Lady, thank you for your assurance that although the craves will come, they will be short in duration. I am feeling fine this evening. My coping skills must have beat it off, Brenna. Jan, dealing with it by myself was driving me bananas. Writing it out made me see it for what it was. Thank you all for having my back.
As to smoking and the mall, smoking has been outlawed here for quite some time now so I guess when l knew I was going and would be there for a while, I had my "spots" for smoking, as Kelly outlined. Mine was not smoking in the car, so I lit up when I parked my car. I knew where all the entrances were and, if desperate enough, could find them easily. The restaurants I frequent had outside as well as inside entrances, so it was very easy to have a smoke before and after lunch. Oh, the habits that have to be overcome. Thank you all for understanding what a truly crazy day it was for me.
My Milage:
My Quit Date: 11/22/2007 Smoke-Free Days: 223 Cigarettes Not Smoked: 4,460 Amount Saved: $1,382.60 Life Gained: Days: 28 Hrs: 15 Mins: 46 Seconds: 50
ML, glad you posted and got all that written down. Just doing that is therapeutic. The thoughts do come from time to time. Certain situations, the smell of smoke, seeing others smoke. The main thing here is...you got through this. You vented, and now the responses are coming in. We're all in this together...the good...the bad...and the ugly. And yes, we'll all get through it! We've got your back ML.
Keep going strong,
Jan
My Milage:
My Quit Date: 1/27/2008 Smoke-Free Days: 157 Cigarettes Not Smoked: 3,925 Amount Saved: $1,295.25 Life Gained: Days: 17 Hrs: 21 Mins: 56 Seconds: 3
ML, glad you feel better after you vented. We were at the mall last weekend and that sorta happened to me too!! That particular mall was out of town and we had a routine about us that we went to these few stores then stepped out and smoked, then went and ate and had a smoke, went to the bathroom and went out and smoked...it must have triggered some subconcious memory in me or us, it was weird, but I too was able to push it away, my kids were with me so I had a distraction with me already. Hope your feeling even better now.
Kelly
My Milage:
My Quit Date: 12/6/2007 Smoke-Free Days: 209 Cigarettes Not Smoked: 6,270 Amount Saved: $783.75 Life Gained: Days: 17 Hrs: 1 Mins: 25 Seconds: 25
Way to keep yourself distracted and deal with all of your craves! It's always important to have your coping skills with you as you never know when a craving may hit.
Stay focused on your quit meter and always remember N.O.P.E.
The smoking thoughts creep in from time to time. Just ignore them and they will go away. Once in a blue moon we all get them. They just aren't anything like they were in the beginning. As quickly as they come, they go. You are doing great! 223 days is AWESOME!
What is it about the mall anyway? That was one of my big triggers for a long time. Weird huh?
Lady
My Milage:
My Quit Date: 7/1/2005 Smoke-Free Days: 1097 Cigarettes Not Smoked: 21,940 Amount Saved: $3,894.35 Life Gained: Days: 101 Hrs: 13 Mins: 41 Seconds: 41
I had to go out today and wound up at the mall for lunch. Don't know why but as I got out of my car, I wanted a cigarette so badly. Well, I just about ran into the mall (no smoking allowed) and did what I had to do, then had lunch. No craves at all because I knew I couldn't smoke in the restaurant either. But as I left the restaurant and glanced outside, I saw two people smoking. Whoosh!!!! The craves came back fiercely. How I wanted to be outside with them. I finished up what I needed to do, didn't think about smoking at all and then left. Wham!!!! Smoking thoughts again as I walked back to my car. Got in as quickly as I could - I never did smoke in my car - and took off for home. The traffic kept me busy and the ride home uneventful - listening to music, no craves. Got home and started putting things away. Bash!!!! The craves came back in full force. I kept busy and craves are now just about gone. Looking at my stats, I said to myself, no way. I've worked too hard to get this far and I'm not going to blow it. I don't want to see 0 or 1 rather than my current 223 days. I don't know if this was the nicodemon having a good try at me or what but the craving was the worst I've had in all the time since I quit. And I said NOPE. The day is far from over and I expect that old meanie to come back yet again. But now I'm home and have lots of distractions. Think I'll knit for a while and watch something on tv - keep my hands and mind busy ya know. What also helped is all of you out there being so supportive. I just can't let you down - or myself.
Just realized, putting all this down has made me feel so much better. Thanks for letting me vent and thanks to you who read it.
My Milage:
My Quit Date: 11/22/2007 Smoke-Free Days: 223 Cigarettes Not Smoked: 4,460 Amount Saved: $1,382.60 Life Gained: Days: 28 Hrs: 15 Mins: 2 Seconds: 23
Thank you all for understanding what a truly crazy day it was for me.
What also helped is all of you out there being so supportive. I just can't let you down - or myself.
