche themselves up to walk across a bed of hot coals, that doesn't mean the coals aren't hot. They are using the power of their mind to accomplish something. 
Deal with me here, I'll do my best to make this sound not too jumbled as I have been indulging a bit during tonight’s ALCS ballgame. 
When we smoked our body's bio and neuro chemistry had to compensate for the presence of nicotine. When I say bio chemistry I am referring to our endocrine system. That is our glandular system responsible for putting out hormones that regulate every organ and function in our bodies. These glands include, Pituitary, Hypothalamus, Pineal, Thyroid, Parathyroid, Adrenal, Pancreas, Ovaries for Women, Testes for Men...I'm sure I'm leaving out some here... 
Anyway, ALL those glands send out hormones. Besides regulating our body's organs functions they impact, mood, concentration, sleep, body temperature, cognitive thought, memory, anxiety, depression, appetite, body weight etc.... When I was saying about neuro chemistry I was referring to the many brain neurotransmitters. 
Which, once again, are chemicals responsible for a host of things. Dopamine, Serotonin, Acetylcholine, Epinephrine, Norepinephrine, are some of these neurotransmitters. If you need specific info about what each of these do, I'd have to get it to you at another time..like I said, been celebrating a bit here. 
But understand that now that the nicotine is out and these glands and neurotransmitters aren't having to compensate for the presence of nicotine and the thousands of other chemcicals they are going through a rebalancing.
 A neuro-adaption. 
That takes time. Our bodies constantly strive to be in a state of homeostasis. That is a state of balance. 
The nicotine is out and it is scrambling to find its new balance. 
I am under the care of an endocrinologist. My blood work showed continual glandular hormone changes for the first 6 months of my quit.

Repost: The brain thing…….
Excellent repost!
Have a great day
Cara
D6915

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BoldPrint ..boldprint3917 Days Quit
17 hours ago
REPOST: the brain thing....
From loretta4living on 10/21/2007
I got a qmail asking for me to explain what I learned about nicotine recovery during the post acute withdrawal stage to you.
First let me say this, as with ANYTHING anyone deals with in life, attitude and being able to keep one’s... Show more

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Good morning all
Happy Tuesday to you!!!!!

Up and going for the day today. Would like to still be sleeping but alas I owe so off to work I go. Saying NO to smoking today and keeping to my path along the Freedom Road. I offer my hand to the next winning quitter joining me kicking ash to the curb today.
Have a good one
Cara
D6915

3Y 11M
Life Saved
$102,688
Money Saved
186,705
Unsmoked

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Thought for today

Frosty funny

Repost: The Best(Worst) CRS Post

Love this one – hope it makes you smile today – I have to say I still laugh my butt off every time I read this.
Have a great day.
Cara
D6914

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The Best (Worst) CRS Post
From tomatogirl on 11/14/2007 5:07:32 PM

Please note that it was almost noon when she had this realization!!!!!!

OH MY GOD
From SuzanneClaire on 7/27/2007 11:17:59 AM

I'm WEARING SLIPPERS. I am ****ing... Show more

Good morning everybuddy!!!!
Happy freezing Monday to you!!!!

Bitter cold one today. I started my car this morning already to make sure it is good to go and will start it later today again. I am not going out today. Just laundry and helping DH with some projects today. Smoking - NOPE saying NO to that and keeping warm indoors. I am keeping to my path along the Freedom Road kicking ash as I go. Who will join me today????
Have a great day
Cara
D6914

3Y 11M
Life Saved
$102,673
Money Saved
186,678... Show more

Show previous comments (1)

Alberta Quits

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