Quitting smoking, round One Million Five Hundred Fifty Thousand

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

Okay folks, I took the dive to quit smoking. I put out my last smoke about an hour and a half ago or so. I can only pray for my friends and family for I fear what a bitch I might become from this lack of bad habit.

So, what I want to see here is tales of those that have quit, tales of former smokers when they meet their smoker friends, tales of life where you feel you wanted to rip off the heads of your spouses and other loved ones…what I want to know is HOW THE FUCK DID YOU DO THIS?

I want to get help from people like Shayna that did it. I want to get knowledge from people that failed and why you think you failed. I’m ansty…just knowing I don’t have a smoke, something that’s been an intregral (ap) part of my life for 18 years.

I apologize in advance for any stupid threads or posts I might make in the next few weeks…please know that it’s not you that drove me to absolute insanity it’s the fact that I am letting go of my best friend of 18 years, my cigarettes, she’s been a friend that has helped me in hard times and calmed me while driving, and even talking about her I want her, I desire her, I need her but you know what, she’s bad, she’s a bitch, she might just make me die. I don’t want her but I crave her, I am so wanting her now, I so want to suck in, slowly that flavor of tobacco and feel the rush of nicotene going through my veins, but I can’t, I can’t do it anymore.

I cough, I sound like an 80 year old grandma that needs a transplant. I can’t live like this anymore, 2 packs a day is bad, my lungs hurt, my breathing hurts, my world should not revolve around the next time I have a cigarette.

So why do I want one so bad right now? Knowing what it does to you? Why does my habit want to over power my desire to be healthy, strong and beautiful again? Why is this addiction something consumes you?

Believe me, I may not write tomorrow, but the moment I wake up I will be a basket case. I can’t, my hand needs something. It’s the not having that is hard. I know I can do it but even in the short of time that I have quit, I look over where I usually keep my freakin ashtray which went in the garbage tonight…

Oh God, please, if you are real and you know how to, please help me.

For anyone else that has quit, if you can offer you advice, I would appreciate it, every little tidbit helps.

Sorry I am rambling, as I need a smoke, seriously…I want one…time to get a nicorette I 'spose.

2

I’m sorry, I am in a twist of life here…

I was sitting on the toilet and trying to reassure myself that I can do this, that I am no longer a smoker and I started crying.

I’m still emotional over it, as stupid as this sounds, I am. Smoking has been a part of my life for so long, it’s hard to see me without that little white and tan colored thing between my hands…I don’t know how many of you have done it. I know I am only going off a few hours here but I am focused on NOT having that piece of shit cig in my right hand and I have to cry about it. How can I do this? Can I do this? I want to scream but I wont. But fucking A, smoking has been a part of my life for 18 years, this wont be easy and even in the first few hours I am nervous and scared about not having that cig first thing in the morning, right after dinner. And yes I am literally crying right now, my muscles are working over time…

Why do I fear this so freakin much? It didn’t hit me until tonight when I put out my last cig. Why must I cry over something that is so harmful to my health…I am going to break out of my skin in a bit…one of the few things that gave me joy is suddenly forbidden and this is harsh. I am hating it but I know it’s what my body needs and craves. But it’s freakin scary at the same time and I can’t believe that I am this emotional over it.

I have to tell you that if I get bitchy, I don’t mean to…God I am crying like a baby right now…my leg is shaking like it used to when I was kid…

Quitting smoking, why the hell even start, god this is the nastiest crap you can do to yourself. I hope I can quit for good.

I’m sorry, I am a big puss and I know that

3

I can’t say much-I continually quit, only to start again. Apart from a year in college, the longest I’ve made it in a serious attempt to quit was a couple of months earlier this year-but I’m going to be starting another attempt when I head to this work seminar next week(what a great way to win friends and influence people!)

I know what you mean about smoking being a friend-I think that’s one of the reasons I’ve never been successful. I don’t have so many friends as it is, and losing one(or abandoning one, would literally send me to tears.)

What you have to remember, and I do too, for that matter, is that these little white and tan sticks are not your friend. They’ve made you think that you love them, that you need them, but you really don’t.

You can do this-really. And you can quit for good. Starting back up again after a serious effort to quit feels about a thousand times worse than going through the withdrawal.

When it’s so bad, like it sounds like it is right now for you, find something else to do. Take a shower-you can’t smoke there(at least I never managed to), go for a walk, chew on straws, or be a bitch-jut apologize for it later. Those that love you would rather have you be a bitch for a couple of days than keep smoking.

Buy some of the nicotine gum if you need to-it will take the edge off the cravings. Use sugar free gum if you can-if you have a problem with nutrasweet, then go for the sugared stuff.

Be prepared for cravings to hit you when you least expect it, because they will. But remember why you are doing this-it sucks getting winded walking up a flight of stairs, having to think about if you’re going to be able to smoke somewhere, and planning your life around smoking.

Congratulations, and the best of luck to you.

4

Oh, I forgot to add:

If you haven’t, go over to silkquit, and download their quit meter. It’s definately neat to see how many you haven’t smoked, how much money you’ve saved and most importantly, how much life you’ve saved.

5

SilkQuit and citrus flavoured lollypops got me through.

Four months, three weeks, five days, 20 hours, 38 minutes and 31 seconds. 2977 cigarettes not smoked, saving $942.78. Life saved: 1 week, 3 days, 8 hours, 5 minutes.

And counting :slight_smile:

Good luck. It was really hard, but it got easier within a couple of weeks. The first three days were the worst, and then the next week was hard but better, and now I’m finding that I don’t think about smoking as much as I used to.

I called the quit line two days in when I was really tempted, and they reminded me that the nicotine was out of my system, and that the cravings were all psychological, not physical. That helped somewhat.

Citrus lollypops helped because they seemed to dull the cravings a big, plus they gave me something to suck on. After a fortnight, I stopped the lollypops too.

6

I waited for one of those Death Flus that go around every year to strike, forcing me to quit whether I was trying to or not. Not that I cared if the next cigarette was going to kill me or not, but my pain-and-discomfort-avoidance mechanism trumped my basic self-destructiveness. Then, when my lungs became operational again, I didn’t start back up.

The Nicorette gum came in handy, but I only chewed a fraction of a piece only when I really, truly needed it. When I found that little was causing morning lung pain comparable to smoking a pack or two I started to phase it out, saving the leftover gum for special occasions. Wife then threw it out, thwarting that plan.

Liz, anybody who knows me IRL knows that I have only a nodding acquaintence with will power, but I was able to quit smoking. You can, too. If you need a pep talk you know where to find me, and if that prospect doesn’t scare you into toughing it out on your own, I don’t know what will!

7

Sorry gotta push this up, because this is my life and I can’t have some of you be flippant about it. I can’t, my life depends on me quitting…been 5 or so hours now. I smell the nasty smells now and I hate it…

Okay so I did my best to help my friends quit smoking before, I expect that you all will help me out, I need it, I need it bad. I need to know that you support and care for my situation.

This is my life and I have to quit, I have to be healthy and I pray that I continue to be healthy…please God, let me be healthy.

8

techchick, I am sending wonderful good-luck rays your way. I know the drug thing is not an option for you, but it is what saved my sorry ass.
Good luck! Quit, and I might put out. :wink:

9

Me? Flippant? Oh, yeah, I pretty much am all the time.

sending REAL positive vibes

Hope that helps.

10

Poor techchick68. I am so sorry you’re having such a hard time with this.

I quit May 31st. Smoked for ten years all together. I was one of those coughing smokers that it was going to kill, too- just like you.

I had some very mild anti-anxiety drugs left over from an upsetting experience last year. The first day I took one and slept the day away. Call your doctor. Maybe you should do the same.

Here is what will help you to quit: Think of the pain of the last few hours. Are you ever willing to do it again? Do you ever want to feel that way again? You are over the very worst part. If you smoke again, you will go through the exact same misery all over when you quit again. You don’t want that. Someone said (here?) that the craving for a cigarette goes away if you smoke a cigarette or if you don’t- my god, that is so true. It’ll go away- just don’t do it!

Look, you CAN quit- you HAVE quit! When have you ever gone five waking hours without smoking? Only non-smokers do that, okay? Just keep it up.

If you haven’t already, throw away every cigarette, lighter, ashtray (even your favorites). Wash or dryclean all your clothes. Open all the windows in the house, air it all out, clean the whole house. Buy some new perfume. Change your hair. Change EVERYTHING- don’t do a single solitary thing you liked to do as a smoker. If you liked to read and smoke, watch the tube instead. Don’t go to the store where you used to buy your cigarettes. Actually if I were you, I wouldn’t go ANYWHERE they sell cigarettes for a while. Shop at the health food store for a while, whatever. Only go places that smoking isn’t allowed. Only see non-smoking friends. You are not a smoker any more. Enjoy the positives while you wait out the negatives- withdrawl. You can do it!

Your lungs will start to feel better within the week. Vile stains on your fingers will start to go, too. Work up a good case of disgust for stinky, tumor causing, hacking cough making, tooth staining, foul, gross, hateful cigarettes.

Buy gallons of orange or grapefruit juice, it flushes nicoteen from your system (only if you are not doing nicorette.) I believe in cold turkey, but whatever works for you…

I’ll be thinking of you!

11

Oh, goodness. Words of pseudo-wisdom: this is gonna be one of the hardest things you’ve ever done, but it is worth it. Do not give up. Fight the cravings like hell. Don’t be afraid of gaining weight because you are strong and it won’t happen. Don’t be afraid of this at all. You are about to smell better, look better, feel better (which is paramount here). Your doctor is going to kiss you on the lips when next you see him/her.

You will be kissed much more frequently now that you won’t taste or smell like an ashtray.

You will begin to get your sense of taste and smell back within the next few days. It will shock you. Food tastes sharper, cleaner. Drink an iced tea and it will rock your world. Take a long walk outside in the next few days and you will be shocked at how the grass and the air smells.

Imagine that you can see your lungs now, and that every breath you take, a fraction of the tar that’s there now is slowly evaporating.

It’s worth it, honey! Do not give up! Eighteen years is a prison sentence and you just freed yourself! And besides, think of how many shoes you can now afford with the cig-money you aren’t using on cigs!

I can say all of this because I am a smoker who has quit a few times and is about ready to do it again for the final time.

Have faith in yourself!

12

Good luck!

I have never smoked so I can’t really comiserate with you.

It took my dad about 3 years to fully quite smoking and if something was that stong against my dad (the master of the univerise) I knew I never wanted to screw with it.

13

Tech, I’m glad you a trying to quit. You can do it. And you’ll feel a lot better and better about yourself after you have kicked this habit. Your cough will go away, your breathing will improve.

I started smoking as a kid at 14 or so. Then off and on till my early 20s and smoked regularly up until about 5 years ago. With the exception of about 5 years in the middle, that’s about 25 years of smoking. The habit can be broken no matter how long you’ve been smoking.

I don’t consider myself an EX-smoker. I just don’t smoke, I never give it a thought. Being around smokers doesn’t bother me. I just don’t even consider it a posibility of smoking again, actually, I don’t think about it at all.

You can do this. I used the patch for a couple of weeks to help break the nicotine addiction at first. It might help you get through these first few weeks, too.

I’m pulling for you and anyone else trying to quit.
Good luck!

Jim

14

My SilkQuit Meter:

I’m not sure if I’m qualified to offer advice though. I’ve been faithful to my cigarette wagon, but I’ve climbed right back up on a few others.

As far as quitting - I ate a lot of apples and chewed a lot of gum, and tried to stay as active as possible. The first two weeks are the worst, after that (for me) the cravings became sporadic enough where I could handle them.

I’ve heard some people say that they keep a half a pack of smokes around to remind them, or to test their will power or something. I wouldn’t recommend that. In fact, my defiant act of quitting involved crushing the last 6 smokes I had and throwing them out with a triumphant cry of “With Thus, I Have Quit Smokin’ the Tobacky.” Sure the people in the parking lof of Taco Bell looked at me kind of funny, but it worked.

Good luck.

15

I am not quitting, but I am taking a big step down. I am no longer smoking routinely, I am just going to smoke when I go out and drink.

11 days at this point, and it’s working well so far (2 nights of smoking, maybe 10-12 cigs in that time span).

Good luck, Techchick.

16

I shall chuckle over this all day. A good mantra, techchick.

17

I quit smoking January 2nd of this year… this is my second serious attempt. My first attempt was when I turned 30, and I went ALMOST a full year without a cigarette. Why did I start back after all that time? Just plain stupidity! I am now 33 and have been quit for almost 9 months now. Just like an alcoholic is always an alcoholic even if they quit drinking completely, so I also feel I will always be a “smoker” even though I will never smoke another cigarette again (and I mean it this time!)

Even now I still get occasional cravings for them, but it’s mostly when I am alone like in my car or at night watching TV… being around and seeing other people smoking just reminds me of the reasons I quit, when I see how stupid they look doing it and how much they cough and are short of breath. I like the fact I can walk up a flight of stairs and not be wheezing and struggling to breathe… or be able to take my puppy on long walks without getting winded…

The cravings get less and less as time goes on, but I doubt they will ever go completely away, even if it’s been 50 years. I just tell myself to accept the fact I will have cravings from time to time and just have to deal with them like an adult. I also remind myself whenever I pass a sign advertising cigarettes how much money I save… they are over $3 a pack for Marlboro’s in some places even here in North Carolina!

My supervisor at work quit by getting a prescription for Wellbutrin and started taking it about a month before he quit. He’s been quit for over 2 years now, so that approach worked for him. The Wellbutrin is suppose to suppress the cravings and boost your will-power.

Good luck to you… I firmly believe anyone can quit smoking if they truly are serious and dedicated about doing it… you have to quit because you wanted it bad enough… and the money you save will pay for a cruise every year!

18

My experience:

Took me about 7 times. And I still have a cigarette every once in a while. (My wife smokes.) I just don’t crave them. I know I’ll never start smoking regularly again.

Most times I quit, it was due to more regular exercise, when I would have instead stayed home and smoked while watching TV. But even then, I’d get back into the bad habit, normally because I’d go out drinking and pick up a pack, reasoning, “Oh, it’s just for the night.” I’d avoid alcohol for a while. It weakens the will power.

Here’s how I finally quit. We visited my wife’s grandma in New York (we live in Missouri). She was on her death bed in the hospital. The doctor said almost all the patients who were dying there were smokers. Cigarettes were the cause.

I think I was the only one from our group at the hospital (all smokers) to really think about that.

Before our trip back home, my wife’s mother told me to take the rest of her Mom’s cigarettes (a few cartons). They weren’t menthol, so nobody else wanted them. I took them.

Every time I smoked one, I thought about my wife’s grandmother, who died younger than she should have. Before the cigarettes were gone, I quit again.

Now, as to why I continue to smoke a cigarette every once in a while. Usually, I’ll have one every few days, or one a week, but sometimes it’s one a day for a few days, especially when I lack sleep. I can handle it, though, and it’s just a rush when you don’t smoke much. It doesn’t make me want to buy them and continue to smoke them as a habit. But, this thread does remind me of their strength, and how hard it is to quit.

I think I’ll stop smoking the occasional cigarette, too.

Nicotine is so damned addictive. But you can beat it. It just takes will power. You’ll be okay after a few months. Just remember that.

19

So far, I’ve gone almost 8 months simoke-free after smoking for almost 18 years (about 2 packs a day). My advice is-toothpicks, straws, gum, matchsticks, bubble pipes-whatever it is that works for you as an oral substitute (toothpicks did it for me). I’m still chewing toothpicks like a damn termite, but at least it looks almost as cool as cigarettes. :wink:

Just hang in there and simply refuse to have another smoke. If it gets really bad, do something-go for a walk, call a friend, go shopping, whatever. Don’t just sit there digging your nails into your armrest.

What helped me was spending just enough money on stuff (DVD’s in my case) so that I couldn’t afford to start smoking again. I figured out how much money I would’ve spent on cigarettes and spent an equal amount on DVD’s-now I have almost 100 DVD’s that would have literally gone up in smoke otherwise.

After awhile (not as long as I thought, roughly two weeks), you’ll start winning the fight. My cravings still come and go, but it’s nowhere near as bad as that first couple of weeks. Just make up your mind and follow thru-you can do it!

20

Six months, two weeks, one day, 1 hour, 59 minutes and 49 seconds. 3921 cigarettes not smoked, saving $588.12. Life saved: 1 week, 6 days, 14 hours, 45 minutes.

I quit because of a bet. super_head, one of my best friends for years, bet me $200 that I couldn’t quit for a year. So far, I haven’t taken so much as one puff since February 5.