This is the recipe that has been working for me (there is nothing original in here. I have stood on the shoulders of giants to get to where I am and used time tested ingredients to cook up this quit. I am very grateful to be where I am and I hope that this might possibly assist another in their trek)... [b]A) decide that you don't want to smoke anymore - that you don't want to be ENSLAVED anymore - that you want to regain some semblance of control of your destiny[/b] 1. listed out reasons � pros/cons 2. make a list of rewards/milestones 3. make a promise to yourself that you are going to overcome anything and everything to accomplish your goal [b]B) stop smoking and [size=4]BE SINCERE AND BELIEVE IN YOURSELF[/size] � you are not a smoker � smoking isn�t an option[/b] 1. it will be hard, but you will conquer � have faith, you will make it 2. don�t allow the junkie thoughts to fester [b]"What Consumes Your Thoughts Controls Your Life�[/b] (I stole this from Golferman - it's very true. If you read this, thanks Joe) [b]C) add time � one moment, minute, hour, day, etc.[/b] 1. don�t look too far ahead or behind - I know when I look too far ahead or behind, it becomes very daunting and overwhelming - very quickly - when I'd catch myself doing this, I would refocus my attention on the moment at hand. One way to do this is to concentrate on your breathing - feel each breath completely and be thankful for it. Breathing - sometimes I forget about how important it is. Not to sound too esoteric, but it's the breath of life we are saving and it returns the favor (I know it sounds like a bunch of sissy crap, but it works and I'm all for what works). If I concentrate on my breathing when those negative thoughts seem to enter, I can focus on the now as opposed to the past and future (which incidentally was the source of my negative attention/worry) and much like letting a crave pass, I could move on from the worry/misdirected attention. I try to replace the draining thought with a thought of who I want to be... smokefree, happy, in love, fulfilled, of purpose, faithfilled, (insert all of the things you want to be),etc. Admittedly, I don't always win this internal battle, but I know smoking isn't going to help any - it never did

man, I love you guys... as always thank you for the kind words. This thread is a perfect example, in my mind, of how/why this site works. My mentors are here. In case you didn't know, that's you, Luna, Lady, N2K, Butterflyswimmer, Shevie, Cuddles... My peer - Sunshine And some behind me - Riverdaleman, 4my2girls, Mr Ed, CobenFan Thank you all for the support, sincerely. Individually, please know that you have all played a positive role in my life with this quit. I learn from all of you. It makes me very proud. Again, from my heart, thank you - this is exactly the support I was talking about. keep fightin' the good fight - fish [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 12/21/2005 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 146 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 4,398 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $730 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 18 [B]Hrs:[/B] 22 [B]Mins:[/B] 57 [B]Seconds:[/B] 46

I wish I could edit the OP because I've thought of a couple of additional things that have been additional ingredients in this tasty quit recipe. I'll just list them here... [b]REACH OUT[/b] - I mentioned this but it has been crucial to my sanity. In addition to taking advantage of all the amazing support here, I have been talking with a church counselor through this - I had other issues besides smoking(some may recall), but they're all intertwined. This has been extremely helpful for me and I'd recommend the practise to anyone. [b]READ/PRINT/COPY any and all posts here that strike a chord in you - you'll know when you find them - usually a tear will point them out[/b] [b]REPLACE[/b] also crucial to my sanity, I have been taking a yoga class once a week - the meditative benefits of this practice have been very helpful for me. I think most importantly; however, I have taken up a more stringent running regimen. I joined a training team for a 10k, now I'm on one for a 1/2 marathon, and after I complete that, I plan on continuing my training to run a full marathon possibly before my 1 year anniversary here - we'll see... The distances aren't what's important here. For me it is having the long term goals and a program to accomplish them. Lastly, a book that I keep nearby that has really helped my heart through all of this - I just happened upon it - actually I ordered probably 15 other books from amazon within a few weeks time - it was the one that I really needed. It's called Warrior of the Light by Paulo Coelho. I'd recommend it to anyone who has experienced failure and whose soul yearns for its destiny - definite soul food. keep fightin' the good fight - fish [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 12/21/2005 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 146 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 4,398 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $730 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 18 [B]Hrs:[/B] 22 [B]Mins:[/B] 59 [B]Seconds:[/B] 55

whoops - one more R (sorry, I can't seem to put these things together like some others around here - namely, EVERYONE) - bear with me, won't you... [b]REWARD[/b] - this is quite important as Shevie eloquently illustrated in [url=http://www.stopsmokingcenter.net/support/viewmessages.aspx?forum=1&topic=24919]this post[/url] - matter of fact, I just gave myself a new pair of running shoes and a watch today - just for the heck of it - can't always be that exhorbitant... sometimes it's just gas in the car - now that's exhorbitant. Christine - you know I took the 'No hurries, No worries' from a response you gave to me a while back - thanks for being here... Polly - you've been quietly working your quit. I've never seen you complain. But you always have something nice to say. [b]THANK YOU for being here.[/b] You are wonderful. Rusty - yet another of my mentors. All I can say is... Right on, right on - we're all a little mad. Thanks for being here. You kick ash. keep fightin' the good fight - fish

Joonie, please add or modify any ingredient you would like. As long as it works for YOU. That's the most important thing, of course. Thanks for the sentiment. keep fightin' the good fight - fish [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 12/21/2005 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 147 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 4,428 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $735 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 19 [B]Hrs:[/B] 2 [B]Mins:[/B] 4 [B]Seconds:[/B] 0

Absolutely, Joonie. Positive thinking is huge. One of the biggest challenges for me was just that, focusing on all of the positive changes going on in my life as opposed to 'romancing the past.' keep fightin' the good fight - fish [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 12/21/2005 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 148 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 4,458 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $740 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 19 [B]Hrs:[/B] 5 [B]Mins:[/B] 10 [B]Seconds:[/B] 14

Fish, What a wonderful post! Can we add a pinch of another ingredient? Thanks for the recipe. Joonie [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 4/22/2006 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 24 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 496 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $84 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 2 [B]Hrs:[/B] 16 [B]Mins:[/B] 59 [B]Seconds:[/B] 50

Here it is... The sentiments you have expressed, just said in another way... "I've learned from experience that the greater part of our happiness or misery depends on our dispositions and not on our circumstances." �Martha Washington Maybe goes back to meditation and thinking positive thoughts? Joonie [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 4/22/2006 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 26 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 528 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $91 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 2 [B]Hrs:[/B] 21 [B]Mins:[/B] 15 [B]Seconds:[/B] 37

[IMG]http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f190/cuddlebug230/WayToGo.gif[/IMG] Great Recipie, I will be right over with the cake [IMG]http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f190/cuddlebug230/birthday_cake.gif[/IMG] Cuddles It's better to be a non-smoker with an occasional desire for a cig than a smoker with a constant desire to quit...... [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 4/22/2006 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 24 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 485 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $86.4 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 2 [B]Hrs:[/B] 11 [B]Mins:[/B] 56 [B]Seconds:[/B] 58

Hi fishoutofwater~ Now U are cookN with heat ;) That was very good :) This part made me chuckle: [quote] get a catchy phrase for the end of your posts [/quote] [color=blue][font=Tahoma]All the best~[/color] [img]http://img291.imageshack.us/img291/6922/n3us.gif[/img][size=3][color=blue]2[/color][/size][img]http://img133.imageshack.us/img133/2344/k6ob.gif[/img][/color] [color=maroon][size=2][font=impact]I Killed the Nicodemon :eg: [/color][/size][/font] [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 8/20/2005 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 269 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 5,918 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $1345 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 25 [B]Hrs:[/B] 12 [B]Mins:[/B] 46 [B]Seconds:[/B] 45