Great post, Lady. It sounds like your quit is finally starting to settle in. You've had a long, rough road with all the work/school/Dad smoking/kids/ad infinitum. A lesser person would have caved long ago. You are truly awe inspiring.
Concerning craves after a long quit. They happen. Not necessarily to all, but they will to some. Somewhere along the way, sometimes something will happen that will spark a memory association with smoking and "wham" a crave happens. I expect if it does, you won't even know what caused it.
This sudden slam upside the head is, I imagine, quite unnerving and scary. It blindsides the person and the junkie tries so very hard to take control again. Coping mechanisms which right now either do, or are learning to, function automatically have atrophied. They don't kick in and the person in such a fit that they have only border-line control.
If this is thrown on top of an already stressful situation, I can see how someone would panic (totally freak out, actually) and have to have a smoke to regain a modicum of sanity. Of course, that will lead to another, another, another,...
But this doesn't have to be the case. If we always remember that craves always pass if we just wait them out, we'll be just fine. And once that memory association is broken, it won't bother us again.
The key is to not panic, should the time come. You got through the first six months, you will be able to get through that.
Hang tough, Lady (as I know you will). Everything always works out for the best if we can just survive the process. :)
Shevie
[B]My Milage:[/B]
[B]My Quit Date: [/B] 5/23/2005
[B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 379
[B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 7,582
[B]Amount Saved:[/B] $1440.2
[B]Life Gained:[/B]
[B]Days:[/B] 70 [B]Hrs:[/B] 16 [B]Mins:[/B] 13 [B]Seconds:[/B] 9
