Hello all. This is day 75 for me, a cold-turkey denizen of No Man's Land. Please note I am using Dale's NML boundary math, meaning I have roughly 2 more months in this twilight zone. Had an alarming experience earlier today which rattled the relative safety and complacency I was feeling regarding my quit. It also reinforced my resolve to maintain it. I stopped at a local convenience store this afternoon to grab a coffee to go. On my way out of the store I bumped into a friend I had not seen in awhile. We both had a bit of time to spare so we paused and chatted for a bit, lots to catch up on as we had worked together for about a year. My friend James casually took out a new pack of Marlboros, opened the pack then offered me one. I told him I no longer smoked, but the combination of socializing, coffee, and an accessible pack of cigarettes was an unexpectedly powerful lure. Funny how the mind works, a part of me observing this dynamic in the 3rd person, quietly noting the cues and triggers, me watching me apply denial and distract tools to myself while I maintained a social distance with my friend. Talk about a push me, pull you scenario, eesh...What was then and now quietly appalling to me is that my friend James has 1 lung and some heart issues to boot, yet he still continues to smoke. The Nicodemon Force is strong in my friend James. So I am grateful for my quit progress so far, grateful for the coping tools I have learned on this site, and very grateful indeed for the wise, kind, friendly and giving members here who offer support and guidance. 1st. week here as a member too, it's gone by quickly. My thanks to you all, Kjay
