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15 years ago 0 +0 / -0 1843

MM, I remember reading somewhere that the day you are referring to is "next tuesday". But something tells me thats like the sign in a bar that says "FREE BEER TOMORROW!"
My Milage:

My Quit Date: 8/20/2008
Smoke-Free Days: 209
Cigarettes Not Smoked: 8,360
Amount Saved: $1,672.00
Life Gained:
Days: 31 Hrs: 5 Mins: 42 Seconds: 23

15 years ago 0 +0 / -0 639

Pete. You are doing great! 35 days!!!! Kelly hit it on the head. The next few days are an interesting segment of the journey. Several twists and turns along the next leg that may be confusing. Be on your guard.

Be strong, brother! One minute, One hour, One Day at a Time.

My Milage:

My Quit Date: 1/19/2009
Smoke-Free Days: 57
Cigarettes Not Smoked: 1,710
Amount Saved: $376.20
Life Gained:
Days: 9 Hrs: 9 Mins: 2 Seconds: 39

Quit Meter

$50,498.24

Amount Saved
Quit Meter

Days: 1125 Hours: 0

Minutes: 40 Seconds: 35

Life Gained
Quit Meter

5583

Smoke Free Days
Quit Meter

167,490

Cigarettes Not Smoked

15 years ago 0 +0 / -0 597

I do so enjoy your posts, Pete. I still have voices trying to lead me in the wrong direction with promises of peace and contentment, which I know, is all a lie. I think it must get easier with time. I have spoke with heavy smokers who quit many, many years ago that say they still sometimes have thoughts of smoking, others claim it is a rare occurrance. Either way, with time under your belt, it must make the resisting easier.

Does anyone know the 'magic' number of days when thoughts of smoking no longer exist?

My Milage:

My Quit Date: 10/22/2008
Smoke-Free Days: 146
Cigarettes Not Smoked: 5,840
Amount Saved: $1,168.00
Life Gained:
Days: 16 Hrs: 11 Mins: 22 Seconds: 21

Quit Meter

$52,370.00

Amount Saved
Quit Meter

Days: 740 Hours: 18

Minutes: 50 Seconds: 8

Life Gained
Quit Meter

5237

Smoke Free Days
Quit Meter

209,480

Cigarettes Not Smoked

15 years ago 0 +0 / -0 80

Super helpful, thanks! Some of the voices in my head agree with everyone, and some don't, so they're in the back yard fighting it out, finally giving pete some quiet time. You guys are great!

pete

My Milage:

My Quit Date: 2/10/2009
Smoke-Free Days: 35
Cigarettes Not Smoked: 1,750
Amount Saved: $393.75
Life Gained:
Days: 6 Hrs: 11 Mins: 25 Seconds: 25

15 years ago 0 +0 / -0 967

Peteg,

You are so totally normal. It is the 50 day craves...everyone has those out of nowhere evil voices that nag at them. Look some of them up..I know you will feel better. Your not crazy, you are normal, that should make you feel better right there. Hang in there honey...you are doing so well, it will get better and those voices begin to get real hoarse after awhile

Take Care,

Kelly

My Milage:

My Quit Date: 12/6/2007
Smoke-Free Days: 467
Cigarettes Not Smoked: 14,010
Amount Saved: $1,751.25
Life Gained:
Days: 38 Hrs: 21 Mins: 13 Seconds: 28

15 years ago 0 +0 / -0 625

I think you both are right......and I think you are doing the right things to help yourselves. I just had an "angry" experience two days ago.....and the VERY first thought that entered my head was get a smoke!! I was even telling myself..."I'll show them......I'll smoke".......How dumb is that????

It's easy to see how excesses in those feelings/senses can lead to the end of a quit. Too hungry, or angry or lonely or tired gives the addict exactly what he is looking for all the time.......a way back in to our heads.....a way to get us to light up.

We are addicts! No question, no doubts about it. Each of us has beaten the physical addiction by now but we are mentally addicted for a long time. I mean a LONG time!! My Bro-In-Law hasn't smoked for 25 years.........and there are times he thinks about it. Not a crave like we are having.....doesn't even change his train of thought.......but it'll pop in his head.

It's very easy for me to understand how it can take a smoker 7 times(or more to quit now. Even that is just a number......I can see now that the mental addict will be with me.......and be bugging me.......prodding.......pushing.........every chance I give him. When I do relax and think I'm free of his thoughts....he jumps up and bites my a**. I'm finding it easier and easier to talk myself through....but had I not been made aware of these things before-hand and been somewhat ready for them.......any one of those craves could have had me.

It's going to be a long, perhaps endless battle for me. I can see that now. I'm ready for it at this time. Hopefully I can Keep the Quit well into the future......I have promised myself to try my best. That's what I have to do........It's about me...for me......and only me can keep it going. I like that. I like being in charge now.....even during one of his fits......I'm able to show who is in charge.

We can do this.......

Bob

My Milage:

My Quit Date: 1/27/2009
Smoke-Free Days: 49
Cigarettes Not Smoked: 1,470
Amount Saved: $205.80
Life Gained:
Days: 10 Hrs: 6 Mins: 47 Seconds: 21

15 years ago 0 +0 / -0 377

Peteg,

I don’t think your experiences are all weird at all. I know from my quit that what you speak of in your last quit where you started smoking again after 9 months is like what I’m going through right now. I have been doing pretty good on my quit and out of the blue I’m getting that slow kind of crave (just like you said I’m not going to the store to buy a pack over it). I think for me I’m looking at the HALT signals that maybe one of these are activating the feelings I’m having right now. You might look into see if any of these are coming up for you and to try to alleviate them. For anyone out there that doesn’t know them they stand for Hungry, Angry, Lonely, and Tired. If you have any of them going on in your life then watch out because they can lead some to setbacks in peoples quit. The other thing that I would say that came up for me after about your time period is that you still more identify with being a smoker than a non smoker right now. Remember you smoked for 3 years straight since your last quit and you’ve stopped for 40 days. Even though the physical part of the addiction is mostly gone, part of you still identifies with the smoker that you once were. It’s like you still identify yourself as “the smoker” even though you are not your past. Even though you have consciously decided you are no longer going to smoke, there is still that old pattern that feels comfortable with what was. I like to just call it your old self trying to cling on to what it still thinks is who you are (that same sticky smoker). Therefore it tries to lure you to thinking to get on with it (to smoke), because your going to cave down the road. I think the reason we do this is we think we are what we have recently been in the past and that’s how we map out our reality of our lives. We have such an investment in defining who we are that we take it to extremes. Even though we are changing for the better of our new self, we still identify ourselves as that past person and it feels like we are falling apart when we make big changes like you are doing. But of course it’s just the map that’s changing not you. Therefore it’s normal for there to be some upheaval when you make these changes like you are doing right now. Just remember it’s not something to get freaked out over it’s just a natural defense we have. I would just say to watch it and just let it be ok. I would just sit with it, let it do its little drum beat. Also realize that as time goes on the new self as a non smoker will be more familiar to you and you will not put up so much resistance as now. You’re doing great and what you are experiencing is quite ordinary, it sure was for me. I can tell you my car story some time, it’s almost as funny like yours. Keep the quit. Ron

My Milage:

My Quit Date: 6/17/2008
Smoke-Free Days: 273
Cigarettes Not Smoked: 4,914
Amount Saved: $1,474.20
Life Gained:
Days: 42 Hrs: 0 Mins: 23 Seconds: 29

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