Thanks polly for the welcome, and; I like the statement too WooHoo!! (um I get a little wound up so don't mind me at times, haha). Actually, having a little fun with quitting kind of helped me quit and stay quit too. For instance, when a craving strikes, "dance, do a little jig or something" don't smoke! or sing: "I smell good. doo doo, doo doo doo doo, doo, like I knew that I would......." (haha)
These bulletin boards (the reading & posting) for one, keep the momentum going. Take it slow and steady along the bumps and steeper climbs. Posting is fun! You are doing great and I am proud of you. Have you asked your family and friends for input about your smoking and/or your quitting? I asked for input and kept a few of the pep talks I received on index cards for quick glancing when cravings struck.
Thanks for replying to my post if nothing else (haha) for the fun of it.
Remember, changes take time. It takes time to develop better habits or thoughts and behaviors to replace those of the typical smoking ritual. You know how you do something over and over again for so long and, well, it becomes engrained. Think about it. You can calculate an equation for it even.
How long did you smoke?
How many times a day did you perform the ritual of smoking?
[opening a pack, removing a cigarette from a pack, putting it to your lips, reaching for a match/lighter, lighting it, bringing it to and from your lips, inhaling/exhaling/puffing on it (average is about 12 puffs/cigarette), tapping ashes, smashing it out in an ashtray, etc.].
How long did it take to smoke one cigarette? How many puffs did it take etc.?
Try to remember and take notice of all those things because they make up "the pattern" which you need to break. I've heard it referred to as "pattern interrupt." Like you said, "smoking is not an option" but practically anything else is and you can find a lot of other favorite things to break the old pattern. Strategy!
Also, I was reading where the process of making changes, such as smoking cessation, works moreso in a "circular" fashion rather than a "linear" way. In other words, you will continually have good days and bad days with quitting. It's not easy. Perhaps thinking of it in that sense will help too. Keep up the good work everyone.
cess101
