Day 55: June 7, 2007, and Today's TIP

My body is still in the cleansing process. I still find myself clearing my throat and coughing up "junk" occassionally. Cravings are occassional but easily managed with my Nicotine QUENCH Plan. My weight has peaked. I actually "lost a few pounds" making my net weight gain about 8 pounds.

I mentioned in yesterday's note that I had an opportunity to talk with someone who was smoking and apologized for their "nasty" habit.

Here's what I learned. This person "successfully" quit for 3 years then started up again. Then, just recently, started smoking again after quitting for 10 months. The reason for starting up again was surprising to me - STRESS - and that brings me to ...

Today's TIP - Never let your guard down

You can never let your guard down. I understand stress and I can imagine how the mind could conjure memories of stress relief when smoking a cigarette.

I think the lesson here is that we need to teach ourselves how to manage or cope with stress. Do you have a stress management plan?