On getting my thinking straight.....

[beth22]

If there's one thing I know about this smoking addiction, it's the "two fold" part of it. There's the physical addiction and then there's the psycological addiction. The latter (the monkey, the demon, the monster) being the hardest one to deal with and get past.
There are numerous "quit smoking" aids out there to help us deal with the physical addiction, but with the PSYCO side --- the battlefield is all in our minds and for the most part we have to fight that war with WHATEVER works for us on an individual basis to get those old thinking patterns broken and replaced with new, positive ones. (Thank God for sites like EX where we can come for encouragement and support in the mist of the battle!)
There are several ways to say it: "Where the mind goes, the man follows", "Whatever we focus on, we become", and my favorite! "For as he thinks in his heart, so is he". Proverbs 23:7
For almost 40 years I've seen myself as a "smoker", caught in a "smoker's life".....it's time to get that turned around!!! I had 3 months of living the "nonsmoker's life", so I can SEE it, but now I've got to BELIEVE it!
No soldier goes into battle without the proper weapons to fight that battle, and right now that's exactly what I'm doing.....I'm getting my weapons battle-worthy!
I'm sure there will be many battles to fight, but in the end I plan to ultimately win this WAR!!!!

[Christine13]

Exactly Beth!!!!! It's the physchological part that is the biggest part in overcoming this addiction. You will do this, I will do this, and continuing doing it till we get it right!

[cindywilson]

YOU said it so RIGHT!!!! Our minds are the battlefield, we may lose a skirmish, a battle here or there, but we must win the war and I absolutely plan to win!

[Denise28]

You got it Beth, that is it! I am not going to lose the war this time and neither are you. You were just about there too with 90 days (at least that is what I hear).

[ctm]

You're right Beth. The physical part can be hard but it doesn't really last all that long. Learning to not allow our own minds to undermine our quits is far more challenging.

[carole_]

Yep so true, and yet, the longer quit, the less and less the psychological part becomes an issue. There does come a time where it is a complete non-issue. That is when keeping 'there's no such thing as just one' in the toolbox daily. Because it gets so easy to be quit, so comfortable and wonderful to live our daily lives that we have to be reminded that one can send us back to a living hell. I stay here and support folks to not only truly want others to see it can be done and that the results are worth it, but equally important, to be reminded daily what it is like to live through the quitting process. I don't want a repeat, ever!

[teresa15]

If at first you don't succeed Try Try again! (My Friend). You can do this. It does pain me to see that people I believe in, people i am accountable to fail. What has helped me more to stay quit is the people here on this site. How could I smoke after all I have said to encourage others? By helping others, I help myself.

[claudia2]

Beth, I haven't seen this post until just now.......HOW COULD THAT BE??? Perhaps I know why now, it wasn't meant to be. It is now PENTECOST, and Pentecost is about the NOW. The Holy Spirit gives us the confidence to be where we are, possible depressed, old, with sickness. We no longer look at trees and say they have to be saplings. Ancient trees may have broken branches, but they have beauty from all the years that they have lived. In the Holy Spirit nothing goes out of fashion; it grows and never dies. The body may die, but you and I will not. When you were fifteen, you do not necessarily want to draw from your knowledge about life you gained when you were ten. Instead, you are looking ahead, hoping to be something else. But that does not give peace. Peace comes from knowing: I am fifteen, which means that each of those fifteen years has added something to me. My successes came from what I did with my failures. I have survived some suffering and have survived from them.

All a little heavy for you?????? Me too!! What I think it is saying is that we are now in the "NOW", we have learned from our past experiences and that we might be ready to move on........

Me and you kiddo...ridding off into the sunset...whenever you are ready, I am....please everyone here at EX to enfold you gently and take care of you along your passage!!!!
YOU ARE A WINNER BETH!!!

[kim30]

Beth I am wishing you the best of luck. I know you will succeed, and we will all be helping you along.

[heidi8]

Loved your "use" of proverbs - good verse and soooo true! I am mostly sorry for you that you are back "at the beginning" or almost I guess. But it's all "good" as they say. You can use what you learned for your next attempt. I don't believe in berating or belittling someone just because they are HUMAN! I just realized that I am on my 4th attempt in the past 1 1/2 years. I keep trying and I THINK I got it this time...I'm still cautious, but eventually we will all "get" this right! I'm rooting for you! Keep on getting back on the horse and you will DO THIS! God bless you!