Dag, I don't even smoke and I think I'm goign to get that book. Maybe it will help me with my sweet addiction. I rarely go a day without something sweet. I seem to be the only one in the BWS Diet who has this problem.

Go to Wal-Mart and buy some NIPs they come in Caramel and Coffee flavor. They are sugar and carb free and sooooo good. No shame eating these and they will curb you're sweet tooth....

chatty, we have a box in our cupboard. Thanks to you!

I guess they come in different verions. The Nips I buy list sugar as the first ingredient, corn syrup as #2.

I guess I am going to revive this subject because of the fact that I need to get cracking on this.

One of the other times in my life when I quit smoking, I kept in mind that when I was born, I wasn't born with a cigarette in my mouth. When I was a child, I didn't give cigarettes a second thought and I managed to be happy. I am going to try that focus again. The more I think about it, the more unnatural it is to smoke. Then it will turn into an unwanted object on my body. Does this make sense?

I will try to look closely at others while smoking and concentrate on how unnatural it really looks. I know this sound nutty, but it worked for me before.

It is not the quitting that I have difficulty with. It is the staying quit part that I have a hard time with. It can be 6 months down the road after I quit and something irritating would happen and it triggers a craving for me to smoke again. Then I go out and buy that pack of cigarette's and try to convince myself, just this one cigarette, that's all. Yeah right!

Alright, I am hoping to revive this subject and have other's join me.

Cheers,
Cathi

Cathi,
I have the same problem. I've quit so many times and can't seem to get past 6 months. What am I doing wrong? Well, okay, putting the cigarette in my mouth is what I'm doing wrong but why can I quit but then not stick to it?

That's exactly my problem. It can be the tiniest upset, then I will run to get that cigarette. You know, perhaps if we keep that in mind the next time this would happen, then we may fight the resistance to go and get that cigarette.

I am really hoping that with all the anti-smoking growing rapidly it will be easier. In other words, it wouldn't be like it has been for years, where it seems that everyone and their sister smokes all of a sudden.

It's going to be difficult when I am at work though. Many people I work with smoke. They have a decent smoking area for us. This makes it easy if you are a smoker. But, I have been practicing, I know it sounds silly. A few times, during my break, I will read a little and not go outside to smoke. It's all a matter of changing other habits as well.

I once knew a man who gave up beer in order to give up smoking because the two went hand in hand.

But that is going to be the hard part, staying quit.

Maybe if we keep in mind the freedom we will have as non-smokers and stick to that thought, it might help. I don't know about you, but everytime I have any plans or anytime someone asks me to go somewhere, the first thing that comes to mind is, can I smoke there? I would like to stop doing that.

I am going to have to get the patches though, because I have had horrible withdrawals in the past and the patches help with that. I am not kidding, my lungs start to hurt really bad.

Cheers,
Cathi

Girls, I can sympathize totally with both of you. I quit every year for so many years. Then one time I realized that I was like a robber man sitting on the highway just waiting for the unsuspecting person to walk by so I could jump out and rob him. Huh? Are you wondering what I'm saying? So am I. LOL....what I mean is that in the back of my mind, my THOUGHTS were one of a person just waiting on something "bad" "upsetting" "whatever" to happen so I would have the perfect excuse to start smoking again. And I always found that excuse. Afterall, life is full of experiences, good and bad. Daily. Who knows better than the Queen of Experiences here?

My Daddy told me that when I was ready (please say those four words outloud to yourself WHEN I WAS READY), I would quit. Period. I tried arguing with him. It always seemed to me that whenever he got ready to do something, he just did it. He sat down one day and said, I'm going to learn to play the piano. He did. This was at 76 years old. That's just one thing. He also taught himself how to draw and paint. So see? Believing it was easy wasn't an option, as far as I was concerned because to me, he had some sort of "gift" for accomplishing things.

He was right. One day I just KNEW. I KNEW I was going to quit. There was no fanfare, I told no one. I simply threw the entire pack out the window of the car (litter bug)....I immediately told God that I was ready. I vowed right then and there to never have a cigerette touch my lips again. It never has.

I've never smoked one since then. I've never even had the thought of looking for an excuse. The habit was gone. Yes, I did gain weight and at the same time, Daddy contacted a fatal disease and died two years later. Mom came down with breast cancer, but survived, and I had a near-fatal car wreck breaking everything on my left side.

So see? I had plenty of stressful events, all happening at the same time, to start again. I had excuses galore. But... I was ready. When you are READY, you will quit. The six months will come and go and you won't even notice it.

I wish you success. I'm here if you need me!

TVC,

I just noticed you live in NC. That may explain alot right there. I live in tobacco country and they haven't banned the smoking as much as they have in other states. They are getting there, but not as bad as say, New Jersey and some other states.

It all comes down to temptation, depression, and yes the fact that we put that cigarette back in our mouths. This is the first time I am preparing myself ahead of time for this. Usually when you know the root of the problem, then the healing can begin.

Here is another problem. The tobacco companies have been adding more and more nicotene in order to keep people addicted. This is why they have lost many lawsuits. I think that is really evil on their part, IMO.

Don't get me wrong, I am an advocate on taking responsibility for your own actions. I was always the first one to get upset when someone would sue the tobacco company for that reason. The fact that no-one pointed a gun to our head and made us smoke. We know the risks. But it is a different story when they deliberately keep you in a prison, metaphorically speaking.

Cheers,
Cathi

Thanks your Majesty, this time I am ready. I have had a scare and it is not for social pressure or anything. BTW, what this doctor told me wasn't recent. But I was thinking about it recently, it just popped into my head. Now it started impacting me. It wasn't my dad's situation either or else I would've done what you did right there and then.

Believe it or not, in the past I had lost weight. Not immediately, but I would lose weight starting a month later. It's because I would get used to not having to have something in my hand or in my mouth. So there wasn't a need to munch on something to replace the cigarettes while I was inside the house in between smokes outside. I hope I am making sense.

Thanks for sharing that with us. But you are right, I have quit in the past due to someone pestering me about it or society thumbing their nose at you because you were a smoker.

BTW, when I met Dotsie, I didn't smoke during our time together nor did I tell her that I did. I really had fun while having lunch with her and I wasn't smoking the entire time. But in the back of my mind, I knew I could have one later. That was how I was able to refrain from times like this. What a game.

Cheers,
Cathi