Check it out, Ash-Kickers: I've gained a week of life! And Jean is 8 weeks smoke free!!!!!! We're all doing so well!!! --Shakes [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B]4/5/2007 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 55 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 1,100 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $495.00 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 6 [B]Hrs:[/B] 22 [B]Mins:[/B] 34 [B]Seconds:[/B] 41

Sparky here and still smoke free :p Had a great week-end!! Keep the quit Sparky [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B]4/30/2007 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 29 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 290 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $87.00 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 3 [B]Hrs:[/B] 22 [B]Mins:[/B] 50 [B]Seconds:[/B] 11

[color=Purple]Oh Banana I am so pleased that your stepping down thus far is going so well for you :) Plus your stats are looking fabulous.. almost at the 2 month mark ! WOO HOO ! It's another beautiful day here in Toronto ! I had a great workout yesterday at the gym and I also got some very encouraging news about getting back into the work force :) I've been out for several years due to a disability .. and quick note.. During these years on disability has been the heaviest of my smoking days. The inability to do much of anything over a long long period of time leads a smoker to simply sit and smoke smoke smoke. Now so many things have turned around for me and I've been given the "go ahead" by my physicians to seek employment ! YEA ! :) I have to admit, I'm pretty scared but more excited about all of this and yes, it's a good stress and for about 30 seconds I felt like having a cigarette to 'celebrate'. Just something I would do in the PAST - weird how things from being a smoker triggers something you want to do and then you think --- NO ! I'm a NON SMOKER and I need to celebrate in another way ! So with all of my excitement, high anxieties etc. I went out for a 1/2 hour power walk and that worked out perfectly ! This is going to be a long process getting back into the workforce.. paper work, training etc etc etc... But I'm going to take it all one day at a time and be patient. I'm still reeling about this great news ! :) Heading out shortly .. have a busy day ahead and right now feeling the need for another very brisk walk ! Have a super non smoking Tuesday everyone :p Jean [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B]4/4/2007 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 55 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 1,375 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $563.75 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 6 [B]Hrs:[/B] 5 [B]Mins:[/B] 10 [B]Seconds:[/B] 47

Where is everyone? Still partying with the Mayflowers at the treehouse? We are on the second page :gasp: First day on the 7mg patch went really well. Honestly, I didn't even notice the difference. Hope everyone is doing well :) [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B]4/2/2007 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 57 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 1,425 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $468.54 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 6 [B]Hrs:[/B] 1 [B]Mins:[/B] 33 [B]Seconds:[/B] 44

Yeah! It's a new day! I hope everyone here in the USA has a great Memorial Day...and for those in the UK have a great Spring Bank Holiday! (((((deep breath))))) :p [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B]4/24/2007 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 34 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 680 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $153.00 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 2 [B]Hrs:[/B] 19 [B]Mins:[/B] 7 [B]Seconds:[/B] 55

[color=Purple]LOL Banana.. it's TRUE ! The 7 mg patch is the size of a postage stamp :p Congrats on your step down hon. Some people feel a zero difference but there are people who do feel more cravings etc., so just put your tools in place and keep your guard up. Wishing you all the best.. you're going to do great ! ! ! ! Jean [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B]4/4/2007 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 54 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 1,350 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $553.50 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 6 [B]Hrs:[/B] 2 [B]Mins:[/B] 33 [B]Seconds:[/B] 5

Good morning. The sun is shining & the sky is blue. I'm so happy that it's Monday :) I am stepping down to 7mg today. When I opened the package this morning, I almost laughed. The patch was the size of a postage stamp. Counting down....14 days until I am nicotine free. Grandma, CONGRATULATIONS to you! 50 days feels nice, doesn't it? Shakes, you have the right attitude for success. Jean is right, recognizing the triggers & having a plan in place. You are in control & you can take back that power at any time. Hello to all Ash Kickers :) [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B]4/2/2007 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 56 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 1,400 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $460.32 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 5 [B]Hrs:[/B] 23 [B]Mins:[/B] 6 [B]Seconds:[/B] 20

[color=Purple]Grandma ! Congrats on 50 days smoke free :) And by all accounts you had a rough day and you triumphed throught and came out a winner ! :) That's our Lolo.. you are a defiant little fighter ! How are you feeling today hon ? Better I hope. Fighting the bad days can be exhausting so be sure, when you have a moment, to rest up and be gentle on yourself, k ? :) Unhooked - your treehouse party is today ? We'll all try to be there ! WOOO HOOO ! Partay time ! :p Shakes we sure love you too ! People will doubt our resolve to be non smoker's especially if we've attempted and failed in the past. I think that's normal.. I've experienced the same thing and all we can do is stick to our committment to our quits and push pass the past. I was curious, when you go to see your parents, are you staying with them or are you staying a hotel ? And regardless of you staying with them or not do you have a plan/tools in place for when you are in their presence and they are smoking ? Perhaps figured out an easy escape route, take a drive in a car, go for a walk etc ? Planning these things in advance will surely get through the rough spots. There are so many things that we went through as smoker's which we never gave a second thought to.. But now, we are facing situations as non smoker's which are trigger's, can cause us to crave more etc.. If we know in advance we can wear our armour and be well prepared. :) Shakes, every ASHKICKER... Always come here, either to this thread or post your own thread elsewhere on the SSC site and express yourself, get it out, vent.. I've found for myself that just writing it out and receiving responses can often get us through it and in all likelihood give us a lot of good suggestions and support ! I'm leaving shortly to go to the gym. It's a beautiful day here in Toronto and I plan on having great workout to rid myself of a few little nagging anxieties :p Have a great Monday and more importantly a wonderful new week as a non smoker ! ! ! ! ! [b]ASHKICKER'S ROCK ![/b] Jean [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B]4/4/2007 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 54 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 1,350 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $553.50 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 6 [B]Hrs:[/B] 2 [B]Mins:[/B] 23 [B]Seconds:[/B] 29

Yeah, I WILL get through; thanks Unhooked. And thank you Jean for your undying support! I'm sure I will post more about it throughout the week. It's a big deal. I'm not gonna jeapardize my quit. It's just going to be hard. I'm still feeling that...that Anxiety thing right in the middle of my chest! It's weird: I've been around tons of smokers since I quit. I'm in the theatre for goodness sake! I do plays with casts of 90% smokers. We go to bars after shows. I just now got home from a bar. I've been fine. But for some reason the power that I tend to give to my mom is intense. I love her, y'all, and don't mean to make her into a monster. She is great. And she understands what I'm going through and is proud of me...sort of, I guess. I don't know if she really believes it, is the thing. Because she's tried to quit and failed a few times or something. But her desire to smoke has always been stronger than her desire to quit. And I don't think she believes it's possible. Not to mention the times I tried in the past and didn't get past a week or two. But this is my quit. Nothing is going to stop me. And maybe she'll see me next weekend and realize that it is possible with the right tools, and with support. I'd like to think that I might inspire her to try again to quit. She and her husband would benefit greatly from quitting. AS WOULD ANYBODY!!! Obviously. So...Okay, I needed to rant a little. It feels good to have you all out there. Thank you! Mitch, this is one of those examples of a less upbeat post. But it's still positive in spirit! I will get through this and I will be a non-smoker after next weekend! I just know that this is what we are here for. For each other. For support. And the last thing that any of us wants is for any of us to fail. I sure do love my fellow April Ash-Kickers!! --Shakes [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B]4/5/2007 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 53 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 1,060 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $477.00 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 6 [B]Hrs:[/B] 15 [B]Mins:[/B] 27 [B]Seconds:[/B] 39

Hi, Ashkickers! Hi, Lolo, haven't seen you around much, nice to see you. Shakes, my smoking family was always a trigger for me too & I blew more than one quit because of it. You sound so positve & well-prepared, I know you'll get through just fine & think how proud you'll be. AS BFS said to me, that's one more situation you will have handled & won't have to worry about in the future. Hope to see you all at the treehouse tomorrow for our party! [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B]5/13/2007 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 14 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 280 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $154.00 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 1 [B]Hrs:[/B] 11 [B]Mins:[/B] 47 [B]Seconds:[/B] 23