62 days...but who's Counting??

Well we took ourselves off the the Welbutrin after 2 weeks. Its been interesting for sure.
Here is my 2-month advice I got from someone else while on Quitnet.com:

1. Be Prepared: In the beginning, know that it will be hard, even awful. Arm yourself with knowledge, something to munch on, and post and read on the Quitnet.com everyday for as long as possible. Knowledge = Power. The more you know about your addiction; the physical and psychological effects of withdrawal, and the triggers that trip you up, the stronger your quit will be.

2. Protect your quit: Avoid people who smoke, those that aggravate you, anyone who is not supportive, and stresses you out. Avoid your triggers – which you should write down and keep them near.

3. Be Committed: Don’t fool yourself with just one, or my life is too stressful, my spouse lost their quit, …a million excuses. You either want to be quit, which means you’ll suffer through the hard times and be committed to not smoking or you’ll give in and have to quit all over again, and again, and again.

I often think of the cigarette companies now. I wonder if they read these blogs about stopping the addiction. There are actually people out there that believe this is all in our minds, and that smoking is NOT an addiction brought on by nicotine quickly delivered to the brain, and that the cigarette companies do NOT put anything ADDICTIVE in the cigarettes. LIES!

These are the stages of QUITTING.

20 minutes after quitting. You begin looking for loopholes in your quit commitment, thinking about postponing the whole arrangement until after the next millenium begins.

After 8 hours. You have already contemplated at least three murders and several other brutal acts of violence. The dog and cat were beaten brutally, and now your thinking about the kids.

After 24 Hours. Your city or town declares a mysterious and unforeseen water shortage, while municipal sewers are suddenly overwhelmed.

After one week. You have consumed enough calories to sustain a Bengali village of 2000 for four years. Food shortages become critical within your region; pets and local wild animals become nervous.

After two weeks. Quitzits establish early outposts on your face. Risk of Browser's Butt Syndrome (BBS) rises to equal that for 13-year-old boys with new computers and internet access. Smileys appear in your writing and begin to replicate :)

Within one month. You have already begun to pester smokers and complain about the smell of their obnoxious cigarettes; IQ returns to low double-digits; Quitzits begin to function autonomously. Exclamation point shortages prevail across the land.

After six weeks. You may have experienced your first bowel movement since your quit began; if not, be patient, it will happen within a few more weeks.

After two months. You begin to forget the pain and misery of the first week without cigarettes, and are wondering if you could, perhaps, remind yourself of what you've been missing; Quitzits establish territorial treaties with each other.

After five months. Intelligence returns to at least 60% of its pre-quit level; concentration remains a problem, at only 50%; carpal tunnel syndrome incidence exceeds all known levels for any keyboard-intensive occupation; you have typed more words than are contained within all the works of William Shakespeare, but with more flair and "sparkle".

After six months. You wonder why you ever waited this long to quit. It's way, way, worth it.

I suppose I have a few months back before I gain my original IQ. Its something to look forward to. Thanks for letting me vent....I needed it!!