Help with the Quit

[SuzeQuze]

Originally Posted by jannieC

You guys are awesome. We made it through the first day. I wish to hell I could do this without the patch, because I know cold turkey is usually the most successful, but there's no way. I'm craving and having difficulty on the patch! This picture pretty much sums up how I'm feeling right now:



Anyway, smell has been a big motivator for me. I can smell my shampoo, soap, perfume, anything but cigarettes all day; I have always hated the smell of cigarettes. I stopped at the store yesterday morning and bought coffee (sorry, never giving that up), but instead of buying cigarettes, I bought spearment gum and a bottle of water. I never drink water, so I know that will start making me feel better.

I'll keep you guys updated- thanks again for the support!

I thought people who used the patch were more successful at quitting. Personally I believe they do the 6 week thing to keep you buying them and 1 to 3 weeks will do it. Unless you were a pretty hardcore smoker (2+ packs a day).

Smell was a big one for me too, as I mentioned. The water is a great idea. You can compulsively drink it and feel good about it! :-D

Also, remember to keep your thoughts positive. "Wow, I didn't smoke for a whole day!" Seriously, that is huge for a smoker. Give yourself props. Also, after a few days or a week, whatever interval you think is good, get yourself a little gift like a lipstick or something. You can do this!

[priestofnothing]

I'm not sure what to recommend for the physical part of quitting, but I can offer some advice for the mental part that may be of help.

If you have the urge to smoke, try to stop yourself by thinking of your kids or your loved ones and how your smoking habit might affect them.

I lost my mother to small cell lung cancer last year as a result of her smoking for 40 years. She died when she was only 61.

I don't want to be a big downer here, but I feel like I lost a good 15 years of my mom's life that was shaved off the end due to her smoking. I miss her terribly and nothing in my life is the same as it was before she died, it is really sad. If she had quit smoking along with my dad in the 70's I could have shared the holidays with her this year. But she is gone and there's not a damn thing I can do about it.

Good for you for trying to quit. I hope you succeed.


If not for me, then do it for yourself....

[sara1998]

Originally Posted by priestofnothing

If you have the urge to smoke, try to stop yourself by thinking of your kids or your loved ones and how your smoking habit might affect them.

After I quit, and got my sense of smell back, I felt awful because I was sending Sara to school smelling like an ashtray. Now, when she comes home from my mom and dad's house, I have to wash everything, including her, because she stinks. Unfortunatley, I was exposed to heavy smoke while I was young because my folks have always smoked. So, in essence, I've smoked for 28 years. But, I only smoked for 13.

[SuzeQuze]

Originally Posted by priestofnothing

I'm not sure what to recommend for the physical part of quitting, but I can offer some advice for the mental part that may be of help.

If you have the urge to smoke, try to stop yourself by thinking of your kids or your loved ones and how your smoking habit might affect them.

I lost my mother to small cell lung cancer last year as a result of her smoking for 40 years. She died when she was only 61.

I don't want to be a big downer here, but I feel like I lost a good 15 years of my mom's life that was shaved off the end due to her smoking. I miss her terribly and nothing in my life is the same as it was before she died, it is really sad. If she had quit smoking along with my dad in the 70's I could have shared the holidays with her this year. But she is gone and there's not a damn thing I can do about it.

Good for you for trying to quit. I hope you succeed.


If not for me, then do it for yourself....

I'm so sorry you lost your mother. I dread that day with all of my being. She is a breast cancer survivor, that was so scary. But I no longer take her for granted at all. Again, I'm sorry, the holidays must have been hard. Also, being mad at someone who is gone must be hard. My cousin went through that a bit when her husband died suddenly of an apparent stroke at 44. She knew he hadn't taken care of himself.

[jannieC]

Originally Posted by priestofnothing

I'm not sure what to recommend for the physical part of quitting, but I can offer some advice for the mental part that may be of help.

If you have the urge to smoke, try to stop yourself by thinking of your kids or your loved ones and how your smoking habit might affect them.

I lost my mother to small cell lung cancer last year as a result of her smoking for 40 years. She died when she was only 61.

I don't want to be a big downer here, but I feel like I lost a good 15 years of my mom's life that was shaved off the end due to her smoking. I miss her terribly and nothing in my life is the same as it was before she died, it is really sad. If she had quit smoking along with my dad in the 70's I could have shared the holidays with her this year. But she is gone and there's not a damn thing I can do about it.

Good for you for trying to quit. I hope you succeed.


If not for me, then do it for yourself....

I can really relate to this. My mom was admitted to the hospital last Christmas because she couldn't breathe. She has emphysema and COPD. She quit smoking and is doing really well, so I know I'm really lucky to still have her. I'm so sorry for you!

The health aspect, for me, is an initial motivator, but not one that sustains me. Unfortunately, I get this sense of invinsibility- that could NEVER happen to me. I just have to tell myself that I'm intelligent, and there is NO intelligent rerason to smoke. Plus, I don't want to stink anymore. I want to hug people and not be self-conscious about it.

I *can* do this. What pisses me off is that my husband is doing SO much better than I am. We really thought that he would be the angry, pissed-off one, and here I am all snarky and homicidal.

We went walking last night (you really have to know me to know how much I loathe any form of physical exercise) and are going to try it again tonight. I *may* even start jogging (:shudder. I am 37 and my husband is about to turn 39. We are going to try and adopt a baby this year, and as "older" parents, we owe it to a child to be as healthy as we can.

Okay, I'm rambling- but see, I'm at work and this would be when I'd be out for a smoke break. So, thanks for listening.

[ontheEdgeof17]

Just focus on a new habit...

-crack
-pot
-LSD
-heroin

[skcin]

Originally Posted by estranged4life

Besides in Oklahoma a pack of cigs ill cost you almost $4 with the new tax rate added onto the cost per pack after the 2004 vote for the rate.

It's been over $5 a pack for a while now here. I'm glad I quit when I did. Cold turkey, 5&1/2 years ago.

Jannie - one thing to that will help is stop talking/thinking/reading about it. I'm sure this thread will give you great ideas & support at first. But I personally found that I wouldn't notice that I hadn't smoked in a few hours/days until someone else mentioned me quitting - THEN all I could think about was cigs & I wanted to smoke again.

If you feel the urge, keep busy doing something else to get your mind off of cigs & keep your hands occupied. Remember, most of the nicotine is out of your system physically within 72 hours, so after that it's mostly mental. Good luck!

[jannieC]

Originally Posted by skcin

Jannie - one thing to that will help is stop talking/thinking/reading about it. I'm sure this thread will give you great ideas & support at first. But I personally found that I wouldn't notice that I hadn't smoked in a few hours/days until someone else mentioned me quitting - THEN all I could think about was cigs & I wanted to smoke again.

If you feel the urge, keep busy doing something else to get your mind off of cigs & keep your hands occupied. Remember, most of the nicotine is out of your system physically within 72 hours, so after that it's mostly mental. Good luck!

You're right. Which is why I have shied away from online smoking cessation support. Once I get through this week, it will be a piece of cake.

[amber]

Hey, Jannie - just so you know - I always had more cravings if I used the patch or gum. I'm not saying you shouldn't use it, I just wanted to tell you it seems like that is normal.

[SuzeQuze]

Originally Posted by amber

Hey, Jannie - just so you know - I always had more cravings if I used the patch or gum. I'm not saying you shouldn't use it, I just wanted to tell you it seems like that is normal.

I had the opposite experience! I guess that can be very different.

[amber]

Yeah, guess so. Hey, did you guys see that new laser treatment on the news? So far it has a higher success rate then patch and stuff, but the stupid guy they were talking to was like "well, we need to use therapies that we have already studied and that we know work about 30% of the time!" but the laser thing had a 46% success rate after a year or something.

[DavidMn]

Originally Posted by jannieC

I just quit smoking (today is day one) and was hoping to get some quit tips from any Ledgies who have done this. I am (was) a hardcore smoker for 20 years! This isn't my first attempt but dear God, hopefully it's my last. My husband and I are quitting at the same time- we're both on the patch. Help. Me.

Well, I have never smoked, but my mother quit cold turkey 2 years ago after having somked for 35+years when they found a blot clot near her heart. That scared all of us.