Archive for February, 2004

Checking In

Sunday, February 29th, 2004

Hey guys! Just to let you all know I haven’t disappeared. I’m still reading
just not posting.
Six and a half months without a cigarette. I would have told you that this
was impossible. It would have been too, without Steve, all of you, and
CogQuit. Foundation Statements and ABC’s, how much nicer than gritting my
teeth and praying that it would get easier.
My particular combination of quit depression and SAD (better known as winter
blahs) is much improved. I took myself off of the meds because of side
effects and have been feeling better. Starting Prozac on Sat. to help with
my sleeping problems.
To all the new members: Stay here, listen to Steve and the other “oldies”,
write out your Foundation Statements and ABC’s and before you know it you
will hardly think of smoking.
Bright Blessings
Char

Poetry

Sunday, February 29th, 2004

With all the puter wrestling I’m been subjected to lately, I’ve seen more
alert and error messages than anyone lots of old backup data has been
needed. Found the following one such found file:
Imagine if instead of cryptic, geeky computerese, your
computer produced error messages in poetic Haiku form…
First snow, then silence.
This thousand dollar screen dies
so beautifully.

Recall: Another Lurker…

Friday, February 27th, 2004

Peggy Putzbach would like to recall the message, “Another Lurker…”.

A cogquit dream…

Thursday, February 26th, 2004

Hi Christine,
Interesting dream that was. Another few days and you’ll have your first
month under your belt, I expect that’ll be a wonderful feeling. I’d love to
hear some of the specifics of your cog quit experience anytime you feel up
to pecking at the keyboard …. things like ease and effectiveness of
this quit if you have past quits to compare to, how you’re meeting and
dealing with both expected events and surprise events?
Thanks for posting about your success so far.
Steve

Welcome to Melissa and Dannye

Thursday, February 26th, 2004

Hi to both of you and welcome to cog quit. This has got to be the
best aid to quitting that I have ever come across and if you both
truly want to quit then you are in the right place.
My name is Indi and I was a smoker for 44 years over a pack a day. I
had tried numerous times to quit with the longest lasting for a year
and the shortest for about 10 hours (while I was asleep for 8 of
them:)
I found Steve’s site when I was looking for support for this quit as
I had been diagnosed with heart problems and told that I had to quit
by a cardiologist or face open heart surgery.
So I had a good reason to quit but I knew from past experience (or at
least I thought I knew) that it would be sooooo difficult for me, the
trauma of quitting would do me more harm than continuing to smoke,
I’m in my mid 50’s now and I’ve smoked most of my life so whats the
point, all that sort of jazz.
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new to the group

Thursday, February 26th, 2004

Dear Friends,
I am new to the group and new to the non-smoking world. I have one
day under my belt and look forward to the rest of my life. However,
I’ve been down this road before with little success but am determined
to make it. This is why I joined your group. I need help, advice,
support and humor! We all need alittle laughter during the hard
times. I was wondering if “cognitive” quit smoking is a method? Does
it involve writing things down? I was attracted to it because I was
hoping it involved a mental inventory of some sort or mental exercise.
Maybe I’m way of course but I thought I should find out. As you can
imagine, I’ve tried different methods but believe good old fashioned
communication and support will prevail. Even if “cognitive” simply
means making a firm decision with no “homework”, I’m glad I joined a
group where I can meet others who are in my shoes and those who have
quit for good. I look forward to your reply. Sincerely, Melissa

HELP a pregnant woman quit!!

Wednesday, February 25th, 2004

hi all. i’ve joined the group because i’m desperate. what addict
isn’t desperate? uhg. problem with this one is i’m a pregnant
addict and now my addiction to nicotine isn’t just hurting me. i’m
going on 12 weeks now, that’s three months. i told myself i would
quit before the first trimester was over. i tried. twice. three
times. i tried ‘conscious smoking’ and found myself gagging through
each additional cigarette. my husband smokes, he also wants to quit,
but we keep buying packs of tobacco. it’s not enough that i have to
quit smoking because i’m pregnant, i’m a recent u.s. immigrant to
australia and i’m not happy here in the least, i want to go back to
the u.s. but i can’t take my husband with me. dealing with continual
stress, being newlywed (married january 2) and newly pregnant
(conceived january 8), i’m in a new country and ARGH!!! someone
please help me. i need some support. I DO NOT WANT TO SMOKE
ANYMORE. i know this. i can’t stop myself, am i weak???? what kind
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I’m back

Monday, February 23rd, 2004

Hi All
Well here I am back again in the cold, damp grey UK (yuk) talk about
post holiday blues - well I think I’ve got them big time (especially
after reading your Whining post Steve:) Seriously sounds like you
guys have been doing really good.
What with Pam’s first year anniversary, Cat getting her eyes done
(hope all is well Cat) Gail back from her holiday still smoke free
and hubby too - really proud of you both:) not to mention the fact
that you are still married:)
Jean and Marde you are doing really well - loved your Poem to Pam
Marde:)
Sorry to hear you are having puter probs Steve - all the advancement
of this hi tech stuff just means that there are more things able to
go wrong so although mine is plodding along slowly at least it lets
me do what I want to do and that is communicate with you lot:)
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ok, so where is everybody?

Monday, February 23rd, 2004

Jean is coping with a geriatric body……. LOL ……….
But made it through another milestone…………60 days as of 11:00
p.m. yesterday !
I cannot describe how I am doing……..other than holding………..
Some days I am “down” - but I am suspecting now that most of this is due
to the weather making it difficult to get out and around (there are
days I am more apt to think of this apartment as “prison” or “cave”
rather than “home”) :) But spring is on its way!!!!!!!!!
I have put on a LOT of weight from the constant munching……….
and I am about to declare a munchie-quit!!!!! :) It is amazing ..that after 60 days I am still as uptight as I am - most
of the time…..still feeling, I think, as if I have to be on constant
guard to prevent disaster…….
But this is all “feeling” - I have very few thoughts tempting me to
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A wave whine, or a whine wave.

Sunday, February 22nd, 2004

Hi folks,
I said I’d wave when I got hooked up again, so I’m waving because I’m
hooked up to the net via a very old and slow computer while my new faster
than stink memory up the ying yang box languishes on some techies work
bench. I’ll get it back, eventually. In the mean time, I’m practising
patience because I HAVE NO CHOICE. Did I mention that I have no patience?
I really really don’t like winter. Did I mention that? Not that I
’should’ complain as it’s been a mild winter, relatively. Those of you who
know my whines, know I’m not a real ‘fan’ of that white shit that falls out
of the sky, or of the ‘arctic flow’, as they call that air mass that
reaches down from the north pole pointing directly at me just to freeze my
ass.
When is a road not a road? When the ‘arctic flow’ and a bit of dampness
combine to create ‘black ice’. Have I mentioned the Canadian penchant for
‘vehicular curling’?
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