bygirl I just cut my nails so they wont help you hang on . I have a hug or two if that will help Oh and a Kleenex for your tears. Better? Phil x [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 8/8/2006 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 188 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 3,955 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] �987 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 37 [B]Hrs:[/B] 16 [B]Mins:[/B] 10 [B]Seconds:[/B] 39

Babygirl, It's okay to stumble through your first few days. There is a learning curve here so don't be too hard on yourself. You'll get the hang of managing your cravings as time goes on. Until then keep distractions and rewards close! For the emotional part of quitting, perhaps keeping a journal would help. Hang tight. We're with you every step of the way. Just holler, we will come to help see you through. Danielle _______________________ The SSC Support Team

Tutti, Kudos on overcoming temptation! We are proud and hope you'll reward yourself for passing this test. Baby girl and Tutti, First off, congratulations to you both! The first week isn't easy but you're both doing beautifully. Below I have copy/pasted a post on anger and quitting. I hope it will help you further your understanding. Please know this is temporary and you are not alone. Danielle ________________________ The SSC Support Team - Anger and Quitting - Afraid to turn into a bear when quitting? Maybe you've quit and it's already happened? Explosive, quick to anger over little things? Unexpected outbursts? You are not alone, but rather one of many. What happens? People in recovery do have ups and downs, and sometimes more downs than ups unless they adopt new ways of coping, none of which happen overnight. We keep saying that quitting is a process. Anger may play an unexpected role for you in this process, and better coping skills need to be developed to deal with this also. When many smokers and dippers quit, they go through changes that require some unmasking. Take anger, for instance: As nicotine addicts, we might have swallowed our anger, or lit up/chewed rather than make a scene when something really irked us. It might have been easier and less stressful than engaging in confrontation about some problem. I'm confident that most smokers and dippers who were "put in their place" can remember exhaling the smoke slowly at some time or other to decompress. They puffed or chewed away for dear life rather than say their piece and end up getting fired from a much-needed job, to offer one example, or be in an in-laws bad books forever, to name another. In such anger, a nicotine fix became the crutch, the comforter and the savior of sorts, and quite a coping mechanism! (Or so we thought anyway.) Get my drift? With the giving up (and loss from our lives) of that lifelong 'all-round friend' the cigarette, we literally go through mourning with all its stages, including the stage of sadness and anger. Quitting is a major loss, both physically and psychologically, and in addiction, a quitter will naturally mourn that loss for a little while, until they freely accept the quit and adopt it, just letting go

One thing that struck a familiar chord with me was the "uglies" that have gone on in your life run a little parallel with mine. See if this fits you as it has me... This is something I have learned about myself on this journey: I have discovered that I HATE being denied anything!!! Its almost as if I had been denied things growing up that is common place for others and I now refuse to let that happen. Like I hate being told what to do! Do you believe its the same for you? [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 1/25/2007 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 20 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 409 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $82.4 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 2 [B]Hrs:[/B] 1 [B]Mins:[/B] 10 [B]Seconds:[/B] 53