Staying Quit ~

And Sticking With It!
Beating an addiction to nicotine takes a lot of willpower and determination. I should feel GREAT for making it this far -- NINETY (90) DAYS! But now the challenge is simply sticking with it.

Today I as in the boss's office which I have successfully nicknamed The Wood Shed. All I could think about while in there was; "when will this meeting end and when can I go outside and have a cigarette?" Of course I knew I couldn't go out and enjoy a smoke but the thought was still ever present.
Now is not the time to give up, its the time to focus on sticking with it! -- Keep my original plan and develop new strategies as needed. Below are strategies posted by the US Government (who grossly profits from our addictions by-the-way).

Keeping Your Guard Up
Your body has changed since you began to smoke. Your brain has learned to crave nicotine. So certain places, people, or events can trigger a strong urge to smoke, (like the woodshed) even years after quitting. That's why you should never take a puff again, no matter how long it has been since you quit.
At first, you may not be able to do things as well as when you were smoking. Don't worry. This won't last long. Your mind and body just need to get used to being without nicotine.
After you've quit, the urge to smoke often hits at the same times. For many people, the hardest place to resist the urge is at home. And many urges hit when someone else is smoking nearby. Use the skills you've already learned to get through your urges without smoking.

Fighting The Urges
Review the tips from earlier posts to help you fight the urge to smoke. These tips are meant to help you stay a nonsmoker.

Staying Upbeat
Going through the first days and weeks without smoking, keep a positive outlook. Don't blame or punish yourself if you do have a cigarette. (Which I refuse to give in anyway). Don't think of smoking as "all or none." Instead, take it one day at a time. Remember that quitting is a learning process.

Keep Rewarding Yourself For Not Smoking
Now that you aren't buying cigarettes, you probably have more spending money. Take a look at my savings on the bottom of the page for example.
Think about starting a "money jar" if you haven't already. Put your cigarette money aside for each day you don't smoke. Soon you'll have enough money to buy a reward for yourself.