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thank you!

As always Bud-oracle, thanks for stopping in on my post. I really appreciated your insight here. It was very encouraging to me. I'll tell you, if smoking was harmless and costless, I wouldn't be quitting. But it (smoking) is both of those things. I have been smoke-free almost 72 hours and counting now. I caught a stomach-bug yesterday so that squelched any desire to puff so that was actually a blessing...Today I took the day off from work and have been keeping busy...no urges yet!

posted by kushie on March 8, 2006 at 7:26 AM | link to this | reply

Try and try, until you succeed. You are right to quit cold turkey, there is

no other way! It is truly addictive but when you get a proper attitude going you can beat it.

First of all, know that if you can go one week, you have gone to the halfway mark.

This halfway point is not a spot on the middle of the arrow of time.

It is a marker of half the effort necessary to kick the habit. The next interval of time after that first week is about 51 weeks, more or less.

In the next 51 weeks you will feel the lure of cigarettes on you as much as you did during that first week. Just as you did for that first week you must withstand every encounter in order to be successful.

Each encounter is individually as powerful as all encounters were during the primary week. They are ever more spread out as the distance of time slowly takes one away from the powerful tobacco addiction.

Each one of these temptations is easy to withstand and they get easier as time moves on.

If one notices these moments of lure from the addictive substance, over time they will become shorter in duration. The trick is not to give in to any of them. Divert your attention , go for a walk, fix something clean out the garbage, go for a dog crap pickup at your local park. Do not, under any circumstance, sucumb to a desire to have a puff.

You will be amazed at how powerful the temptatation is, whick will still reach you after even a year or even two years. don't be discouraged by what I say and have a smoke. It is easy! The upside is that these moments only hold sway for a fraction of a second. Deny them any power and switch gears to a better engagement with life. To deny each one is really no big thing.

One day sure as hell, you'll remember that you haven't had a craving in five friggin years. Then you can smile and say, "Wow! I've really done something!" And you have given up a substance and delivery mechanism which is as or more powerful than, actually much more dangerous to your health than, using a clean needle and clinically pure herion.

It took me (cause I'm weak) 13 years of trying at least a dozen times, to kick the habit. I've now gone 11 years this summer without a puff. What doing something like this does, is give you a real perspective on the subject of addictions and how powerful they and what stuff you are made of.

Good luck my friend, I have a feeling that you can do it!

posted by Bud-Oracle on March 6, 2006 at 8:37 PM | link to this | reply

Kooshie-

I'll be thinking of you. You CAN do it!! I smoked casually 4 years and when it started to creep up to more than casual I got worried. Then I had the flu on the day of my Grandfather's funeral; they almost buried me along with him, I was so sick. I quit then and never looked back, but I have dreams to this day that I'm a "sneaky" smoker!!

Cee

Comments on Trying to kick butt?

thank you!

Try and try, until you succeed. You are right to quit cold turkey, there is

Kooshie-

smoking is