Re: >>>> M 4 Stephanie <<<<

Stephanie wrote:

Thanks sweetie - I JUST this minute looked down to the meter, as I had
been wondering if it would just count in weeks, hours, minutes etc ...
but NOOOOOO, wouldja look here?!?!?! It has a "M" in it!!!! Clever
gadget.

Astrog here, did not see your post as I was busy, eh posting :-) It has an M ? He he, another thing to look forward too ! I agree, it is a clever wee gadget, watching it clicking over really helps. I am shocked by the amount of cigs I have not smoked: 236. In 12 days. Feck.


I am tremendously, TREMENDOUSLY grateful for the care and support of
the members of this group. I say plainly: I could not have done this
without you. I am certain of this. I am certain that without you - if
left alone up in that danger zone between my ears, I would have at some
point or points spun this and teased it out and justified one-a-week or
one-a-day until the ***-its had me back in full grip.

Totally agree with that Steph, I do not think I could have done this without this group. And as you said (sort of) in another post, if we got 12 days we gotta haul the 4 day folks up :-)

"danger zone between my ears" Snork ;-))

This is what I have learned, concluded, observed this month (in no
particular order):

1) My first week I remember Chef Paul's 'May Day May Day" post. I
can only say that when he posted that morning it was pretty plain that
he was posting pro-forma, sort of a 'all right, so here I am posting,
damn it all, like this and what army is going to stop me ...' but that
post triggered the MIRACLE, namely "A3S to the Rescue." Posts in
flurry, posts to hold-on, posts of spiritual support, posts with
concrete advice, posts somewhat snide & off-the-cuff, posts of as many
colors ... but the point is: posts came in fast .... and Chef Paul
posted back .... and it was as though we all walked together through
that day with him .... and by the end of the day we could feel him
palpably ease. Since "May Day" Day Chef Paul celebrated his first
smober birthday since age 18.

What did I personally learn from this? Post first. Post if you've
got your keys in hand, ready to hit the door to go buy smokes. Give us
time to get our arms around you. ESPECIALLY if you don't feel like
being dissuaded. If you feel like knocking our arms off it probably
means you have stuff all pent up and may need to cry, or to go hit
tennis balls, or to punch pillows or something.

Yep, that is why I am doing this, something to do with the hands.

I believe that there is a tacit A3S agreement: In exchange for the
care and support I know I can rely on if I post 'May day May day,' I
agree to in fact post first, instead of smoke first.

Did not know, but do so now :-)

2) Nothing (except A3S) is more important than exercise. To use my
heart and lungs as intended. To actively work them, to feel them
working deeply, to note the gains in wind as the weeks have gone on.
This requires no equipment, no shoes, no babysitter, nothing. Any
activity works. Dance. Mop with vigor. Walk. Do anything that gets
blood pumping. Stay in the moment. Be really conscious "Oh wow, this
is what my heart and lungs are for!! I had kind of forgotten! My last
connection with my lungs were that choked up, scary toxic inner cloud
kind of feeling. So THIS is what working lungs feel like!!"

Again, totally agree, I used to go outside at work to smoke, now I go for a walk about town, it's a lot more fun ! Change the habit, that is another thing I found...

3) Chewing on ice. As a finger food. Not wildly hygenic (whereas
scrounging up a *** from the trash can was oh-so-hygenic), but I don't
care.

Quite right, nobody ever died of ice :-) I'm a really skinny guy, 8 stone, so my sweetie (candy) intake is now alarming :-) Mrs Astrog has noticed a small pot-belly developing. I have NEVER had a pot-belly ;-))

(astrog slightly proud of his wee pot :-)

4) Speaking of trash cans: I tend to throw papers away that I turn out
actually needing, which requires personal dumpster-dives. May I note:
there is NO comparison between going through a trash can with various
papers, gum wrappers, etc and that same trash can WITH butts, ashes,
etc. Almost makes me want to toss my tax docs away just to enjoy the
(comparative) pleasure of retrieving them from the trash.

Yep, An upstairs bin still had some butts in it, was ceremoniously thrown out last night. Tax docs maybe a /bit/ extreme ;-)

5). Feelings are not facts. I don't act on my feelings. I act on my
Decision. My Decision is that I do not smoke. My feelings are
unreliable, labile, and tend to take themselves way too seriously.

It's keeping a grip on the Decision. You have done that for a month !

6) If you want support around here when you are desperate, be sure to
take time on your non-desperate days to offer support.

Totally completely agree :-)

7) Nothing worth having comes without work. Embrace the notion that
quitting is a challenge, that it is tough. Yeah, it is tough. It is
work. Which makes doing it an extraordinary achievement.

Nothing that is worth anything comes with out a lot of effort. This is a job that has to be done. (Dumpster diving with Stephanie ;-)

8) Embrace the silliness. It tends to ease the tension, that tight
grip that the drug tells us only more of the drug will ease. That is
sooooo a lie. Friendship, laughing, joking, commiserating,
good-natured trash-talking, buddying-up, looking out for the well-being
of your special A3S pals ... THIS is what eases the tension.

Yep, this I regard as an investment. You are a special group of folks, with a very hard task to do. Some say it is easier to come off heroin !

Thank you
Thank you
Thank you
Thank you
Thank you

No thank you Steph :-))

love, Stephanie
Proud (girl) member of SFB2

and .... (you ready ?)

One month, 45 minutes and 38 seconds. 240 cigarettes not smoked, saving
$92.97. Life saved: 20 hours, 0 minutes.

WOWWEEEE !!!!

Indeed :-))

Astrog
.