Mixed feelings about the holidays..

Yes, it really is that simple, sometimes you just need to give yourself permission.... [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] 54 [B]Seconds:[/B] 49

Blowing my horn

Well done Wendy - you toot as much as you like! :) [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 12/16/2004 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 728 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 23,300 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] �4368 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 95 [B]Hrs:[/B] 5 [B]Mins:[/B] 12 [B]Seconds:[/B] 15

63 Months - 115,000 Not Smoked!!!!!!!!!!!

Well done Bubba :) What is even more incredible is that you have gained more than a year of extra life! [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 12/16/2004 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 728 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 23,303 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] �4368 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 95 [B]Hrs:[/B] 5 [B]Mins:[/B] 29 [B]Seconds:[/B] 2

Mr Ed on 300 days!!!

Congratulations Mr Ed! :) Now gallop on to your one year! [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 12/16/2004 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 728 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 23,304 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] �4368 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 95 [B]Hrs:[/B] 5 [B]Mins:[/B] 35 [B]Seconds:[/B] 26

The Xmas Challenge!!

Hi Phil, Port or Brandy with... an After Eight Mint! (or more cheese! bring on the stilton, yum!) It all sounds wonderful, especially the Tempranillo (Red wine fanatic here!) If you would like to try a cinnamon stick, you can find them in Tesco, Sainsburys etc. they will be in the Schwartz herbs and spices section, there will be about 4 sticks in a spice jar. But really they are more a help in the early stages of quitting, they help as a dummy cig and also with deep breathing by pulling air through, don't try to light them though! I used them in my first six weeks or so. I think I've also seen old posts here that cite some evidence that cinnamon may be a helpful substance in calming cravings. The main use for the whole cinnamon sticks is for producing mulled wines and hot fruit punches, ground cinnamon is the type usually used in baking and cooking. Enjoy your smoke free Christmas! :) [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 12/16/2004 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 727 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 23,289 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] �4362 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 95 [B]Hrs:[/B] 4 [B]Mins:[/B] 14 [B]Seconds:[/B] 29

Theory on succeeding or not...

Kim, great post, you are so right! You have to focus on the positives of quitting and not look back or ever allow yourself to feel deprived or that you have given anything up (you haven't!) But Kaitilina is also right.... At the beginning it has to be "head down" and claw your way from one milestone to the next, hour by hour, celebrating days, every 5 days, each week, the first month etc. The newer quitter should not spend too long dwelling on "forever" it is much too daunting - it is enough to focus on not smoking today or making the weekend pledge. But somewhere along the line, and for most it will probably be somewhere around 6 to 12 weeks, you have to start looking up ahead and starting to acknowledge yourself as a non-smoker. You have to make the transition to believing that this is a forever thing and that you are never going back, because at that stage you cannot imagine anything worse! Of course, I'm not meaning to suggest you should get complacent or ever lose sight of the fact that one puff would take you back to square one. I think that those that make the succesful transition to thinking of themselves as permanent non-smokers are the most likely to succeed. Those that always think of the quit as one day at a time and allow themselves to avoid a long term commitment indefinitely are probably most at risk at moments of crisis or weakness. [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 12/16/2004 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 727 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 23,291 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] �4362 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 95 [B]Hrs:[/B] 4 [B]Mins:[/B] 19 [B]Seconds:[/B] 24

Celebrating 2 YEARS with Rusty!

:8|: [b][size=4]Congratulations Rusty!!![/size][/b] :8|: I am so proud to have taken this journey with you, I couldn't have wished for a better travelling companion :) I'm hoping that some of the other members of the "Class of mid-December '04" will check back in for this wonderful occasion. Whatever the hardships of going through a quit at Christmas-time, the upside is that we can now celebrate Christmas with enormous happiness and pride in what we have achieved! I trust you have a stupendous reward lined up for yourself - you deserve it! :) [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 12/16/2004 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 727 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 23,281 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] �4362 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 95 [B]Hrs:[/B] 3 [B]Mins:[/B] 26 [B]Seconds:[/B] 54

Duffis is 22

Gosh Bob! Congratulations! :) Congratulations to Roxanne on over 300 days too :) [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 12/16/2004 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 727 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 23,281 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] �4362 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 95 [B]Hrs:[/B] 3 [B]Mins:[/B] 27 [B]Seconds:[/B] 27

Checking in and a word to the wise!

I've not been here for over 6 months, many things have conspired to keep me away, not the least a burglary where my PC was stolen :( However, I'm back online now - and amazed to find my smoking thoughts / changed cupboards post on the front page again! I am here to tell you that is as valid after over 1000 days quit as it was the day I wrote it: I still very occasionally go to the wrong cupboard for a plate and I still very occasionally have a smoking thought - and neither is any big deal. The biggest secret to quitting is keeping going, there is no way back to your early smoking days, the "ability" to be a social smoker is genetic. There is a post of mine floating around somewhere that explains it all, but basically most "social smokers" are missing a liver enzyme which breaks down nicotine quickly, therefore they don't get into the cycle where they are starting to think about when to have the the next cigarette around 30 minutes after the last one. That doesn't mean that the "social smoker" is any less addicted, I watch my husband go outside for his one cigar a day. He can manage without it for one day, but not comfortably. Once upon a time, I thought I ought to be able to be a social smoker - but was too weak willed. Then I realised that I could never be one, that it was pre-ordained genetically - that helped me to nail down this quit and embrace the commitment to N.O.P.E. - but there was a sneaking amount of envy still. Now I'm really glad I can't be a "social smoker" - because if I could, I might have had trouble summoning up the motivation to quit. Yet the evidence is compelling that even a small amount of tobacco is almost as harmful as a couple of packs a day. Please keep strong everyone, becoming smoke free and being completely comfortable with it is entirely possible. Stick close to this site, it will give you the information, support and inspiration you need. [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B]12/16/2004 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 1002 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 32,064 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] �6,012.00 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 138 [B]Hrs:[/B] 0 [B]Mins:[/B] 43 [B]Seconds:[/B] 17

Changing Times

Great post Lady. I'm so glad you held on tight, I still think about you and your porch in Georgia! Every success you have had (including your quit) you have deserved, you have worked for them all. [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B]12/16/2004 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 1002 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 32,064 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] �6,012.00 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 138 [B]Hrs:[/B] 0 [B]Mins:[/B] 45 [B]Seconds:[/B] 16