Tom, You are doing great. In life we say NO to lots of things. Smoking is just one of them. We say NO to things we can't afford....No to foods we sholdn't eat.... No to people that are not healthy relationships...and No to smoking that causes cancer. It is like you said. SIMPLY NO!! It does get easier....and you will find yourself having to say NO less often as time goes by. hang in there. Your doing great. Mercy [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B]1/21/2007 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 133 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 2,660 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $594.51 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 17 [B]Hrs:[/B] 12 [B]Mins:[/B] 28 [B]Seconds:[/B] 24

Congrats Tom, way to go, take that crave by the collar, poke it on the shoulder and say "HEY! ARE YOU TALKIN' TO ME??" [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B]4/22/2007 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 42 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 1,680 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $336.00 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 3 [B]Hrs:[/B] 22 [B]Mins:[/B] 11 [B]Seconds:[/B] 57

Tom, thank you so much for sharing your experiences. Also, congratulations to you .. 2 months smoke free coming up ! I sure hope you have a most wonderful reward for yourself.. you so deserve it :) Jean [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 4/4/2007 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 40 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 1,016 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $410 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 4 [B]Hrs:[/B] 13 [B]Mins:[/B] 40 [B]Seconds:[/B] 21

Thank you Lainey and Casey, I recognize and appreciate the value of this site and the people that support it. Twice this weekend I had the notion to smoke with the thought, "Who will know, just have one..." I'll know, thats who and I'm the only one you need be concerned about. That put that one in its place. What a rediculous notion, I'm going to pull one over on...who? I've said it more times than I can tell you; I don't smoke, I don't do that, I don't want that, I don't need that thanks anyways. It's no person trying to tempt me, it's my own mind against my convictions. I'm not seriously tempted by these notions at all, I just face off with them because I won't let any one of them just go away. If I ignore them they do go away but they come back stronger. This way I keep them in check. I'm marching on and am taking advantage of the journal I started the day I quit. When it comes down to a battle of wits it's game over unless you have ammo! [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 3/15/2007 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 59 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 1,197 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $247.8 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 9 [B]Hrs:[/B] 16 [B]Mins:[/B] 57 [B]Seconds:[/B] 5

Ok, my silly, you quit on the 15th, not the first! So how is it going for you now? :) [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 3/5/2007 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 67 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 1,699 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $706.85 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 8 [B]Hrs:[/B] 5 [B]Mins:[/B] 1 [B]Seconds:[/B] 3

Hey Tom, That's a serious quit you got going! I am impressed by your intensness. What are you at now, 72?? :) [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 3/5/2007 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 67 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 1,699 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $706.85 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 8 [B]Hrs:[/B] 5 [B]Mins:[/B] 0 [B]Seconds:[/B] 52

Quit journal (I am glad I did this it helps with my perspective) Day 57: Some of these posts bring cravings on for me. Some particularly brilliant thoughts can work on me all day or more. Here I am at just over 8 weeks and I�m coming across triggers I didn�t know about, associations so subtle they sneak up on me and pounce. I think I�m equally surprised by them as I am disappointed and frustrated. This is frustrating! I am jumping on these notions and cravings to smoke, knocking them down and pushing them away. They�re in no way getting the better of me or weakening my defenses but they keep coming seemingly no matter how swift and efficient I am at dealing with them. I know they will subside over time; this is the thought that keeps my fighting energy up as high as it was the day I quit. The reasons I quit are just as valid today as they were 8 weeks ago and will be well into the future. Its times like this I like to read my previous entries, especially the early days of my quit. Day four was particularly bad but it gave me a glimpse of what kind of a quit this was going to be. ------------------------------------------------- Day 4: The habit and addiction have governed my actions, influenced my decisions and clouded my judgment so completely. I�ve tried to quit often enough to know a great deal of what to expect. It�s because of those lessons learned that I�ve been as successful as I have been. The mental cues haunt me and strike at me with painful jabs and taunts. My strength and determination are good and I�m nowhere near giving in or up. I read through my reasons for quitting to recharge my strengths. I�ve not been battling so much or so often that my reserves get anywhere near low. I�m doing really well. Still trying to get around the caffeine thing. I�ve resorted to simply denying the urge with a no, never. I don�t tell myself to hold out for five minutes when they strike. I tell myself I�ll never smoke again. That intensifies the urges and I love it. I just chew them up and try to torment them as much as they are inconveniencing/distracting me. I want to build a huge resistance to these urges. They will have to be significant just to register and then no problem putting aside with little or no distraction. I will never