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I have read about the acronym, H A L T, in recovery paraphernalia and have used it to a great degree of success in changing my patterns from a nicotine addict to a Free person. Having a Crave ? H. A. L. T. Are you Hungry - Thirsty - need a deep breath of Oxygen ? Angry - Happy - Emotional ? Lonesome - Bored ? Tired ? In many, many instances, when I would reach for a smoke, my poor body was actually trying to alert me that it needed attention in some way. My addiction silenced these natural signals. I still catch myself these days...no, it is no longer a crave, it is my body hollering for water or food or something it really needs ! Now, groovin' in my new freedom, when these signals come up, my first thought may still be, 'Oh cigarette, dammit' However, it is followed immediately by, 'No, not smokes...you're Hungry, baby !' or, you're thirsty or, you need to go sit outside and take a big gulp of oxygen and figure out what your body or spirit requires. The piracy that nicotine practiced is still mind-boggling to me. Allowing nicotine to take over my basic human needs of sustenance and comfort was a grave error on my part. I am grateful my body is so forgiving . I am grateful to be free. Free and learning how to read my body's signals and remembering how to take good care of it. So, next time you have what you assume to be a Nic fit, have a think...what is your body really telling you ? It won't be hard to figure out. For me it has been obvious and I have to wonder, how could I have neglected my body for so long ? It is a miracle it survived. I would like to include our friend, Joel Spitzers' Do You Want A Cigarette....H.A.L.T.

“Only a quitter gets a quitter. Ask a non-smoker to give up alcohol for the rest of their lives & then they might understand” I’m so proud of how well I’ve done that I want to shout it from the rooftops - 1 month and counting! BUT, I’ve learnt this is a private battle and it should stay that way. I recently told a non-smoker friend how well I was doing, but they actually made me feel ashamed because they thought smoking was disgusting, the fact that I'd stopped was irrelelvant. I doubt it was intentional but it really took the wind out of me. I’ve realised this IS a personal battle and I should refrain from talking about it too much, or at least choose who I talk to more wisely… saying that I can’t wait to tell my dentist who nagged me to quit for years - appointment is in December so I will be 3 months smoke free if I keep it up! So when I need a pick me up I log on here and instantly I’m smiling! I can see someone’s reached a milestone, I read funny and inspiring blogs. It makes me feel good knowing we are in this together, all battling this in our own ways and each day IS a celebration - and that is a GOOD thing! So to all you fellow quitters - Thank You! You are doing an amazing thing and you keep me going too. Hugs and high fives you lovely lot x :-)

Very true Sally, and at the end of the day only I will know how well I am coping with it. I don't need the blessing of others, knowing inside that I've acheived something is enough. I've also noticed a sort of glow around me and I think it's because my attitude has changed, plus not inhaling all those toxins is doing my skin the world of good! x

I really hope you reconsider. You absolutely are strong enough to wake each day and say not today. Learn from your mistakes, that is the natural way of acheiving anything worth having but please don't assume you are not strong enough -just get a new plan laid out and let's do it! xx

Have A Listen to Tex Williams, 'Smoke, Smoke, Smoke' , won't you ? If I was ever without a cigarette between my fingers, you would find one dangling from my lips since 1969 (?). I smoked stogies I rolled mostly, until I was working as a Deck Hand in the Gulf of Mexico which made rolling problematic. I smoked tailor-mades, an occasional cigar. I smoked snipes and dog ends. I smoked walking, talking, bathing. I work from Home and You know I smoked Inside. I smoked cooking, cleaning. I smoked on my stoop and in my courtyard, I smoked in bed, you know. I always smoked on the phone. I smoked thinking and planning. I smoked deciding which way to turn. I drank at a smoking bar. I smoked E-Cigs too, at the end there, just to wank up my nicotine. Loved me that nicotine, baby. (what Joy to 'smoke' in health food stores !) I even smoked in Mill Valley, CA, where it is Illegal to Smoke...OUTSIDE. And then, last October, I quit on a whim. Just to see what I was made of (other than rank nicotine). It was minute by minute then hour by hour, day by day. You get the picture, and my resolve HELD. Now, at Ten months and change, craves are strange little thought bubbles that don't belong to me, EXCEPT when I try to paint. That is what I 'do' and it is being a real bugger. What if I can't paint without that junk ? It feels so weird to hold a brush without a smoke. Plenty of Fear (oh, JOY) to shut down on this last (or current) no-smoking snafu. I will buck up, quit my special snowflake whining and just get on with it FGS. This week, I will. Yep, this week. Thank you for listening, and feel free to Kick My A$$. S

Great blog, Sazerac. You know, I wonder... Many people have said that one of the most important "benefits" of smoking is that it allowed them some distance from their emotions. Whenever they felt some strong emotion, the few minutes required to step outside, find, light and savor a cigarette gave them time to process those emotions and choose how to react. The rituals of smoking are also calming. Many people say that they feel emotions more strongly after quitting than before. Negative emotions, of course, but also positive emotions. Sort of like--when they feel bad they feel very, very bad. But when they feel good they feel GREAT!! For anyone involved in a creative pursuit where you have to reach down inside yourself and express your emotions for the world to see, I suspect that quitting smoking (or any other type of drug) will really throw a monkey wrench into your work for a while. You probably will have to push your way through it, force yourself to work when you are not feeling "comfortable" or "normal". Eventually you will get used to your new normal and you will be able to work easily again. I bet that your work product will be a little different than it was when you were smoking, and maybe that will be a good thing.