Does anyone have chest pains?

Did you know that cigarettes contain chemicals that act as brocholdilators which open up air passages, like asthma meds for example? I agree that chest tightness shouldn't be ignored, but I have seen this complaint a couple of times on this site as well as read about it. It's a diabolically ingenious additive for cigarettes to get the nicotine in quick, and I recall, as disgusting as it seems now, how I got that first good clearing cough in the morning following my first cigarette. Interesting. Anyway, the pressure you are experiencing could very well be this. But I'm glad you checked this out, just the same. Keep up the good work! [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 2/18/2006 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 52 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 2,118 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $468 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 8 [B]Hrs:[/B] 16 [B]Mins:[/B] 49 [B]Seconds:[/B] 57

Junkie Thinking

Phillip- Glad you liked it. I tried it a couple of times today and it is very hard to do, (I think) and taxing. I just let myself sink into the crave and let it wash over me and through me, feeling every little pang of desire and longing..not dissimilar to the loss of a loved one. Certainly not something I would try while driving or in someone's company!! The benefit of embracing the ENTIRE process versus trying to seperate and bury the crave part is quite a concept and I can see the psychology behind it. It takes a lot of energy to do either (bury or embrace). Maybe it takes practice. [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 2/18/2006 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 52 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 2,118 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $468 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 8 [B]Hrs:[/B] 16 [B]Mins:[/B] 52 [B]Seconds:[/B] 19

The Junkie Within

You are a winner, lady!

Junkie Thinking

Here's another interesting post I found. Talk about facing your fear: All my life I was conditioned to either stand and fight or turn and run when faced with challenge. If you�re a newbie, then chances are there is another habit trigger waiting around the corner that will soon generate a short yet powerful anxiety attack that we call a crave. The habit trigger could be an emotion, time, event or place where, or during which, you used to suck warm nicotine laden air into crying lungs in order to replenish your blood�s rapidly falling nicotine level. The good news is that most habit triggers are reconditioned and discarded by our subconscious mind with just a single encounter. The good news is that the triggered crave will only last a few minutes. The good news is that the anxiety power of our crave generator is fizzling fast, and with each encountered crave there is one less trigger to recondition. The good news is that the reward of total and complete comfort is just down the road. The bad news is that if you�re a newbie then there is probably another crave just around the corner. But is it bad? So what approach do you use? Do you duck or run when you sense one coming or do you turn and fight? Is your game plan working to your satisfaction? Our objective here is simple - NEVER TAKE ANOTHER PUFF, but our natural instincts on how best to achieve our objective may not be the easiest path to travel. Can we hide from our craves or will they find us anyway? Can we runaway from them or will they catch us? It�s the same with going toe to toe in battle, isn�t it? Can we beat-up our craves and make them surrender or cry "uncle"? Can we scare them away? I think not. Encountering all of our triggers and craves is a very necessary part of recovering and normalizing every aspect of our daily lives. It�s true healing! Tobacco�s deadly cargo is clearly a killer but what about our craves? Can a crave that lasts a couple of minutes kill you? Will it cut you, make you bleed, or send you to the emergency room? Can it physically harm you? If not, then why do you fear it so? How much of the anxiety associated with your quit is self induced? Why are you agonizing over the anticipated arrival of your next crave? When it finally arrives will you immediately begin feeding your mind additional anxieties that only fuel the fire? The anxiety of a crave for nicotine is very real and it�s ok to reach out and feel it but most of you have never done so. Not once! Instead, what you feel is a tremendously inflated experience driven by fear, fueled by anticipation, and tense due to a history of prior relapse. Just once, stop running, drop your guard, take slow deep deliberate breaths and then reach out to TOUCH your crave. It won�t injure you! It�s ok to be afraid but be brave for just one moment! Wrap your arms around your crave. Clear your mind for just one moment so that you can feel the true anxiety of your healing. Make sure that you feel your tummy rising as you take slow deep deliberate breaths into the bottom of both lungs. Clear your mind of all chatter, worries, fears and thoughts so that you can sense and appreciate exactly what this crave is like. Touch it, hug it, feel it, sense it! You won�t make the anxiety one bit more intense than it otherwise would have been. You�re witnessing part of the most beautiful healing that your body and life may ever experience. Yes, there is anxiety there but for the very first time it�s not being fed and fueled by you. Feel it�s strength slowing begin decaying. Take pride in your healing. It can�t hurt you, only you can do that! Enjoy your recovery don�t fear it! Embrace your craves! Enjoy your journey home! There is a very special person waiting at the other end! Phew- very tough to do, but I can see the benefit of doing so. Anyway- not for everyone. [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 2/18/2006 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 52 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 2,098 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $468 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 8 [B]Hrs:[/B] 14 [B]Mins:[/B] 53 [B]Seconds:[/B] 18

If You Are Proud - Post your Stats!

It's torture, but still hangin in there! [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 2/18/2006 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 52 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 2,107 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $468 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 8 [B]Hrs:[/B] 15 [B]Mins:[/B] 45 [B]Seconds:[/B] 44

Rd Man The Quit and all the Stories

Nice to be 50 , huh?! Good job, Phillip. I'm checking in once in a while and reading your "book", so watch it! Sometimes this place in and of itself has too many triggers so I am avoiding it a bit, but don't think you're getting away with anything! Bob [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 2/18/2006 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 49 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 1,977 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $441 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 8 [B]Hrs:[/B] 3 [B]Mins:[/B] 0 [B]Seconds:[/B] 8

The Smokin Dream!! Seemed so Real!!

Charlie- I frequently have the "smoking dream". I probably always have, but never thought of it as abnormal before now, so now I am quite aware of smoking in my dreams. Sadly, since smoking has its tedrils wrapped around my entire adult life, I don't see that changing any time soon. It may have been a post of mine you read about someone offering me a cigarette in a dream and it may as well have been a rattlesnake for how I reacted. It does horrify me to think one puff could make me a 2ppd smoker and toss away a 40 day quit. Worst of all, I might just never quit again. Anyway, when I dream about it now, I just sort of shake my head in the morning, take a deep breath and know it was a dream. It is another obstacle to deal with first thing....what a p.i.t.a. [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 2/18/2006 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 40 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 1,633 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $360 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 6 [B]Hrs:[/B] 17 [B]Mins:[/B] 6 [B]Seconds:[/B] 45

Don't believe everything you think...

As a 2ppd smoker, I can relate! And it sounds like you've got a solid plan and a doctor who knows that this addiction is a tough one to break, and is giving you the necessary assistance to do it. I can also relate to how you have divided this period up. I am in recovery, but 1 puff and it's over for me. I think after a year, I might feel the solid, ex-smoker feeling, but now....it's tough, isn't it! Anyway, be proud and don't give in to the junkie bs! Bob [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 2/18/2006 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 41 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 1,658 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $369 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 6 [B]Hrs:[/B] 19 [B]Mins:[/B] 35 [B]Seconds:[/B] 10

One man's opinion on "the quit meter"

Well let's see, I started off and on attempts at quitting around 2 years ago (actually since I was about 25). So maybe I should be a double golden anniversary quitter right now according to this logic. It's so crazy, I don't understand the wishy washy approach to this at all or the lack of owning up to one's quit, but no one is forcing anyone to display their meter; maybe the best thing for the SCC to do is to remove the ability to display it and then there would be no conflict at all. Or display it as "days attempting to quit". Are you smoking or not is no different from are you quit or not in my mind. Here, I won't even display my trinket this time.

Rd Man The Quit and all the Stories

Phillip- very interesting indeed. Now, I will admit I'm more of a glass half empty person than the half-full type, so please understand I'm aware of my attitude. I'm sure this is a real surprize to anyone who has read my posts since I'm always so optimistic and flowery!!! The 12-step thing is interesting, and while I am a Christian, I don't really think God is going to make it all better. I bought into smoking and now I must own up to MY REPEATED DECISION to smoke. The devil didn't make me do it; even Phillip-Morris didn't. I did it. And now, what....God is going to make me wake up a born-again non-smoker? However, if faith in one's self is not enough and faith in a higher power somehow convinces the brain of an individual that A higher power makes up for it, then great. Some people believe in and swear by acupuncture and hypnosis, both of which were utter failures for me. From my half empty bad attitude position, and in light of all the crap going on in this world with no apparent divine intervention, I feel that helping me with smoking is hardly number one on the creator's mind. It's up to me, me alone. I will, however, thank God when this is at a point where I can say I have no more cravings. I am really proud of you, myself, and everyone on this site and whether you relate it to faith in any of the above, or something else, the bottom line is we're doing it. And if you have a bad day and act less than you normally would, so be it. This sucks and we're only human. N.O.P.E. Bob [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 2/18/2006 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 40 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 1,638 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $360 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 6 [B]Hrs:[/B] 17 [B]Mins:[/B] 32 [B]Seconds:[/B] 21