Prepare or not to prepare...that is the question. My plan has been changing each and every minute so I say do whatever works for each and every minute! [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 1/26/2006 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 12 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 251 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $43.08 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 1 [B]Hrs:[/B] 5 [B]Mins:[/B] 21 [B]Seconds:[/B] 8

A Far too Complacent Attitude Toward Quittin.... You better believe it. My opinion on this has changed since I first came to this site. There are those that slip and need our encouragement and then there are those that are playing around with the quitting idea. Each individual is different. However, I support anyone attempting to beat this horrible addiction. For me, this whole quit journey has been a fight for my life. A fight for freedom. When you are fighting for your life and freedom there is no, well...maybe tomorrow I'll fight. You give it everything you have. It doesn't matter if you use NRT's or go cold turkey or whatever other methods that are available. What matters is the mental attitude of the quitter. Use whatever tools are available that work for you as an individual. All that matters is that we don't smoke! I found this site in a desperate search on the web on day 7 of my quit. I was serching for any reason to stay quit and I found you guys. I know if I ever have one puff, just one, I will be a smoker until the day I die. That is what keeps me quit. Once we make up our minds to quit....I believe we succeed. [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 7/1/2005 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 214 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 4,289 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $749 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 18 [B]Hrs:[/B] 21 [B]Mins:[/B] 36 [B]Seconds:[/B] 34

There are many ways to go about quitting and they are all as individual as each of us. Planning ahead is probably a key success factor for many, many people. However, like the guy in Golferman's post, many people need to just jump in. I know for me I just jumped in (almost). I've had many unsuccessful quits where I planned ahead but scared the crap out of myself by thinking about it too much. This quit I was at the doc for something else and on the spur of the moment asked for a Zyban rx. Then, without allowing myself to think about it, I went to the drugstore and had the rx filled. If I had thought about it, I would have just kept the script in my purse and not filled it. I had done that before. After I got it filled, I read the little, useless booklet that came with the Zyban and quit 10 days later. So, I guess I had ten days of prep instead months, weeks, whatever. Now, I know that not thinking about quitting allowed me to be successful that first week. Plus, it was time. It was absolutely time to stop the demon. However, I would have failed if I had not found this site about two weeks in to the quit. No planning allowed me to quit without fear and support allowed me to continue. [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 6/6/2005 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 241 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 4,345 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $1735.2 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 22 [B]Hrs:[/B] 8 [B]Mins:[/B] 7 [B]Seconds:[/B] 54

Bubba, That was an excellent post. [color=purple]"I can tell you without hesitation, lack of preparation is the most reason folks fail at this."[/color] I agree 1,000,000%! :p That is definitely what caused all 3 of my mistakes since finding this site, and probably quite a few of the ones before that. However, sometimes, it just takes some of us denser folks a few times to figure it out. I think I had to "test the waters" so to speak, and consequently stuck my hand in boiling hot water a few times before realizing that putting my hand in boiling water hurt and I didn't like it. For me, it's made my quit stronger. I don't recommend that method for anyone else quitting, but I will say that my mistakes have helped me along the way. I totally agree with you though, had I prepared ahead of time, I could have saved myself from all of the hurt and pain associated with slipping and I hope nobody else has to do that. Thanks for that post Bubba. That was a great reminder. Crave the Quit! Butterfly [IMG]http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c177/kissnflirt/butterfly3.gif[/IMG] [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 10/28/2005 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 94 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 2,367 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $310.2 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 6 [B]Hrs:[/B] 20 [B]Mins:[/B] 55 [B]Seconds:[/B] 7

Well said Jess! I agree with that. Crave the Quit! Butterfly [IMG]http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c177/kissnflirt/littlebutterflies.gif[/IMG] [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 10/28/2005 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 95 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 2,388 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $313.5 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 6 [B]Hrs:[/B] 22 [B]Mins:[/B] 23 [B]Seconds:[/B] 23

I want to add one more thing...... Jess, when Bubba said "lack of preparation is the most reason folks fail at this" you said that you disagree because you haven't made a plan and are not slipping... I don't think he meant that just because you don't plan, then you will fail... I think he's saying that if you fail, it was because you didn't plan. It sounds like you're saying that because you didn't plan and haven't failed and Penitent didn't plan and hasn't failed, so therefore, not planning is better than planning. This I disagree with. That's GREAT that you two haven't failed and I certainly hope you never will!!!!! Just because you two, and perhaps others, are not planning and not slipping doesn't mean that making a plan ahead of time doesn't work. We're not saying that everyone who doesn't plan will fail, but like I said earlier, having a plan doesn't hurt. It can only help you... and most likely, those who slip or relapse didn't plan adequately. It's worth the extra few minutes it takes... trust me. Crave the Quit! Butterfly [IMG]http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c177/kissnflirt/littlebutterflies.gif[/IMG] [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 10/28/2005 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 95 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 2,388 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $313.5 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 6 [B]Hrs:[/B] 22 [B]Mins:[/B] 21 [B]Seconds:[/B] 23

Jess, All I can say is it's never too late to have a plan. If you make a plan and don't need it, then no harm done. If you DON'T plan ahead for tough situations and wind up in one and lose your quit because you weren't prepared, then that is just devastating and I don't want to see that happen to anybody. I was like you... I didn't have a plan either. I made it 34 days without one single cigarette and I thought I was doing great! Then, I hit the 30 day pit and I lost my job on day 34 and that was enough to push me over the edge. If I'd had a plan to deal with tough situations, would I still have slipped? I don't know. When I went to a bar after 132 days, I thought I was strong enough to handle the situation... afterall, I'd been to the bar before, but only with non-smokers and I'd never gotten drunk. So, when I went to the bar without any sort of plan or prep work and didn't prepare myself mentally for the battle, I got drunk and smoked 7 cigarettes. I then reset my meter (which is where it's at now) and haven't slipped since. I have a plan now for dealing with tough situations and while I'm not cocky about it, I can say with a fair amount of certainty that, Lord willing, I will never smoke again. But I also don't go into a situation where I know that I'm going to be faced with REALLY tough triggers without planning ahead of time. The point is, a plan doesn't hurt if you don't need to use it. But if you don't have it, then that's when you inevitably need it. It's like insurance. You can spend the extra money (or in this case, a little time) and get the insurance, or you can hope that nothing bad happens. Your choice. Personally, I prefer to plan ahead. Crave the Quit! Butterfly [IMG]http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c177/kissnflirt/littlebutterfly2.gif[/IMG] [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 10/28/2005 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 95 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 2,386 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $313.5 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 6 [B]Hrs:[/B] 22 [B]Mins:[/B] 18 [B]Seconds:[/B] 49

What an agreeable bunch! ;) The only constant in a quit is that each and every one of us will experience it and go about it differently from a "technical" perspective. Emotionally, everyone here is probably on the same page in that we have a "desire" to be quit. It's an incredible journey for some, a walk in the park for others. A hardcore smoker that works in the warehouse at my workplace told me a week and a half ago that he was quitting. He said he was just sick of it. His wife doesn't smoke and she has been asking him to quit for years. He is in his mid 40's. I printed out some of the great threads here and gave them to him for reading and I gave him some pointers. I even bookmarked this website on his warehouse computer. That was on a Friday. I saw him Monday about 11 and asked how he was doing. He said he was smokefree for 4 hours at that point, having smoked his last cigarette while driving to work. I saw him again about 4 and he said he was doing fine. Everyday for the rest of the week was just like the first day. Today he is 9 days quit and told me he hasn't had a bad crave yet. He said away from work he doesn't even think about them. He also told me that his father quit drinking and smoking at the same time a number of years ago. Cold turkey. No looking back. Must be the genes. :p Moral of the story? Whether you prepare or not, if you have the desire, the commitment, the determination, etc... you will quit and nothing will stop you. You can't manufacture those things. They are in you or they aren't. Bubba, my signature is all about knowledge. I do agree that an informed quitter has more tools at their disposal to aid in their quest to be smoke-free. However, every now and then you find my friend in the warehouse. :) [b][color=Purple]Be Strong. Be Smart. Be Quit[/color] [color=black]Joe[/color] [size=3][color=Blue]Knowledge Replaces Fear[/color][/size] [size=2][color=black]Illegitimus non carborundum est[/color][/size][/b] [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 5/15/2005 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 261 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 6,546 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $639.45 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 45 [B]Hrs:[/B] 19 [B]Mins:[/B] 47 [B]Seconds:[/B] 19

It is kinda worrisome seeing quitters quit quitting...though I can definately see how it could happen. I think we should all undergo hypnosis to pound the fact into our brains that "just one" does not exist. I must admit that I find myself thinking every now and again that "just one" will be okay; that I have proven to myself I can quit; that it will help get me through this bad news/bad day/fight with fiancee/drinking with friends.....it sure SOUNDS like my voice saying all this........ I have read and read and READ about "just one" being a step onto a slippery slope, though, and remind myself of this every time I get those crazy "it's okay - just one" thoughts...so I agree Bubba...preparation and knowlege together with WANTING to quit are key to quitting. Gotta go home now. Just wanted to babble a little... Lucy [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 12/23/2005 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 38 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 967 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $323 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 2 [B]Hrs:[/B] 16 [B]Mins:[/B] 50 [B]Seconds:[/B] 46

BFS - I concur...being prepared can only help our situations. Lucy [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 12/23/2005 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 39 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 986 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $331.5 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 2 [B]Hrs:[/B] 18 [B]Mins:[/B] 11 [B]Seconds:[/B] 33