Question about the meters. I haven’t got my own computer here so downloading isn’t really an option, but I would like to be able to check my progress from time to time. Does anyone know if there’s a website that can calculate the details for me?
I quit smoking several years ago after 20 years or more of smoking.
Keep up the good work, it is well worth the effort.
Jim
Wow! This thread grew two pages in no time. May have somethin’ here, folks. Maybe one of the entrepreneurs here will take the idea and run with it.
Delta, yup this is the post that grew and grew. And, really, it has been wonderful for me to come in here and see the progress that everyone has made. If you go back and read the first posts and read the later pages, you’ll just be amazed at how far these posters have come.
JimB and Jvanhorn, thanks for stopping by. I think it’s great that we have some non-smokers who kicked the habit years ago. I guess I can include **Wally ** in this group also.
Oh yeah, CONGRATULATIONS to Jvanhorn for qualifying for the non-smoker on his Life Insurance. If the insurance company is willing to let you do that then…to quote a familiar slogan…“You’ve come a long way baby.”
**Evilbeth, ** I’d be willing to sponsor you. What’s your goal? I’ll have to scroll back and see if you mentioned it before.
Ignore my last post, I found an online meter. It doesn’t calculate life saved, but it’ll do for the time being. If anyone else wants to try it, it’s here.
Smoke free for: 2 days, 20 hours, 11 minutes, 12 seconds
Cigarettes not smoked: 85
Money saved: £16.15
WOW!! All of you are doing so great! It makes me feel so awesome to come here and see how everyone is pulling for each other. I won’t take the time to list everyone individually right now, getting ready to go out to dinner for Mommie’s Day (as pipefitter calls it). Congrats to all!!!
Shayna, thank you so much for the hugs. Last week, bad set of coinky-dinks led to me not talking with VB, pipefitter, SingleDad, or Mr Bear, at all for most of the week. 
Major Bummer. So, I got an attack of the 'Fonly Lonelies.
I’m doing much, much better now, especially since my hubby will be here on Thurs!!! YIPPPEEEEEEE 
ultress, I would be honored to sponsor you for Sunday. I am humbled that you just knew I would. Thank you.
evilbeth, I too am attempting to lose weight. I have lost approx. 30lbs so far, since Feb, but still have a long way to go. I think I may start up a weightloss thread, so as to not detract from all the wonderful stuff going on here. And, quitting smoking has to be harder than losing weight.
Again, many congrats to all, newly quit and not-so-newly quit alike!! Take care, and I’ll check back later.
How’s it going, guys? Everybody doing okay?
Here’s a hug for you, Shayna. **{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{Shayna}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}
Sorry for squeezing so hard. It’s just that I’m so proud of you.
I see everybody is copacetic, so I’ll leave you guys alone.
Don’t let me down now.
I’ve been layin’ low. It’s Sunday afternoon, and I ran out of cigarettes 3 hours ago. The ashtrays have been washed and put away and there’s not a butt in the house. Hmm, I just noticed I still had a lighter in my pocket;… all of them have now been rounded up and stored in a kitchen drawer.
Well, la-di-da, here we go, off into the future.
Now I guess I’ll press the Submit Reply button.
Well good afternoooooooon out there in Smoke-free Land!
How is everybody today? Peachy, I hope!
zyada, thanks for the hug and I’m returning one to you for sticking up for me in the putz threads… {{{{{zyada}}}}}
AuntiePam, I’m even more pleased that you’re here, knowing about all the health issues you’re dealing with. I have a friend whose mother died of emphysema. It was not a pretty sight. She’d had several surgeries to remove parts of her lungs until all she had left was about 1/4 of one lung. And she was still smoking! She’d been hospitalized several times in addition to the surgeries, and on the last night that she lived, her husband was rushing her to the hospital again and in the car on the way she was screaming at him to give her a f’ing cigarette. She died in the car. It was the saddest, saddest thing because it was so preventable. Unless you die of old age, I’m not coming to your funeral either, you hear me?
You’ve taken the hardest step - clicking this topic and making the decision to quit. That part you had to do on your own. We’ll be here to do the rest with you!
evilbeth, “I considered starting a new thread and asking for sponsors but I didn’t want anything to take away from this wonderful thread!”
Beth, Beth, Beth, you would most definitely not be taking anything away from this thread. In fact, I was even going to suggest that you start a dieting thread like this one and get other SD dieters to join you in your struggle just like we are. I just wasn’t sure you’d want to do it that publicly. But I do think it’s a wonderful idea and if you or purplebear don’t start one, I’m going to do it for you! You guys could do so much with a topic like that - just think of all the really great recipes and diet/exercise tips you could share! And I would be proud and honored to come cheer you on and be your sponsor like you have done for me.
Thank you for sponsoring me through yesterday. I did not smoke because I did not want to let you down!
Jvanhorn, that is so awesome about your status change on your insurance - congratulations! I absolutely love when you come in here and I get to see your amazing counter. What an inspiration. Thank you!
JimB, it’s so nice to hear from a 20 year smoker that you’ve been smoke-free for several years. It reinforces to me that it really can be done and done permanently. Thank you for taking the time to come encourage us!
ruadh, you have no idea how proud I am to see those numbers on your counter! 3 days! Congratulations. How is your cough now? Are you feeling better yet?
purplebear, don’t do anything with your hubby that I wouldn’t do. Oh wait — I wouldn’t do anything with your hubby, so that won’t work. Well, unless you invited me to join you, of course. ;)
I’m glad to hear you’re doing better now. Here’s another hug for good measure… {{{{{purplebear}}}}}
Wally, don’t you dare leave us alone!!! What on earth would I do without you??
{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{Wally}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}
beatle, WELCOME!! Get yourself a meter and line yourself up some sponsors. I’m in line, just tell me where you want me to stand, k? Don’t forget to check in here regularly or we get worried. And I knoooooow you don’t want to worry us, right?
weirddave, I have the feeling that we lost you, hon. If you started smoking again, there’s nothing to be ashamed of. This is an insidious habit that takes hold of your life and doesn’t want to let go. I tried and failed numerous times before I got to this point. The object is to try again until it sticks. Please come back and let us know what’s up. And if you have started smoking again, we’ll help you pick up where you left off.
Lissa, is that doctor’s appointment lined up yet?
Ultress, tomorrow’s the day. Get your water bottle ready. We’re here!
Cristi & Jeannie, how are you girls today?
Beeruser, if you think I’m gonna forget about you, you’re wrong!
What the heck ever happened to Chief Crunch and muffinman? If you guys are smoking again, the same thing I said to dave above applies to you. Get back here and tell us what’s going on, please.
If I have forgotten anyone, it was purely unintentional and I’ll try to make it up in my next post.
Today has not been bad at all. But I have not smoked for Satan because I knew if I did he’d banish me to the firey halls of hell. Thank you for your sponsorship and for being the one who inspired me to do this in the first place!
My meter now reads…
One week, six days, 17 hours, 10 minutes and 25 seconds.
164 cigarettes not smoked.
Savings $25.51.
Life saved: 13 hours, 40 minutes.
Happy Mother’s Day to all the mothers out there!
Grace & Shayna, thanks. I hope it helps to know that you can break it no matter how long anyone has smoked. I’m not a stand on the soapbox ex-smoker. I’ve gotten to the point that I really don’t consider myself an ex-smoker at all. I just don’t smoke.
All y’all can do that same thing. I seldom even think about it, much less crave it. The 20 years was a very conservative number. Actually, I started as a kid trying to be cool at about 12. I’m 51 now, so a good portion of the last 39 years, I was a smoker.
It’s funny to even write this because I can’t even imagine what it tasted or felt like now. It can be permanent and it gets easier as soon as the habits get broken.
I truly hope that everyone succeeds. Life is so much easier without that baggage to carry around.
Jim
{{{beatle}}}
I know you need extra hugs right now, cause this is the hardest part of the whole process. I’ll be right here when you want a sponsor. I haven’t lost one yet so I’m sure I’m extra good luck
Shayna, sometimes ya just got to call a putz a putz!
Hope everyone had a great and easy weekend!
I just posted on the great weight-loss thread that purple bear started. I don’t mind doing it publicly–in fact, as I sadi in that thread, I prefer it! I am not trying to reach a pound goal–just to get healthier (I want to be a mommy!)
Shayna, I am so proud of you for going another day! I am glad I was able to help in some small way! But I am not going away or anything! I will be here helping you along until you force us to leave you alone!
I have a ton of work to do tonight at work so I am not sure if I will get back to this thread before tomorrow night but I just want to say that I am so very happy for all of you! You are doing one of the absolute hardest things to do! And you are winning! Everyone should pat themselves on the back for doing such a terrific job!
{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{EVERYBODY}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}
Well, Ok. I had a bad weekend. If you take a drag, thats a little thing. Smoke a pack, and it’s not. In the past, I would have thrown in the towell at this point and tried again later, but I’m not going to do that. I’m getting right back up on the pony. Shayna, you got day 1.
I have been smoke free for 1hour, 2mins, 29 sec
Cigs not snoked:0
Money saved:0
I’ve just been cruising the rest of the board today. Not avoiding this thread, just saving it for last!
Didn’t smoke today. The physical craving thing is just not as bad as the last few times I’ve tried to quit. What’s the deal with that, anyway? Could it be the Wellbutrin? I’ve had some cravings, but not the debilitating ones I’ve had on prior attempts to quit. The Wellbutrin did not decrease my desire for cigarettes, while I was still smoking (but I’m not taking it for smoking cessation anyway).
There is one small problem I do still have, though. I think Shayna said something about this, too–the phone. I am like one of Pavlov’s dogs when I hear that phone ring. If I’m talking to someone that I know I’m going to be talking to for a while, the mental craving kicks in. Argh! I can get through it, though. It’s just weird.
Okay, I’m going to bed now! Good luck tomorrow, everyone, and Extremely Good Vibes to all the people who are going to try & lose weight now too! I’ll be keeping up with that thread, too!
Dave quote: “Shayna, you got day 1.”
I will take it gladly!
I am so sorry to hear that you had such a rough weekend. I sure hope things get better for you, whatever it was that happened. Remember what I said to ultress on the previous page - smoking is something your brain and your body have been conditioned to do for years now. It will not be easy to completely retrain yourself to handle stress differently. But we’re here to help, no matter how many times it takes you. I hope this is the last time. We’re going to treat it as if it is. Now is the time to look forward not backward, ok?
I’m very, very proud of you for getting back up on this horse and giving it another go. No matter how bad things feel tomorrow, please do not smoke for me, dave! {{{{{{{{{{{{{{{dave}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}
[snarl]Good morning, everyone![/snarl]
Carry on.
Ultress, how are you doing this morning? It’s me, your sunny sponsor. (Don’t you just want to kick my ass right about now?) Let me know how things are!
LOL Beatle. I promise you that it’ll get better. If you need a sponsor to help you get through this, I’ll be glad to volunteer.
Dave, there’s nothing wrong with trying and then trying again. {{{{{Dave}}}}}
Let’s make it a great day by not smoking!
Shayna, I’m yer sponsor today. It’s a beautiful spring day here, and I’m going to be working in the garden. I’ll keep sending good wishes your way all day! Keep agoin’, Girl!
Beatle, I’ve a feeling this is going to be a hard day for you. I’ll keep you in my thoughts as well.
Keep On, all Y’all!
Good morning!
Talkinsquirrel & elelle, I’m not smoking for both of you today. Thank you very much for keeping me in your thoughts and being my inspiration! elelle, have fun in your garden - I wish I could play in mine today. It needs it desperately!
dave, I’m your sponsor today so you can’t let me down. Just keep saying to yourself… you are stronger than this… you can do this… it will not control you… cigarettes are an evil demon and you will slay them! Right, Cristi? And I bet Cristi would even be willing to lend you her sword. Stay strong today, ok?!
beatle, I know exactly how you feel, and even though you don’t give a shit right now because you’re feeling snarly, you made me laugh my ass off!!! But no matter how bad things get today (and they will), don’t smoke!
Everybody else needs to check in - I worry about you (Jeez, do I sound like Wally now, or what? - LOL)
And speaking of Wally… I still love you, Wally. Where aaaaare you???
Amazingly, unbelievably, I have actually gone without a cigarette for 2 weeks, 9 hours, 28 minutes and 22 seconds. 172 cigarettes not smoked, saving $26.77. Life saved: 14 hours, 20 minutes.
Good luck today, everyone!