Thank you Lady for the bump. This is the type of things I need as a newbie to give me the insight and encouragment to continue on my want for my quit! Kim [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 6/7/2006 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 33 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 843 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $133.65 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 2 [B]Hrs:[/B] 23 [B]Mins:[/B] 18 [B]Seconds:[/B] 35

:) [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 2/17/2006 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 221 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 5,546 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $1768 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 36 [B]Hrs:[/B] 3 [B]Mins:[/B] 44 [B]Seconds:[/B] 10

Bump for Cheermom

Excellent post to read for all :) Keep Strong, Josie _____________________ The SSC Support Team.

Joe you are so right. That is the secret, whether people want to admit it or not, just don't light one up. It's not easy to quit smoking. In fact it is absolute hell at first, but if you are determined that no matter what the withdrawl symptom may be or what the problem is, you WILL NOT LITE UP than you will succeed. It's that simple, just don't do it. I have had the cravings, urges, etc. and the twizzlers, and hard candies helped but the best thing I did or didn't do, I should say, was lite up. Its a long hard road and I am only at 22 days but I know that the hell will pass and I will be a healthier and more vibrant person without cancer stix, and so will everyone else! ;p [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 2/12/2006 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 22 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 225 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $82.5 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 1 [B]Hrs:[/B] 12 [B]Mins:[/B] 17 [B]Seconds:[/B] 0

awesome post, Joe...... I too was at the beginning, like everyone else, 75 days ago (has it really been that long??) reading and posting and asking "when will these feelings go away?" "when will I stop craving a cigarette?" "will I ever be "normal"?" Well.....it happened. And the trick? Stop thinking of cigarettes as something you miss, that you are "forbidden" to have, that you "use to have when you felt like this"...........the trick is [i]just stop thinking about them. [/i] Oh, the "craving" for one will rear it's ugly head every so often, just to let you know that you truly are STILL an addict, that it's a forever thing, but it's just a nit, not a real "in the beginning type" craving, it's a momentary blip of a need, and then it's gone. Just like that. And then you are back to normal. Finally. Normal........wow......I'm now someone who can walk a block without being winded, who can walk past someone and they smell my perfume/shampoo/soap instead of the last cigarette I power smoked outside during my break! I no longer worry about my blood pressure, or what my doctor is going to say (besides congratulations) or that I had better go brush my teeth and wash my hands because my non-smoking husband made a face as I walked past him after being outside.....I don't have to worry about forgetting/running out of cigarettes, the rising cost of maintaining this habit, the guilt at the $$$ spent and so on and so on ad infinitum. It's an amazing freedom to be a non-smoker. I just came back from 10 days of travel - 10 days of running from one airport to another and sitting there waiting and waiting and waiting.........there was one gentleman in the JFK airport who was FURIOUS at one of the gate agents because apparantly JFK doesn't have indoor smoking, and it's not terribly convenient to go outside and then back in thru security in one of New York's busiest airports! Boy.....been there - not the ragging out at the agent part, but the two or three trips thru security after having that "last cigarette" before boarding. My seatmate must have been [b]THRILLED[/b] about having me sit beside them! :gasp: To everyone who has made the decision to quit, has started the journey - it is not easy. It IS as simple as not smoking ever again, but it is not easy.

Another great post Golferman. [IMG]http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f190/cuddlebug230/messages/th102.gif[/IMG] Cuddles [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 2/11/2006 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 22 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 441 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $79.2 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 2 [B]Hrs:[/B] 6 [B]Mins:[/B] 24 [B]Seconds:[/B] 44

Great post as always! I was having a chat about this very topic with one of my clients. Her partner had tried to quit numerous times without success. She is trying again because a dentist offerred to clean up her periodontal disease for free if she quit (she does not have health insurance). The appointment got mixed up and she ended up quitting with NRT a month earlier than she had to. Her first statement upon learning about the appointment mix up was, "oh good, I can smoke for another month before I have to quit". Fortunately, she decided against that, saying she wanted to quit for good this time. She is still smoke free on patches. Lesson learned is this. You successfully quit by wanting to quit for You, not for the free dental work or for any other reason. [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 9/16/2005 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 170 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 2,045 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $1122 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 17 [B]Hrs:[/B] 1 [B]Mins:[/B] 2 [B]Seconds:[/B] 31

Great post! All quitters should read this. [quote] You have to realize that quitting is a life changing event and that you need to adjust your life to it. Don�t fight the change. Embrace it. It is as much a part of your quit as putting out that last cancer stick. [/quote] Life changing events can be scary. One morning you wake up and you look back on what you have gone through over a relatively short period of time and realize "Hey, I've done it!" Change is usually difficult and sometime painful but anything worth having is worth working for and a quit is definately way up there on the list of things worth having. [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 7/1/2005 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 247 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 4,948 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $864.5 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 21 [B]Hrs:[/B] 19 [B]Mins:[/B] 15 [B]Seconds:[/B] 2

So how [i]do[/i] you quit??? That seems to be the $64,000 question for many smokers. Of course the stock answer is to not light up a cigarette! Too easy, huh? It really is that easy. Too bad that very, very few smokers can break a quit down to its simplest terms. Most smokers who want to quit often times can�t see the forest for the trees... or trees for the smoke. So how do you quit? Lady posted about courage needed to make that decision. I laud her insight. Courage is indeed a critical component in the quit process. Really it�s the first step. Now, what happens next, when you�ve made that decision? Like any major life decision, it needs to be carefully thought out. Planning your quit and then executing that plan can go a long way to that life long quit. I know that there are folks out there who just put them down and walk away, but that is the minority. Ok.. planning your quit. What steps do you take? 1. Identify the various methods, i.e., Cold Turkey, using an NRT, if an NRT, which one? Perhaps herbal products, (Smoke Away, etc.) hypnosis, Wellbutrin, etc. 2. Discuss your decision with your physician or other medical professional to get their input. You may become symptomatic after you quit and if your physician knows that you just quit and what method you chose, he can better assess your symptoms. 3. Search the Internet for materials on quitting. The various cancer, heart and lung societies all have sites with plenty of good information. (If you are reading this, I know you can use the Internet!) 4. Ask for support from anyone and everyone. Make your case. Never feel guilty about your decision to quit smoking. Be proud! 5. Join a support group. (The SSC is great! Plus they have a good plan for you to work) Next step? Select a quit date and stick to it! If you have a 1/2 pack left over when it�s time to quit then soak them in the sink and have a little ceremony as you flush them down the toilet! Never look for reasons not quit. Look for reasons to be quit. Be positive. No one ever died from quitting. As a quitter you really are in the majority. I realize that you may live with a smoker or that all your friends are smokers. Hey, stuff happens. Smokers tend to seek out other smokers. It should be