I quit smoking Monday...

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  • ginaquinn2
    ginaquinn2 Posts: 136 Member
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    First off, congratulations you made a great healthy decision! I quit 7 months ago. I am amazed with all the extra time I have on my hands. I only smoked outside or in my car so I had a lot of time spent getting ready to go outside (weather). I was a 40 year, pack a day smoker. The longest time I had gone before with out smoking...anything at all.........was probably a couple of weeks. So what is different this time? How am I able to stay quit this time?

    Well I have used exercise to get me through hard times. Before when I've quit the biggest thing that brought me back to smoking was emotions. This time around I used exercise for all the same reasons I used nicotine. I'd get mad and I'd just say I'm going for a walk and I'd kind of stop off and walk it out. I'm still walking it out. :laugh: :laugh: I have COPD and about the most I used to walk was a block or less. Now I walk more than 4 miles a day......yesterday was kind of a special day and I walked 9 miles. You can do it this time. Whatever you did before didn't work for you......doesn't mean you won't find something that will. Best wishes--You can do this thing! You are stronger than that cigarette, your tougher and you can win. :flowerforyou: Gina
  • jtslim42
    jtslim42 Posts: 240
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    CONGRATS!!! I am on day 24 of not smoking! I feel so much better. I am reading more books to occupy all my time. Keep it up:smile:
  • cmeade20
    cmeade20 Posts: 1,238 Member
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    I quit smoking 18 months ago. I fill in time gaps with reading (I love reading) I also do this if I'm bored and want to stave off the munchies. If Im out and about and in a situation where I would normally wind up smoking (IE leaving a resteraunt and the person Im with stops to use the bathroom so Im outside waiting for them) If I get the urge to smoke I pull out my phone and go on facebook. Distraction is amazing.
  • Linbo93
    Linbo93 Posts: 229 Member
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    I have nothing to add to this thread as I have never smoked before. But I definitely wanted to jump onto the thread just to congratulate you!! You're doing something harder then I will probably ever have to do, and I commend you and all other ex-smokers!! :drinker: :drinker: :drinker: :drinker:
  • AdrienneKaren
    AdrienneKaren Posts: 168 Member
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    Instead of going outside to smoke, I go outside and inspect my flowers and vegetable plants. I probably look a little obsessive about my plants because I do this a few times per night, but it gets me outside without smoking.
  • myfitnessval
    myfitnessval Posts: 687 Member
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    UPDATE: Still quit, and I have a shiny new car (with carpayment) for motivation to stay quit. It's my dream car by the way, and the payment is about the same a month as I was spending on dog rockets. THAT is motivation to me, I am a numbers person, it's actually the numbers that are keeping me sane. I think about smoking and the $hundreds of dollars I am spending and then I think about the fun shiny things, like cars, I can have instead :smile:

    I quit when I got my new car because i wanted to keep the fresh smell. It lasted for about 3 years (the smell i mean). I used that as my motivation to never touch the stuff again. That and all the cancer but ya. yay for you quitting and gettin a car too!
  • CajunNino
    CajunNino Posts: 269
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    I QUIT FOR GOOD 10 years ago: June 22, 2002.

    I attempted to quit at least 9 times before that. This is MORE of a MENTAL issue than a physical one.....Because for me, scare tactics didn't work. "Do you want your children to be around your hospital bed looking at your black lungs?," I was told a few times. "Um, no, but I'm lighting one up anyways." At least it was more mental in my case. I know the physical cravings are nuts, but changing your mind is much more difficult.

    Here's what I did: First, I got my mind right..... this seems simple enough, right. It's not. Wanting to quit smoking and being ready to stop are two different things. Next, I stopped smoking, not cut back to a few a day, not even one a day. COLD TURKEY! WEANING off cigarettes DOES NOT WORK. Then, like many have said.... STAY BUSY. I chewed gum! I took walks! Got peppermints, etc. I did manage to meditate on what being smoke free would mean, but for the most part the best thing to help me was TIME. After enough time has passed and you've not picked up a cig... it gets easier, trust me.

    GOOD LUCK!!!!

    PS. Don't ya love getting advice on quitting smoking from someone who has never smoked? LOL - Used to drive me nuts.
  • MaryRegs
    MaryRegs Posts: 272 Member
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    GOOD GOOD GOOD for you! My pal from work is trying to quit-and we both think the other has a bigger task to handle. Stick with it-one day at a time...we are on the path together!!
  • slliwlt
    slliwlt Posts: 68 Member
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    Congrats to you! YEAH! I quit in October... I ate. And ate. And ATE! And.... now I'm here! I had quit when I was pregnant with both of my kids... and started right up again after delivery! Another time-I quit for 11 months... then I decided to just have 1 at a bonfire. Ugh! Bad decision. This time I'm done for good. I suggest picking up a new habit... be it walking, running, cleaning, blogging, whatever... It won't be an easy road by any means-but then anything worth doing isn't easy! You'll sweat, swear, twitch... but you can do it! Good luck! :happy:
  • mamaomefo
    mamaomefo Posts: 418 Member
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    Proud of you for quitting, first of all. You can spend your extra time exercising. It will help you have something to do to fill the void and it will make you even more healthy. Congratulations again!
  • slliwlt
    slliwlt Posts: 68 Member
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    SO.... How are you doing?

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