Chicken Licken,
I completely understand your need to get through a drinking situation without smoking to finally feel like an ex-smoker. For me, that was the BIGGEST trigger and the toughest one to get through because of the loss of inhibitions. I threw away a 132 day quit at a bar nearly 8 months ago and would have been celebrating 1 year quit this coming Saturday, June 17th if I hadn't blown my quit. I know how badly it feels to throw a quit away while drinking and I don't want to see that happen to ANYBODY!!!!! So, PLEASE, don't let that happen! But at the same time, the longer you wait to get through this trigger, the harder it will be. If you think you're ready, and are confident that you won't smoke, then go for it. BUT, if you're thinking now that there's a possibility that you might smoke, then don't risk your quit.
Here's the thing... each time I "slipped," I went into the situation thinking "maybe I'll have just one" or "if it gets too hard, I'll just smoke 1/2 of one" or something like that. If you're thinking that maybe, just maybe, you'll smoke, then do whatever you can to avoid the situation!!! Because if you're thinking that maybe you'll smoke before you even get in the situation, then you WILL smoke when you get in it! Make sure that your commitment is as strong as steel going in. That may take some prep work and some "pumping up" to do before hand, but it's absolutely imparative that you tell yourself "NO WAY!!" before hand so you can be strong in the situation.
The biggest thing to remember is MODERATION!!!! If you have to drink, then have one... two max and absolutely no more whatsoever!!! The reason alcohol is such a dangerous thing is because #1 - it is so closely tied with smoking and #2 - you're not in a sound mind because of it. So, it's absolutely imparative that you limit the amount that you drink. Even good, supportive friends who are smokers may "forget" that you asked them to not give you a cigarette if they too have drank too much themselves. So just remember to cut yourself off after one or two and leave it at that. Good luck and let us know how it goes!
Crave the Quit!
Pam
[B]My Milage:[/B]
[B]My Quit Date: [/B] 10/28/2005
[B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 226
[B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 5,672
[B]Amou
