I have been smoke-free for over 24 hours. I know this doesn’t sound impressive because well lot’s of people can stop for a day, but this is the longest I’ve been without a cigarette since I was pregnant with my nine-year-old daughter. Suffice it to say, the last time I tried to quit (there was a thread involved that I quietly slinked away from), it lasted maybe six hours.
So, I’m going public again. This time I’ve got Wellbutrin on my side (which I’m actually taking to counter depression). It feels so good to feel so good that I decided to try again to lose the Demon Nicotine. It’s going well. I have cravings, bad, but I’m handling it. However, I have very nearly eaten an entire tin of cinnamon Altoids. Really, I’m popping them like mad. But, I AM NOT SMOKING and I just wanted you guys to know.
If I can do it, so can you! I quit cold turkey almost 5 years ago. It’s the decision that’s so hard. The cravings will end soon, and all the habit-induced behaviors will follow.
I’ve been smoke-free for over 15 years and can vouch for the fact that there is life after smoking. I’m grateful for every day that my life isn’t ruled by when or where I could have my next cigarette.
One thing that has surprised me about my non-smoking is that I STILL have cravings. Not the intense I’m-gonna-chew-someones-face-off kind of craving, but it’s still a niggling thought in the back of my head every once in a while. I can recognize the craving for what it is and move on but it sure is a nasty habit.
I think what helped me the most was to change my other habits as well. I stayed away from situations where smoking was a given (ie. smoky bar late at night, sitting around the table wth friends) and learned to substitute other behaviors for smoking.
If you find the Wellbutrin not working as well as you’d like, talk to your doc about taking Chantix. My girlfriend took it for 3 months and has been smoke-free for about 9 months now. It worked very well for her but has significant side effects, especially for patients suffering from anxiety and depression.
Good luck to you. This may be one of the most difficult things you’ll ever do. We’re proud of you for taking the first step. Hang in there.
Here’s something interesting, I’m kind of doing the opposite. Sitting at my desk is one of the places I strongly associate with smoking, so sitting here without smoking is incredibly difficult. And yet, I’m not smoking. It’s also a place I can’t really avoid, so I’m forcing myself to associate this new activity of NOT smoking at my desk. Hard as hell, but I really need this negative association destroyed.
Fortunately, we’re moving at the end of the week and I will be surrounded by non-smoking people: my in-laws and a couple of friends I do know there. My husband, whose addiction is not nearly as bad as mine, is also quitting his cigars and pipes.
I have both, so I’m not sure if the Chantix is a good idea, but I’ll be sticking to the Wellbutrin as it is helping with the depression. Of course, things change with meds, so you never know. So far, so good, though.
Thank you again. I’m starting to feel like the boy who cried wolf because I’ve announced my intent to quit more than once. So maybe the potential embarrassment of failing yet again, publicly, will be an impetus to stick to it with more tenacity.
Best of luck to you, sister Brown Eyed Girl!
You SHOULD be proud. To me the first 24 hours, especially the first bedtime without, was the hardest for me.
Four and a half months smoke-free here, and I have only a rare craving that I easily push away. Now if I could only kick this vitamin water addiction!
I think today is the hardest. I’m working on my house: cleaning and packing for our move next weekend. Every time I complete a project, the first thing I think of is that I can reward myself with a smoke break. It almost makes we cry. It’s really hard to stay focused on the work and I’m starting to stress out.
But I keep repeating the mantra “I really don’t want one. No, I don’t. It’s just your imagination messing with you. I am a non-smoker.”
Well I hope your not going to regret this, but nicorettes will get you by. But they’re not for long term use. If you don’t use them as directed, and I mean length of use, it’s just the same old addiction just less messy. Even though you don’t get the smoke and it’s related byproducts, the nicotine is still very bad for you. My best wishes to you no matter how you go about it. It’s not easy, but you seem like a determined kind of person to me.
I quit January 23rd and found it surprisingly easy. I read The Easy Way to Quit Smoking, smoked my last one and that was it. I did allow myself all the food goodies that I wanted for the first month. I gained 14 pounds! I’ve lost most of it now, though.
Don’t be discouraged by that. I just think it’s important for you to know that you may never be free from the “urge”. It’s just very easy for me to walk away from that craving now.
I don’t want to see you 6 months down the road and have an unexpected craving sneak up on you. Then you may say, “What the hell, I guess I’m still addicted so I may as well have one.”
Surround yourself with non-smokers and you’ll find that it’s a million time easier. You will suddenly find that you’ve gone 6 hours without thinking about smoking… then 12 hours… then a whole day.
It will happen. You’ll make it happen and you’ll be a helluva lot healthier and happier for it.
I’m amazed at what a stinky habit it really is. I can’t believe that I smoked for so long and never realized how much I reeked. I can even smell smoke on mail that has come from a smoker’s house. It permeates everything.
We may need daily updates for a while to keep us posted on your progress. And no slinking away this time. If you smoke again, fess up and move on. You can get back on that wagon and stay there the next time or you can choose to be a smoker. You have the power to make the choice.
I quit 8/7/06 - the day I finished reading The Easyway to Stop Smoking by Allen Carr. Gained 15lbs right away but not smoking gave me the confidence and motivation to work out harder and more often so I lost 20lbs in the spring of '07. I’m down 5lbs since quitting and I’ve never felt better. I crave them occasionally but the cravings last a max of 10 minutes (usually more like 1 to 3 mins) and the feeling I get for having resisted is way better than the feeling I would get if I caved-in, so I actually don’t mind the cravings.
Good luck, and read the book if you’re having trouble. It doesn’t have to be hard. I couldn’t believe it either until I read it for myself, but it really works. Don’t read about it, just read it.
I’m wrapping up 3 days of non-smoking. I’m amazed and pleased I’ve made it this far considering that I had been up to a pack and a half a day. I have now noticed that our office where we have our computers stinks so badly. I walked in this morning and thought the smell of stale cigarette smoke is strong and unappealing. The dust in here is so bad as well. It really is a nasty habit.
My sense of smell has returned apparently. With a vengeance…lol! I felt very odd yesterday riding in the car and having nothing to do with my hands. Then I discovered Starbucks’ new plastic coffee stirrers, yay! Who loves ya, baby?
Anyway, I feel really great and the cravings are becoming more manageable even though I still feel like something’s missing most of the time. I haven’t gone very long yet without noticing that I’m NOT smoking, but it’s ok. I’m handling it and my daughter told me again yesterday how proud she is of me. You really can’t beat that.
@glee: I have a counter on my blog and as I type this it reports that I have not smoked 85 cigarettes and saved $17.19 in addition to saving 15 hours and 45 minutes of my life.
@ZipperJJ: At 1.5 packs per day at $4.00, I calculated that I could have spent over $2k in one year of smoking. I don’t even want to know how much I’ve spent over the cumulative 21 years I’ve smoked. I think that would truly make me cry.
@Cisco: I read that book a couple of years ago and, unfortunately, was not impressed. I probably had a really bad attitude towards it though because it was giving to me with the promise that once I read it, I would have no trouble quitting. Yeah, not so much. Maybe I’ll go back to it and see if I’m more open-minded these days.
The beautiful thing about quitting smoking is that there are so many ways to quit, every smoker is bound to find a way that works for them. I’m singing Wellbutrin’s praises, but I know that more than anything it’s really me. I finally made the decision that I was done, once and for all. Until you can say that without any doubt, quitting is going to be a lot less likely.
Oh, and I cannot gain weight because I’m already over where I should be thanks to holiday binging and a job downtown and eating lunch out everyday for a few months up until March. I gained 10 pounds but I’m 20 over where I should to be. So, no gaining weight! :mad:
Now that I can breathe again, I plan to be spending a lot more time outdoors and being active. I need to *lose *weight, not gain!
hugs tight
