Wow Denise, your sister has obviously read up on rewards and quitting! :)
My brother told me the other night that he felt he'd got his sister back since I quit.
Many congratulations on two months quit, you are doing great! :)
PS Don't forget to plan that reward trip to Morro Bay for one of your milestones :8|:
[B]My Milage:[/B]
[B]My Quit Date: [/B] 12/16/2004
[B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 731
[B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 23,400
[B]Amount Saved:[/B] �4386
[B]Life Gained:[/B]
[B]Days:[/B] 95 [B]Hrs:[/B] 15 [B]Mins:[/B] 6 [B]Seconds:[/B] 5
Proud to show Santa my stats! :)
The only coal in my house will be in the fireplace (but not Christmas night of course, got to let Santa in!)
[B]My Milage:[/B]
[B]My Quit Date: [/B] 12/16/2004
[B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 732
[B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 23,431
[B]Amount Saved:[/B] �4392
[B]Life Gained:[/B]
[B]Days:[/B] 95 [B]Hrs:[/B] 18 [B]Mins:[/B] 4 [B]Seconds:[/B] 41
Kaitilina - many congratulations on 6 weeks quit, it is a major achievement, you are well on your way now :)
You make sure you order that facial to celebrate your new un-smoked complexion! You deserve it :)
[B]My Milage:[/B]
[B]My Quit Date: [/B] 12/16/2004
[B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 732
[B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 23,443
[B]Amount Saved:[/B] �4392
[B]Life Gained:[/B]
[B]Days:[/B] 95 [B]Hrs:[/B] 19 [B]Mins:[/B] 17 [B]Seconds:[/B] 10
Lady, you take what time you need for you and yours.
How awful that such a young life has been taken, sadly it is that time of the year when we should all be happy and yet some will selfishly drink and drive, sometimes with the most tragic of consequences.
That is a b**mer about your job, but the fact that you have immediately been offered an alternative postition shows how highly your company values you, I have the utmost faith that you will rise to the challenge and quickly learn the new skills that you need. You will gain in confidence and stature by doing so too.
As for SSC, it has always been the case that this is a "drop in, drop out centre" we are all allowed to come and go as we please without recriminations, it is one of the outstanding strengths of this place! You of all people have earned the right to take some time out to take care of your family, your friends and your job.
I am so sorry that life has thrown you so many problems all at once, but the coping skills you learnt when quitting will help you now, I am proud to hear you say that smoking won't solve a thing!
Hang tight Lady, my thoughts are with you!
[B]My Milage:[/B]
[B]My Quit Date: [/B] 12/16/2004
[B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 728
[B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 23,323
[B]Amount Saved:[/B] �4368
[B]Life Gained:[/B]
[B]Days:[/B] 95 [B]Hrs:[/B] 7 [B]Mins:[/B] 28 [B]Seconds:[/B] 34
Monica, you are bound to feel confused, so much is happening in your life right now.
You have lost your Dad, I don't think you are allowing yourself to grieve yet - that will have to happen, but all in the fullness of time.
Quitting can also be similar to divorce (which in turn is like bereavement) because we finally have to admit that the relationship is over, and how controlling and one-sided that relationship was. But nevertheless it can still leave a sadness for a faithless "friend" lost.
I understand your need to celebrate the holidays, that too is a natural part of the grieving process.
There are many cultures that this becomes formalised - for instance the Celtic people, like the Irish, who will hold a wake. Likewise it has become common at funeral services (I'm sure in your faith too) to say "we are here today to [b]celebrate[/b] the life of..."
Yes, you are right to feel proud of your quit, and yes, it is natural to feel conflict and possibly guilt that you are happy about something when you feel you ought to be sad about something else.
Right now you are not allowing yourself to think about anything in great detail, that is your natural defences kicking in. There may be a crash or maybe just a gradual winding down of your current frenetic activity. When you do have a quieter moment, maybe it would be a good time to write a goodbye letter to cigarettes? This can be private or posted here, whichever seems right to you.
Finally, please remember, this is a great thing you have done for yourself, your family and your dad - you do deserve to have some happiness (and your dad would have been the first to say that) and reward for your achievement, please enjoy the holidays as best as you can :)
[B]My Milage:[/B]
[B]My Quit Date: [/B] 12/16/2004
[B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 728
[B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 23,324
[B]Amount Saved:[/B] �4368
[B]Life Gained:[/B]
[B]Days:[/B] 95 [B]Hrs:[/B] 7 [B]Mins:[/B] 34 [B]Seconds:[/B] 52
wise words for you from Katy, mi-wee.
I haven't seen it in recent posts, but when I was a newer quitter and sitting on this board as if my life depended on it (and it did!) we used to describe the first four weeks of quitting like this:
Week 1 - Hell Week
Week 2 - Heck Week
Week 3 - Blah Week
Week 4 - Temptation Week
NB each "week" can be anything between about 5 and 14 days, but that sequence of roller coaster seems to be experienced by almost all quitters.
Blah week is that feeling of flatness and sometimes incredible sadness, that is probably because all the dopamine in your brain has been depleted and your body hasn't adjusted to providing it for you (it has got used to letting cigarettes provide it)
One of the ways you can stimulate production of dopamine is by rewarding yourself - ideally have your rewards planned ahead, it might become hard to think about them when you are already sad. Rewards can be as simple as taking some time out for yourself, enjoying a walk a scented candle bath or having a speciality tea, or they can be more substantial like a shopping spree or a meal out.
The other thing you can do when you are sad is to come here and post and let the people here help you.
Finally, as others have already mentioned, Zyban (aka Welbutrin) is a smoking cessation drug from your Doctor which may help to reduce the sadness (the same drug is used as a mild anti-depressant)
[B]My Milage:[/B]
[B]My Quit Date: [/B] 12/16/2004
[B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 728
[B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 23,324
[B]Amount Saved:[/B] �4368
[B]Life Gained:[/B]
[B]Days:[/B] 95 [B]Hrs:[/B] 7 [B]Mins:[/B] 38 [B]Seconds:[/B] 42
I think we've had other types of threads, like pledges and parades, but not the nice simple promise that we always used to have every weekend.
I promise not to smoke here in West Sussex, UK :)
[B]My Milage:[/B]
[B]My Quit Date: [/B] 12/16/2004
[B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 729
[B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 23,337
[B]Amount Saved:[/B] �4374
[B]Life Gained:[/B]
[B]Days:[/B] 95 [B]Hrs:[/B] 8 [B]Mins:[/B] 52 [B]Seconds:[/B] 38
Well done luna! :)
Have a great time you two, you both deserve it!
[B]My Milage:[/B]
[B]My Quit Date: [/B] 12/16/2004
[B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 729
[B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 23,337
[B]Amount Saved:[/B] �4374
[B]Life Gained:[/B]
[B]Days:[/B] 95 [B]Hrs:[/B] 8 [B]Mins:[/B] 55 [B]Seconds:[/B] 59
It’s been a while since you were active on this site. Please extend your session below
You have been logged out due to inactivity.
Please sign back in.
We use cookies to help us learn about how our platform is used and how we can improve your experience. To
learn more please see our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
