Oh my, please get rid of those ciggies, Now pick them up and shred them into a million tiny pieces and throw them in the toilet, that's where they belong. Now this being said, it's very normal to miss your kids and it hurts everytime they leave, however old they are, they are your children and you're reacting as a loving mom, nothing wrong with that, go with the wave and after you've had a good cry, you'll feel better. Smoking will not bring them back, on the contrary when they smell you, they'll want to run away LOL. It's hard to deal with feelings without the crutch of smoking at first, you'll get there with time, be patient with yourself, you deserve a little TLC right now, how about a bubble bath? Hope you feel better soon!!! One day at a time Marie [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B]6/13/2006 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 464 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 7,888 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $3,016.00 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 61 [B]Hrs:[/B] 16 [B]Mins:[/B] 24 [B]Seconds:[/B] 38

Aloha, I am not a huggy person & neither are you so I'm sending you a non-hug, ))))))aloha(((((((. Love you! [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B]5/13/2007 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 130 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 2,600 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $1,430.00 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 13 [B]Hrs:[/B] 1 [B]Mins:[/B] 49 [B]Seconds:[/B] 15

Thanks everybody for your support. Sorry for snapping, pen. I'm way too sensitive at the moment. I'm not going to smoke, because I don't smoke anymore. It just sucks feeling the physical pull to do so. I've been back to basics for days now...breathing like a locomotive, drinking lots of water, taking it easy on myself. Guess I just have to hang in there. It will pass. I realize that other people have way harder situations to deal with. And I'm lucky that this time it will not be so hard to see him again, because soon I'll have discount fares for flights. In the past it was pretty expensive for any of us to get together. Anyways, I'm hoping to learn better coping straegies each time I face one of these challenges. Again, thanks everybody. I hope to be back with my sense of humor and a smile on my face soon. -aloha [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B]3/22/2007 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 182 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 7,280 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $1,237.60 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 25 [B]Hrs:[/B] 10 [B]Mins:[/B] 52 [B]Seconds:[/B] 31

Aloha, you've gone so far in your quit to blow it now. It's sad when they leave even though it is a new beginning for them. My son was about 30 when he finally left and though I felt sad I was glad in a way. I spent a couple months cleaning and painting and redecorating his room (he left a mess) and turned it into a cozy guest room and retreat. You've received good advice from you buddies here. Now it's Aloha's turn to cry and go to one of those dollar stores, get a laundry basket and fill it with all the basics that you son will need in his new place: detergent, cleaner, dishtowel, toilet paper etc. Gotta keep busy. Hope you're doing better by now. judy [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B]8/3/2007 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 48 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 384 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $96.00 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 7 [B]Hrs:[/B] 2 [B]Mins:[/B] 9 [B]Seconds:[/B] 15

Aloha~ MY GIRL!! I am so sorry that you are going through a rough time right now. I know how hard it is sometimes! I really do! But, I also know that you picking up that smoke isn't going to make the pain go away. It isn't going to clear your head. It isn't going to make you feel better. You know what we need to do to get through these hard times and you are doing it. You are posting and asking for us to come hold your hand and to give you a hug.... so Aloha.....here is MY hand..... and here is a hug. Take it one second at a time if need be. Just make sure you remind yourself that you don't smoke because..... What difference will it make? The difference between life and death Who cares if you have one? Me and about 100 other people here. Not to mention your family and friends It's part of you. It's who you are. You are not a rolled up piece of weed soaked in chemicals. You are a loving wonderful woman with many things to offer this world. It will make you feel better. It will make you feel like gagging, coughing, maybe puking. It's just one. It is never just one. it is 5, it is 10, it is a whole pack, it is a hundred, thousand more. It's not a big deal. It's the biggest deal in your life right now. It IS your life. No one will even know. You will know and it will be disappointing and frustrating. We will know and it will be sad. What do you think you're gonna do without it? You're gonna laugh without coughing, you're gonna sing with a clear voice, you're gonna dance like nobody's watching, you're gonna run to the top of the mountain. How are you gonna deal without having one? One day, one minute, one second at a time. Breathing deep, drinking water, pampering yourself. You can't do it. You can do it. You've done it before. Once for 100 days, once for 30. If that isn' enough, I bumped up Junkie Thinking for you. Please print it out and read it....over and over and over. We can do this Aloha....We are doing this! One day at a time!! One stress at a time One emotion at a time. X[color=Red]?[/color][color=Black]Lolo[/color][color=Red]?[/color][color=Black]X[/color] [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B]9/18/2007 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 2 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 40 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $9.00 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 0 [B]Hrs:[/B] 5 [B]Mins:[/B] 4 [B]Seconds:[/B] 7

alohakeia, One thing that infuriated me after I quit smoking was how much of my life was robbed by nicotine and all of its affects on my life that I was blind to. This post just brought all that back. Your son leaving home - no matter his age or circumstances - makes you sad and that is normal. Of course it is okay to feel that and to post that and to want to talk about it. Smoking jacked us up in how we deal with all these things but at six months in...you are a new aloha and the new aloha might be cryer. Sorry old aloha. At this point in your quit though, this is where the rubber meets the road. We can't forge new paths until we get to an unknown place and it can be awkward and scary but it sounds like you are there. aloha, you are wise, compassionate and insightful. If you were talking to someone else (a non-smoker, which you are) what would you tell them? I can't imagine that you would be as hard on them as you are on yourself for feeling the way you do. There are lots of healthy, normal outlets for these feelings and I believe that because you will be facing them head-on this time, you may move on from them more fully and possibly quicker. Just like our quits, different coping methods work better for some than others. Hang out in the garden, go for a walk, journal, call up a friend. Let all those emotions out, it's like going through a form of grief and there are so many things tied into that. Tears are good. Sorry for the novel and I'm sorry that things are tough but if the last six months are any indication of your character - aloha is going to be a healthier, stronger aloha after coming out of this. All the best and oh yeah, don't smoke :) [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B]8/5/2004 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 1141 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 22,820 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $5,134.50 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 87 [B]Hrs:[/B] 2 [B]Mins:[/B] 56 [B]Seconds:[/B] 45

Hey Penquin! (Aloha too) Having your little one go off to Kindergarten is very much the same thing. I cried when I dropped my first child off at school. It was the end of their "Babyhood". You were the only one in their life that mattered up to that point, now their Teacher and friends becomes important to them. So it's very much the same as the adult child leaving his "childhood" at home. I have three children and when the oldest daughter left it was sad, but not bad, I got over it, but when my youngest one left, (the last of course) and he was also the one I was closest to, (Moms and sons) I really missed him. That one was hard, and it is perfectly okay to cry for heavens sake, these are the wonderful moments of life...we're supposed to cry when our babies leave, it just shows us how much we love them. Cry all you want, it is the release of emotion that we really need in times like these and thats what tears are for!!! :) [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B]3/5/2007 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 199 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 4,975 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $2,099.45 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 24 [B]Hrs:[/B] 8 [B]Mins:[/B] 10 [B]Seconds:[/B] 29

Aloha, look at all the love & support you've got from all these wonderful people! Of course you were right to post. I hope you find some help & comfort somwhere in here, and that you have a better day today! [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B]5/13/2007 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 130 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 2,600 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $1,430.00 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 13 [B]Hrs:[/B] 1 [B]Mins:[/B] 8 [B]Seconds:[/B] 39

Sorry I didn't see this till you are probably asleep and on to the next day. I hope you are feeling better by the time you get up this morning. I do completely sympathise with you. I've had both my children leave home 2 or 3 times each. Currently I have my daughter back here and she is hoping to move out next year (she is about to turn 25!). I will be ready for her to go and I know it is what she has to do but it will be the first time I will have faced it without smoking. As I write this I'm not sure I won't have the thoughts you've been having but the fact is - however it is put - smoking will not change the situation. It will just make you feel doubly bad because you'll have broken that lovely quit record. Anyway you have to stay around here to show me round that villa when I get there. Very best wishes, Love Gen [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B]3/28/2007 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 176 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 2,816 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] �880.00 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 23 [B]Hrs:[/B] 8 [B]Mins:[/B] 19 [B]Seconds:[/B] 26

Hey Hawii! I hope you are having a big sleep now, to relax and unwind a bit. It probably felt better just posting, and Aloha, you know thats exactly what this place is all about, asking for help when you are struggling. Post when you feel up to it and let us know how its going. :) [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B]3/5/2007 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 199 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 4,975 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $2,099.45 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 24 [B]Hrs:[/B] 7 [B]Mins:[/B] 59 [B]Seconds:[/B] 2