Welcome @Nel! You are not alone 
You are also not alone in loving running: there is a vibrant group of runners here on Talking Sober, and they share their runs and other running stuff on this thread:
Keep at it and don’t give up. Recovery and running a marathon are exactly the same: it’s one stride (step), one more stride, one more stride, then you’re at the finish line (which is where you have a snack and get ready for your next run )
Fantastic, thanks Matt! My marathons (mainly half) are more like one stride, why am I doing this to myself, one more stride, can’t believe I’ve got 41km/20km to go, one more stride, never again, another stride, I am NOT running up that hill, and so it goes until I’m at the finish line and sign up for the next one 
I’ll definitely be checking out the running thread. Thank you so much for the warm welcome!
7 days sober is definitely not nothing! You know that you don’t want to stay stuck being addicted and unhappy and that’s a great realization to have the important thing now is to just find a way to stay motivated to keep putting the work in cause addictions like ours are so incredibly difficult to beat think about how much your kids will be forever grateful to be raised by a sober, happier version of yourself!
Welcome to this great community! 7 days sober from alcohol AND cigarettes is incredible! Congratulations! You will find lots of connection and support here. I’ve found it so helpful in my first 6 weeks (so far) of sobriety.
Welcome to the community Nel. This is a wonderful place to connect with others on a similar journey. Loads of amazing support here
Way to go with 7 days of sobriety 
Love how you are actively working on your sobriety and have a plan in place. Best of luck in finding a meeting that click with you. I do find staying busy so that you don’t let the urges or temptations take over. Glad you are here with us. Hope to see you around 
You are so right. Quitting seems very doable, it’s the staying quit and motivated that worries me. Thank you, that’s a good reminder and the best incentive to think of.
Thank you so much for your message and support!
Thank you 
Thank you for the lovely welcome. Yes, staying busy works well to not light that cigarette during the day, and at night it’s off to bed early… the wonky wine reward system thought usually sets in once the kids are in bed. Thank you again and yes, I am planning on sticking around.
Using a straw or toothpick to chew on or gum helps keep the cugs away. Join us on the Grumpy A-holes (quitting cigarettes/ nicotine products) (Part 2) thread for other tips and support.
The nightly reward is hard. I went to ice cream for a bit then a self care routine…you will find the perfect fit for you. 
Seven days IS something. It’s a journey not a race. Happy for you.
Sounds great, thank you! I’ll join you on that thread. I’m a little less grumpy now compared to the first few days, but probably still an A-hole so I may fit right in 
Thank you! Think I’d like to be much further along on the journey, but of course you’re right. Congrats on your 7 days today 
LOL you will fit right in my friend … i am over 2 years and do get my grumpy days now and then but yeah still an A-hole from time to time too
Welcome to the community and congrats on 7 days! 
A lot of people wish they could make it a week and I was one of them. Every day sober is a victory.
Thank you Steve, much appreciated! I find especially the not smoking part very hard at the moment… so today definitely feels like a victory. Thanks for the welcome.
Congratulations on your 7 days!! Leaving the anxiety and panic that alcohol creates behind has been a wonderful thing. Plus, sobriety opens our lives up to so many new experiences. 
Ps…I found sugar free spearmint Life Savers extremely helpful when I was quitting cigarettes and nicotine. I always had one in my mouth. It gets easier as you break the nicotine addiction, but yeah, that’s a rough one for sure, especially if you smoked a long time. It sure made running and working out a lot more fun tho.
Thank you!! Leaving the anxiety behind has been the best thing, that panic from over a week ago seems like a very distant memory already (in a good way, not forgetting the bad).
Interesting that you quit without a program. I thought I’d give it a try as those programs have worked and are working for so many people, but I just can’t seem to relate. I’ve read quite a few books by now though that resonate, so that may just be the way to go for me.
Currently I find not smoking the hardest. My chest feels better already when running, I feel better in general, but the cravings are there. I only really started smoking again 2 years ago, but worked myself up to smoking at least half a packet a day, often more.
Thank you for your message, and I find your profile/posts very inspirational.
I found a lot of info and inspiration in quit lit as well. This Naked Mind, Quit Like A Woman and We Are The Luckiest all resonated for me. Idk, maybe keep looking for a meeting, so many get so much from them. I think it helps a lot with in person connection, which sounds nice.
It took me awhile to quit smoking. I relapsed a lot, but kept quitting and eventually it stuck. Nicotine is very addictive, but once you truly break from it, you will feel so much better. Stay hydrated and have some coping mechanisms. I would sometimes go for a short run when craving. That is when I first started running. I also did a LOT of house cleaning.
Stick with it, it gets way better!!
