Kasha

I love the support here... even if it's not directed at me.. it is so healing!

DG... hang in there.. it is a brand new day full of beauty and vibrancy. take the time to experience it..

Congrats on the no-smoke, by the way.. that is a huge success in and of itself.

Doggygirl60433

Thanks to all of you for the warm welcome. I have a lot to consider in making my plan. I hope I didn't come off sounding like an AA basher - that certainly was not my intent. I have personal reasons for wanting to pursue different avenues. But who knows where the journey might lead.

I ordered 3 books last evening (I love Amazon!). They all sounded interesting to me.

7 Weeks to Sobriety
Under the influence
How to Quit Drinking without AA (no offense intended please....)

I NEVER EVER thought I could quit smoking. That was a tear filled, potential marriage buster (if I didn't quit) of a decision to reach. And here I am 103 days nicotine free and feeling really good about it. Now I want to go reclaim the rest of my life.

I look forward to your advice and support as I make my plan.

DG

Sportster

Welcome DG and I say congrats on quitting the cigs. Nicotene can be very deceptive so watch out for that curve ball that comes out of left field. I have quit many times for a few months but some how got back to smoking. I have battled the booze in much the same way. Last month my doc gave me a prescription for Chantix to quit smoking. It worked and I quit drinking the same day. It has been easy this time but I also got myself going to meetings again.
I like going to AA. I find it very theraputic to sit and listen. A couple times I even spoke up a bit.
What I find provided me the most freedom is to let lose and don't care who knows you are an alcaholic. It's nothing to be ashamed of. It just is what it is. The president of the comopany I work for was telling me about the struggles of a friend of his who is a retired NHL hockey player and alcaholic. I don't care who knows I'm an alky. I live right, don't drink, and now I can break the speed limit at two in the morning. If a cop stops me he will be so impressed that I am not one of the drunks out there he might give me an award instead of a ticket. Ha!
The other thing about having to give in to a higher power can be interpreted in many ways. I have always felt close to God but He is within me. As a Catholic I learned that. Maybe I just took what I wanted from it but when I submit to a higher power I feel that power is within me.
I find being sober (I was once for ten years) is very empowering. You can argue with authority and they won't treat you like a drunk.
Cast off the chains girl and liberate yourself!
John

parentrecovers

nice to meet you, dg. recovery is possible. keep posting! k

Doggygirl60433

Thank you for the welcome Parent and John!

John, I was never one to be off again on again quitting. But I know exactly what you mean. My previous lost quit was about 15 years ago. I quit cold turkey and made it six months, then fell for one of the most famous Nicodemon tricks of all - "now I can have just one." I've had lots of opportunity to assess what went wrong with that quit during this one. The internet resources today are amazing. I feel like I am an educated quitter this time - not an emotional quitter on an island by myself like I was before. I fully expect to have thoughts and desires about smoking for the rest of my life. The thoughts are FAR less often and less intense now than they were in the first few weeks. I hope that they get even fewer and even less intense, but if they don't, I can choose not to smoke each and every time the thought occurs the way it is now. I'm not kidding myself. The penalty for one puff is severe. It's right back to square one. And since I do NOT visualize myself smoking until it kills me then a puff means I have to go through the brutal agony of those first few weeks again. No puff under any circumstance will ever be worth that. I wish I had known 15 years ago what I know today about quitting smoking.

I DO actively participate in an internet community where we support each other on a daily basis, and keep the knowledge close at hand that temptation lurks all the time.

Anyway, I'm looking to educate myself in a similar way, and develop a similar plan for quitting, and support system to stay quit for my drinking.

Thanks for listening...sorry to write such a long novel...I know this isn't the "quit smoking" site!

DG

livefree

Hi, DG=)
Just wanted to add my welcome. Congrats on kicking the butts! That's gotta feel great. Personally, I feel I owe my sobriety to AA. Of course, everyone is entitled to their own path of recovery. I hope you find one that suits you. Freedom from alcohol is a blessing beyond description. If you are not interested in attending AA meetings, have you considered reading the Big Book. It has three sections dedicated to personal stories that really helped me a lot. If you are going to read any book, I'd recommend that one. You can find it at any Barnes and Noble or Borders... probably any other big bookstore, too. Regardless of what way you choose to go, you're not alone, you have us now=)

Doggygirl60433

Thanks for the welcome livefree. You are the second person who has recommended the Big Book as a good resource in the last 24 hours, so I just ordered that one too.

Thanks everyone for all of your input!

DG

Doggygirl60433

I'm so glad I posted here. Because of this site, I was shown the SMART Recovery site. I'm still reading all the background information, etc. But the introductory material lines up rather closely with the type of plan that helped me quit smoking. We all have to find our own way with our addictions, that is for sure. I am looking forward to exploring this program further.

THANKS!!!!

DG