my dof post

Greetings, and a ***huge*** thank you to this group. While my quit isn't
quite as successful as I tend to trump (read below), and although I rarely
visit here now, I give half of my quit's credit to this group - without the
advice and support of the people here, I would definately not have made my
quit last as long as it has. I was looking at the quitters list and, when I
saw my name at the top of the DOF entries (JJR), I was surprised at the
sense of pride and accomplishment I felt. It's a little overwhelming to be
where I am right now and realize that it has been TWO YEARS since I had a
puff. It really is something, and I am still amazed that I was able to do
it.

I loved smoking more than anyone I have known, and did it for around 19
years. It made me happy when I was sad, and made me happier when I was
happy. It was part of my identity. It was a break away from the world
whenever I wanted. I liked the taste, the feel of the smoke as it entered
my lungs, the smell - everything. Two years after, I can still recognize
the smell of Marlboro lights on other smokers.

I knew that my love of smoking would catch up with me one day and probably
kill me, but did not care enough to quit. I got married, and had three
children - and still I didn't care enough to even give quitting it a try.
Just thinking about quitting stressed me out enough to light one up. And my
wife, a somewhat militant non-smoker, would always nag me which in a way
reinforced my desire to smoke to retain my "identity". Somewhere along the
way, the nagging got less and less, and she pretty much resigned herself to
a lifetime of being married to a smoker.

I mean, I would have quit but I just didnt really want to - I *liked* it.

Then I heard the ad on the radio - come in, get a shot, and you will walk
out a non-smoker. Holy cow! That sounded easy - they even guaranteed
results. So I, halfheartedly wanting to quit but not wanting to work for
it, signed up for the shot, went to the office, and got it.

I know that the shot has worked for other people (and I am glad for them),
but for me, I was not prepared to handle quit. After a few days, I was back
to smoking. This, too, was something I was not prepared for - I felt like
such a loser wasting all of that money on the shot, and really got down on
myself. What kind of bozo can't even make it a week without smoking after
getting the "miracle" treatment that is supposed to make all of the cravings
go away. I got pretty angry with myself and vowed to come up with a plan,
which I will share (and is really nothing new):

1) I made a list of reasons why I should quit smoking. I found
testimonials on the internet of people with COPD who have died, wishing they
had not smoked. I gathered images of smoker lungs. I took a lot of tidbits
from this forum. I made personal reasons - things like "I want to see my
little girls graduate high school and college". I then put all of it into
an 8-page (printed 2 double-sided pages so 4 pages would fit on one sheet of
paper) document and carried it around with me. It was a "pack" of reasons
not to smoke. I would love to share it with the group but it wouldnt make
the transition from a word document to an internet post very cleanly.

2) Promise #1 : No matter what, I would not smoke. I could be depressed
about that decision or be happy with it, but either way, I was not going to
have another damned cigarrette.

3) Promise #2: If I began to think seriously about breaking promise #1,
I would read read my list first [it took a while to read all 8 pages].

4) Promise #3: Chew the damn gum before lighting up a cigarrette.

Really - I had the quit in me. I think that you *know* whether you have
it or not pretty soon. I didn't have my first quit in me. On the 2cd,
something pretty major would have had to happen for me to go back to
smoking. I was pretty POd at myself for failing the first time. I took all
of the feelings of failure, of being such a loser for not being able to do
quit, and channeled them into anger at myself that fed and sustained my quit
smoking drive. I must say that I was a top-of-the-line jerk and ass when I
quit. I was not going to start back, but my poor wife had to put up with my
terrible attitude - which bordered on violence. After about 2 (or was it
3?) weeks of going cold-turkey, she eventually got afraid of me and packed
herself and the kids in the car and left. She told me that she could not
take it anymore and for me to go back to smoking. I went out and got the
2mg nicotine gum, chewed 3 of em at once, and vowed to only chew it when
things got too hard.

2 years later, I am chewing a whole bunch of 4mg pieces each day - I do
not keep track of it (I am not ready to stop b/c I do not want to put my
wife through the hell that a nicotine-free me would put her through). I
always have a piece. So - I stopped smoking (DOF!) but I am still very much
a nicotine addict. In many ways, I have the same attitude about the gum as
I used to have about smoking - I just don't care to quit. I have read
nothing that indicates that the gum is a health risk, so it is even harder
to get motivated. Yes, the gum is expensive - I probably spend around
$200-$250/month on gum and it is a little difficult for me to afford (my
wife is a stay-at-home mom so we don't have much left over after expenses,
etc). But - we make do and are both very happy. If/when I decide to do it,
I expect quitting the gum to be as hard as or harder than quitting smoking
was.

So - is my quit a success? I believe so - I have not had a single puff
from a cigarrette in over 2 years now, and rarely miss it. Notice that I
said rarely - I do sometimes still have the cravings to smoke, sort of a
nostalgia feeling that comes and goes. Or something will trigger "I used to
smoke when I did this before, sure would be nice to have one now". But it's
nothing like it was early on, and I still have my pack of reasons to remind
me that the first puff is the easiest to resist.

Good luck to all of the other quitters here

There will undoubtedly be some who say that I have not earned my meter -
and, indeed, I am not always sure about it either. But, here it is:

Two years, four days, 12 hours, 28 minutes and 26 seconds. 22035 cigarettes
craved but not smoked, saving $2,974.80. Life saved: 10 weeks, 6 days, 12
hours, 15 minutes. I have already smoked around 138,700 cigarettes in my
life, spent nearly a million minutes doing it, and have lost nearly another
million from the end. Enough is enough.


Thanks!

-JJR

You earned every bit of your meter. Happy DOF

--
Lynn <---VOF Leaper

"JJR" <jjreynol_NOSPAM@comcast.net> wrote in message
news:h7ydnb86IuvV4ODbnZ2dnUVZ_jOdnZ2d@comcast.com. ..
> Greetings, and a ***huge*** thank you to this group. While my quit isn't
> quite as successful as I tend to trump (read below), and although I rarely
> visit here now, I give half of my quit's credit to this group - without
> the advice and support of the people here, I would definately not have
> made my quit last as long as it has. I was looking at the quitters list
> and, when I saw my name at the top of the DOF entries (JJR), I was
> surprised at the sense of pride and accomplishment I felt. It's a little
> overwhelming to be where I am right now and realize that it has been TWO
> YEARS since I had a puff. It really is something, and I am still amazed
> that I was able to do it.
>
> I loved smoking more than anyone I have known, and did it for around 19
> years. It made me happy when I was sad, and made me happier when I was
> happy. It was part of my identity. It was a break away from the world
> whenever I wanted. I liked the taste, the feel of the smoke as it entered
> my lungs, the smell - everything. Two years after, I can still recognize
> the smell of Marlboro lights on other smokers.
>
> I knew that my love of smoking would catch up with me one day and probably
> kill me, but did not care enough to quit. I got married, and had three
> children - and still I didn't care enough to even give quitting it a try.
> Just thinking about quitting stressed me out enough to light one up. And
> my wife, a somewhat militant non-smoker, would always nag me which in a
> way reinforced my desire to smoke to retain my "identity". Somewhere
> along the way, the nagging got less and less, and she pretty much resigned
> herself to a lifetime of being married to a smoker.
>
> I mean, I would have quit but I just didnt really want to - I *liked* it.
>
> Then I heard the ad on the radio - come in, get a shot, and you will walk
> out a non-smoker. Holy cow! That sounded easy - they even guaranteed
> results. So I, halfheartedly wanting to quit but not wanting to work for
> it, signed up for the shot, went to the office, and got it.
>
> I know that the shot has worked for other people (and I am glad for them),
> but for me, I was not prepared to handle quit. After a few days, I was
> back to smoking. This, too, was something I was not prepared for - I
> felt like such a loser wasting all of that money on the shot, and really
> got down on myself. What kind of bozo can't even make it a week without
> smoking after getting the "miracle" treatment that is supposed to make all
> of the cravings go away. I got pretty angry with myself and vowed to come
> up with a plan, which I will share (and is really nothing new):
>
> 1) I made a list of reasons why I should quit smoking. I found
> testimonials on the internet of people with COPD who have died, wishing
> they had not smoked. I gathered images of smoker lungs. I took a lot of
> tidbits from this forum. I made personal reasons - things like "I want to
> see my little girls graduate high school and college". I then put all of
> it into an 8-page (printed 2 double-sided pages so 4 pages would fit on
> one sheet of paper) document and carried it around with me. It was a
> "pack" of reasons not to smoke. I would love to share it with the group
> but it wouldnt make the transition from a word document to an internet
> post very cleanly.
>
> 2) Promise #1 : No matter what, I would not smoke. I could be
> depressed about that decision or be happy with it, but either way, I was
> not going to have another damned cigarrette.
>
> 3) Promise #2: If I began to think seriously about breaking promise
> #1, I would read read my list first [it took a while to read all 8 pages].
>
> 4) Promise #3: Chew the damn gum before lighting up a cigarrette.
>
> Really - I had the quit in me. I think that you *know* whether you
> have it or not pretty soon. I didn't have my first quit in me. On the
> 2cd, something pretty major would have had to happen for me to go back to
> smoking. I was pretty POd at myself for failing the first time. I took
> all of the feelings of failure, of being such a loser for not being able
> to do quit, and channeled them into anger at myself that fed and sustained
> my quit smoking drive. I must say that I was a top-of-the-line jerk and
> ass when I quit. I was not going to start back, but my poor wife had to
> put up with my terrible attitude - which bordered on violence. After
> about 2 (or was it 3?) weeks of going cold-turkey, she eventually got
> afraid of me and packed herself and the kids in the car and left. She
> told me that she could not take it anymore and for me to go back to
> smoking. I went out and got the 2mg nicotine gum, chewed 3 of em at once,
> and vowed to only chew it when things got too hard.
>
> 2 years later, I am chewing a whole bunch of 4mg pieces each day - I do
> not keep track of it (I am not ready to stop b/c I do not want to put my
> wife through the hell that a nicotine-free me would put her through). I
> always have a piece. So - I stopped smoking (DOF!) but I am still very
> much a nicotine addict. In many ways, I have the same attitude about the
> gum as I used to have about smoking - I just don't care to quit. I have
> read nothing that indicates that the gum is a health risk, so it is even
> harder to get motivated. Yes, the gum is expensive - I probably spend
> around $200-$250/month on gum and it is a little difficult for me to
> afford (my wife is a stay-at-home mom so we don't have much left over
> after expenses, etc). But - we make do and are both very happy. If/when
> I decide to do it, I expect quitting the gum to be as hard as or harder
> than quitting smoking was.
>
> So - is my quit a success? I believe so - I have not had a single puff
> from a cigarrette in over 2 years now, and rarely miss it. Notice that I
> said rarely - I do sometimes still have the cravings to smoke, sort of a
> nostalgia feeling that comes and goes. Or something will trigger "I used
> to smoke when I did this before, sure would be nice to have one now". But
> it's nothing like it was early on, and I still have my pack of reasons to
> remind me that the first puff is the easiest to resist.
>
> Good luck to all of the other quitters here
>
> There will undoubtedly be some who say that I have not earned my
> meter - and, indeed, I am not always sure about it either. But, here it
> is:
>
> Two years, four days, 12 hours, 28 minutes and 26 seconds. 22035
> cigarettes craved but not smoked, saving $2,974.80. Life saved: 10 weeks,
> 6 days, 12 hours, 15 minutes. I have already smoked around 138,700
> cigarettes in my life, spent nearly a million minutes doing it, and have
> lost nearly another million from the end. Enough is enough.
>
>
> Thanks!
>
> -JJR
>
>
>

Absolutely! Hear, hear!
You have to do things *your* way, or they won't get done.

Thank you for your post, by the way. I am struggling with many of
these same feelings and vented my anguish about a lot of this earlier
this week. I'm going to adopt some of your suggestions and see if they
help me. I really appreciate your thoughts, as I identified with you
very strongly.


Ashley

On Sat, 23 Jun 2007 16:00:28 -0400, "JJR"
<jjreynol_NOSPAM@comcast.net> wrote:

>Greetings, and a ***huge*** thank you to this group. While my quit isn't
>quite as successful as I tend to trump (read below), and although I rarely
>visit here now, I give half of my quit's credit to this group - without the
>advice and support of the people here, I would definately not have made my
>quit last as long as it has. I was looking at the quitters list and, when I
>saw my name at the top of the DOF entries (JJR), I was surprised at the
>sense of pride and accomplishment I felt. It's a little overwhelming to be
>where I am right now and realize that it has been TWO YEARS since I had a
>puff. It really is something, and I am still amazed that I was able to do
>it.
>
>I loved smoking more than anyone I have known, and did it for around 19
>years. It made me happy when I was sad, and made me happier when I was
>happy. It was part of my identity. It was a break away from the world
>whenever I wanted. I liked the taste, the feel of the smoke as it entered
>my lungs, the smell - everything.

I can so relate to this.

> Two years after, I can still recognize
>the smell of Marlboro lights on other smokers.
>
>I knew that my love of smoking would catch up with me one day and probably
>kill me, but did not care enough to quit. I got married, and had three
>children - and still I didn't care enough to even give quitting it a try.
>Just thinking about quitting stressed me out enough to light one up. And my
>wife, a somewhat militant non-smoker, would always nag me which in a way
>reinforced my desire to smoke to retain my "identity". Somewhere along the
>way, the nagging got less and less, and she pretty much resigned herself to
>a lifetime of being married to a smoker.

The more I was pushed (ads on TV, laws against smoking here and there,
higher taxes) the more stubborn I got. I still get annoyed with the
social engineering.

>
>I mean, I would have quit but I just didnt really want to - I *liked* it.

<good stuff snipped>


> 2 years later, I am chewing a whole bunch of 4mg pieces each day - I do
>not keep track of it (I am not ready to stop b/c I do not want to put my
>wife through the hell that a nicotine-free me would put her through). I
>always have a piece. So - I stopped smoking (DOF!) but I am still very much
>a nicotine addict. In many ways, I have the same attitude about the gum as
>I used to have about smoking - I just don't care to quit. I have read
>nothing that indicates that the gum is a health risk, so it is even harder
>to get motivated. Yes, the gum is expensive - I probably spend around
>$200-$250/month on gum and it is a little difficult for me to afford (my
>wife is a stay-at-home mom so we don't have much left over after expenses,
>etc). But - we make do and are both very happy. If/when I decide to do it,
>I expect quitting the gum to be as hard as or harder than quitting smoking
>was.
>
> So - is my quit a success? I believe so - I have not had a single puff
>from a cigarrette in over 2 years now, and rarely miss it. Notice that I
>said rarely - I do sometimes still have the cravings to smoke, sort of a
>nostalgia feeling that comes and goes. Or something will trigger "I used to
>smoke when I did this before, sure would be nice to have one now". But it's
>nothing like it was early on, and I still have my pack of reasons to remind
>me that the first puff is the easiest to resist.
>
> Good luck to all of the other quitters here
>
> There will undoubtedly be some who say that I have not earned my meter -

I'm not one who would say that. We start our meters when we put out
that last cigarette. As far as I know (and I sure didn't) most of us
who used the patch didn't start our meters when we tore off the last
one. Yep, you're still a nic addict. However, as I told someone else
who is having a hard time giving up the gum, you aren't getting any
tar or any or the other 30 bazillion nasty things that are in
cigarettes.

>and, indeed, I am not always sure about it either. But, here it is:
>
>Two years, four days, 12 hours, 28 minutes and 26 seconds. 22035 cigarettes
>craved but not smoked, saving $2,974.80. Life saved: 10 weeks, 6 days, 12
>hours, 15 minutes. I have already smoked around 138,700 cigarettes in my
>life, spent nearly a million minutes doing it, and have lost nearly another
>million from the end. Enough is enough.

A beautiful meter. In my opinion you deserve it.
Sue
One year, three months, two days, 17 hours, 12 minutes and 3 seconds.
15170 cigarettes not smoked, saving $2,525.91. Life saved: 7 weeks, 3
days, 16 hours, 10 minutes.

>
>
>Thanks!
>
>-JJR
>
>

"JJR" <jjreynol_NOSPAM@comcast.net> wrote:

> There will undoubtedly be some who say that I have not earned my meter -
>and, indeed, I am not always sure about it either. But, here it is:
>
>Two years, four days, 12 hours, 28 minutes and 26 seconds. 22035 cigarettes
>craved but not smoked, saving $2,974.80. Life saved: 10 weeks, 6 days, 12
>hours, 15 minutes. I have already smoked around 138,700 cigarettes in my
>life, spent nearly a million minutes doing it, and have lost nearly another
>million from the end. Enough is enough.

JJR, thank you so much for coming by and sharing your story with us.
It has a unique view of someone who quit smoking but still is a
nicotine addict after 2 years.

Well, if you ask me, yes, you definitely deserve to flash that meter
and be as proud as any other quitter on the planet. Because SMOKING is
what you said you would stop doing and smoking is what stopped doing.

As you said, there is no known health issue related to nic gum.

So don't feel bad about it!

Maybe you could try cutting down slowly, if you are concerned about
it. Mix in some regular gum. Try to play tricks with your mind and
your addiction, it used dirty tricks on you as well so there is no
need to feel bad about it.

Three weeks, four days, 1 hour, 46 minutes and 31 seconds. 877
cigarettes not smoked, saving 351,03 kn. Life saved: 3 days, 1 hour, 5
minutes.

--
Tihomir
*I don't smoke anymore*

Justice: A decision in your favour.
This signature was made by SigChanger.
You can find SigChanger at: http://www.phranc.nl/

On 23 Jun, 21:00, "JJR" <jjreynol_NOS...@comcast.net> wrote:
> Greetings, and a ***huge*** thank you to this group. While my quit isn't
> quite as successful as I tend to trump (read below), and although I rarely
> visit here now, I give half of my quit's credit to this group - without the
> advice and support of the people here, I would definately not have made my
> quit last as long as it has. I was looking at the quitters list and, when I
> saw my name at the top of the DOF entries (JJR), I was surprised at the
> sense of pride and accomplishment I felt. It's a little overwhelming to be
> where I am right now and realize that it has been TWO YEARS since I had a
> puff. It really is something, and I am still amazed that I was able to do
> it.
>
> I loved smoking more than anyone I have known, and did it for around 19
> years. It made me happy when I was sad, and made me happier when I was
> happy. It was part of my identity. It was a break away from the world
> whenever I wanted. I liked the taste, the feel of the smoke as it entered
> my lungs, the smell - everything. Two years after, I can still recognize
> the smell of Marlboro lights on other smokers.
>
> I knew that my love of smoking would catch up with me one day and probably
> kill me, but did not care enough to quit. I got married, and had three
> children - and still I didn't care enough to even give quitting it a try.
> Just thinking about quitting stressed me out enough to light one up. And my
> wife, a somewhat militant non-smoker, would always nag me which in a way
> reinforced my desire to smoke to retain my "identity". Somewhere along the
> way, the nagging got less and less, and she pretty much resigned herself to
> a lifetime of being married to a smoker.
>
> I mean, I would have quit but I just didnt really want to - I *liked* it.
>
> Then I heard the ad on the radio - come in, get a shot, and you will walk
> out a non-smoker. Holy cow! That sounded easy - they even guaranteed
> results. So I, halfheartedly wanting to quit but not wanting to work for
> it, signed up for the shot, went to the office, and got it.
>
> I know that the shot has worked for other people (and I am glad for them),
> but for me, I was not prepared to handle quit. After a few days, I was back
> to smoking. This, too, was something I was not prepared for - I felt like
> such a loser wasting all of that money on the shot, and really got down on
> myself. What kind of bozo can't even make it a week without smoking after
> getting the "miracle" treatment that is supposed to make all of the cravings
> go away. I got pretty angry with myself and vowed to come up with a plan,
> which I will share (and is really nothing new):
>
> 1) I made a list of reasons why I should quit smoking. I found
> testimonials on the internet of people with COPD who have died, wishing they
> had not smoked. I gathered images of smoker lungs. I took a lot of tidbits
> from this forum. I made personal reasons - things like "I want to see my
> little girls graduate high school and college". I then put all of it into
> an 8-page (printed 2 double-sided pages so 4 pages would fit on one sheet of
> paper) document and carried it around with me. It was a "pack" of reasons
> not to smoke. I would love to share it with the group but it wouldnt make
> the transition from a word document to an internet post very cleanly.
>
> 2) Promise #1 : No matter what, I would not smoke. I could be depressed
> about that decision or be happy with it, but either way, I was not going to
> have another damned cigarrette.
>
> 3) Promise #2: If I began to think seriously about breaking promise #1,
> I would read read my list first [it took a while to read all 8 pages].
>
> 4) Promise #3: Chew the damn gum before lighting up a cigarrette.
>
> Really - I had the quit in me. I think that you *know* whether you have
> it or not pretty soon. I didn't have my first quit in me. On the 2cd,
> something pretty major would have had to happen for me to go back to
> smoking. I was pretty POd at myself for failing the first time. I took all
> of the feelings of failure, of being such a loser for not being able to do
> quit, and channeled them into anger at myself that fed and sustained my quit
> smoking drive. I must say that I was a top-of-the-line jerk and ass when I
> quit. I was not going to start back, but my poor wife had to put up with my
> terrible attitude - which bordered on violence. After about 2 (or was it
> 3?) weeks of going cold-turkey, she eventually got afraid of me and packed
> herself and the kids in the car and left. She told me that she could not
> take it anymore and for me to go back to smoking. I went out and got the
> 2mg nicotine gum, chewed 3 of em at once, and vowed to only chew it when
> things got too hard.
>
> 2 years later, I am chewing a whole bunch of 4mg pieces each day - I do
> not keep track of it (I am not ready to stop b/c I do not want to put my
> wife through the hell that a nicotine-free me would put her through). I
> always have a piece. So - I stopped smoking (DOF!) but I am still very much
> a nicotine addict. In many ways, I have the same attitude about the gum as
> I used to have about smoking - I just don't care to quit. I have read
> nothing that indicates that the gum is a health risk, so it is even harder
> to get motivated. Yes, the gum is expensive - I probably spend around
> $200-$250/month on gum and it is a little difficult for me to afford (my
> wife is a stay-at-home mom so we don't have much left over after expenses,
> etc). But - we make do and are both very happy. If/when I decide to do it,
> I expect quitting the gum to be as hard as or harder than quitting smoking
> was.
>
> So - is my quit a success? I believe so - I have not had a single puff
> from a cigarrette in over 2 years now, and rarely miss it. Notice that I
> said rarely - I do sometimes still have the cravings to smoke, sort of a
> nostalgia feeling that comes and goes. Or something will trigger "I used to
> smoke when I did this before, sure would be nice to have one now". But it's
> nothing like it was early on, and I still have my pack of reasons to remind
> me that the first puff is the easiest to resist.
>
> Good luck to all of the other quitters here
>
> There will undoubtedly be some who say that I have not earned my meter -
> and, indeed, I am not always sure about it either. But, here it is:
>
> Two years, four days, 12 hours, 28 minutes and 26 seconds. 22035 cigarettes
> craved but not smoked, saving $2,974.80. Life saved: 10 weeks, 6 days, 12
> hours, 15 minutes. I have already smoked around 138,700 cigarettes in my
> life, spent nearly a million minutes doing it, and have lost nearly another
> million from the end. Enough is enough.
>
> Thanks!
>
> -JJR

Nice one JJR Well done !! DOF suits you
Chris

Great post JJR,

Congrats on your well earned DOF.

Yep, that 1st puff IS the easiest to resist!

jacks, VOF
Let the healing continue.

You've earned your meter JJR.
I think you can quit the gum much easier than you know, but the cigarettes
were your real enemy. Congratulations on DOF!!!

:-p~~~~~~~ Keven OOF
Don't ever forget why you quit.

"JJR" <jjreynol_NOSPAM@comcast.net> wrote in message
news:h7ydnb86IuvV4ODbnZ2dnUVZ_jOdnZ2d@comcast.com. ..
> Greetings, and a ***huge*** thank you to this group. While my quit isn't
> quite as successful as I tend to trump (read below), and although I rarely
> visit here now, I give half of my quit's credit to this group - without
> the advice and support of the people here, I would definately not have
> made my quit last as long as it has. I was looking at the quitters list
> and, when I saw my name at the top of the DOF entries (JJR), I was
> surprised at the sense of pride and accomplishment I felt. It's a little
> overwhelming to be where I am right now and realize that it has been TWO
> YEARS since I had a puff. It really is something, and I am still amazed
> that I was able to do it.
>
> I loved smoking more than anyone I have known, and did it for around 19
> years. It made me happy when I was sad, and made me happier when I was
> happy. It was part of my identity. It was a break away from the world
> whenever I wanted. I liked the taste, the feel of the smoke as it entered
> my lungs, the smell - everything. Two years after, I can still recognize
> the smell of Marlboro lights on other smokers.
>
> I knew that my love of smoking would catch up with me one day and probably
> kill me, but did not care enough to quit. I got married, and had three
> children - and still I didn't care enough to even give quitting it a try.
> Just thinking about quitting stressed me out enough to light one up. And
> my wife, a somewhat militant non-smoker, would always nag me which in a
> way reinforced my desire to smoke to retain my "identity". Somewhere
> along the way, the nagging got less and less, and she pretty much resigned
> herself to a lifetime of being married to a smoker.
>
> I mean, I would have quit but I just didnt really want to - I *liked* it.
>
> Then I heard the ad on the radio - come in, get a shot, and you will walk
> out a non-smoker. Holy cow! That sounded easy - they even guaranteed
> results. So I, halfheartedly wanting to quit but not wanting to work for
> it, signed up for the shot, went to the office, and got it.
>
> I know that the shot has worked for other people (and I am glad for them),
> but for me, I was not prepared to handle quit. After a few days, I was
> back to smoking. This, too, was something I was not prepared for - I
> felt like such a loser wasting all of that money on the shot, and really
> got down on myself. What kind of bozo can't even make it a week without
> smoking after getting the "miracle" treatment that is supposed to make all
> of the cravings go away. I got pretty angry with myself and vowed to come
> up with a plan, which I will share (and is really nothing new):
>
> 1) I made a list of reasons why I should quit smoking. I found
> testimonials on the internet of people with COPD who have died, wishing
> they had not smoked. I gathered images of smoker lungs. I took a lot of
> tidbits from this forum. I made personal reasons - things like "I want to
> see my little girls graduate high school and college". I then put all of
> it into an 8-page (printed 2 double-sided pages so 4 pages would fit on
> one sheet of paper) document and carried it around with me. It was a
> "pack" of reasons not to smoke. I would love to share it with the group
> but it wouldnt make the transition from a word document to an internet
> post very cleanly.
>
> 2) Promise #1 : No matter what, I would not smoke. I could be
> depressed about that decision or be happy with it, but either way, I was
> not going to have another damned cigarrette.
>
> 3) Promise #2: If I began to think seriously about breaking promise
> #1, I would read read my list first [it took a while to read all 8 pages].
>
> 4) Promise #3: Chew the damn gum before lighting up a cigarrette.
>
> Really - I had the quit in me. I think that you *know* whether you
> have it or not pretty soon. I didn't have my first quit in me. On the
> 2cd, something pretty major would have had to happen for me to go back to
> smoking. I was pretty POd at myself for failing the first time. I took
> all of the feelings of failure, of being such a loser for not being able
> to do quit, and channeled them into anger at myself that fed and sustained
> my quit smoking drive. I must say that I was a top-of-the-line jerk and
> ass when I quit. I was not going to start back, but my poor wife had to
> put up with my terrible attitude - which bordered on violence. After
> about 2 (or was it 3?) weeks of going cold-turkey, she eventually got
> afraid of me and packed herself and the kids in the car and left. She
> told me that she could not take it anymore and for me to go back to
> smoking. I went out and got the 2mg nicotine gum, chewed 3 of em at once,
> and vowed to only chew it when things got too hard.
>
> 2 years later, I am chewing a whole bunch of 4mg pieces each day - I do
> not keep track of it (I am not ready to stop b/c I do not want to put my
> wife through the hell that a nicotine-free me would put her through). I
> always have a piece. So - I stopped smoking (DOF!) but I am still very
> much a nicotine addict. In many ways, I have the same attitude about the
> gum as I used to have about smoking - I just don't care to quit. I have
> read nothing that indicates that the gum is a health risk, so it is even
> harder to get motivated. Yes, the gum is expensive - I probably spend
> around $200-$250/month on gum and it is a little difficult for me to
> afford (my wife is a stay-at-home mom so we don't have much left over
> after expenses, etc). But - we make do and are both very happy. If/when
> I decide to do it, I expect quitting the gum to be as hard as or harder
> than quitting smoking was.
>
> So - is my quit a success? I believe so - I have not had a single puff
> from a cigarrette in over 2 years now, and rarely miss it. Notice that I
> said rarely - I do sometimes still have the cravings to smoke, sort of a
> nostalgia feeling that comes and goes. Or something will trigger "I used
> to smoke when I did this before, sure would be nice to have one now". But
> it's nothing like it was early on, and I still have my pack of reasons to
> remind me that the first puff is the easiest to resist.
>
> Good luck to all of the other quitters here
>
> There will undoubtedly be some who say that I have not earned my
> meter - and, indeed, I am not always sure about it either. But, here it
> is:
>
> Two years, four days, 12 hours, 28 minutes and 26 seconds. 22035
> cigarettes craved but not smoked, saving $2,974.80. Life saved: 10 weeks,
> 6 days, 12 hours, 15 minutes. I have already smoked around 138,700
> cigarettes in my life, spent nearly a million minutes doing it, and have
> lost nearly another million from the end. Enough is enough.
>
>
> Thanks!
>
> -JJR
>
>
>

You absolutely earned DOF after your name. This group is
alt.support.stop-smoking, not alt.support.stop-nicotine. I say
congrats to you and fuck anyone who tries to take your amazing
accomplishment away from you!!

HUGE congrats!! You earned it!

/me strips off and does the dance of the wild fairies


{\ /} {\ /} {\ /} {\ /}
>`.()'< >`.()'< >`.()'< >`.()'<
{@ /|\/@} {@ /|\/@} {@ /|\/@} {@ /|\/@}
`/'|`~' `/'|`~' `/'|`~' `/'|
`~'
\\ // \\ //
// \\ // \\
'' '' ''
''




Lots of love
Summer 5M+
xXx
No meter cause I'm posting via google.

On 23 Jun, 21:00, "JJR" <jjreynol_NOS...@comcast.net> wrote:
> Greetings, and a ***huge*** thank you to this group. While my quit isn't
> quite as successful as I tend to trump (read below), and although I rarely
> visit here now, I give half of my quit's credit to this group - without the
> advice and support of the people here, I would definately not have made my
> quit last as long as it has. I was looking at the quitters list and, when I
> saw my name at the top of the DOF entries (JJR), I was surprised at the
> sense of pride and accomplishment I felt. It's a little overwhelming to be
> where I am right now and realize that it has been TWO YEARS since I had a
> puff. It really is something, and I am still amazed that I was able to do
> it.
>
> I loved smoking more than anyone I have known, and did it for around 19
> years. It made me happy when I was sad, and made me happier when I was
> happy. It was part of my identity. It was a break away from the world
> whenever I wanted. I liked the taste, the feel of the smoke as it entered
> my lungs, the smell - everything. Two years after, I can still recognize
> the smell of Marlboro lights on other smokers.
>
> I knew that my love of smoking would catch up with me one day and probably
> kill me, but did not care enough to quit. I got married, and had three
> children - and still I didn't care enough to even give quitting it a try.
> Just thinking about quitting stressed me out enough to light one up. And my
> wife, a somewhat militant non-smoker, would always nag me which in a way
> reinforced my desire to smoke to retain my "identity". Somewhere along the
> way, the nagging got less and less, and she pretty much resigned herself to
> a lifetime of being married to a smoker.
>
> I mean, I would have quit but I just didnt really want to - I *liked* it.
>
> Then I heard the ad on the radio - come in, get a shot, and you will walk
> out a non-smoker. Holy cow! That sounded easy - they even guaranteed
> results. So I, halfheartedly wanting to quit but not wanting to work for
> it, signed up for the shot, went to the office, and got it.
>
> I know that the shot has worked for other people (and I am glad for them),
> but for me, I was not prepared to handle quit. After a few days, I was back
> to smoking. This, too, was something I was not prepared for - I felt like
> such a loser wasting all of that money on the shot, and really got down on
> myself. What kind of bozo can't even make it a week without smoking after
> getting the "miracle" treatment that is supposed to make all of the cravings
> go away. I got pretty angry with myself and vowed to come up with a plan,
> which I will share (and is really nothing new):
>
> 1) I made a list of reasons why I should quit smoking. I found
> testimonials on the internet of people with COPD who have died, wishing they
> had not smoked. I gathered images of smoker lungs. I took a lot of tidbits
> from this forum. I made personal reasons - things like "I want to see my
> little girls graduate high school and college". I then put all of it into
> an 8-page (printed 2 double-sided pages so 4 pages would fit on one sheet of
> paper) document and carried it around with me. It was a "pack" of reasons
> not to smoke. I would love to share it with the group but it wouldnt make
> the transition from a word document to an internet post very cleanly.
>
> 2) Promise #1 : No matter what, I would not smoke. I could be depressed
> about that decision or be happy with it, but either way, I was not going to
> have another damned cigarrette.
>
> 3) Promise #2: If I began to think seriously about breaking promise #1,
> I would read read my list first [it took a while to read all 8 pages].
>
> 4) Promise #3: Chew the damn gum before lighting up a cigarrette.
>
> Really - I had the quit in me. I think that you *know* whether you have
> it or not pretty soon. I didn't have my first quit in me. On the 2cd,
> something pretty major would have had to happen for me to go back to
> smoking. I was pretty POd at myself for failing the first time. I took all
> of the feelings of failure, of being such a loser for not being able to do
> quit, and channeled them into anger at myself that fed and sustained my quit
> smoking drive. I must say that I was a top-of-the-line jerk and ass when I
> quit. I was not going to start back, but my poor wife had to put up with my
> terrible attitude - which bordered on violence. After about 2 (or was it
> 3?) weeks of going cold-turkey, she eventually got afraid of me and packed
> herself and the kids in the car and left. She told me that she could not
> take it anymore and for me to go back to smoking. I went out and got the
> 2mg nicotine gum, chewed 3 of em at once, and vowed to only chew it when
> things got too hard.
>
> 2 years later, I am chewing a whole bunch of 4mg pieces each day - I do
> not keep track of it (I am not ready to stop b/c I do not want to put my
> wife through the hell that a nicotine-free me would put her through). I
> always have a piece. So - I stopped smoking (DOF!) but I am still very much
> a nicotine addict. In many ways, I have the same attitude about the gum as
> I used to have about smoking - I just don't care to quit. I have read
> nothing that indicates that the gum is a health risk, so it is even harder
> to get motivated. Yes, the gum is expensive - I probably spend around
> $200-$250/month on gum and it is a little difficult for me to afford (my
> wife is a stay-at-home mom so we don't have much left over after expenses,
> etc). But - we make do and are both very happy. If/when I decide to do it,
> I expect quitting the gum to be as hard as or harder than quitting smoking
> was.
>
> So - is my quit a success? I believe so - I have not had a single puff
> from a cigarrette in over 2 years now, and rarely miss it. Notice that I
> said rarely - I do sometimes still have the cravings to smoke, sort of a
> nostalgia feeling that comes and goes. Or something will trigger "I used to
> smoke when I did this before, sure would be nice to have one now". But it's
> nothing like it was early on, and I still have my pack of reasons to remind
> me that the first puff is the easiest to resist.
>
> Good luck to all of the other quitters here
>
> There will undoubtedly be some who say that I have not earned my meter -
> and, indeed, I am not always sure about it either. But, here it is:
>
> Two years, four days, 12 hours, 28 minutes and 26 seconds. 22035 cigarettes
> craved but not smoked, saving $2,974.80. Life saved: 10 weeks, 6 days, 12
> hours, 15 minutes. I have already smoked around 138,700 cigarettes in my
> life, spent nearly a million minutes doing it, and have lost nearly another
> million from the end. Enough is enough.
>
> Thanks!
>
> -JJR

Congrats on reaching DOF JJR and thanks for writing this long DOF
post. Don't think the gum changes the beauty of your DOF. Be proud!
Weaning off from gum will be way easier than quitting smoking, I've
seen that from up close. Congrats again,
Robin.
--
Batman: "You're far from mod, Robin. And many hippies are older than you
are."
-
"JJR" <> schreef in bericht ...
> Greetings, and a ***huge*** thank you to this group. While my quit isn't
> quite as successful as I tend to trump (read below), and although I rarely
> visit here now, I give half of my quit's credit to this group - without
> the advice and support of the people here, I would definately not have
> made my quit last as long as it has. I was looking at the quitters list
> and, when I saw my name at the top of the DOF entries (JJR), I was
> surprised at the sense of pride and accomplishment I felt. It's a little
> overwhelming to be where I am right now and realize that it has been TWO
> YEARS since I had a puff. It really is something, and I am still amazed
> that I was able to do it.
>
> I loved smoking more than anyone I have known, and did it for around 19
> years. It made me happy when I was sad, and made me happier when I was
> happy. It was part of my identity. It was a break away from the world
> whenever I wanted. I liked the taste, the feel of the smoke as it entered
> my lungs, the smell - everything. Two years after, I can still recognize
> the smell of Marlboro lights on other smokers.
>
> I knew that my love of smoking would catch up with me one day and probably
> kill me, but did not care enough to quit. I got married, and had three
> children - and still I didn't care enough to even give quitting it a try.
> Just thinking about quitting stressed me out enough to light one up. And
> my wife, a somewhat militant non-smoker, would always nag me which in a
> way reinforced my desire to smoke to retain my "identity". Somewhere
> along the way, the nagging got less and less, and she pretty much resigned
> herself to a lifetime of being married to a smoker.
>
> I mean, I would have quit but I just didnt really want to - I *liked* it.
>
> Then I heard the ad on the radio - come in, get a shot, and you will walk
> out a non-smoker. Holy cow! That sounded easy - they even guaranteed
> results. So I, halfheartedly wanting to quit but not wanting to work for
> it, signed up for the shot, went to the office, and got it.
>
> I know that the shot has worked for other people (and I am glad for them),
> but for me, I was not prepared to handle quit. After a few days, I was
> back to smoking. This, too, was something I was not prepared for - I
> felt like such a loser wasting all of that money on the shot, and really
> got down on myself. What kind of bozo can't even make it a week without
> smoking after getting the "miracle" treatment that is supposed to make all
> of the cravings go away. I got pretty angry with myself and vowed to come
> up with a plan, which I will share (and is really nothing new):
>
> 1) I made a list of reasons why I should quit smoking. I found
> testimonials on the internet of people with COPD who have died, wishing
> they had not smoked. I gathered images of smoker lungs. I took a lot of
> tidbits from this forum. I made personal reasons - things like "I want to
> see my little girls graduate high school and college". I then put all of
> it into an 8-page (printed 2 double-sided pages so 4 pages would fit on
> one sheet of paper) document and carried it around with me. It was a
> "pack" of reasons not to smoke. I would love to share it with the group
> but it wouldnt make the transition from a word document to an internet
> post very cleanly.
>
> 2) Promise #1 : No matter what, I would not smoke. I could be
> depressed about that decision or be happy with it, but either way, I was
> not going to have another damned cigarrette.
>
> 3) Promise #2: If I began to think seriously about breaking promise
> #1, I would read read my list first [it took a while to read all 8 pages].
>
> 4) Promise #3: Chew the damn gum before lighting up a cigarrette.
>
> Really - I had the quit in me. I think that you *know* whether you
> have it or not pretty soon. I didn't have my first quit in me. On the
> 2cd, something pretty major would have had to happen for me to go back to
> smoking. I was pretty POd at myself for failing the first time. I took
> all of the feelings of failure, of being such a loser for not being able
> to do quit, and channeled them into anger at myself that fed and sustained
> my quit smoking drive. I must say that I was a top-of-the-line jerk and
> ass when I quit. I was not going to start back, but my poor wife had to
> put up with my terrible attitude - which bordered on violence. After
> about 2 (or was it 3?) weeks of going cold-turkey, she eventually got
> afraid of me and packed herself and the kids in the car and left. She
> told me that she could not take it anymore and for me to go back to
> smoking. I went out and got the 2mg nicotine gum, chewed 3 of em at once,
> and vowed to only chew it when things got too hard.
>
> 2 years later, I am chewing a whole bunch of 4mg pieces each day - I do
> not keep track of it (I am not ready to stop b/c I do not want to put my
> wife through the hell that a nicotine-free me would put her through). I
> always have a piece. So - I stopped smoking (DOF!) but I am still very
> much a nicotine addict. In many ways, I have the same attitude about the
> gum as I used to have about smoking - I just don't care to quit. I have
> read nothing that indicates that the gum is a health risk, so it is even
> harder to get motivated. Yes, the gum is expensive - I probably spend
> around $200-$250/month on gum and it is a little difficult for me to
> afford (my wife is a stay-at-home mom so we don't have much left over
> after expenses, etc). But - we make do and are both very happy. If/when
> I decide to do it, I expect quitting the gum to be as hard as or harder
> than quitting smoking was.
>
> So - is my quit a success? I believe so - I have not had a single puff
> from a cigarrette in over 2 years now, and rarely miss it. Notice that I
> said rarely - I do sometimes still have the cravings to smoke, sort of a
> nostalgia feeling that comes and goes. Or something will trigger "I used
> to smoke when I did this before, sure would be nice to have one now". But
> it's nothing like it was early on, and I still have my pack of reasons to
> remind me that the first puff is the easiest to resist.
>
> Good luck to all of the other quitters here
>
> There will undoubtedly be some who say that I have not earned my
> meter - and, indeed, I am not always sure about it either. But, here it
> is:
>
> Two years, four days, 12 hours, 28 minutes and 26 seconds. 22035
> cigarettes craved but not smoked, saving $2,974.80. Life saved: 10 weeks,
> 6 days, 12 hours, 15 minutes. I have already smoked around 138,700
> cigarettes in my life, spent nearly a million minutes doing it, and have
> lost nearly another million from the end. Enough is enough.
>
>
> Thanks!
>
> -JJR
>
>
>

Congratulations on your DOF. For what it is worth, I found quitting the
nic gum FAR easier than quitting the smokes.
Debbie VOF


JJR wrote:
> Greetings, and a ***huge*** thank you to this group. While my quit isn't
> quite as successful as I tend to trump (read below), and although I rarely
> visit here now, I give half of my quit's credit to this group - without the
> advice and support of the people here, I would definately not have made my
> quit last as long as it has. I was looking at the quitters list and, when I
> saw my name at the top of the DOF entries (JJR), I was surprised at the
> sense of pride and accomplishment I felt. It's a little overwhelming to be
> where I am right now and realize that it has been TWO YEARS since I had a
> puff. It really is something, and I am still amazed that I was able to do
> it.
>
> I loved smoking more than anyone I have known, and did it for around 19
> years. It made me happy when I was sad, and made me happier when I was
> happy. It was part of my identity. It was a break away from the world
> whenever I wanted. I liked the taste, the feel of the smoke as it entered
> my lungs, the smell - everything. Two years after, I can still recognize
> the smell of Marlboro lights on other smokers.
>
> I knew that my love of smoking would catch up with me one day and probably
> kill me, but did not care enough to quit. I got married, and had three
> children - and still I didn't care enough to even give quitting it a try.
> Just thinking about quitting stressed me out enough to light one up. And my
> wife, a somewhat militant non-smoker, would always nag me which in a way
> reinforced my desire to smoke to retain my "identity". Somewhere along the
> way, the nagging got less and less, and she pretty much resigned herself to
> a lifetime of being married to a smoker.
>
> I mean, I would have quit but I just didnt really want to - I *liked* it.
>
> Then I heard the ad on the radio - come in, get a shot, and you will walk
> out a non-smoker. Holy cow! That sounded easy - they even guaranteed
> results. So I, halfheartedly wanting to quit but not wanting to work for
> it, signed up for the shot, went to the office, and got it.
>
> I know that the shot has worked for other people (and I am glad for them),
> but for me, I was not prepared to handle quit. After a few days, I was back
> to smoking. This, too, was something I was not prepared for - I felt like
> such a loser wasting all of that money on the shot, and really got down on
> myself. What kind of bozo can't even make it a week without smoking after
> getting the "miracle" treatment that is supposed to make all of the cravings
> go away. I got pretty angry with myself and vowed to come up with a plan,
> which I will share (and is really nothing new):
>
> 1) I made a list of reasons why I should quit smoking. I found
> testimonials on the internet of people with COPD who have died, wishing they
> had not smoked. I gathered images of smoker lungs. I took a lot of tidbits
> from this forum. I made personal reasons - things like "I want to see my
> little girls graduate high school and college". I then put all of it into
> an 8-page (printed 2 double-sided pages so 4 pages would fit on one sheet of
> paper) document and carried it around with me. It was a "pack" of reasons
> not to smoke. I would love to share it with the group but it wouldnt make
> the transition from a word document to an internet post very cleanly.
>
> 2) Promise #1 : No matter what, I would not smoke. I could be depressed
> about that decision or be happy with it, but either way, I was not going to
> have another damned cigarrette.
>
> 3) Promise #2: If I began to think seriously about breaking promise #1,
> I would read read my list first [it took a while to read all 8 pages].
>
> 4) Promise #3: Chew the damn gum before lighting up a cigarrette.
>
> Really - I had the quit in me. I think that you *know* whether you have
> it or not pretty soon. I didn't have my first quit in me. On the 2cd,
> something pretty major would have had to happen for me to go back to
> smoking. I was pretty POd at myself for failing the first time. I took all
> of the feelings of failure, of being such a loser for not being able to do
> quit, and channeled them into anger at myself that fed and sustained my quit
> smoking drive. I must say that I was a top-of-the-line jerk and ass when I
> quit. I was not going to start back, but my poor wife had to put up with my
> terrible attitude - which bordered on violence. After about 2 (or was it
> 3?) weeks of going cold-turkey, she eventually got afraid of me and packed
> herself and the kids in the car and left. She told me that she could not
> take it anymore and for me to go back to smoking. I went out and got the
> 2mg nicotine gum, chewed 3 of em at once, and vowed to only chew it when
> things got too hard.
>
> 2 years later, I am chewing a whole bunch of 4mg pieces each day - I do
> not keep track of it (I am not ready to stop b/c I do not want to put my
> wife through the hell that a nicotine-free me would put her through). I
> always have a piece. So - I stopped smoking (DOF!) but I am still very much
> a nicotine addict. In many ways, I have the same attitude about the gum as
> I used to have about smoking - I just don't care to quit. I have read
> nothing that indicates that the gum is a health risk, so it is even harder
> to get motivated. Yes, the gum is expensive - I probably spend around
> $200-$250/month on gum and it is a little difficult for me to afford (my
> wife is a stay-at-home mom so we don't have much left over after expenses,
> etc). But - we make do and are both very happy. If/when I decide to do it,
> I expect quitting the gum to be as hard as or harder than quitting smoking
> was.
>
> So - is my quit a success? I believe so - I have not had a single puff
> from a cigarrette in over 2 years now, and rarely miss it. Notice that I
> said rarely - I do sometimes still have the cravings to smoke, sort of a
> nostalgia feeling that comes and goes. Or something will trigger "I used to
> smoke when I did this before, sure would be nice to have one now". But it's
> nothing like it was early on, and I still have my pack of reasons to remind
> me that the first puff is the easiest to resist.
>
> Good luck to all of the other quitters here
>
> There will undoubtedly be some who say that I have not earned my meter -
> and, indeed, I am not always sure about it either. But, here it is:
>
> Two years, four days, 12 hours, 28 minutes and 26 seconds. 22035 cigarettes
> craved but not smoked, saving $2,974.80. Life saved: 10 weeks, 6 days, 12
> hours, 15 minutes. I have already smoked around 138,700 cigarettes in my
> life, spent nearly a million minutes doing it, and have lost nearly another
> million from the end. Enough is enough.
>
>
> Thanks!
>
> -JJR
>
>
>