Hello Mercy- One important part of this journey is about dealing with everything, literally, on a different, deeper level. For some it's about setting boundaries, letting others know what we need, how we feel, where we are... is it time for you to speak up rather than be so frustrated? Life is so short. Healer [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 3/5/2006 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 436 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 15,292 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $2027.4 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 57 [B]Hrs:[/B] 3 [B]Mins:[/B] 21 [B]Seconds:[/B] 57

Thanks guys, It helped to vent...and I know you are right about them feeling quilty. You see, my oldest daughter quit for 98 days last year and blew it. A few years back my son had quit for a year...and blew it. My youngest daughter has tried twice and she had a miserable time of it. So much so, that she fears trying again. So... they do know what it is to quit. That is why I thought them to be thoughtless. Yet... ya know what? When they had quit, I too went outside and smoked instead of just refraining for the evening. How rude was I???? I thought I was being polite for steping off to the side of the house. Things that were done in the name of addiction!! I swear..... I would have forfited milk for the kids if it was a choice between my cigarettes or milk. I wouldn't have starved my children....but I would have settled for poptarts and juice so I could buy the cigarettes. mercy [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 1/21/2007 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 114 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 2,295 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $509.58 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 14 [B]Hrs:[/B] 21 [B]Mins:[/B] 13 [B]Seconds:[/B] 34

Mercy - I so much remember being the smoker and being so ashamed every time I lit up in front of a non-smoker. (I used to decide which was worse...the crave or the shame) I remember having to light up in between stores when shopping, stepping out after dinner at my Mom's, finding excuses to drive by myself so I could smoke....They do envy you but they are addicts. Congratulate yourself on a job well-done. Windy [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 9/11/2006 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 246 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 4,935 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $1230 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 24 [B]Hrs:[/B] 0 [B]Mins:[/B] 50 [B]Seconds:[/B] 16

Mercy, look at the bright side. At least they went outside and did not stink up the house. Don't let anyone get to you about being a nonsmoker. Always try to find the positives that you have found on your journey and build on new ones in cases like this. Sit back, enjoy, and breath in the fresh clean air. Freebird ~'~ [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 9/24/2006 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 233 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 7,006 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $978.6 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 33 [B]Hrs:[/B] 2 [B]Mins:[/B] 16 [B]Seconds:[/B] 48

I don't have family members around me who smoke but my 'boyfriend' does and he has chosen to take himself outside when he's round here. We go out together to pubs and to friends' houses where there are people smoking all over the place and maybe I'm lucky but none of this really bothers me. The smell is quite nice when it is fresh. It's the stale smell I don't like. I don't want that in my home any more. I still get bad cravings at certain times of the day but these are not related to exposure to other people because they happen whether I've been among smokers or not. In the beginning I got a bit hacked off that no-one seemed intersted in me and my having stopped but now I'm glad cos I don't feel left out. I agree with Big Bertha, it's adapt and accept their smoking or feel left out of things. TILL THEY SEE THE ERROR OF THEIR WAYS!! Ha Ha. Gen [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 3/28/2007 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 48 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 775 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] �336 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 6 [B]Hrs:[/B] 8 [B]Mins:[/B] 3 [B]Seconds:[/B] 52

Contgrats on the 113 days... That is great. You can vent anytime with this group... I have no anwsers on how others behave, but I have decided not to isolate myself any more. I don't want a cig and I think I can handle being around people who do smoke. It would just isolate me at some family gathering. You seemed stong enough to not smoke yesterday, so maybe next time you will not even notice their smoking except for the horrible smell.... Does anyone think I am wrong on this thinking... I could be off-base... A [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 1/15/2007 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 120 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 7,223 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $1440 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 15 [B]Hrs:[/B] 21 [B]Mins:[/B] 7 [B]Seconds:[/B] 32

they don't get it and won't get it....You need to quit in order to know what it is like for non smokers....remember what u were like as a smoker....I know I said to my self-----"I'll smoke over here it's far enought away from everyone" Not realizing it doesn't matter where I smoke..others smell it and it bothers non smokers! I cant stand the smell of smoke for now,..I am still trying not to get sick when I smell it..so now I will walk away from them if i have to...lolo [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 4/24/2007 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 21 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 428 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $94.5 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 1 [B]Hrs:[/B] 17 [B]Mins:[/B] 17 [B]Seconds:[/B] 52

mercy, I have to say that I do understand where they are coming from a little bit. They are smokers who have to get their fixes. They can't STAND to wait until you're gone because they're going through withdrawals after a few short minutes after having the last one! They probably think, "well, if she wants to have a nice, pleasant Mother's Day without any unpleasant situations, then she'll let us smoke whenever we need to!!!" They're smokers who are not ready to quit yet. We have to just understand that. We don't have to like it... but we have to just let them do their thing. We also have to be proud of OUR choices not to smoke. That's right... we made a CHOICE not to smoke. Nobody made you do it. So be proud of the fact that you no longer HAVE to go outside every 20 minutes! You no longer HAVE to stink and have smoker's breath! Just be loving and supportive of them and hopefully, eventually, they will quit too! Crave the Quit! [IMG]http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c177/kissnflirt/littlebutterfly2.gif[/IMG] [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 6/17/2005 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 697 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 17,433 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $2878.61 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 49 [B]Hrs:[/B] 15 [B]Mins:[/B] 19 [B]Seconds:[/B] 40

you know Mercy, I recall some family members that didn't smoke that harped all the time about smoke.....now I am one of "those"....no, I don't mean that I "harp"....but by george, YOU deserve the same respect that we used to think a smoker deserves!!! Speak up for yourself!! It was mother's day for the love of mike!! you should have worn a paper clipped to you with your stats on it! You should SAY that your one wish is that they Stop killing themselves.....if they feel guilty and don't lite even ONE of those smokes, then you have accomplished something! did you know how you stunk when you were a smoker?? I didn't.....TELL them these things....it can be done without malice! We have one last famiily member that smokes.....and he never lights up around one of us....not inside, outside or anywhere near....when he spends time with us it's time he doesn't spend smoking....if that makes him unhappy, I am sorry. would we sit silently while our children played russian roulette???? we need to be speaking out.....in a positive way, yes, but speaking none the less. My immediate family is smoke free for going on six years.....but my hubby has been diagnosed with rectal cancer, guess what is a contributor to that paticular cancer? assert yourself in a loving way to your kids.....your speaking out just might actually save their lives! Katy [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 1/4/2002 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 1957 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 78,292 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $11154.9 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 258 [B]Hrs:[/B] 3 [B]Mins:[/B] 7 [B]Seconds:[/B] 54

Oh Mercy, Mercy, Mercy, I hear you girl!!! Get this one......My son, daughter, and son-in-law came over for Mother's Day. My son and son-in-law do smoke and they took it outside whenever they wanted to light up. When they went outside, that actually made me want to do back flips that I'm not a slave to the butt any longer. At the same time, I really prayed hard that the two of them would jump on the wagon with me. Later, after everyone else left, my son wanted to ride down to the store and wanted me to go with him. Well, I drove and he sat on the passenger side because he bought a truck and wanted me to see how it drove. On the way to the store, he lit up inside the truck. :8o: I guess he figured that after 85 days, I have it made and never get the urge to smoke. Well, I didn't go into a major craving while he smoked inside the truck with me. In fact, I can't really say that I went into a craving at all AT THAT TIME. But a short time later, I did start craving pretty bad. He smoked inside the truck on the way to the store and on the way back. It really didn't bother me at the time accept that I became afraid of how the smoke would effect me.....like maybe make me dizzy while driving but that didn't happen either. But since yesterday, I've been craving pretty bad and I think being in that truck with the smoke did it. You should have heard me when I woke up Monday morning. My voice sounded like I had smoked 4306 cigarettes!! My voice has been very clear since I quit but I woke up Monday with that old, familiar feeling again in my chest and a hoarse sounding voice. I can only figure it was due to my son's cigarette smoke inside that truck. Phfft!! I don't know why I'm venting either except that it's almost 4 in the morning and I'm craving. It's nothing I can't handle but still, I'm craving. I'm more angry that the damn cigarettes are still around, still being made, and still destroying people's health. Stay Strong, Tutti [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 2/18/2007 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 86 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 3,878 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $308.74 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 9 [B]Hrs:[/B] 3 [B]Mins:[/B] 2 [B]Seconds:[/B] 55