Hi March Mellows!

Hello Bobbi, Glad to be here among you fine people. Tom [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 3/15/2007 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 48 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 975 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $201.6 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 7 [B]Hrs:[/B] 21 [B]Mins:[/B] 47 [B]Seconds:[/B] 47

Tom has 50 Days!!!

Thank you very much for the posts! [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 3/15/2007 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 50 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 1,017 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $210 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 8 [B]Hrs:[/B] 5 [B]Mins:[/B] 48 [B]Seconds:[/B] 47

Day 2

Wecome Mark, Congratulations to you! It gets a little better every day. It's funny, I can smell the cig smoke from the car ahead of me on the road while driving. Anyone who has smoked comes within six feet of me and not only can I smell it, they wreak. It's all I can do to keep from taking a few steps back. It just makes me think about the times I popped a breath mint in my mouth after smoking thinking that covered up the smell. The improved sense of smell is just one of many gifts to come. You're doing great. [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 3/15/2007 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 51 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 1,025 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $214.2 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 8 [B]Hrs:[/B] 7 [B]Mins:[/B] 25 [B]Seconds:[/B] 51

Letter to Myself

Thank you Fear Less, I believe I benefited from your letter to self. The addict is already a firm part of who I am even though I have it under control now. The last thing I want is to let my guard down and leave my quit vulnerable to the type of mental shrapnel you described. The challenge to keep my quit now is mental and if I fail on this level the addict will take it from there. Congratulations to all who have the addict under control! I believe this is the most beneficial thing I�ve done for myself and my family. [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 3/15/2007 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 44 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 888 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $184.8 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 7 [B]Hrs:[/B] 4 [B]Mins:[/B] 40 [B]Seconds:[/B] 53

Lainey has been smoke-free for two months!

Hello Lainey, Congratulations! I hope the weekend with the in-laws went well. Tom [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 3/15/2007 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 53 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 1,065 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $222.6 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 8 [B]Hrs:[/B] 15 [B]Mins:[/B] 18 [B]Seconds:[/B] 37

I'm Putting my Hands Up

McL, That is the experience that knocked me off my longest quit; I found myself in a situation where fighting the craving seemed too exhausting and giving in was a way to recover from the fight and gain strength. What a twisted trap to find yourself in. The only right decision is the one you think you're too weak to make. I've been fighting so long and held my ground the whole time against amazing odds that now I want to relax and reward myself with a smoke?......?......? I think I missed a turn back there somewhere. This is what I lost my longest lasting quit to and I wasn't as strong as McL and kept on smoking until just recently. I can't let myself get twisted like that again, I've got my quit on a treadmill. Next time that fight comes I'm going to move like a butterfly and sting like a bee, no white flag for me. Keep it up McL, you can do it! [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 3/15/2007 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 56 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 1,138 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $235.2 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 9 [B]Hrs:[/B] 5 [B]Mins:[/B] 21 [B]Seconds:[/B] 27

Quit Journal

Quit journal (I am glad I did this it helps with my perspective) Day 57: Some of these posts bring cravings on for me. Some particularly brilliant thoughts can work on me all day or more. Here I am at just over 8 weeks and I�m coming across triggers I didn�t know about, associations so subtle they sneak up on me and pounce. I think I�m equally surprised by them as I am disappointed and frustrated. This is frustrating! I am jumping on these notions and cravings to smoke, knocking them down and pushing them away. They�re in no way getting the better of me or weakening my defenses but they keep coming seemingly no matter how swift and efficient I am at dealing with them. I know they will subside over time; this is the thought that keeps my fighting energy up as high as it was the day I quit. The reasons I quit are just as valid today as they were 8 weeks ago and will be well into the future. Its times like this I like to read my previous entries, especially the early days of my quit. Day four was particularly bad but it gave me a glimpse of what kind of a quit this was going to be. ------------------------------------------------- Day 4: The habit and addiction have governed my actions, influenced my decisions and clouded my judgment so completely. I�ve tried to quit often enough to know a great deal of what to expect. It�s because of those lessons learned that I�ve been as successful as I have been. The mental cues haunt me and strike at me with painful jabs and taunts. My strength and determination are good and I�m nowhere near giving in or up. I read through my reasons for quitting to recharge my strengths. I�ve not been battling so much or so often that my reserves get anywhere near low. I�m doing really well. Still trying to get around the caffeine thing. I�ve resorted to simply denying the urge with a no, never. I don�t tell myself to hold out for five minutes when they strike. I tell myself I�ll never smoke again. That intensifies the urges and I love it. I just chew them up and try to torment them as much as they are inconveniencing/distracting me. I want to build a huge resistance to these urges. They will have to be significant just to register and then no problem putting aside with little or no distraction. I will never

Quit Journal

Thank you Lainey and Casey, I recognize and appreciate the value of this site and the people that support it. Twice this weekend I had the notion to smoke with the thought, "Who will know, just have one..." I'll know, thats who and I'm the only one you need be concerned about. That put that one in its place. What a rediculous notion, I'm going to pull one over on...who? I've said it more times than I can tell you; I don't smoke, I don't do that, I don't want that, I don't need that thanks anyways. It's no person trying to tempt me, it's my own mind against my convictions. I'm not seriously tempted by these notions at all, I just face off with them because I won't let any one of them just go away. If I ignore them they do go away but they come back stronger. This way I keep them in check. I'm marching on and am taking advantage of the journal I started the day I quit. When it comes down to a battle of wits it's game over unless you have ammo! [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 3/15/2007 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 59 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 1,197 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $247.8 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 9 [B]Hrs:[/B] 16 [B]Mins:[/B] 57 [B]Seconds:[/B] 5

Inspiration for the day!

Hello Lainey, Great post! I've got a few to share: - Success is how high you bounce when you hit the bottom. - If you want the world to beat a path to your door, just try to take a nap on a Saturday afternoon. - Hard work spotlights the character of people: Some turn up their sleeves, some turn up their noses, and some don�t turn up at all. Hope you have the best week ever! Tom [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 3/15/2007 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 60 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 1,204 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $252 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 9 [B]Hrs:[/B] 18 [B]Mins:[/B] 21 [B]Seconds:[/B] 21

Inspiration for the day!

Hello Lainey, Great post! I've got a few to share: - Success is how high you bounce when you hit the bottom. - If you want the world to beat a path to your door, just try to take a nap on a Saturday afternoon. - Hard work spotlights the character of people: Some turn up their sleeves, some turn up their noses, and some don�t turn up at all. Hope you have the best week ever! Tom [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 3/15/2007 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 60 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 1,204 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $252 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 9 [B]Hrs:[/B] 18 [B]Mins:[/B] 21 [B]Seconds:[/B] 29