Thanks, Lady... Very powerful post. [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 3/5/2006 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 98 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 3,449 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $455.7 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 12 [B]Hrs:[/B] 18 [B]Mins:[/B] 48 [B]Seconds:[/B] 54

Nice post Lady. Well said I liked: [quote] It is ok not to know how to deal with things because that knowledge will come as the quit progresses. It is ok to want to give up, just don�t do it. Keep taking one step at a time no matter what comes your way. [/quote] Thanks Phillip [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 2/17/2006 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 114 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 2,299 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $855 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 18 [B]Hrs:[/B] 17 [B]Mins:[/B] 38 [B]Seconds:[/B] 22

very nice post, Lady. Thank you for sharing. keep fightin' the good fight - fish [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 12/21/2005 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 173 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 5,206 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $865 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 22 [B]Hrs:[/B] 10 [B]Mins:[/B] 38 [B]Seconds:[/B] 22

WOW Lady ..a heavy post for me first thing on a Monday :eg: But thanks for tearing down your wall ... It helped me from tearing my hair out .. When we both quit as a bunch of raw Smobers :p [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 6/7/2005 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 370 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 7,408 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] �1776 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 61 [B]Hrs:[/B] 6 [B]Mins:[/B] 41 [B]Seconds:[/B] 14

Thanks for all the excellent replies everyone. Breaking Free ... It really will get better in time. Believe it! JohnW.. the next time I'm in Oklahoma, I'm definately looking you up friend. Always good to see you. Joe... Quintessence of the Quit huh? WOW! :p Christian Girl... I started a new thread for you called "encouragement for C. Girl" I hope you read it. Smogs..You were one of the first to give me courage... You were about the only one in worse shape than me... :8o: If you could do it surely, I could too. :) Luna... you make me sound like the energizer bunny :) Thanks everyone. You really make me feel special. I just love you guys! [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 7/1/2005 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 346 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 6,933 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $1211 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 30 [B]Hrs:[/B] 13 [B]Mins:[/B] 9 [B]Seconds:[/B] 58

Before I quit smoking, I was a bitter person. I allowed animosity and failures in my life to create a wall of protection around me. No one got in and I didn�t come out. Something about quitting put a crack in that wall of protection and over a period of time my wall came crumbling down. The crack in the wall came from reaching out to people on this site to help me through the tough times. Prior to the SSC, I dealt with everything on my own and leaned on the cigarette to get me through WHATEVER issues came my way. Well, now what? I don�t smoke and not only that, but my wall of protection is gone. It took me years to build it and now it is gone because during my quit process I moved beyond it. (I believe they call this process growth.) The crutch of smoking really is gone. So now when people disappoint me, when situations seem impossible, or when emotions get the best of me it can be difficult to know what to do next. In the past, I always grabbed a cigarette, took five minutes out, ignored the emotions and moved forward. Today my process of dealing with the things life throws my way is much different. Today, I start by taking deep breaths, and then I take some more. I write in my journal, and I reach out to my friends. I do not feel as alone as I did as a smoker. I go for a walk, go to the driving range, play a round of golf, throw in an exercise tape, read a book or simply sit and cry for a while. All of these things are what I do to get through life. They are my new found coping skills. It is ok [B]not[/b] to know how to deal with things because that knowledge will come as the quit progresses. It is ok to want to give up, just don�t do it. Keep taking one step at a time no matter what comes your way. Let the bitterness and the resentment go people. That is what kept me alone for many years and attributed to many failures in my life. The bitterness and resentment kept me from progressing forward (personal growth) and enjoying life. Use the negative emotions to push you forward. Negative feelings have forced me to try different things to get out of my funks. You have to be a fighter in order to maintain the quit. You have to be willing to reach out, to try things to make yourself feel better regardless of what others

Wow Thanks for sharing :) [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 5/31/2005 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 377 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 7,551 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $1696.5 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 38 [B]Hrs:[/B] 20 [B]Mins:[/B] 4 [B]Seconds:[/B] 28

Lady, You have truly become the quintessence of the quit. Your observations, and more importantly, your ability to verbalize them here, are what make you one of the most valued members of this site. This is not to say that everyone here isn't a fine, upstanding member, but you seem to have purpose here beyond your quit. This post, as many, many of your others, come from someplace deep within you. Your quit has inspired you to such a level of introspection, that it is as if you are the pheonix rising out of your own ashes.... the ashes of all those cigarettes. An incredible post from an incredible Lady. Thank you for sharing. Come on July 1!! ;p [b][color=Purple]Be Strong. Be Smart. Be Quit[/color] [color=black]Joe[/color] [size=3][color=Blue]Knowledge Replaces Fear[/color][/size] [size=2][color=purple]Hoping for success without hard work is like trying to harvest without planting.[/color][/size] [size=2][color=black]Illegitimus non carborundum est[/color][/size][/b] [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 5/15/2005 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 392 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 9,821 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $960.4 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 68 [B]Hrs:[/B] 17 [B]Mins:[/B] 59 [B]Seconds:[/B] 37

Great post, Lady. Very "hit the nail on the head". Mama, the smoking covered the negative emotions by giving a surge of "ahh" feeling (which is the source of the addiction) that offset them. Much like adding cool water to hot water to make warm water. Plus there were the distraction and "taking a break" mechanisms as well. Now we don't get the offsetting "ahh", we don't get the break, and we don't have the distraction. Now we have to learn to deal head-on in real time. We have to learn to live life like non-smokers always have. :) Shevie [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 5/23/2005 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 384 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 7,693 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $1459.2 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 71 [B]Hrs:[/B] 17 [B]Mins:[/B] 1 [B]Seconds:[/B] 46

Whew. Lady is a flower that just keeps on growing and growing and glowing and glowing and growing and growing.............. [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 4/15/2005 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 423 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 10,589 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $1480.5 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 58 [B]Hrs:[/B] 22 [B]Mins:[/B] 21 [B]Seconds:[/B] 4