brentw1, Thankyou for this great post...I for one have found SSC essential in my quit. Here I have found the knowledge, the support, the laughter, the words of wisdom and the friendships to succeed. Thank you everyone. Pat :) [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 1/28/2007 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 25 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 1,012 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $350 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 2 [B]Hrs:[/B] 22 [B]Mins:[/B] 52 [B]Seconds:[/B] 30

Great analogy brent - I completely believe that yes, we DO need a Gollum to keep the edges of the 'smoke free' vision smooth. It's easier to slip if you don't have a very personal, very powerful motivation to stay kaput. [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 1/1/2007 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 54 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 1,249 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] �297 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 4 [B]Hrs:[/B] 13 [B]Mins:[/B] 37 [B]Seconds:[/B] 57

;) brentw1 Well said! auntdeb [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 1/1/2007 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 52 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 2,615 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $247 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 7 [B]Hrs:[/B] 4 [B]Mins:[/B] 45 [B]Seconds:[/B] 18

Brentw: What a great analogy -- very, very fitting. Thank you for spotting it and sharing with the rest of us. Keep the faith [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 10/8/2006 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 137 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 5,493 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $1096 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 17 [B]Hrs:[/B] 23 [B]Mins:[/B] 6 [B]Seconds:[/B] 5

Nice one! [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 12/29/2006 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 56 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 568 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $280 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 5 [B]Hrs:[/B] 9 [B]Mins:[/B] 28 [B]Seconds:[/B] 4

Lord of the (Smoke) Rings. Very interesting post! :) [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 9/8/2006 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 167 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 8,396 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $1336 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 17 [B]Hrs:[/B] 18 [B]Mins:[/B] 45 [B]Seconds:[/B] 16

Brentw1, Thank you for sharing your thoughts with us. Well said! Danielle ____________________ The SSC Support Team

Duffis you fibber!!!!!!! You are only 867 years old. Regards to both you and Pete and I will continue to have a pint of Mansfield Smooth bitter on a Thursday night for you in the Plough Inn in Farnsfield, Nottinghamshire, UK. Brent [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 12/8/2005 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 443 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 3,107 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] �2215 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 72 [B]Hrs:[/B] 7 [B]Mins:[/B] 57 [B]Seconds:[/B] 36

And by the way........we got stuffed by Ireland today in the six nations championship.........life's a b*gger!! And the best game in the world? Cricket dear boy.....cricket!!!! mAD enGlisHman [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 12/8/2005 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 443 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 3,107 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] �2215 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 72 [B]Hrs:[/B] 7 [B]Mins:[/B] 58 [B]Seconds:[/B] 10

I recently took my 14 year old son to see England playing Italy in the six nations competition at Twickenham......the home in London of the 2nd greatest game in the World! I am of course talking about Rugby. It was a long coach journey and on the way back, the driver put on a copy of the final Lord of the Rings movie. It was the special extended directors, tea ladies, the bloke from the chip shop and the bus queue outside the supermarkets issue. A bit like one of my rambling posts, it went on for ever! I cannot watch the final scenes of Frodo trying to chuck the ring into the lava flow without comparing it to the struggle to stop smoking. The agony on his face as Sam pleads with him to throw it away.......but it consumes him and he slips it on his finger....... We know that we should not smoke. We know all the terrible things that it does to us. We get desperate at times to break the addiction........yet millions of people are slipping the ring on every hour, every day and every year. Gollum eventually gets his hands on the ring and falls into the fire.....thus saving Frodo from insanity and evil. Frodo could not do it on his own......... I could not have stopped smoking on my own. Do we all need an event to happen? A moment of realisation? A loved one dying or a diagnosis from the Doctor that we have six months if we are lucky? Do we need a Gollum to snatch the addiction from us? The catalyst for me was this site. It provided the knowledge about the addiction and a strategy to cope. It provided support and unquestioning friendship when I needed it most. Whilst you have to stop smoking, this site can make that tiny difference that means success. It fact, it is so stuffed full of Sam's and Samantha's that you can't move! So in your darkest hours, when the urge to stick one of those filthy things in your mouth is at it's greatest....remember that you are not on your own. And the movie, a great performance as usual from Duffis as Gandalf....but he reserves his best for this site along with many other stars. Mad Englishman Oh..........and the best game in the world? Well only an Englishman would be able to answer that question! [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 12/8/2005 [B]Smoke-Free