Xernicus

Three weeks without smoking as of today! I feel lighter in my footsteps, I can jog easier, and I notice I can go longer without nicotine than while I was smoking. (I'm using snus now)

I reached day 3!!! 😄 Not even a single craving, snus is working great for me. Thanks to all for your support ❤️ Now I'm working on cutting back from one portion per hour to one every two or three hours.

Well today is a good and proud day. It marks day 1 (yesterday being day 0) of being smoke free. Some of you might know that I've been an on again, off again smoker... since I was a teenager. Although about two years ago I managed to quit by using vaping, but often found myself reaching for cigarettes when I'd run out of supplies, juice, etc. This cycle continued through 2020- and the recent regulations here in the U.S. - the PMTA - put the final nail in the coffin for vaping for me. I had just bought a new mod, found a favorite juice, and I can't get those supplies anymore. It was also expensive, and I found myself "chain vaping", even with high level nicotine salts. So I was consuming more nicotine than I was when I was smoking. But in about March of 2020, I discovered snus. The American stuff-- not the real deal... but I tried it. And found that it worked. And I was able to go multiple weeks smoke free at a time. It worked better than vaping, in a sense that I wasn't blasting huge clouds every 30 seconds, I wouldn't get cravings every hour, get an attitude from withdrawals, etc. COVID-19 put a pause on things though. The added stress caused me to go back to smoking. But those few weeks of being smoke free gave me a desire to permanently quit. And every time I would drag on a cigarette I noticed physical discomfort and a desire to quit. I started gagging, and wanting to toss the cigarette halfway through. The seed had been planted, so to speak. Fast forward to a week ago, I gave snus a try again. Real Swedish snus this time, that I found using a store locator. I didn't like the first portion. But it grew on me throughout the day, and I started tapering down smoking. I'd go out every other hour instead of every hour. I'd take walks with a portion in my mouth, replacing the cigarette. The last packet of cigarettes I bought lasted me half of a week, and yesterday morning I finished my last cigarette, putting it out halfway through. Continued my walk home, and I know, deep down, that it was the final time I'd be putting out a cigarette. And here I am, 28 hours later, smoke free. Now some might be displeased that I'm "replacing" the product so to speak, others might be pleased that I found something that works. But I'm posting this because I've found a new desire to share my journey and help advocate for safer alternatives. So I figured I'd make a post here, as I know there's plenty of folks who smoke, and share my story... and I'll also continue to make posts at day 3 (the first big milestone), day 7, 14, etc. Heck, I might start a blog about it. Maybe a YouTube channel as well. Here's to a healthier future. For you and me alike.

Skiing! I absolutely love skiing. Fresh mountain air, the cold bite of the alpine snow, the exhilaration when you hit powder and point your skis downhill... ❤️

Let me just hide this quick as a test... Fixed. Thanks carb! Now to write a tutorial...

Also, I can't hide posts...

Title says all. I was hoping to edit a post in a private section, and noticed that I can't even edit my own posts.

Whenever I open my inbox, I get this error when trying to view messages: [[Template core/front/messaging/conversation is throwing an error. This theme may be out of date. Run the support tool in the AdminCP to restore the default theme.]] Just a heads up, that's all

I know I'm late to the game, but Rambo... you go way above and beyond what anybody expects of you. Your dedication to the clan is tremendous, your work is amazing, and I look forward to your future promotions.