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I know where to take the battle to and it is empowering!

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I know where to take the battle to and it is empowering!

18 years ago 0 +0 / -0 8760

Lots of valid points brought up in this thread. Keep them coming! Danielle ________________________ The SSC Support Team

18 years ago 0 +0 / -0 154

Thank you Free I do agree we can retrain our thinking and it's helpful, the longer with out smoking the less difficult it seems, there are still some nasty moments but nothing as bad a being a smoker. thanks for the thread [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 10/5/2006 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 26 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 538 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $130 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 2 [B]Hrs:[/B] 13 [B]Mins:[/B] 19 [B]Seconds:[/B] 37

18 years ago 0 +0 / -0 2534

Once again Free, a most excellent post on the subject and this time you can see that there are very few dissenters which says a lot. I agree with you wholeheartedly, again! Thanks for posting it :) [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 5/18/2004 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 897 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 17,947 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] �4485 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 149 [B]Hrs:[/B] 14 [B]Mins:[/B] 25 [B]Seconds:[/B] 36

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18 years ago 0 +0 / -0 738

Well, most of the time when people say "it's all in your head" it's really an accusation that you are "making it up" or that you are somehow mentally incompetent, perhaps even crazy. And that can feel negative. Especially if we are feeling fragile. I agree that most of this quit for me is mental but if I think of it as [u]behavioral[/u]it has much less negative connotations all the way around. And really, that's what we are trying to change - our behavior, is it not? We must have some cognitive ability to change our behavior, and in that sense the battle is in the mind, but ultimately we are changing our outward actions or behaviors. And we can do that by repeating the wanted behavior and not the unwanted. Mind and body united. Gosh, I'm rambling, take what you like and discard the babble. [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 10/16/2006 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 12 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 365 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $90 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 1 [B]Hrs:[/B] 10 [B]Mins:[/B] 10 [B]Seconds:[/B] 40

18 years ago 0 +0 / -0 2631

Thanks for the post Free. I knew before I started that this quit was going to be all about battling the mental demons and not the physical ones. I think it is only negative when someone says it to us as a "put down". I know that I do not need a cigarette to enjoy playing cards....but right now, for whatever reason, playing cards is a big trigger so I don't do it very often. I also know that every day I am replacing those "smoking memories" with "non-smoking memories" and almost every day there is some kind of light-bulb moment. Today, I was stuck in line at the grocery store. Usually this makes me incredibly tense (because the physical cravings are setting in) Because I wasn't craving a smoke, I could enjoy browsing the magazines while I waited for my turn. Working very hard at changing my mind and changing my life every day. Windy [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 9/11/2006 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 46 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 935 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $230 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 4 [B]Hrs:[/B] 10 [B]Mins:[/B] 32 [B]Seconds:[/B] 32

18 years ago 0 +0 / -0 598

Very well said, Free! Thanks! :) Although I agree that most of the times, during my quit, it is "all in my head", but I also recognize that physical withdrawals do exist and sometimes could be very intense, very hard to cope. Thus, for some, like me, NRT could be effective to deal with those difficult moments, and in this case, I do not quite agree with what MC wrote ("Thus NRT, which I've always suspected somehow benefits Big Tobacco"). Cheers, nmc [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 8/25/2006 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 64 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 640 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $320 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 11 [B]Hrs:[/B] 21 [B]Mins:[/B] 31 [B]Seconds:[/B] 41

18 years ago 0 +0 / -0 583

Right on Free. This a good thing to relize. I knew it even before I quit. But still took a while to get my mind thinking the way I felt, or the way I wanted it too. Once I got it, I got it. And the battle to nico was on. Grace [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 8/8/2006 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 80 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 1,611 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $320 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 5 [B]Hrs:[/B] 17 [B]Mins:[/B] 38 [B]Seconds:[/B] 45

18 years ago 0 +0 / -0 3131

Free, it's true that people will say (it's all in your mind) in a negative way. It is all in our minds, otherwise we would stop smoking and never think about it again, that would be really easy. Mind over matter, be strong be quit. :)Marie [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 6/13/2006 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 136 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 2,048 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $544 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 18 [B]Hrs:[/B] 0 [B]Mins:[/B] 8 [B]Seconds:[/B] 34

18 years ago 0 +0 / -0 3368

Exactly Marie! I just don't see why people think it is negative. None of us are perfect, so realizing that 'quitting' lays in our mind for the most part should come as no surprise to any of us. I guarantee that it isn't the only problem that is in our heads ... LOL!!!!!! heh! ;p [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 5/12/2006 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 168 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 5,055 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $672 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 14 [B]Hrs:[/B] 4 [B]Mins:[/B] 15 [B]Seconds:[/B] 54

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$55,039.20

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Days: 6067 Hours: 22

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45866

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137,598

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18 years ago 0 +0 / -0 3368

[quote]Sounds strange but it's not easy to overcome our own minds.[/quote] The more we are determined and the more we practice changing our thoughts to benefit us instead of hinder us, the easier it gets. It is a lot easier to re-train my mind that it is to fight cravings constantly imo. And I believe the journey is a lot happier as well. [quote]Especially when we've got outside influences constantly reinforcing the misconception that forces beyond our control effect our feelings.[/quote] While I don't think we can control our subconscious, I do think that we can train ourselves to be more aware of it. And I also think that we can train ourselves to 'steer' our reactions to our subconscious in a more positive and beneficial direction. [quote]Thanks for this gentle reminder that much of what we complain about is truly "all in our heads". (Of course that doesn't make quitting any easier, we come-back kids know that!) mc[/quote] Knowing where to take the battle to made this journey a lot easier for me. I owe the happiness of my quit to it. Fondly, Free [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 5/12/2006 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 168 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 5,055 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $672 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 14 [B]Hrs:[/B] 4 [B]Mins:[/B] 15 [B]Seconds:[/B] 4

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$55,039.20

Amount Saved
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Days: 6067 Hours: 22

Minutes: 58 Seconds: 25

Life Gained
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45866

Smoke Free Days
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137,598

Cigarettes Not Smoked

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I know where to take the battle to and it is empowering!