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A Former Smoker?s Story

16 years ago 0 +0 / -0 1148

I'm sorry to scare you Nonic and Mr Ed. I tried to put an obvious disclaimer on it by making a separate post. I guess that met with limited success and I do appologize. I would never, never seriously entertain those thoughts without first discussing them with you and my other quit buddies here at the SSC. You are my valued lifelines! Thank you again Betty. I know I will continue to enjoy reading your posts here. I read far more than I post. Amen, Rusty, Penguin and New Me. Thank you Martha, you are sweet. It truly is amazing what we can get ourselves into. Hello Kelly, you beach dweller you!!! Thank you for the encouragement Josie, Stickin To It and Doodles. There's so much good here and I just want to be a part of it. [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B]3/15/2007 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 269 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 5,380 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $1,129.80 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 43 [B]Hrs:[/B] 9 [B]Mins:[/B] 26 [B]Seconds:[/B] 34

16 years ago 0 +0 / -0 5009

Hey Tom, PLEASE don't shock me like that. I almost dropped my carrot out of my mouth! :p [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B]2/13/2006 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 664 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 19,920 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] �4,980.00 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 106 [B]Hrs:[/B] 16 [B]Mins:[/B] 55 [B]Seconds:[/B] 7

16 years ago 0 +0 / -0 1148

Thank you Betty. I value your input but I assure you that the story is just that, a story. I explored buying a pack of smokes and smoking one mentally only in a dream I had the night before. It was an eye openner for me, there was a quitting tool in there that was probably obvious to most people but had escaped me. I wrote this post in the event there was someone else who, like me, missed it. I put it in the first paragraph of the story, "It's all in the moment, here and now, there's nothing else" (the mindless addict). This is where the addict lives. If you want to fight the addiction this is where you need to go. If all you see is the "here and now" then you can't see anything long term or anything that doesn't support what your doing right then. We smoke in spite of the risks and regret the act after the addict is fed and until we feed it again, but we do feed it again as long as we're stuck in the addictive loop (so to speak). It's the ability to see beyond the moment that gives us hope and it is the refining of these abilities that helps us quit, break a loop chain and escape. He have to endure the pain that trained us to smoke habitually, the old pain, to break free. You can't rationalize enduring pain to the brain without some benefit or reward. Seeing beyond the pain helps us to do this. Its going to get better, less and then random and rare. This we can do. My story just paints a picture of how I see the mindless addict (the problem). It's easiest for me when I can see the problem clearly. I'm not much different from a lot of people I know so I'm guessing there are a couple of people that would benefit from this. [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B]3/15/2007 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 269 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 5,380 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $1,129.80 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 43 [B]Hrs:[/B] 9 [B]Mins:[/B] 15 [B]Seconds:[/B] 41

16 years ago 0 +0 / -0 43

Tom, Don't be so hard on yourself...it happens, but tomorrow is another day! When I quit, I told myself I would NEVER *buy* a PACK of cigarettes again! And, along the way, I DID *bum* one from a friend or my son here or there...and I *choked* it about halfway. After being without for so long, it tasted nasty, it stunk, but, it took the *edge* off the craving & got me over that *hump* without breaking my oath to NEVER *buy* another pack. Then, I dusted myself off, and started a *new* day! I've done that a few times in the past year, and I found that each time was further & further apart, and the taste & stench got nastier, and it got easier & easier to deal with! I STILL have moments when the urge can be so intense, but...I take a long tall drink of ICE COLD water, and stick a Dum Dum sour apple sucker in my mouth...and by the time I finish that tiny sucker...the urge has moved on to bug someone else...Maybe that time it was YOU, LOL! SORRY! :confuse: I hope this will give you an idea to try, to see if it will help you conquer that graving & urge! GOOD LUCK! Betty2 [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B]9/4/2006 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 461 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 13,830 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $3,227.00 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 63 [B]Hrs:[/B] 12 [B]Mins:[/B] 25 [B]Seconds:[/B] 26

16 years ago 0 +0 / -0 598

moving writing..thank goodness we now do know what is on the other side of easing that pain. new me [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B]5/26/2007 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 197 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 4,728 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $985.00 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 27 [B]Hrs:[/B] 3 [B]Mins:[/B] 0 [B]Seconds:[/B] 33

16 years ago 0 +0 / -0 1148

No worries my friends. It was little more than a dream and I nearly woke screaming thinking I had done the unthinkable. The idea of it, what it would take to make it real is what scared me and motivated me to write it. I would have to lose my ability to see beyond the moment for it to happen. That's the only way I could make that jump, not being able to see what was on the other side (and the only way I could stay there). I could never do that again; not now. [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B]3/15/2007 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 268 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 5,360 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $1,125.60 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 43 [B]Hrs:[/B] 6 [B]Mins:[/B] 1 [B]Seconds:[/B] 39

16 years ago 0 +0 / -0 1151

Tom, that was really intense! Great writing - it FELT just like the hunger of addiction as I read it. It's amazing what we put ourselves through isn't it? All the best [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B]8/5/2004 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 1220 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 24,400 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $5,490.00 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 93 [B]Hrs:[/B] 3 [B]Mins:[/B] 42 [B]Seconds:[/B] 35

Quit Meter

$38,285.00

Amount Saved
Quit Meter

Days: 662 Hours: 3

Minutes: 26 Seconds: 24

Life Gained
Quit Meter

5890

Smoke Free Days
Quit Meter

76,570

Cigarettes Not Smoked

16 years ago 0 +0 / -0 880

Tom Thanks for the story, but I must say I was a bit worried about you as I was reading it...Good to see that it was as you say just a story and that your quit is solid...Smoking again...no way, never, ain't gonna happen... nonic [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B]12/25/2006 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 348 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 10,440 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $3,654.00 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 63 [B]Hrs:[/B] 12 [B]Mins:[/B] 51 [B]Seconds:[/B] 45

Quit Meter

$68,691.00

Amount Saved
Quit Meter

Days: 1417 Hours: 6

Minutes: 38 Seconds: 32

Life Gained
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6542

Smoke Free Days
Quit Meter

196,260

Cigarettes Not Smoked

16 years ago 0 +0 / -0 1093

Wow. [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B]8/25/2007 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 105 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 3,150 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $614.25 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 9 [B]Hrs:[/B] 9 [B]Mins:[/B] 46 [B]Seconds:[/B] 38

16 years ago 0 +0 / -0 12049

It really helps to share your journey's and emotions. By doing this you are helping others understand that we all in this together and we can help :) Thanks Tom! Josie, Support Specialist

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A Former Smoker?s Story