soul

e-v-o-l-v-e .....................................such a lovely journey Congrats!

Part of changing is not repeating our choices..........................

Good news from you Paula! Another type of Freedom in your life!!............................. Glad that you are now facing life with your kids and their love...................No need to tag along a person similar to Nico-Demon............. Funny the choices we can make in life.............right?...................You deserve better than what you have been choosing for yourself........... Change is an action and it sounds like you are willing and ready to change as you keep your quit!~

We are creatures of habit..................... Our reaction are the fruit of years of conditioning and it takes time to undo that conditioning.............just like with any "pavlovian dog" behavior we develop. Have a plan B for all events/situations that might be triggers and use the plan B........................... Create a time and place where you can talk about your stress and handle it physically in another way than self-poisoning................Many people feel they can release their anxiety anr/or anger from stress by running, by cleaning their kitchen, by screaming in a pillow, by calling a friend and talking, by taking a long shower, etc, etc, etc............................ Take that bull by the horns and show yourself that you are way strong than Nico-Demon..................... Never let a bully rule your life! Chin up and go for it!

I remember taking the crave by the horns.................i remember getting active in any way i could when i would feel the crave creep in............Distraction..................Jump into any activity, take a shower, go for a walk, vacuum your place, call a friend............etc, etc......the list is infinite.....the craves are not infinite................they will stop

Hell week will get you to Freedom................. Stick with it, no matter what! You deserve better than what Nico-Demon has planned for us all if we keep him active. Remember that eternal vigilance is part of staying quit...........................

Freedom is indeed priceless!~...............................................

Happy Mother's day to all moms indeed.............and to the guys as well, since most people have been called a "mother" at some point or another......... :lol:

almost done!

Keep us posted............................... Hang in there and more importantly, I am so glad that you are getting further tests...............!! You are in my thoughts.............

Colleen........you didn't take the "decadent" suggestion lightly eh? lol

I agree that some triggers are caused by our environment, routines, reactions to actions..................we are such good candidats to being a Pavlovian dog............ ............but there are plenty of other triggers caused by our emotions, by situations............by our state of being (Hungry, Angry, Lonely, Tired......)............. I wish that this addiction would be dependent only on habits and routines..............It is much more devious than that...........

I think that one of the components to that "fear" of never smoking again is related to the feeling of loss. Cigarettes in many ways were our companions, our friends, our escapes, our link to others, our door to conversations, etc............and one day we gather the courage to let go of that friend..........................which was simply a wolf disguised as a sheep............not a friend. We must learn to be our own companion, our own friend, escape within in order to feel free, open healthy doors to conversations with others................ Quitting is a journey indeed, a journey through Freedom and a journey of discoveries.

Sarah, remember that education on quitting and on the nature of the addiction to smoking/tobacco is one of the most important things in a successful quit. Create and use support...................this forum is available 24/7, just like cigarettes are......................chose the forum.........it leads to Freedom!! You can do this..............

There are no rules in this recipe thread.........healthy,...................vegan.............carnivore......................gluten free.......................decadent.............................. go for it!