Hi Bgaine...I'm glad that you are thinking about rewards because we really do need to trigger those feelings of pleasure. While the gym works for me, many other people would prefer a walk by the river or window shopping downtown - Physical activity is free as long as you have a park or a sidewalk ... (anyhow....even though it triggers endorphins for me, i'm not sure that it does the same for everybody) If possible, it would be awesome if you could put aside a little bit of the money you save from not smoking to treat yourself but rewards don't have to cost money. Some of my free rewards were a bubble bath, going to bed early and reading a good book (libraries are free)or watching a favourite t.v. show. Do you have a dollar store there? If so, you can get some fun rewards for very little money. I'm afraid I wasn't very social at the beginning of my quit so social time wasn't a reward for me....but other people enjoy phoning a good friend or going for a visit. Basically, a reward is anything that makes you feel good...which will be different for each one of us. All the best to you...We will be cheering you on. Windy [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B]9/11/2006 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 299 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 5,980 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $1,495.00 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 29 [B]Hrs:[/B] 5 [B]Mins:[/B] 8 [B]Seconds:[/B] 5

Bgaineshunter, We have a few great threads on the boards with ideas for free rewards. Remember a reward can be as simply as taking a few extra minutes for yourself. Ex: The dishes need to be done but you let yourself watch a movie first and relax. Get the idea? Start brainstorming! Danielle, Bilingual Support Specialist

Hi, Thanks for the replies. Being on disability, I can't afford to join a gym or do much of anything. Even after I quit smoking, the money saved will just pay bills I have been nickel and diming because I haven't had the money to pay them off. So I've been thinking about rewards, but unless it is free, I won't be able to reward myself. That's part of the problem with being disabled. There is no money.

Bgain - I'm afraid I'm not an expert either but I have experienced a great deal of anxiety and depression in my life. Every time I felt anxious or depressed, I reached for a cigarette. When I quit smoking, I started going to the gym regularly to deal with stress and to lose that extra weight. What is amazing is that my levels of anxiety and depression have decreased. If I wake up feeling depressed, I go to the gym and I am better (likewise with stress and anxiety) A cigarette was a temporary fix but it never worked like this! It is too bad that there is not more information for people with mental health issues who are trying to quit. I know there is a big correlations between nicotine and schizophrenia but I haven't heard the same about bipolar disorder. Do you have any community mental health teams in your area...They are sometimes a better resource than anyone else. Wishing you all the best..... Windy [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B]9/11/2006 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 298 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 5,960 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $1,490.00 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 29 [B]Hrs:[/B] 2 [B]Mins:[/B] 36 [B]Seconds:[/B] 22

I thought I would add that my Mother, who suffers from Manic, Bi-polar, Panic disorder, and others, just quit at the age of 61 after 40+ years of smoking. I thought she would never stop mainly because of how dependent she is on medications and smoking. I have not talked to her much about it but i do know she used the patch. Main reason for my quit right there. I thought to myself if she can do it with all her problems, I can do it with mine... 40+ years of a pack a day has been on countless medications for 20 years and she was able to pull it off. I was impressed. Best of luck to you and I wish you all the best. [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B]6/12/2007 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 24 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 600 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $120.00 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 3 [B]Hrs:[/B] 1 [B]Mins:[/B] 8 [B]Seconds:[/B] 38

I'm proud of you, too, Misty.

Hi Misty, I've read as much as I can. I decided this time to use NRT. Maybe weening off slowly will cut my chances of becoming manic and increase my chances of staying stopped.

I don't really have any answers for you, but just wanted to let you know that I understand. Your first quit was the same time as I quit, so i remeber all the problems you've had. We diabetics have a very hard time quitting, you know. Throw some mental illness in the equasion and it's really very painful. I have found that my health is far far FAR FAR FAR worse than it ws prior to quitting. [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B]7/17/2006 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 353 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 13,061 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $3,265.25 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 30 [B]Hrs:[/B] 18 [B]Mins:[/B] 4 [B]Seconds:[/B] 44

My psychiatrist, UC Medical, etc. know nothing about this. There are no quit smoking groups in the San Francisco Bay Area that takes up this issue. My concern is that I had to go off off the medicines for the mania and the depression. As for the mania meds, I was either allergic (lithium, Seroquel, Lamictal), or they didn't work at all (the anti-convulsants), or my blood sugar level went up over 500 (Zyprexa, Risperdol, Geodon). My sister, younger, died of diabetic complications in May, so it was decided that since I had run through all of the meds to just let me be. I've been stable. Also, with bipolar disorder, you can't take antidepressants without a mood stabilizer. This is an issue where there is little research and what research is out there is not filtering down to the doctors.

I can't speak so much for MAJOR I guess. I, however, have been living with General Anxiety Disorder, Panic Disorder and Obsessive Compulsive disorder. While not on the same level they are still affected by smoking. Here is the funny thing. I was sitting there smoking one day and thinking about all the times I ended up in the hospital with a panic attack thinking I was having a heart attack, all the time I did not do stuff because i felt like crap because of anxiety. Well i thought to myself. Hum. I started smoking when i was 15. I started having all these problems when i was 15. In my mind I thought I would feel better and maybe get over all these problems by quitting. For the first few days i was right. I had control and I could do anything. Then I read that people with mental "issues" often get worse when they quit smoking. I had a major bout of panic and anxiety for a few days. You know what though. I figured out this is all in my head. I know I have a chemical imbalance that casues this to happen to me, but at the same time now that I have taken on quitting smoking, I know I can take on anything. The best gift you have besides life from quitting smoking is that you will free your mind and be in control of your life again. You will feel what it';s like to actually battle your mind and win. Now I have a MUCH easier time with all of this. I know I;m only a little over 3 weeks in, but I realized early that this is a mental game and you have to play to win. Don't be afraid to quit. I had a doctor tell me I was afraid to quit and that's why i smoked. i laughed at him all the way to store to buy smokes. Then once i quit I was like WOW! I was afraid to do this. So glad i did. Your life will improve as remove this huge addiction and mind controlling substance, you will begin to battle all your mental demons. Don;t be afraid to do this via a group or with counseling. I am willing to bet you can find a group for quitting with mentals disorders in your area. Lots of luck and give it a shot. Quitting never killed anyone, but not quitting? Well we all know how that ends... [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B]6/12/2007 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 22 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 550 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $110.00 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 2 [B]Hrs:[/B] 19 [B]Mins:[/B] 18 [B]Seconds:[/B] 1