Phillip- do I ever know what you mean about the lung-craving thing and the almost unbroken chain of craves related to that. It makes no sense; physiologically, one would think the lungs would be in ecstacy. I can only speculate that by subjecting them to tar, nicotine and God knows what else for so long and so severely, they have adapted to handle it as best as they can, and now aren't prepared to handle "just air". For me, it is getting slightly better, but I sure have my days. Hang in there, I am definitely with you in this. It's going to be a long road, I think and hoping for a quicker resolution is probably, for me at least, naive. Bob [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 2/18/2006 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 37 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 1,500 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $333 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 6 [B]Hrs:[/B] 3 [B]Mins:[/B] 53 [B]Seconds:[/B] 59

Phillip- do I ever know what you mean about the lung-craving thing and the almost unbroken chain of craves related to that. It makes no sense; physiologically, one would think the lungs would be in ecstacy. I can only speculate that by subjecting them to tar, nicotine and God knows what else for so long and so severely, they have adapted to handle it as best as they can, and now aren't prepared to handle "just air". For me, it is getting slightly better, but I sure have my days. Hang in there, I am definitely with you in this. It's going to be a long road, I think and hoping for a quicker resolution is probably, for me at least, naive. Bob [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 2/18/2006 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 37 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 1,500 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $333 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 6 [B]Hrs:[/B] 3 [B]Mins:[/B] 53 [B]Seconds:[/B] 56

think of how great your gonna smell in that meeting not like a stale old ashtray! [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 1/25/2006 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 61 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 1,291 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $366 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 5 [B]Hrs:[/B] 23 [B]Mins:[/B] 35 [B]Seconds:[/B] 59

It is a bright sunny day. Clear and warm and just like it was when I would enjoy smoking. I am also nervous, scared and a little intimidated by this meeting that I am going into. Just the time when I would smoke. Because of the emotion, I feel panicy and my heart rate is a little up, I take deep breaths and this exact feeling was where I would be when I would deek out of a meeting or get away from whatever it was that I was doing and smoke. There seem to be this barage of moments that are flooding over me that are like before, in that other life when I was a smoker. I wouldexit or placate all the emotion or whatever it was that I was feeling by having a cigarette. All I can do right now is concentrate one moment at a time, and continuosly tell myself that I no longer smoke. Anyone have any feed back to actually get through the cravings cause they seem to back one onto the other and seem like one long yearning to fill my lungs with smoke. A shakey cry for help. And I know that I am not going through all of this again so I am just not going to smoke. Did I answer my own question? ??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? Phillip [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 2/17/2006 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 38 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 768 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $285 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 6 [B]Hrs:[/B] 6 [B]Mins:[/B] 24 [B]Seconds:[/B] 12

How easy it is to write that I am not smoking. Today my head just goes there, to the image of smoking, somehow I started to vision this thing and the addict is playing the drama to the max. I am a little unnerved by this and at the same time there is a piece of my psychy that slides over all of the imagery (kind of like a translucent eyelid). I must say that I don't feel myself and I bet that if I looked at the early posts that the feeling I have today is very similar to the feeling I had in day one, two or three. I thought that this was to pass. AND it will pass as I force the issue. I have tickets for the theatre tonight and there is definately no smoking there, although I have to get through the crowd of smokers that there will be knotted around the front door. After the theatre we will go out for something to eat again, no smoking there. I will be with people all night and that will have me on my best behaviour. I wouldn't want any one of them to think that I might be weak or that I might actually be not so strong in all of this. AND I refuse to come back hear and admit to the world that I have smoked. Really failed in this thing that I have set out to do. I simply could not do that. AND right now I know that if I got even a puff that I might as well be eating not the pack but the whole carton. I would not be able to stop. AND I will be strong and I will own my resolve to not smoke. I WILL BE GOOD! Sorry about the rant. Ciao Have a great evening Phillip :blush: [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 2/17/2006 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 38 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 775 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $285 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 6 [B]Hrs:[/B] 7 [B]Mins:[/B] 40 [B]Seconds:[/B] 53

A quick resolution. Well I'd just be able to snap my fingers and everything would be better. OHHHHHHH if only it were so. Home from my meeting. All went well and I had fine time. I did do some deep breathing before we started and I was good. I know what it takes to move thropugh fear it is one of my best things. Thank you, each of you for responding, supoporting me through and being there for me. I hope you all know out there how much I value this support and how valuable this site is for me. Not the site, but each of you. Your energy and your thoughts, focus help me get through help me to keep on keepn on. Rob47, that lung thing is too graphic. JSTKDDNG oh gods of the post. BFS the spring thing is really up with me this afternoon. And it will have to be up cause I ain't smokin. Not today not at all. Thanks [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 2/17/2006 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 38 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 773 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $285 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 6 [B]Hrs:[/B] 7 [B]Mins:[/B] 20 [B]Seconds:[/B] 44

Hey Phillip! Just hang in there man!! The spring thing is really getting to me as well!! I see alot of people talking about all the fresh smelling flowers but I keep thinking of the warm weather and how I would like to sit outside and smoke. It has been haunting me all weekend....not like hardass craves that kill me just way too much thinking of cigs. I know I won't smoke but they have been haunting me as well lately!!! Be Strong Man!!! You want to be on that bus to the beach with the other Knights don't you??? Be strong you can do it!!! The Chicken [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 2/12/2006 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 43 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 437 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $161.25 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 2 [B]Hrs:[/B] 22 [B]Mins:[/B] 36 [B]Seconds:[/B] 32

In the words of a great nonsmoker who jsut helped me through a very hard time "Breath, remember to Breath". Phillip you words of incouragement to me helped me to make it through the toughest time in my quit. hang in there buddy YOU CAN DO THIS. Kaiser [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 1/1/2006 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 85 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 3,418 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $850 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 16 [B]Hrs:[/B] 4 [B]Mins:[/B] 39 [B]Seconds:[/B] 56

[font=Comic Sans MS][color=Blue] Oh no !! No visuals about smoking ! :gasp: I live in denial.. if a visual attempts to apear, I close my eyes tightly, cover my ears and sing.. lalalalalalalalala.. until it goes away.. lol Yesterday, I was cleaning up near the street and near our trash can when I spotted an old empty pack of my cigarettes. Where could it have come from.. it has been a long time.. coincidence and maybe it blew in from a neighbors place ?? It threw me into shock for a moment.. I took my time approaching and then grabbed it up quickly threw it into the trash can and ran home.. lol I actually smiled when I realized that it didn't hurt me.. lol What a weirdo I am .. I still stop doing things in the middle to make sure that I am allowed to be doing them. This comes from when I first quit smoking.. I used to check everything I would do because I was afraid that I would accidently - absentmindedly get a cigarette and smoke it. You know out of habit.. like buying gas at the convenience store and getting cigarettes because I wasn't paying attention. Then opening them and smoking before I caught myself.. I am this kind of person.. I miss exits and sometimes even go to the wrong places.. daydreaming I guess. Phillip.. gosh.. I wasn't expecting this to happen to you.. only goes to show.. [color=Red] I think you are exactly right about how this will replicate the first few days of your quit. It is a new fear of the unknown (Spring). Once you realize that it is really no different you will resign yourself to feeling secure again. [/color] I was so happy to see the sun shining and having a chance finally to paint the front of the house that I never even thought about it.. I won't be bothered now though..because any fear I might have had, has just been worked out through dealing with yours. Thanks I think !! lol Hang Tuff .. you are going to overcome this too.. Christine [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 2/1/2006 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 54 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 1,372 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $189 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 5 [B]Hrs:[/B] 19 [B]Mins:[/B] 32 [B]Seconds:[/B] 59

hey RDM - congrats on overcoming yet another trigger! Just think, each one you tackle is [b]ONE LESS[/b] to come back and grab you. :8|: You are doing an amazing job, and I know you don't want to smoke. It's just painful having to convince yourself it's really, really true! I'm still having these arguments with myself, and thank goodness while I'm BY myself....... Certain triggers wake up ole junky-thought demon......I can go for days thinking he's gone. And then he's back. But I let him know who's boss ;p and that generally shuts him up for a while longer! You just keep showing him you're the boss and he'll back off on you too...... have a great day tomorrow.....! [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 12/19/2005 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 98 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 1,481 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $661.5 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 8 [B]Hrs:[/B] 22 [B]Mins:[/B] 0 [B]Seconds:[/B] 40