And this is how I want to be with smoking ...

 

I don't want to have to rely on ... 

 

I don't want to have to read ...

 

I just want to FREAKING GO ON WITH MY LIFE...

 

 

There is one, and only one way to do this.

 

Do. Not. Smoke.

 

How many times have we been here, Tiffany?

 

How many?

 

Do. Not. Smoke.

 

It is the ONLY way.

 

There is no other way.

 

The fact that you have yet to be able to do this leads to even stronger support of the whole "you are an addict" theory, don't you think? (HINT: Everyone else does)

 

 

I don't need a label to do that, do I ?

 

The Sarge told you before. It ain't a "label".

 

Do you consider: "I am human" a "label"

 

Do you consider : "I am (you are) female" as a "label"?

 

What about: "I have blonde hair"? Is that a "label"?

 

Is "I am a mother" - is that a "label"

 

It's not a ******* label, Tiffany.

 

They are simple facts about your life.

 

Facts.

 

Not "labels".

 

And the fact of the matter is: you are an addict.

 

 

 

Easy Peasy

Patience is a virtue. 

 

Build it and "it" will come.

 

keep moving forward.

Tiffany, I think you are making this way harder than it needs to be.  Yes, you are an addict or you would have been quit a year ago when I first met you.  So stop analyzing, and just don't smoke!  It is not necessary to go through all these mental gymnastics and get yourself all worked up.  Just don't smoke!

dear tiff I hope you stick around   . I care about you I know we all do 

 

do whats best for you    I hope you don't leave   love ya just as you  are

Thanks Nancy. I don't know how to make it any clearer that I'm not fighting a crave to smoke. And I'm not sure where you get that I'm making this harder on myself or playing mental gymnastics.

 

I thought I was simply trying to figure this out about being an addict. And feeling normal again. I don't have a desire to resume smoking. It seems as though, somehow, everything I have heard in the last year has finally sunk in. It's becoming real to me.

 

If I'm an addict, then I guess I need to deal with it at that angle. I was just wondering if it could be a mental thing and not just because I'm an addict.

 

Mind over matter does not equate to I'm an addict. In fact, it's a contradiction. In my mind. Maybe I'm wrong.

First of all Tiffany, you're not going anywhere I know that you're not going to smoke.  You're in the middle of it right now.  You're in the fight of your life, for your life.  Everybody's quit is different which is what makes a support group work.  If we all had the same exact experiences, this would be a snooze fest of epic proportions.  Some people need support to stop addictions, help their marriages, help themselves in the workplace, deal with grief etc. while others do just fine by themselves.  For me, I've learned to share my feelings and talk to people rather than keep it in.  Here, you're among friends who understand.  We understand this addiction and will support you even when you don't think you can do it anymore.  We will never, ever give up.  There is no expiration date on support.

 

I'm addicted to caffeine just as I am addicted to nicotine.  Caffeine probably won't kill be must smoking certainly would, sooner or later.  No matter what you're struggling with, you can't smoke because it will kill you.  If you think that being an addict is a label, or worse yet a stereotype, that notion couldn't be farther from the truth. 

 

Again, you're in the fight of your life right now so don't give an inch.  Never give a God damn inch.--The Stamper Family from Oregon

 

Hugs Tiff!  I hope you don't really go anywhere.  I think it's important to have at least a leg in the forum for your first year.  For me I struggled with the loss of the ritual of smoking as much as I did the physical part.  I consider myself a nicotine addict.  I guess the way I define that for myself is that if I would have a stent placed in my 30's and still continue to smoke....I'm an addict.  If I cannot have just one cigarette, because one would never be enough, I'm an addict.  I think you can quit without a forum or a group.  People do it all the time.  I just think the odds are better if you have the accountability to someone.  Besides, some of the nicest people I have ever met are right here.  :)  I agree it does suck to be addicted to anything.  I have times when I so wish I had never allowed that to happen, but I can't go back.  If you give it enough time you do go on with your life and thinking  about smoking is not a daily or even weekly event.  Promise.