"Have a Happy Quit" :) :) :) LOVEIT, carylene!!! [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B]5/13/2007 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 25 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 500 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $275.00 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 2 [B]Hrs:[/B] 14 [B]Mins:[/B] 6 [B]Seconds:[/B] 37

I am having an easy quit this time. Yeah, that is almost as bad as the "Have a happy period" commercial, but I attribute this fact to Chantix, this site and finding out about addiction, and the Allen Carr book. How big a part each of those have played, I really don't know. I am the kind of person who has always been like "don't tell me how hard it is or how bad I feel, because that makes it worse" and with smoking, I always had a hard time quitting. Part of it was (I think) because I and everyone around me said I was going to have a hard time, it would be the hardest thing I ever did, there was an huge relapse rate, tougher to kick than heroin, can you feel your shoulders slumping? I can feel my shoulders slump and my head hang. Now I know that people do have a hard time and have a much worse experience than I am having. I have had a much harder time in previous attempts, this time is just different. Melissa [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B]4/22/2007 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 46 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 1,840 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $368.00 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 4 [B]Hrs:[/B] 8 [B]Mins:[/B] 5 [B]Seconds:[/B] 37

OK, after thinking long and hard about what I would say, I'm ready to reply. Not that my opinion has changed in the last few hours, or even the last year... I just needed time to collect my thoughts and prepare the best response I can. For me, quitting was the hardest thing I have ever done. For that reason, I will NEVER go back to smoking because I know how hard it was to quit! I don't EVER want to have to go through that again! I struggled for many, many, many months and almost went back to smoking many times. However, is the quit still hard? NO! I would have given up a long time ago if it didn't get better... but it does! A LOT better! Some have easier quits than others. Does that make those who have difficult quits wrong? No. It's just different. As long as we don't smoke, then we are doing it right. I truly believe that. Many people viewed cigarettes as their "friend," their companion and relied on cigarettes to help them cope with most or all of their emotions. Those people will probably have a somewhat more difficult time quitting than somebody who just smoked because the addiction called, but never viewed cigarettes as friends. So far, I don't think there's anything that anybody can disagree with. Here's where it gets sticky and where the controversy lies... Some here think that oldies shouldn't post about difficulties they may be having in the quit. What's an oldie? Some say 100 days. I will say I was having extreme difficulty LONG after 100 days... I slipped after 132 days! So does that mean that quitters over 100 days shouldn't post about their difficulties? I don't think so. My personal opinion is the same as it was a year ago and will probably be the same a year or more from now. If you're having problems staying quit, then that's what this site is for! Use it to the fullest extent possible - whether you've been quit 1 day or 1,000 days! Some say that older quitters posting about their quit struggles discourages newer quitters, but my opinion is that I'd rather newer quitters see that it IS possible that they will have cravings 2 months, 3 months, 6 months or more down the road. Otherwise, when they DO have problems, they might think that they are not normal and are "doing it wrong" and should give up because nobody else has cravings that late. Well, the fact is that many people DO have cravings late into the quit... they just often don't post about them. That doesn't mean that they happen all the time and are constant cravings like in Hell Week, but they do happen, even after a year or more. Should that scare newer quitters? I don't think so, but some do. They are certainly entitled to their opinions. Crave the Quit! [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B]6/17/2005 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 720 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 18,000 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $2,973.60 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 50 [B]Hrs:[/B] 19 [B]Mins:[/B] 44 [B]Seconds:[/B] 34

Well now... I dont want to say my quit was easy, but I haven't struggled to the extent some have. Maybe it was the support system...here and at home...that made it easier, and the fact that I am not constantly surrounded by smokers at work or at home. Maybe it was the Chantix. I expected it to be much harder than it is. Prepare for the worst, hope for the best, and hopefully get something in between the two. We'll see what I say the next time this topic comes up and I have been quit for a lot longer. Nance [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B]2/14/2007 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 113 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 3,390 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $548.05 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 15 [B]Hrs:[/B] 20 [B]Mins:[/B] 25 [B]Seconds:[/B] 33

All I know is that quitting is easy, it is staying that way is hard for me. Somehow I start out with all the fire that is needed to quit and then I become bored or the addict in me is screaming its head off. But I do know from reading here and other places it is possible to stay quit. I have tried everything except stand on my head. All I know is that someone told me never give up quitting. One day you will stay that way. So I don't qive up quitting. This could be my final quit :) Yes we were brainwashed in the early days to smoke. Allen Carr talks about that in his book "Easy Way...". We just have to do a reverse brainwashing and we can do that, can't we? Thanks for the topic. Keep the Quit Sparky [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B]4/30/2007 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 38 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 380 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $114.00 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 5 [B]Hrs:[/B] 4 [B]Mins:[/B] 51 [B]Seconds:[/B] 1

All Iknow is, it's difficult for me. I know people who have said it's easy & people who say they it's so hard, they can't. I think that, just as we all had our reasons to start, keep going & quit, we all may have different levels or forms of addiction and that makes it easy for some & hard for others. [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B]5/13/2007 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 25 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 500 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $275.00 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 2 [B]Hrs:[/B] 13 [B]Mins:[/B] 35 [B]Seconds:[/B] 46

I was rushing to get ready for work when I replied. After reading it again, I see it could be taken the wrong way, so please allow me to clarify. I've been on both sides of this debate. I wasn't around SSC last summer so I don't know what happened with this touchy subject. If I were asked to tell you my thoughts back then, this is what I would have said: I've tried and failed so many times. Quitting is too hard for me to do, I think it's impossible. Maybe I just don't have any willpower, but I'm prepared to accept what smoking is doing to my body. I am going to continue smoking and I'll die happy. I'm not going to try to quit ever again, it's too hard. Today's reply certainly is different isn't it? What happened to me??? Mostly, I just learned about my addiction and lost my fear. I replaced my fear with the desire to quit. Quitting is not easy, but it is doable. :) Pat [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B]1/28/2007 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 130 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 5,200 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $1,820.00 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 15 [B]Hrs:[/B] 9 [B]Mins:[/B] 40 [B]Seconds:[/B] 45

Hey Butterfly I take it this topic got a little heated the last time around ??? ;) [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B]3/20/2007 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 79 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 1,422 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $790.00 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 18 [B]Hrs:[/B] 3 [B]Mins:[/B] 54 [B]Seconds:[/B] 52

Sorry I did,nt know this one had been discussed before and I realize this could be rather contraversial feel free to remove it I already have my own opinion anyhow. :| [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B]3/20/2007 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 79 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 1,422 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $790.00 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 18 [B]Hrs:[/B] 3 [B]Mins:[/B] 53 [B]Seconds:[/B] 6

Oh boy!!! Here it goes!!! Although I LOVE a good, friendly debate, I thought we beat this topic (and a few members! LOL!) to death already! I think I'm going to choose to stay out of this one (for now) but reserve the right to jump in later if needed. I REALLY don't want to reignite the fire we had last July!!! Crave the Quit! [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B]6/17/2005 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 720 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 18,000 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $2,973.60 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 50 [B]Hrs:[/B] 19 [B]Mins:[/B] 20 [B]Seconds:[/B] 10