Hi BFS.....I remember you last summer and the difficulties. You have been through some really big wonderful changes during your quit. It's great to see you doing so well. My favorite moment in your journey was when you wanted to wait for the "perfect" day to quit....so funny :) :) I always knew you would become an exsmoker. Really! So sorry about your current problems but that's life....s**t happens. I, too, had an accident a couple of weeks ago. Thank God no one was hurt. NOPE, Janet [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 7/23/2005 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 330 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 6,612 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $1650 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 43 [B]Hrs:[/B] 14 [B]Mins:[/B] 24 [B]Seconds:[/B] 58

Pam... Congratulations. Like Shevie and Rusty, I was a bit worried about you but proud of you and your positive attitude! I cannot change the past but the future belongs to me. What a way to live! You are doing AWESOME! Be Proud. [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 7/1/2005 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 352 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 7,055 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $1232 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 31 [B]Hrs:[/B] 2 [B]Mins:[/B] 9 [B]Seconds:[/B] 48

Thank you everyone for your support. You guys are all the best! For the first time in over a year, I feel as though I've turned the corner. Yes, I've turned many corners in this quit... afterall, quitting is a windy road. I remember at 50 days (first quit) the first time I went a whole day without thinking about smoking. Then, every time I posted that I was starting to feel free, I was hit with massive cravings. I stopped saying that I was feeling free because it was like I just KNEW what was around the corner if I did. There have been many other "corners" that I have turned and all of them led to more and more freedom from this addiction. These are all great things. This specific "corner" that I'm talking about is freedom from the mistake I made 230 something days ago. I no longer feel like I'm trapped by my reset meter. Having said that, I would like to throw something out there for advice on. As most of you know, I had 3 mistakes in my first quit at 34 days, 34 days after that and 64 days after that for a total of 132 when I finally reset my meter never to smoke again. My goal is 1 year smoke free. Well actually, my goal is a lifetime smoke free, but when I hit one year smoke free, so October 28, 2006, I've decided that that's long enough to go with the reset meter. I believe that if I am still an active member of this site, I will put my meter back to June 17, 2005. The reason for this is that while I have accepted my mistakes as a part of my past, I feel that after a whole year of living with the reset meter, the 9 cigarettes that I smoked in the first 4 months of my quit (1 at 34 days, less than 1 34 days later and 7 64 days after that) will not matter. Afterall, I quit smoking on June 17th... I quit slipping on October 28th. Whenever somebody asks me when I quit smoking, I ALWAYS say June 17th. To me, that was my quit date. Yes, I believe that resetting my meter 8 months ago was the right thing to do and it worked to keeping me smoke free for life! Of this, I am more joyous than I could ever imagine! I know I will never smoke and resetting my meter is what worked to help me achieve my goal! So what do you all think? Do you think I'm being silly (if so, just tell me... I can handle it). Do you think that I'm being too hasty? A

LOL! Thanks for the laugh N2k! (And the opinion). Crave the Quit! Pam [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 10/28/2005 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 236 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 5,922 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $974.68 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 17 [B]Hrs:[/B] 4 [B]Mins:[/B] 39 [B]Seconds:[/B] 24

Well, when I would have hit 300 days, I wrote [url=http://www.stopsmokingcenter.net/support/viewmessages.aspx?forum=18&topic=28678]what could have been[/url]. Today, I would have celebrated 1 year. I've been anxiously awaiting this day for a while, but mainly so I could just get it over with. I wasn't sure how I would react... part of me thought I would probably spend all day in bed or crying about it, mourning the loss of the quit that died less than 8 months ago, but that definitely hasn't been the case. Today, I was in a car accident. This past Tuesday, I dislocated my shoulder at work. However, because it is a pre-existing condition, it is not covered under worker's comp, so I'm not receiving any worker's comp benefits, but I'm still not able to do my job so I have been laid off until I get surgery on my shoulder, which may be a while. I also now have some exuberant medical bills because of the dislocation and will inevitably have some heavy mechanic bills because of the accident, so needless to say, life isn't exactly great at the moment. But here's the bright side to all of this. I do not want to smoke. I don't even miss smoking. One year ago today, I started this incredible journey. I have made some mistakes along the way and I have also grown as a person through those mistakes. I have also celebrated many achievements and have so much to be proud for. The latter is so much more important now than the former. Throughout the past year, so many changes have happened to me, both in my life and inside of me personally. I am so blessed just to be here and still be smoke free that how on earth can I mourn on the day I started my freedom? Sure, I made some mistakes, but I would not be who I am had I not made them. Just one short year ago, I probably would have smoked my lungs out had all of these things happened to me. The strength and determination that I have gained through the quitting process has allowed me to stand tall despite the challenges in my life. In the past year, I have been faced with many, many, many challenges. The one thing I have learned, if nothing else, is that smoking will not solve any of my problems, nor did quitting cause them. Do I miss smoking? Not one single bit. Do I want to smoke right now? Not at

Pam, that is a fantastic attitude, simply fantastic! In all honesty, I was a bit worried about how you'd react to this day since you've expressed concern over it before. I never dreamed it would be like this, the best it could possibly be. You really have come a long way, both as a quitter and as a person. Dislocated shoulder, lost your job, and now a car accident! You've really taken some hard hits this past week, but you seem to be handling them about as well as can be expected. I hope you are really proud of yourself right now for the way you are coping with all this. I certainly am. Congratulations on your successful quit, Pam. :) Shevie [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 5/23/2005 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 390 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 7,815 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $1482 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 72 [B]Hrs:[/B] 20 [B]Mins:[/B] 26 [B]Seconds:[/B] 12

Pam, I'm with Shevie -- you sound like you have made some major breakthroughs. I am proud of you. Sounds like you are ready to let "what might have been" go and proceed onto what is. You go, girl! Here's hoping your troubles resolve soon... Rusty :) [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 12/13/2004 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 551 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 15,449 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $1928.5 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 75 [B]Hrs:[/B] 21 [B]Mins:[/B] 39 [B]Seconds:[/B] 54

BFS, This is wonderful and insightful. Your troubles will ease off soon and you can celebrate your achievements. Never doubt for a moment that you didn't do the right thing. You support and quit have taught us some great lessons! Keep Strong, Josie _____________________ The SSC Support Team.