Congrats Riverdale man. 14 days is AWESOME! You need to reward yourself. You are doing great! The road to freedom is rocky but you can make it if you just keep going. [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 7/1/2005 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 246 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 4,928 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $861 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 21 [B]Hrs:[/B] 17 [B]Mins:[/B] 13 [B]Seconds:[/B] 3

Riverdale man. I wanted to reply to your posting about the emotions and the depression associated with you quit. I am still struggling with these issues. For over 23 years I ran to a cigarette every time something didn't go my way in life and finding a way to deal with all kinds of emotions and situations has been very difficult for me. I also hid from things by smoking and just chose not to deal with them at all. Since quitting, I have had to deal with those issues. I am getting better and I have come a long way but I still have days where I am so down it just seems I can't get up. As a matter of fact, yesterday was one of these days for me. I still have so far to go to get to where I want to be. What I have found is that I just have to keep marching. Keep going no matter what. Keep reading inspirational material. Keep repeating possitive thoughts to myself. Keep telling myself how good my life is. It's almost like retraining my brain to think in a different way. I try to look at the up side of everything but I'm not always successful at that. When one thing doesn't work, I have to try something else and I just have to keep trying different things until something works and I feel better. This is difficult and I struggle with it a lot. The depression is enough to drive me insane and there are times I don't even know what causes it. I keep searching for answers and I keep reaching out to people that I know care about me, which is a challenge in itself because I'm so use to just dealing with things on my own. I am searching for inner peace and I am confident that I will eventually find it. I keep saying that this is a life changing, soul searching experience and the farther into my quit I get the more I realize that I am not the same as I was before. I am getting better. I am healing. I am beginning to live again. I am still struggling but I will continue until I get it right. I have taken my life back from the enslavement of smoking and there is no way I am going back. Your post earlier made me realize that I am not alone in this struggle and I appreciate that. [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 7/1/2005 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 251 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 5,032 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $878.5 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Da

Phillip. You have an excellent quit going and you are doing remarkably well. Don't allow those times that you are remembering the smoking to turn into romanticizing smoking. That is a dangerous place to be at this point of you quit. I will warn you that sometimes around the 30 day point, some quitters experience depression. Don't let yourself fall into this rut. (I see you heading that way) I call it the 30 day pit and climbing out can be really tough so just be cautious and make sure you don't fall in. Do something rewarding around this time because it is a wonderful accomplishment to reach that one month mark. Keep your possitive attitude because it will pull you through the tough times. It is a pleasure sharing this journey with you and watching your quit grow. Ramble away anytime. [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 7/1/2005 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 255 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 5,111 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $892.5 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 22 [B]Hrs:[/B] 12 [B]Mins:[/B] 30 [B]Seconds:[/B] 49

Riverdale Man, [quote] That is where the choice is. I can notice that I am miserable, that I am all over on the unbalanced side and I have not chosen to switch on to the more balanced side. [/quote] That is GOOD advice and something I needed to read today. Thanks for putting things into perspective for me. I know that that was advice for yourself, but OH MY! That was something I really needed to read. I hope this afternoon you will be feeling better. Have a nice walk with the dog and I hope you feel better. Thanks for sharing with us. Crave the Quit! Butterfly [IMG]http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c177/kissnflirt/butterfly3.gif[/IMG] p.s. OMG! I'm in the computer lab at school and a smoker just sat down next to me! I think I'm going to be sick! I've got to go. [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 10/28/2005 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 129 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 3,238 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $425.7 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 9 [B]Hrs:[/B] 9 [B]Mins:[/B] 34 [B]Seconds:[/B] 6

So THAT'S why I found licorice to be of such a help to me when I quit!?!?!?!?! I always thought that it was because I could "smoke" it like a cigarette (I found the pull n peel twizzlers to be the best because the resistance is VERY similar to that of a cigarette). I didn't realize that it had those properties that would also come in handy when quitting! Good to know. I knew it helped me make it through MANY tough times... and now I know why! Thanks Baba! Crave the Quit! Butterfly [IMG]http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c177/kissnflirt/butterfly3.gif[/IMG] [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 10/28/2005 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 125 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 3,136 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $412.5 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 9 [B]Hrs:[/B] 2 [B]Mins:[/B] 32 [B]Seconds:[/B] 55

Riverdale Man, I think you have the right attitude... things won't always be great... but that's just life... and no matter how bad things get, they will always get better. I wish I'd figured that out earlier in my quit (I think I'm still trying to figure that one out :) ). [quote] I have smoked from childhood and have never had the experience of what being a non smoking adult is like. [/quote] You will. You ARE experiencing life right now as a non-smoker... and isn't it great?!?!? I think one of the biggest challenges of quitting is feeling normal as a non-smoker, since most of us have smoked since we were kids. You are giving yourself the best gift you can! And I also know how great it feels to be able to swim for 1/2 an hour or an hour without feeling short of breath. Isn't that great?!?! Congratulations on 13 days! You're doing awesome! Crave the Quit! Butterfly [IMG]http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c177/kissnflirt/butterfly3.gif[/IMG] [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 10/28/2005 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 125 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 3,135 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $412.5 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 9 [B]Hrs:[/B] 2 [B]Mins:[/B] 30 [B]Seconds:[/B] 56

Congratulations RD!!!!!! That must have been a REALLY tough temptation to get through! But you did it! Congratulations! Crave the Quit! Butterfly [IMG]http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c177/kissnflirt/butterfly3.gif[/IMG] [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 10/28/2005 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 122 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 3,069 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $402.6 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 8 [B]Hrs:[/B] 21 [B]Mins:[/B] 52 [B]Seconds:[/B] 5

RD Man, Try not to let it bother you... it's just the way the board is. I remember one time when in 1 week, 4 "oldies" said they were leaving the site. OMG! The site went through a horrible time of adjustment, and it IS hard... but the good news is that that's how the site works... older quitters become more secure in their quits and make way for the newer "oldie" quitters to be the leaders of the site and grow and develop through that new role... it's actually an exciting thing! And yes, some people find it hard to keep their quits and leave because of that. I know that can be sad and unnerving, and can cause others to feel discouraged, but please don't! There are way more of us who are succeeding than those who are giving up for now. And oftentimes, those who give up come back to be successful quitters later on. You're doing GREAT in your quit! Never give that up! Redrosie... read Duffis's thread... "when will they stop?" It will explain the significance of "Tuesday." Crave the Quit! Pam [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 10/28/2005 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 148 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 3,723 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $488.4 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 10 [B]Hrs:[/B] 19 [B]Mins:[/B] 24 [B]Seconds:[/B] 42

Congratulations!!! 50 days is awesome! You deserve a good reward for 50 hard-earned days! Not sure if I would consider yard work a "reward" :confuse: but whatever works for you! :) Congratulations! You're doing a great job! Crave the Quit! Pam [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 10/28/2005 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 162 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 4,061 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $669.06 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 11 [B]Hrs:[/B] 18 [B]Mins:[/B] 58 [B]Seconds:[/B] 56

Hey Riverdale Man, You sound like you are well underway with your quit. I know that you have been reading alot and looking around the site. and it does help to pass the time. It also helps you to gain some information that you may be using. Nicodemon is a tricky soul that has some hard core tricks that are always going to work for him, because they always have. The one that took me a while to figgure out, I am quit willing to share with you. It may help you the next time you think about giving in to the thought of smoking. I have found that if I give any thought, or any space in my brain to the thought that I might be willing to smoke under certain conditions, bingo Nico is right there. What I mean by that is, you know how you said that you had to go to the store and thought about buying a pack and smoking one. Thought about it all the way there, and while you were there until you finally made the decision that you were not going to do it? And then you celebrated that you had not smoked. But for several days after that you had to deal with increased cravings for smokes. Well, I found that to be his sneaky pattern. If you give room to the thoughts, its like giving him permission to come back and try to get you going again. You have to boot him out at the first thought. Make up your mind that you are quit and that you are not going to give in. That you do not have the option of having just one smoke, or one puff or one smell. Don't allow him one inch, because you will pay for the next several days. If you need to prove it to yourself, you can give it a try, but I promise you that its true. and you can save yourself alot of grief by just taking my word. Make no room in your life for the temptation, and you will have less trouble. Not one puff ever. Cheryl [font=georgia][size=4][color=navy] No Joking, I'm Still Not Smoking! [/font][/size][/color] [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 7/4/2005 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 243 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 5,833 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $692.55 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 31 [B]Hrs:[/B] 18 [B]Mins:[/B] 53 [B]Seconds:[/B] 46