_________________
Reading:

The Spartacus War - Barry Strauss
Slow Death - Jim Fielder
The Decline And Fall Of The Roman Empire - Edward Gibbon

_________________
Reading:

The Spartacus War - Barry Strauss
Slow Death - Jim Fielder
The Decline And Fall Of The Roman Empire - Edward Gibbon

Yes we are! Keep going!

Tt

Thanks again guys. Today was rough but I'm not giving in. I keep thinking about all the horrible things that smoking will do to my body and all the pain that I went through those first few days. I don't want to go back.

Exactly. I never wanted to go back to day one. You're almost there... you're doing great!

_________________
Reading:

The Spartacus War - Barry Strauss
Slow Death - Jim Fielder
The Decline And Fall Of The Roman Empire - Edward Gibbon

I made it through 21 days (today is 22).

Laurel, how did you deal with the depression/grief/feelings of loss?

Nanci.

I did sink into that abyss many times. You just have to tell yourself that this is your life (you only get one) and your not going to give it up for a puff of smoke. I walked a lot and worked out. I splurged and bought myself gifts with the cigarette money I was saving. I went outdoors as often as possible just to smell the fresh air. But I must admit that the key for me was my husband, Bill. He has never been more proud of me. He told me everyday that I'm the bravest and strongest person he knows, so...

Nanci. You are stronger and braver than you ever knew. You made it! You're over the hump and are smoke free. You are the best!!! You've done something so many struggle with and fail. You're a winner and I'm so proud of you.

Let's all hear it for Nanci!

_________________
Reading:

The Spartacus War - Barry Strauss
Slow Death - Jim Fielder
The Decline And Fall Of The Roman Empire - Edward Gibbon

Laurel might have some better ideas, but I would say that a good fix is to break your daily routine. Change it up a bit. If you are stuck under the same routine, you have set times when you would have a smoke, right? Or things that you do that remind you of having that one cigarette. When you change your routine, you will do things that will not trigger the event of wanting a cigarette, or at least minimize it.

Shuffle your daily tasks and keep your mind busy and guessing.

Also, keep rewards in mind. They will entertain you, lift your spirits, and make you have fun. Don't be afraid to treat yourself. With that many days under your wing of having quit (congratulations by the way, you have to have a hell of a force of will to get as far as you did already. So, don’t let it go to waste), you should be setting the money aside and pretend that is still going for smokes. Buy something that occupies your mind, the longer the better. What you like to do? Get a crossword puzzle book and a bottle of wine, at home spa treatment and soak in that tub with a book, exercise (jog, gym), buy a bike and go riding, treat yourself to a nice meal in a restaurant that you have always wanted to go but always thought too expensive.

Key is to keep busy, break your daily routines (to be occupied as much as possible that you cannot think about smoking), and treat yourself. Get it in your head that if you start smoking again, you will no longer have money for those things that you are getting to have fun. You have to train your mind to think differently, because your body is responding by giving every message possible that something is wrong. Dreaming of cigarettes and the flashes that you get from your addiction is your body trying to use every possible tactic for you to cave in. It feels the “want” and tries to seduce you to it. When you get one of those moments, tell yourself, “No, I am done with smoking.” I mean that literally. Get mad at yourself for it even crossing your mind. It might sound stupid but it shows assertiveness and a retraining of your mind. An addiction is just as much of a psychological hurdle as it is physical, no doubt about that.

Cigarettes target the same want in you as when you are hungry. So, drink lots of water when you have a craving. Don’t just drink it, but swish it around your mouth before swallowing and get rid of the dry mouth that comes with the cravings. The cravings only last 2 to 3 minutes, so just take it a step at a time.

I found that the rewards kept me from going into any sort of depression.

You are doing amazingly well…:v

All good suggestions HHF, save one. I would not go for that bottle of wine. Alcohol will trigger a nicotine fit and you're not far enough removed yet.

You're in New Jersey, right? Go to the shore, walk the beach and breath. Appreciate every moment... you're going to have so many more of them now.

_________________
Reading:

The Spartacus War - Barry Strauss
Slow Death - Jim Fielder
The Decline And Fall Of The Roman Empire - Edward Gibbon

_________________
Reading:

The Spartacus War - Barry Strauss
Slow Death - Jim Fielder
The Decline And Fall Of The Roman Empire - Edward Gibbon

_________________
"There's no law, no law anymore - I wanna steal from the rich and give to the poor."
~The Ramones~

_________________
Reading:

The Spartacus War - Barry Strauss
Slow Death - Jim Fielder
The Decline And Fall Of The Roman Empire - Edward Gibbon