Still currently smoking. I just made plans for a Saturday night dinner with some old drinking friends so I might give myself the weekend. If I’m going to use any substance it will be cigarettes not alcohol. My plan is still there just getting pushed back. Thanks for checking on me Menno. 
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Going to say the same I said to Joel. There will be always a reason not to quit right here right now. The time will never be perfect. At some point we have to just jump in. Enjoy the weekend and your dinner. x
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Hey there, I’m glad to hear that you’re considering quitting cigarettes. They were definitely a challenging one for me to give up, one that came after stopping drugs (cocaine, ketamine, ecstasy and hallucinogens) and alcohol.
For me it was important to give each drug it’s time. Stopping the hard drugs first. A pretty quick period of about two weeks before giving up alcohol and then about a year and a half for me to finally quit cigarettes. There was a period in that 18 months where I was quit for about four months I think, but had a relapse.
Every persons path is different of course…but it was really important for me to look within and say “is committing to ending THIS addiction, going to jeopardize my sobriety from one of the OTHER addictions right now?
When I felt secure enough, I moved on.
I feel a little strange writing this as I agree with @Mno ‘s always solid advice. There IS no time like the PRESENT. And, our addictions will always be there to tell us “just wait till tomorrow”.
As I look back through your posts I see you wanting to quit, but also pushing back the quit date repeatedly. So I guess the question is, when you look inside: is it that small quiet “knowing” inside of you, the one that got loud enough to hear the day you decided to get sober from alcohol saying “I’m not ready yet, if I let go of smoking now…it feels like it will be too much” or is it that more insidious voice? The one that is always telling you “cmooooon…have one more…you like this, it feels gooood” keeping you from quitting?
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Thanks Menno. I appreciate you looking out for me and caring about my outcome. This is the double edged sword of accountability for me. On one hand there is always someone to check on you and on the other hand there is always someone to check on you. 🥸 I love the support I receive from this app. I know I can do it with you guys behind me. I feel really strong urges to leave the cigarettes behind and be a new me and I also feel tremendous comfort when life’s stressors get to me and I can choose a substance that isn’t alcohol to get me through that rough patch. Rest up from the Covid ick and know that you have a sober friend who appreciated your check in.
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Thank you @ELY83. This is it exactly. Cigarettes have been in my life since my teens (I’m 40 now) but 80% of the people in my life don’t know I’m a smoker. My usage has varied over the years and these days I smoke between 2-5 cigarettes a day almost as my dirty little secret. I’ve long thought that “coming out” in this addiction is the key to kicking it. If I can integrate Emilie the smoker with the Emilie the 80% know without losing respect or love I think I can quit it. Until then I may continue to puff away in secret 2-5 times a day. Thank you for your insightful response, I hope mine doesn’t sound crazy. 
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No that doesn’t sound crazy at all. I was a secret smoker…only the bar flies that I did my alcoholic drinking with knew me as a smoker.
It always reminded me of Gwenyth Paltrow’s character in “The Royal Tennenbaums” she was a life long secret smoker too. For me, I never ended up telling people. I’m fact a big part of my relief when I finally quit was that my public persona finally matched up with who I was.
I’m in a restorative yoga teacher training right now, and one of the phrases uttered is “Tension is who you think you are, relaxation is who you are”. That really rang true for me. There was always this tension…mental, physical, emotional when my image of what people thought of me wasn’t matching up to who I was behind closed doors. Our secrets keep us shackled is another one I’ve heard. That and that our secrets are what keep us in addiction.
Do you think that letting your loved ones know of your smoking would bring it into the light of day, free you up from all the mental deception and anguish spent keeping yourself hidden? If so…it sounds like you know exactly what to do. Free yourself from the tension created by not living authentically. You are a smoker. You want to quit. You’re ready to quit. There’s nothing shameful about that. 
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Thank you for this. I have always felt torn between who I am and who I show to the world. It would be freeing to be able to tell everyone close to me that I am a former smoker but as time goes on it might help me quit if I reveal my shameful (to me) habit. I really appreciate your insight and your encouragement.
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So just wanted to say hey to everyone on this thread GOOD JOB!!! I haven’t quit nicotine yet (I started vaping) but I haven’t had a cigarette in 5 days. This is huge for me actually but I don’t know if that counts. Anyway have a great day!!! 
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Heck yeah that counts! Welcome aboard!
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Saweeeet thank you!!!
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I’m embarrassed that I mis-spelled “embarrased”. 
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You’re almost over the 72 hour hump when all the nicotine has left your system, go, go, go! I’m inspired, keep it up!
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I love those reasons to keep smoking! So true.
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Got my 60 day notification yesterday! 
Have been having some cravings recently. Have mainly been dealing with them through sugar. But I’ve put on a stone (6kg) so I feel like I need to find another way because I don’t want to have spend all the money I’ve saved on new clothes 
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I’m cautiously optimistic over here. I didn’t keep the time on my last counter but re-set my smoking counter 3 days ago when I came up Covid positive. I am hopeful that I can use this illness (and the coughing/lung pain) to remind myself of all the good work my body does for me as long as I don’t feed it bad stuff. No plans on smoking anytime soon but I’m still in quarantine. Cautiously optimistic.
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I’m ready and I’m taking chainmail kitty with me! Thanks Menno.
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Hope you’re all doing well my fellow non-smoking warriors! Remember smoking is stupid. Smoking kills. Smoke free love to you all 
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What a great number!! Congratulations 
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