2tone,
It's all about frame of mind and life changes. When we quit, we expect things to go back to normal right away, but how can they? Something that was a daily part of our lives for the better part of our lives is now gone. Of course you're going to feel "up-down!" You feel this way because on the one hand, you're "up" because you know that you're doing something awesome for your health, your wallet, your family and for yourself. You're bettering your life! But you're "down" because something that was a huge part of your life for so long is now gone and you're grieving - and it sounds like you may have difficulty grieving anyway, so you're mad at yourself for grieving over cigarettes, which causes more emotion.
My advice is to accept it. Accept the changes. Accept the fact that cigarettes are gone and that you need to grieve over them. It might sound silly, but the fact is that you have said goodbye to something that has been in your life for many years - it's OK to feel "down" about this for a while. And the sooner you accept this, the sooner you will get over this up-down-up-down feeling.
[quote]
The attitude and lifestyle changes are the hardest part.
[/quote]
You're EXACTLY right about that!!! There's nothing harder about quitting than changing your lifestyle. So change up your routine a bit to "trick" your brain into forming new habits. And with the attitude, only you can change your attitude. It's not easy and will take a lot of work, but you must conciously decide how you are going to feel and if you're down, then "pretend" to be up for a while until you really are. THere's a saying "act happy to become happy." It's not easy at first and really feels strange and it feels like you're being a phony, but the truth is that after a while, it becomes real and you really DO start to feel happy, simply from acting that way. Try it and see if it works for you.
Crave the Quit!
Pam
[B]My Milage:[/B]
[B]My Quit Date: [/B] 10/28/2005
[B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 433
[B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 10,838
[B]Amount Saved:[/B] $1788.29
[B]Life Gained:[/B]
[B]Days:[/B] 30 [B]Hrs:[/B] 20 [B]Mins:[/B] 33 [B]Seconds:[/B] 43
