Shevie, You always give us such good information to mull over! Thank you for that! :) Great post! [color=white]p.s. I'm STILL waiting for the post on addiction and love or whatever it was that you were going to write a year ago! [/color] ;) Crave the Quit! Pam [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 10/28/2005 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 375 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 9,395 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $1548.75 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 27 [B]Hrs:[/B] 6 [B]Mins:[/B] 35 [B]Seconds:[/B] 6

Very helpful and interesting! My target at present is dinner. There's the bell, now I'm salivating! :blush: Actually, in doing a little research myself, there is quite a bit of validity to the genetic predisposition of addictions in general. Excellent post! [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 9/8/2006 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 60 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 3,038 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $480 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 6 [B]Hrs:[/B] 5 [B]Mins:[/B] 59 [B]Seconds:[/B] 5

Interesting stuff Shevie ~ CobenFan [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 3/25/2006 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 227 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 3,872 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $794.5 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 21 [B]Hrs:[/B] 1 [B]Mins:[/B] 54 [B]Seconds:[/B] 20

:) [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 2/17/2006 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 263 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 6,594 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $2104 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 42 [B]Hrs:[/B] 23 [B]Mins:[/B] 40 [B]Seconds:[/B] 1

LOL@Mc - Gosh Shevie I can't help but grin at the idea of going all 'balimbic' and smoking. [img]http://www.planetsmilies.com/smilies/mad/mad0066.gif[/img] :8o: To be honest~My grandpa's Southern voice keeps running through my head saying, [i]"I don't know if that dog will hunt."[/i][img]http://www.planetsmilies.com/smilies/confused/confused0083.gif[/img] However, I'm pretty sure the only reason I am wondering 'that' is because I'm used to debating 'any' legitimate reason(s) to relapse in here.~lol I always enjoy your post(s). Too often they cause me to have stop and think (darn it! ;p) and then decide how I 'feel' about them. [img]http://www.planetsmilies.com/smilies/confused/confused0075.gif[/img] Keep'em coming anyway, you're terrific! :) [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] [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 8/20/2005 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 446 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 9,812 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $2230 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 42 [B]Hrs:[/B] 7 [B]Mins:[/B] 53 [B]Seconds:[/B] 40

There's not too many things I'd go all [i]limbic[/i] over but there were definitely times when I was still smoking that I would have chewed my own leg off for a decent lighter! Thanks for the enlightening info. Helps us understand ourselves, and our dogs, better! You should have your own show. Smoker-whisperer...? (Just doesn't trip off the tongue, does it? Oh, well.) Cold Turkeys like LIMBO much better anyway. Where's that bamboo pole?... mc [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 8/31/2005 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 434 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 6,517 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $1736 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 42 [B]Hrs:[/B] 6 [B]Mins:[/B] 35 [B]Seconds:[/B] 52

Several months ago I heard a dog trainer who specializes in over-reactive dogs refer to something she called the �limbic state�. According to her, the limbic state is a condition where the limbic system (the most primitive part) of the brain takes control of the animal. Once the animal is in this state, the handler has little chance of calling it off the target. An animal in the limbic state will focus exclusively on the target, ignoring everything else including pain and damage to its body. Indeed, if the handler gets between the animal and the target, the animal will likely go right through the handler, doing whatever is necessary to remove the obstacle (handler) from its path. This is why breaking up a dog fight is so dangerous, and even a beloved family pet may turn savagely on its owner. So what�s this got to do with quitting, you ask? People are a subtype of animal, and we all have a limbic system. The limbic system contains the �fight or flight�, the reflex/instinct, and the reward/pleasure centers. Therein resides our addiction. Slippers and relapsers are often criticized for their weakness, both by themselves and by others. But I don't think it is always a weakness. I think that, sometimes, there is nothing they can do about it. The addiction rears its ugly head, the limbic system literally takes control over the conscious and no power they have in them can stop it. However, not every dog is reactive and therefore its conscious, rational mind can exercise greater control over the primitive limbic. These dogs can be called off the target, even during a fight. Breeding and training have a great influence over that control (hunting dogs vs. attack dogs). The same goes for people. Some are more genetically predisposed to being able to maintain conscious control over their primitive side (me, for example). And training helps, too. Preparation before quitting, learning as much as you can about what is behind what you are experiencing, is quite powerful. Even slips/relapses are beneficial, if lessons are learned and applied to future quits. This is not intended to be a blanket, wholesale excuse for anyone who slips. Indeed, some people who do just aren�t ready to quit or truly are weak and cave too easily without giving it a