Good luck with it, tryagain. You know we're with you whenever you need us. [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B]5/13/2007 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 140 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 2,800 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $1,540.00 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 14 [B]Hrs:[/B] 1 [B]Mins:[/B] 50 [B]Seconds:[/B] 22

Now you know why I don't post much. Until I can get a handle on this, it's almost like smoking! And so far I have not. It takes committment and so far I have not made it. Now, I can say I did, but not really mean it. So, I don't and won't until I really do make the committment. When I do,I guarantee you all will be the first to know. So far cig free, taking it day by day. [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B]1/27/2007 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 246 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 7,380 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $2,460.00 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 32 [B]Hrs:[/B] 9 [B]Mins:[/B] 11 [B]Seconds:[/B] 55

Tryagain, You've gotten some great advice from Unhooked. Until you put the gum down and put the physical side of this addiction to rest, you'll still be stuck in the bargaining stages of the psychological. You can do this, you just have to get into the right mindset. That's where it starts. Danielle, Bilingual Support Specialist

You might not like this, tryagain, but it has to be said. I hope it helps & you read it in the spirit in which it is intended. The gum is not doing you any good & you are not doing yourself any good by continuing with it. You are getting short term gain for long term pain & that isn't the way it's supposed to go. Stop trying to give it up & just give it up. It will be hard because you have set yourself up for it to be hard. Get out your early quit coping strategies, warn the people around you, grit your teeth, dig in, & do it, just stop it. It isn't going to stop itself. 3 days, you know the drill. All you're doing is torturing yourself by giving the junkie just enough nicotine to let her convince you that you need more. It's a viscious circle and you are the only one that can make it stop. The day will not come, tryagain, and the day that you quit smoking did not just come either. You made a conscious decision to quit smoking on that day & you have made that decsion every day for 245 days. You need to make the decision to quit the gum, too & make the choice to stop torturing yourself every day. "If I could" is a junkie excuse. You can't take a vacation, that's the reality you live with, it does not mean you have to be an addict. Lots of people can't take a vacation & they don't use nicotine. The fact is, tryagain, "if you could" quit on vacation, you would have just as hard a time as you're having right now when you came back, because you would not have taught yourself how to live your real life without a crutch. That gum is not keeping you from running out & buying a carton, YOU are keeping you from doing that. The gum is not doing one positive or good thing for you & it is not helping you stay quit. It is jsut your excuse ( & a pretty lame-ass one at this point) to stay addicted. You can do it, tryagain. I know you want to think your situation is special somehow & you have more stress than the rest of us. Not true, we all have our share & we could all find excuses if we wanted to. We choose not to, we choose to face the challenges, to accept our realities & live free with those realities. If you spend some time reading the boards over the last few days, you will find strong, brave people coping smoke-free with all kinds of loss, fear & uncertainty. You can do it. Bottom line, you will not stop craving until you stop feeding the addiction. If you want to wait around for the day to come, you will remain addicted and miserable for a very long time. If you choose to do the hard thing, do the work that needs to be done,and commit to an addiciton-free life, you will be so happy you did and you will finally stop looking back. [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B]5/13/2007 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 139 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 2,780 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $1,529.00 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 13 [B]Hrs:[/B] 22 [B]Mins:[/B] 59 [B]Seconds:[/B] 18

Unhooked, unfortunately no, I have not given up the gum none of the gum,including regular sugar free stuff. I have completely ruined my mouth with 265 days of non stop chewing. I've tried to give it up. I've stopped dozens of times. Sometimes for hours at a time. Once for almost a whole day. It's like when I quit smoking. A day came when I was just ready. I guess I'm waiting for another day when I am just ready. I find that I can give up the gum when I'm not working. On the few times when I have off I don't even think about it really. But when I am working it's just about the only thing that keeps me from just running out the door and buying a carton! A carton that I know I wouldn't even enjoy since physically I am a non-smoker. If I could take a vacation, a week off say, I know that it would all be over once and for all. That's not possible. I have not had more than one day off for over ten years and those days off are Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. Occasionally I will have a slow day that lets me wrap up early. The day will come. I know it will. [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B]1/27/2007 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 245 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 7,350 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $2,450.00 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 32 [B]Hrs:[/B] 5 [B]Mins:[/B] 41 [B]Seconds:[/B] 15

Tryagain, are you still chewing nic gum? It's been awhile since you posted & I can't remember if you finally gave it up or not. If you still are, then stop. Just stop, there is no more benefit to be had from it and you are just keeping the junkie fed, which in turn keeps you addicted. If not, then good for you. There must be some enjoyable thing you can do when you have time to yourself. I mean, as busy & stressed out as you feel, it would really be a shame for you to finally get a minute of "you"-time & spend it miserably wanting something you yourself admit you don't even really want! Can you read, do a crossword, knit, cross-stitch, listen to music, have a snack, do sodoku, phone someone you love, draw, take a walk, get a small reward, burn a scented candle, write a letter, take a course. There must be something you can do that you would actually enjoy. Rewarding yourself and finding something you like that replaces your smoking time are very, very important to teaching your brain to stop thinking it's time for a smoke. If you haven't done that & don't do it now, you will continue to struggle, I promise you. Spend some time right this minute to think of 1. a reward. No excuses, I can't afford..., I don't have time..., none of that. GET A REWARD. 2. some enjoyable pastime that you like or would like to try that will distract you & give your pleasure centres something to do other than cry for nicotine. No excuses. GET SOMETHING TO DO. tryagain, I understand about your being self-employed and all, but honestly, we are all busy people with stress in our lives. We all need to learn to manage that stress in a way that won't kill us & actually helps us & the people around us so that we can all enjoy life more. Smoking does not do that. Wishing you smoked for sure doesn't do that, thinking about smoking absolutely does not do that. You need to let go of that, let go off all your excuses & yahbuts. I don't want to see you go back, tryagain, I've watched you struggle so hard for so long & you really don't need to. There is a thread right now about the choice not to smoke. If you've really made that choice & you commit to it every day, that alone makes it so much easier. I really hope to see you come back soon & post that the lightbulb came on for you, & it finally seems like you're doing it. I hope hard for that, for you. [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B]5/13/2007 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 139 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 2,780 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $1,529.00 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 13 [B]Hrs:[/B] 22 [B]Mins:[/B] 52 [B]Seconds:[/B] 55

I always want a cig so bad I can taste it. Even though I know if I did taste it, it would make me sick. It's not the cig, not any more. It's the memory of what it tasted like when I smoked. I want the fantasy, not the reality. It is so bizarre this wanting a cig at 265 days, and not just once in a while but all the time. Sometimes worse than others. Ironically, it is not the time at work when I have a respite, but when I have time to myself. Since I work just about all the time, the off-times are far between. When I work, I get so stressed, so upset, my nerves are mostly stretched as tight as piano wire and I cannot stop wanting a cig that I shamlessly used to give myself a break. There is no such thing as a break without a cig. I tried. I stand outside doing nothing but want one, searching the gutter for a half smoked butt, thinking about picking it up and lighting it. I don't do it of course. These are mind games. These are psychological ploys by the addiction. Physically my body is the body of a non-smoker. I can't even stand the smell of stale cigs anymore. How are the two reconciled? [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B]1/27/2007 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 245 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 7,350 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $2,450.00 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 32 [B]Hrs:[/B] 5 [B]Mins:[/B] 29 [B]Seconds:[/B] 10

Lizzie has a good point, new me, I had bad BLAH's at that time, too. It will pass, don't forget the rewards. No balcony partner? Try "bacony" rewards! Maybe even better! [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B]5/13/2007 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 135 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 2,700 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $1,485.00 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 13 [B]Hrs:[/B] 13 [B]Mins:[/B] 59 [B]Seconds:[/B] 51

HA!, Sue, right now I do not have anyone to explore some patio rewards with!!!! I'll have to think of something else for now. new me [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B]5/26/2007 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 122 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 2,928 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $610.00 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 16 [B]Hrs:[/B] 20 [B]Mins:[/B] 31 [B]Seconds:[/B] 33

New Me, Hang in there. You are at a known BLAH bit of the quit, when things can be a bit more emotional than usual...so what you are feeling is partly brain chemistry. It will get better. You will be proud that you kept going. Don't forget the REWARDS! Lizzie :) [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B]4/23/2003 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 1615 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 24,225 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] �6,056.25 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 161 [B]Hrs:[/B] 13 [B]Mins:[/B] 29 [B]Seconds:[/B] 18