Dr. Oz,

I wander if you could help me with something. First of all I've watched many Oprah shows when I can. I've seen and heard of all the greatest things that she has done with everyone she's helped. Anyways, I am 5 months pregnant. My grandmother just passed away on March 22, 2008 and I have lost her and the home I've lived in because I was living with her. I was helping with her (my grandmother had cancer), my two oldest children, and my mother. And I was working on top of all this. My mother kicked me out of the house,so now I am temporarily living with a friend. I just quit a trucking job due to sexual harassment and them shorting me on the miles I drove for them. I had lost my car I had due to a car crash in St. Louis, MO, so I have no transportation except for my feet to get back and forth to my Doctor appointments, grocery store, etc. I have found another trucking company that has hired me and I start this Wednesday for their orientation. But I will be gone for three weeks at a time. I am Due August 31, 2008 and my baby if it is a girl, I am naming her after my grandmother. My Fiance' and I have helped many, many people but it just seems that when we are the ones needing help, there is no one that wants to help us. We have helped others pay some bills so they can have things turned back on, we have put food in their house for them and their kids, and we have taken others in when they had no place to live just so they can get back on their feet and do what they have to do to get their lives back in order. I pray everyday that things will change for the better. I have until the first of August to save money from this job now, but that's going to be hard. Especially when what I save is what we will have to live off of until I can start work again. I feel like I've hit rock bottom, and I know the only way is up now, but it seems I keep going down. I don't want my baby growing up and moving around all the time to find somewhere warm or a roof over their heads. I want to be able to provide a stable place and great environment for him/ or her.

Sorry this is so long, but I needed to talk to some one. Thank you. If you can't help or no one else can, thank you anyways.

Sincerely,

Kristy McDaniel

OPRAH!

where in the world is dr. robyn?! the whole time i was listening to today's psychologist speak, i couldn't help but wish it were dr. robyn!

Tony and Wendy,

About thirteen years ago, I was in your same situation. My ex and I did not want to tell our son not to smoke and be smokers ourselves; so, my ex-husband and I quit smoking.

I had a harder time quitting than my husband; and, he smoked twice as much as I did. I sucked on tootsie roll pops for months! Trust me when I say it will get easier as the days pass.

Much Luck,

Sharon T.

He found support and help at AA and maybe he should go back to get in touch with his feeling and strength again it might help or another marriage or family group, there are plenty of them out there.

They both seem like they really care about each other and want to succeed and we want them to succeed too.

Dr. Oz advised the wife that if her husband did not quit, she would not either. That may not be 100% correct. I smoked for 30 years, quit 20 years ago with NO problems - never wanting another cigarette. My employer at the time paid for half of the Smoke Ender program, (Columbia, Md.) I paid the other half of $250. If I stayed stopped three months, I got my money back. It was a six week program. We met once a week, had a facilitator. Having also attended Al-Anon for a gazillion years I knew that if I followed the "rules" exactly, it would succeed. I did, it did. My co-workers "cheated" and did not stay stopped. I did not mind being around smokers for many years and did not want to smoke when I was around them. My addiction was physical and psychological. We addressed both. I am not an ex-smoker, I am now a non-smoker. The first week we monitored when we smoked, writing it in a journal given to us. Second week we reduced the tar and nicotine of the cigarettes we smoked. We chose a room we would not smoke in. We would not smoke for 10 minutes before bed. Could not go to sleep until the ten minutes was reached. Same for waking up and smoking. We would not smoke after eating, drinking, etc. for 15 minutes, then 20 minutes, etc. We rec'd "oral gratification kits" which were used after eating, contained toothbrush, floss, toothbrush and mouthwash. Even when eating out. We started small and expanded something each week. The day I chose to quit, I had a new car and did not want to smoke in it, we had a snow storm. It took me four hours to drive home, normally 45 minutes. Did not smoke, did not want to smoke. It's great. Also, we were told that weight gain is not from not smoking, it's from eating. I did gain weight over a two year period. But when I eat properly and exercise, I'm OK. PERHAPS THERE ARE THESE PROGRAMS STILL AVAILABLE TO HELP THOSE WHO WANT TO STOP. I worry that if others think that if they have to be around smokers in their like they may not stop as they have heard their chances are not good.