Lady, Your post brought back a few memories........... good and bad.... Each one of us has our own struggles, whatever they may be. This quit journey can certainly take us for a loop sometimes. So can life itself. I sought help after 6 months of being quit. I too wish I had done it sooner..... But take no shame in seeking help. Even the strongest of people are vunerable. Depression is not something you can control on your own. There is no way to 'snap out of it', no way to concentrate on the good things and put the bad out of mind. It isn't possible in depression. If we don't seek help, we spiral downward. It will be quite a journey for us who suffer from depression. Just like our quit. We learn new things each and every day. Good or bad, we just have to take it in. I'm glad you voiced your spot in life at the moment. It is never too late to get help. Some just need a little push ~ that is what your post offers. Take care of yourself. And congratulations on reaching the point of realization that you are human. Humans are weak, however strong we feel we are. It is with that, that you can battle your demons with confidence. Take the hand that guides you..... 4my2girls [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 3/5/2006 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 358 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 10,769 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $1170.66 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 28 [B]Hrs:[/B] 21 [B]Mins:[/B] 13 [B]Seconds:[/B] 16

Lady, (My Shining Star) I don't know how I missed this post. I know how you struggled, but through all of your struggles you were and inspiration to me many times. I remember looking for your posts, and trying to analyze your words. Trying to see where you were coming from. I remember the one post about having to leave church and not knowing what to do. I think maybe that was when I realized you were a shining star to all of those who was struggling in their quits. By posting you were letting them know that they were not alone. And that it is not always easy for everyone. I can imagine your anger when someone would suggest you get professional help, and just maybe you could be depressed. I know that my situation was different, I was dealing with grief and loss, and I became angry when my family would suggest that I was depressed and needed counseling. Well when I couldn't say no to my family anymore, I did it just to get them off my back. I'm so thankful that I did go to the Dr and when he said I was deeply depressed and needed medication and counseling. It felt different coming from a Dr, first I went to the one on one counseling and then to group therapy. Lady, after 6 weeks of therapy I began to open up and let the real Carol out. Some of it was not very pretty, but I began to build on the positive things in my life, there was lots of confession times. One of the counselors said, you have so much to deal with maybe you should consider give up trying to quit smoking. I told her that wasn't an option. So as the days, weeks, and months passed by I become stronger and began to deal with one thing at a time. I was trying to deal with all of them at one time. My brain stayed so cluttered that I couldn't finish anything. One of my biggest hang-ups was I felt guilty that I couldn't fix it myself. Because I had always been able to before. But my situation was not the same as before. As you know I lost a son, grandson, husband, and sister. All of them in a short period of time. I was numb and didn't know it. I wasn't capable of making a decision. Lady, I know this is not you, but when it comes to depression and not knowing what to do, we are all the same. We don't understand why we can't control our feelings or emotions. I hav

WAY TO GO LADY! What an awesome and heart felt post. Thank You. Now at the risk of being drummed off the site, I have to say that I totally agree with what you say about whether quitting smoking can be difficult or easy. For me there was no easy. I sought outside support and I got what I needed from the addictions counsellor I saw. So to all you that are new and all you that are mid term and to any of you that are not finding this so very easy, it can so much be done. Quitting is totally doable and is totally within reach. Ciao Phillip :) [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 2/17/2006 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 370 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 9,268 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $2960 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 61 [B]Hrs:[/B] 7 [B]Mins:[/B] 55 [B]Seconds:[/B] 34

Hi Lady...... Sounds like a few feathers out of place in the past few months..... Keep right on preening cos we all appreciate the help and support that you give us. Brent [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 12/8/2005 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 443 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 3,107 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] �2215 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 72 [B]Hrs:[/B] 7 [B]Mins:[/B] 56 [B]Seconds:[/B] 56

Great post and you are truly an amazing Lady. I know how tough it's been for you (was NOT easy for me either) and glad you got some relief :) All the best, Janet

Lady.... smile...because you are a mentor for me!!! You said in your post that staying quit was by the Grace of God. This I beleive is true; however, He has given you much Grace and YOU did this quit no matter how hard it was and is. You are an inspiration for me because I too don't think this quit thing is easy. [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 1/25/2007 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 29 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 587 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $119.48 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 2 [B]Hrs:[/B] 22 [B]Mins:[/B] 25 [B]Seconds:[/B] 40

4my2girls. You really said a mouthful. [quote] There is no way to 'snap out of it', no way to concentrate on the good things and put the bad out of mind. It isn't possible in depression. If we don't seek help, we spiral downward. [/quote] I keep waiting for this to happen ('snap out of it'). I keep fighting the fact that the medicine helps using the argument that I shouldn't need medicine to get through "life". That is just insane and means I'm weak. But then I find myself in that downward spiral you speak of. I've been down that spiral far too many times over the last year or so. It is a struggle to work through the issues. I think it may be as quitting smoking in the aspect that people who haven't been there, cannot understand the devistation and frustration that comes along with the battle. I know this battle began when I quit smoking. The emotions that were burried deep came to the surface and no longer had the smoke screen to hide behind. The jury is still out on which battle is harder. I just know that I don't ever want to smoke again and like I said when I quit smoking, the same is true for this battle as well. In the times of dispare and frustration I just need to remember that.... Every day is one day closer to never feeling this way again. Thanks so much for your reply. [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 7/1/2005 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 606 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 12,126 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $2121 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 54 [B]Hrs:[/B] 17 [B]Mins:[/B] 41 [B]Seconds:[/B] 25

Hello folks. I haven�t been around or posted much lately. Life has really gotten busy. I kind of took a back seat to the SSC back in October because of personal reasons. A lot of you know that I struggled tremendously with the quit. Every time the emotions hit, I wanted to smoke. I really fought the quit process for about the first six months and it was up and down hill thereafter. Some of you even told me that it may not be the quit and I may want to talk to my doctor about what was going on. Many would talk about how easy the quit was and I would (and still will) defend the fact that the quit isn�t easy for everyone. For some of us quitting is the most difficult thing we will ever do. In October, my doctor said I was depressed and that he wanted to put me on medication. I was devastated and kept telling him �no, I just quit smoking that�s all and it�s hard�. This threw me into a tailspin because others here had suggested the same thing and it had angered me. There wasn�t anything wrong with me! I was just having a harder time at quitting than others. I decided to give the medicine a try and after a while sought counseling. Much to my dismay, I needed help and the issues went far beyond quitting smoking. Smoking really does mask a lot of things and it is a crutch that a lot of people use to get through life. The most challenging thing about quitting was learning how to deal with situations without the crutch. I am amazed that I made it as far as I have in this quit. I am still in counseling and think I am just now starting to grasp some of the concepts of what has happened. Getting quit was a miracle. Staying quit was by the grace of God. I am still learning tools necessary to deal with life. I am still learning a lot about myself. Even more than I did in the beginning when I was so amazed at the person I was becoming. This is a journey that doesn�t end. For each of us, the road leads to different places. I am posting this in hopes that it may help someone who has struggled for way too long. It took me over a year to seek help. It is almost like with quitting, I really wish I had done it sooner. No matter what, how easy or how hard, quitting is possible. Believe in yourself, take one step at a time and don�t forget to

Lady, Thank you. Your post has made me realise that I do need help. I have not been "normal" for quite a few months. I have made an appointment with my Doctor for Monday. Thanks for op[ening my eyes. Cheers Kiwikeith [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 9/29/2006 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 147 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 3,690 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $1705.2 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 22 [B]Hrs:[/B] 3 [B]Mins:[/B] 25 [B]Seconds:[/B] 41

Lady, thank you for your post. It is sincere and meaningful. A definite inspiration to read. Karen. [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 1/1/2007 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 53 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 533 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $450.5 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 4 [B]Hrs:[/B] 7 [B]Mins:[/B] 2 [B]Seconds:[/B] 4