Reciprocity

Many, many people aren't successful on their first try or even more tries. There's no shame in trying and falling back unless you just stay there and you don't make a new commitment to quit once you've gathered yourself together again. The key is NOT to give up trying and you must learn from your mistakes and think about how you will make better decisions next time you find yourself in a simlar situation. When you're a smoker you're addicted to nicotine so yes ... throw away all smoking material so they're not within easy reach. Understand that what quitting smoking actually involves is breaking that link in your mind between smoking & all you're daily situations. That takes quite awhile and a lot of repetition before you are mentally over relying on smokes time and time again each & every day. Firstly you need to make that unbreakable commitment to yourself to quit. Then take things just one day at a time as you fight those cravings to smoke. Trust me, that intense craving for a smoke lessens over time. Staying smoke free each & every day MUST be absolute top of mind in order not to cave in to the cravings. Quitting is a marathon, not a sprint. Treat it that way and be patient, one day at a time!

In honor of "the ides of March" I say ... Nope!

16

16

15

Nope!

I don't know what a pack of smokes goes for around here now but it was $12.50 when I quit 7 years ago so I imagine the cost is a lot higher now for sure! Yet one of many benefits to quitting Doreen, the seas were very calm for most of our recent trip. You would have been fine I think. No motion at all could be felt. But yes, I can understand your concern. Nothing worse than bein sea sick!

13

14

Cheapest smokes I ever saw while on vacation was in St. Martin. $19.00/carton for U.S. cigs. I remember thinking; Wow! If I was still smoking, I'd be all over that! Absolutely true!

Yes. 9 days then 12 days for a total of 21 days plus we spent a couple of days in Lauderdale before the cruise as the flights were cheaper that way. We can't do 7 day cruises any more. Too much hassle getting there and back for such a short time plus, longer duration cruises tends to attrcat a more "mature" crowd so fewer booze-cruisers and screaming kids We also avoid Christmas & March Break cruises like the plague (OMG!!!) Longest we've done was 37 days. Buenois Aries to Fort Lauderdale. East coast of Brazil, including Rio when Carnival was on. Then up the Amazon 900 miles to Manaus Brazil. Amazing cruise!! Best ever was a 10 day French Polyneia cruise on a small ship (Paul Gauguin) South Pacific is incredible

9

Nope!

I remember being hidden away in my house for the first 3 days of my quit just watching DVD's and mentally battling the constant cravings. The constant mental battles were exhausting so I also sletp a lot at odd times. Early days of quitting are quite the experience; not one I'd like to repeat. All you can do is take things one day at a time and roll with the punches ensuring your commitment to quit stays strong, despite the voice in your head screaming for a smoke. Keep it simple as well. There's only 1 rule ... don't smoke!

4

This cruise was actually two back-to-back cruises on the same ship; Holland America Rotterdam. It's a newish ship, about 4 years old. Very nice ship. Not one of those 6-8,000 people monsters so not overly crowded. We had a lot of sea days on this one which was fine with us. Relaxing by the pool while shaking off the winter cold We stopped in The Bahamas, Curacao, Aruba, Caragena Columbia then did a partial transit of the Panama Canal. Also stopped in Colon Panama then over to a stop in Costa Rica where we went for a tour to a beach community up the coast called Puerto Viejo de Talamanca, a heaven for back-packers and other "naturalists". Last stop was Grand Caymen before heading back to Fort Lauderdale. There was an interesting fruit/veggie market in Curacao. Venezulan men bring all sorts of fruit & veggies 37 miles across ocean waters in small boats to the Island of Curacao and set up a market to sell them. Bananas still on the banana plant tree limb.

Nice to be back but being away was pretty good too! Hald Moon Cay; Bahamas: Los Colorados Wildlife Sanctuary - in Cartagena Columbia; S.A. Old Town Cartagena; walled city; South America.

3

1

OO

Wow! 8 Years already. How that decision changed your life for the better! I still remember that winter day your car wouldn't start and I had to give you a ride home Hope you & the Fam are doin' great!!

That's right ^^! Post here as often as you can and bare your soul. Tell us how & what you're feeling. We've all been there and we've all experienced everything you'll go through. It really does help to know ... you're NOT alone! Distraction is key in the early days. Play the games here. Get to know others who'll you'll be able to relate to because we're all quitters. Quitting is a journey you need to take to learn how to live again without smokes. Be patient, stay committed! You need to ratchet up you're commitment to stay quit to stay ahead of your addiction's desire to smoke again. You can win if you stay the course!

-1

Polly want a cigarette? Nope! Polly wants corn on the cob!!

-5 (from Curaçao)