Let me address both issues separately. First, YES!!! OF COURSE IT'S NORMAL TO BE NERVOUS!!!! You're quitting doing something that you've done every single day (or at least almost every single day) for the last 17 years! Of course you're nervous! Of course you're scared! Of course you're having second thoughts! That's OK!
But what's NOT OK is to put it off forever because you have such-and-such going on in so many months and then after that, you have this do-dad and that whatchamacallit going on and you just don't know how you can make it through your life smoke free. At some point, you have to just bite the bullet and say "no matter what - I DON'T SMOKE!" If that means putting your social life on hold for a while, then that's better than dying at 45 because you got diagnosed with lung cancer! Your choice! Personally, I would choose (and DID choose) to go a few weeks without going out to bars and such until I was strong enough to try it... and even then, I had to have MAJOR previsions in place and even then stumbled a couple times while drinking.
But here's the good news... now, going out to the bars, drinking, even hanging out with smokers (which is virtually everybody I hang out with) doesn't even phase me anymore. Not even ONE junkie thought goes through my head when I'm out drinking with smokers. Did it take a while to get there? You bet! But the ONLY way to get there is to do those things smoke free. Eventually, if you do them enough, then you won't even think about smoking during those situations because they are so common place and smoking isn't a part of your life anymore. Don't you want to get to that point? Then join us! Become smoke free! After this weekend and your bro-in law's CD release party, set a date, prepare for the quit and then like Nike says, "JUST DO IT!" You'll be SO glad you did!
Crave the Quit!
Pam
[B]My Milage:[/B]
[B]My Quit Date: [/B] 6/17/2005
[B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 692
[B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 17,302
[B]Amount Saved:[/B] $2857.96
[B]Life Gained:[/B]
[B]Days:[/B] 49 [B]Hrs:[/B] 6 [B]Mins:[/B] 18 [B]Seconds:[/B] 16