Thanks to Z, I have an outlet on the BOL couch. Thank you all for the support, and I look forward to counting the days/months/years with you all. Since I quit at midnight on Wednesday, I'm counting this as Day 2, smoke free.

You go girl! Can't wait to see you smoke-free on day 3. One day at a time!

It gets better, we promise!! You go Girl!!

What you did is hard, but one of the best things you could do. Better health, saves money, no more cigarette burns on clothes.

Way to go - Pat yourself on the back.

Good luck sweetie! All of us smokers wish you all the best! Despite what others may think, underneath most of us think about quitting this nasty habit on a daily basis. But like you have mentioned, you will succeed this time because you wanted to, not because you had to . There is a big difference mentally...which is so much of what it is about! Keep us updated!

Way to go Elena!

I posted in the Watercolor how my husband quit. So if it helps, think about strep throat anytime you feel the desire for a cigarette. My husband began to associate cigarette smoking with scorching pain. It really make it easy for him to quit.

Your throat is parched, dry, cracking, and literally on fire. What would you rather have:

1. A nice cool drink of water?
2. A blast of hot and irritating smoke?

If you have a drink of water instead of a cigarette, then you give up one bad habit for one good one.

You know Bonnie, that was a good thought about the water. My ex mother-in-law quit smoking years ago. Every time she got the urge, she would drink a glass of tap water (no ice). She figured not only was it good for you, but it got you mind off of it at the worst moment and at the same time helped clense her body more quickly of the withdrawal symptoms! I haven't made it to quitting yet, but it sure is on my mind alot.

Best of luck, elena!

Good luck Elena. We're all pulling for you.

Good luck Elena - I am hoping to join the bandwagon starting monday.

Good Luck Elena! My husband and I quit in 1989 - cold turkey. You will notice that you feel alot better in about 6 months. It is a very difficult habit to kick but with lots of willpower and support you can do it.

Even yet there are times that I miss smoking but the way I look at it is that it was to hard to quit the first time so I don't want to have to quit a second time.

Elena, you're our hero (horoine, I suppose, but that just doesn't sound like a good thing ) I've never smoked and have always been really bothered by it (my parents smoked and my step(Elena hates that word)dad died from cancer in 1990). One of my biggest pet-peeves is going to a club, seeing a beautiful, well-dressed, classy woman light up. It's just always been a turnoff for me. I have a lot of friends who fit that description. Mostly, I come home from a club and my clothes smell like smoke, making my room, my pillow, my car all smell like smoke. That's helped me not want to start.

Congratulations to you, Elena, for making this BIG decision by and for yourself. You'll love life even more for it!!

(choking back a tear) "That's my girl".

Food tastes better too. I would caution agaisnt sunflower seeds as a replacement. It never worked for me, before long I was just going back to copenhagen. You've got to go cold turkey to break that mental addiction. Keep up the great work

Way to go. I would advise chewing gum and the water trick really does work. Of course, I landed in the restroom much more often! It was worth it. My kids were worth it! Now I am super sensitive to the smell and almost can't stand to be around it at all! I seemed to go from one extreme to the other. I will keep cheering for you!

For those of you that have known me for a long time....I know I never told I smoked so stop freaking out!

Elena, maybe if you put a picture of your daughter and something about a wedding, it would help! Just a little reminder....

LOL Dave! Yeah I know, we'll see what kind of "excuse" I'll have come Monday.

TOO LATE? WE'VE TAKEN TO THE WEED


All around us do we seek,
The way of life, of which wise men speak.

This modern world has lost its way,
in which the Ancient Ones have nought to say.

The weakness of the human psyche
made strong by 'ISMS' and by 'NIKE'.

This, not for me, where is the real way?
Where every human can have his/her day.

Experimental tries wrought nothing,
Ban the Bomb! Etceteras! Frothing!

Ah! But here! This white cylinder, perhaps?
A phylactery? Light one up, the lungs collapse!

Too late! Too-bacco! I have been taken by the weed
And found in its addictive grasp, a total need.

MORNING, NOON AND NIGHT, I SMOKE
FINANCIALLY ITS MADE ME BROKE!

And not all that's broken is my purse
Its made me sick, my health to nurse
(This road leads early to the hearse!).

Before it's too late I'd better quit,
Regain my health, once more be fit!

It's best to seek the truth elsewhere in life,
Than to find oneself under a surgeons knife!

Another reason - from money.cnn.com 8 ways to save money in 2004

". . .3) Go ashless, save a bundle. If you quit smoking, you can save tens of thousands of dollars over your lifetime, to say nothing of improving your health, and feeling -- and smelling -- better.

A 40-year-old woman who normally smokes a pack a day can save nearly $1,300 in her first smoke-free year, according to Quitnet.com, an online support group.

Your insurance will cost you less too. A 30-year-old man who takes out a $250,000, 20-year term life insurance policy issued by ING would pay $988 a year if he's a smoker, but only $317 if he kicks the habit. . ."

I stopped from 3 packs a day about XX years ago. The best comment was from my wife - "Now I don't feel like I'm kissing an ashtray!"

Saturday, 1/3/04, around 9:00 am STILL SMOKE FREE! I figure that I am 57 hrs. in, and at midnight tonight, if the research is right, the physical addiction will be over. After that, it is all mental. I feel so good this morning, both physically and emotionally. I've decided to actually send Trace a check at the end of each month in the amount that I save by not smoking, and have her put it into a wedding fund. That way, if there are things she wants to start getting, she can. Thank you all so much for your support and prayers. I know that with a strong support system, this is the year that I finally break the addiction.

I love to hear good news like that, Elena. Keep it up!! I like your idea of sending a check to big T-girl. That will help you see the good that you can do for others simply as a by-product of doing good for yourself. Way to go. And what a great wedding present this will be for Trace..she'll be overwhelmed with pride for you!!

Okay, I got past the first weekend! It's got to be all the prayers and support, because, although it hasn't been easy, it has not been nearly as difficult to stop as it has been in the past. Dave, Pam, will you be joining me in the non-smoking section for lunch today?

That reminds me, T-Girl and I went out for breakfast after mass yesterday, and when they asked if we wanted smoking or non-smoking, she said "I've waited my whole life to say this: NON-SMOKING" We got a few stares, and a few smiles, and I got a big hug from her, In Public no less! I knew at that moment that the struggle was soooooooooooo worth it!

It is definitely worth it Elena. With me - I wanted to quit and really had no problems. It's been 2+ years now and I never have a desire to smoke any more. It's wonderful.