New me, I really am sorry you're having a hard time and if there was some other way to help you, I would. But I only know the telling the truth way. If this is really not helpful to you,please ignore me or even tell me to shut up. This is about you, not me, and either reaction would not hurt my felings.
You say the gum is not a coping strategy, but something that keeps you from smoking. New me, that is the very definition of coping strategy. It is a way to get through a situation without smoking.
I understand the edge of the abyss, I have been there, and it has taken everything I have to put all my strategies to work, including posting here & waiting for replies, to keep from smoking or getting back on the nicotine roller coaster. It is not easy, I get stressed out, I have teenage kids, I have a demanding job. Others here have lost jobs and family members and dealt with devastating illnesses and accidents among those they love. We don't only do easy things here, new me. That's why we all need each other's help & support to get through it.
You can give up the gum, it will not be easy, but you have already done one really hard thing & are still doing it 142 days later. You can do another hard thing and you know the longer you wait, the harder it will be.
Please just do it, new me, just prepare for a couple of days of withdrawal, go back to the beginning of the program here if you have to, know that we are all here for you whenever you need us. We know what it's like and we know you can do it.
[B]My Milage:[/B]
[B]My Quit Date: [/B]5/13/2007
[B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 155
[B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 3,100
[B]Amount Saved:[/B] $1,705.00
[B]Life Gained:[/B]
[B]Days:[/B] 15 [B]Hrs:[/B] 14 [B]Mins:[/B] 17 [B]Seconds:[/B] 7
