When will it get better?

Everyone is different.. but IT WILL GET BETTER, but also know that there are hills and valleys.. I found this somewhere... hope it helps... STAGES OF A QUIT! [b]Stage 1: Agitation[/b] Anxiety, muscular tension, irritability,difficulty sleeping, high craving. You've probably already experienced this innumerable times during your smoking career (this is when you root through the ashtrays looking for butts). It generally begins a few hours after your last cigarette and lasts for a day or two. [b]Stage 2: Slump[/b] You feel depressed, fatigued, jittery, are forgetful, short-tempered, and emotionally volatile. You may also have trouble sleeping. You continually crave a cigarette. This may last for several days. [b]Stage 3: Honeymoon[/b] Somewhere in the first 10 days after your last cigarette, you start feeling better. A lot better. Your mood improves and your energy returns. Craving is still present but manageable. The danger is you'll become overconfident. [b]Stage 4: Second Slump[/b] It's hard to pin down, but for most of our patients,this second slump begins two to six weeks after the last cigarette. Craving may return along with episodes of nervousness, irritability, sleep disruption, flu-like symptoms, and fatigue. [b]Stage 5: Second Honeymoon[/b] Begins four to six weeks after the last dose. Improvement in the above symptoms leads to the conclusion that danger of relapse has past and withdrawal is over. [b]Stage 6: Relapse Phase[/b] Most ex-smokers experience at least one more noticeable "slump" during the first four months of abstinence.Craving returns, and with it, the risk of relapse. To get through it, you have to avoid exposing yourself to risky situations. [b]Stage 7: Stabilization[/b] Once the last of the initial slumps has ended, things stabilize. Craving is largely the result of conditioned responses (e.g., to smells, activities) which can be avoided. [b]Abstinence[/b] is fairly comfortable with the exception of periods of unusual stress, recurrent craving, and occasional strong memories of pleasures associated with smoking. [b]Patience[/b] is the key here......keep going in your quit, and all these stages will soon become history.... Hope this helps! Pamala [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Qui

Becoming a positive person

*hugs* everyone! Glad you all liked my post and saw the honesty in it.. I posted the same exact thing elsewhere and was ridiculed by one of those "basement" people yesterday... I found it quite hilarious actually that this person was completely demonstrating a "basement" person, and yet berating me for labeling them.. hmmmm.... LOL *hugs* Love and bee-lief! Pamala

please, no tough love right now!!!

*huge hugs* Wishing I'd been in here earlier today... Glad you made the smart decision and didn't give up your quit! You've got WAY too many days behind you to let them go... Way to go! Pamala [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 3/31/2006 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 6 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 149 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $19.5 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 0 [B]Hrs:[/B] 11 [B]Mins:[/B] 9 [B]Seconds:[/B] 14

What is Your Commitment?

I commit to keeping my quit and making this my last quit... I commit to being the best mom I can be for my daughter, and in being the best me I can be... Pamala [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 3/31/2006 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 7 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 155 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $22.75 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 0 [B]Hrs:[/B] 11 [B]Mins:[/B] 35 [B]Seconds:[/B] 32

Does anyone else do this?

It looks like the others have addressed your issues... except one... [i]"the truth is that I loved smoking and I hate quitting... I refuse to give in only because I have such contempt for the tobacco industry that seduced me so many years ago"[/i] you may want to rethink this... quitting is the best thing for you physically, but you need to WANT to quit... and realize that you probly didn't LOVE TO SMOKE, you LOVED the feelings that you believe smoking gave you... or that you associated with smoking... and you need to realize and/or learn that you can still have those feelings without the cigarette... I do want to congratulate you on quitting and going 4 days... you're completely over the nicotine addiction, and now it's the emotional and "habit" part you have to work on... good luck... *hugs* and yes I only have 7 days on my meter, but that's this time lol... Pamala [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 3/31/2006 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 7 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 155 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $22.75 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 0 [B]Hrs:[/B] 11 [B]Mins:[/B] 36 [B]Seconds:[/B] 3

I really don't want to smoke....

Okay... my original quit day was Friday March 24th... I got till that next Thursday evening and slipped... I smoked.. BUT it was SOOO AWFUL that I jumped right back on the wagon... I reset my quit meter for Friday March 31st... and since that slip.. I haven't wanted one cigarette at all... none, zip, zero, zilch, nada, kein... The ONLY time I think about smoking is in the past tense and when I'm here... and even then my stomach starts to turn... I really feel like a non-smoker now, I have absolutely no urge to smoke.... Is it me, or is this really weird and am I the oddball here? I'm not even suffering from any of the "symptoms" of quitting since last week... that first week parts were REALLY HARD but this past week since that slip... I feel like I'm just sailing along... okies just had to ask how weird that is.... cuz I'm thoroughly confused since any other time I've tried to quit it's not been this easy at all.. except part of the one time I quit for about 10 months or so... Pamala [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 3/31/2006 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 7 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 163 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $22.75 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 0 [B]Hrs:[/B] 12 [B]Mins:[/B] 15 [B]Seconds:[/B] 54

I really don't want to smoke....

Thanks guys... and Shevie.. that's what I'm afraid of lol... I once quit for most of a yr (around 10 mos?) and then bam, picked it right back up... amd I really don't want that to happen lol.. *hugs* Pamala [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 3/31/2006 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 7 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 166 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $22.75 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 0 [B]Hrs:[/B] 12 [B]Mins:[/B] 28 [B]Seconds:[/B] 25

Bump on a log

well you can do either or... is there a reason why you're waiting until then? My original quit date was April 12th (my bday).. I set that in January LOL... I just knew that I was about fed up and yet I wasn't completely ready yet.. but I knew I wanted to quit b4 then.. and then a couple of weeks ago I was going oh crap I have to quit soon.. but then last week it just hit me out of the blue.. I didn't really WANT to keep spending my money killing myself... I'm now on Day 5 and by my birthday I'll have not smoked for almost 3 weeks... and so far I've saved about 10 hrs or so of my life... after 3 weeks that's a couple of days.... I've already saved almost $20... there's me a little birthday present! HOWEVER.. I will say that when the decision hit me.. I didn't stop at that moment.. I finished what I had, b/c I just knew that for ME... there was no way I could tear them up or throw them away and if I had them I'd want to smoke them.. I had about a pack and 1/2 left.. and it took me only about another 36 hrs to smoke them.. and I was done... I've been smoke free for 5 days and almost 11 1/2 hrs.. and I've not smoked 120 sickie sticks... I'm talking about MY experiences b/c everyone is different and no one can tell you what is right for you.... but I start to get that urge to get started on my quit... *hugs* and good luck! ~Pamala day 5

Bump on a log

then that's great! It's up to you... you just gotta be ready and COMMIT to it... oh and start preparing for it now.... get rid of some of the extra ashtrays and lighters and all that... if you've got the time clean out your car, febreeze it, and add a new air freshener... (then don't smoke in it again lol)... wash all your clothes... well presuming there's not another smoker that's not quitting in your house... and if you smoke in your house, even wash the "clean ones" b/c they most likely smell like smoke even if you don't smell it... or spray a lot of Febreeze around your house and in your car at a minimum.. and try to smoke outside.... Just some ideas.. I live with a smoker.. and he smokes everywhere in the house and constantly and I know that if he didn't, I would've done all that... and I'd be happier and having an even easier time lol... and if you're up to it.. put off having another cigarette.. don't smoke it at every urge.. kind of "practice" by skipping some of them or something... Incedentally, my first full day (midnight to midnight) w/out a smoke was on my cousin's/best friend's wedding day, last Saturday... their original date was going to be this Saturday LOL.. *hugs* and good luck! ~Pamala

Yea me!

[size=4]Woohooo! Yesterday I realized that the only thing close to the urge to smoke that I had was directly after meals, and I just grabbed my pink piece of straw and held on to it and was fine! and today I'm feeling the same way.. the only urge I've really got is something to do with my hands at my normal moments, and it's just like a fleeting thought... no big deal! I'm in shock!! I REALLY thought I'd still be "going crazy" all the time... I always did in the past quits.. but I guess I was just really ready to quit... I even went to the gas station yesterday to buy a package of twizzlers lol... I went to the gas station to tempt myself and had no problem walking in there and getting them without even feeling the need to ask for cigarettes! Wooohooo! I'm so proud of me! LOL I actually think about smoking more when I come in here now... :confuse: but still not really a want for a cigarette... Blah, blah, blah Just wanted to update everyone! Yippee! lol [/size] Pamala - Four Days, 20 Hours and 44 Minutes smoke free Cigs not smoked: 107 I've saved $17.39 and 8 hours and 55 minutes of my life.