Quitting smoking... Anyone else think its hard?

Pedal_Pusher

stay away from the ciggys.........ha ha

CountryDevil

I smoked for almost 24 years but growing up in the country I started out as a chewer when I was younger. I tried quitting several times but failed at each attempt because I really didn't want to quit. It was not until almost three years ago when I finally decided I had enough and quit with the aid of Chantix. I am not going to tell you it was easy, because it wasn't. Being a smoker and a chewer, I was getting about twice the amount, if not more the amount of nicotine that even a 1 1/2 to 2 pack a day smoker would be getting.

For me the key was using the Chantix and eliminating as many of the "triggers" that made me want to smoke or chew. The others, I just had to fight through. The day I made the decision to quit, it was one day and one step at a time. Since then, I have not even had the urge to smoke or chew. Best decision I made!!

blackcoffeeandcherrypie

I wouldnt have "PITY" for people who smoked after I quit either. Thats just mean.

It's not mean, it's sympathy when you know there is just no reason for them to keep on wasting their money and their time with something that isn't worth it.

I loved smoking, but once you have quit for good, you realise how pointless it all was - the time, the expense, worrying about the smell, getting your teeth cleaned, those little orange bits on your fingers where you hold it. I don't pity smokers in a cruel way, I just pity that they are leashed to a habit that ultimately takes and gives nothing back. I have family who still smoke and I don't judge them, I just know that their lives would be so much easier and more pleasant if they didn't smoke. *shrugs* I don't see that as mean.

katysmelly

My husband has Small Cell Lung Cancer and End Stage Emphysema, is getting Chemotherapy and is still smoking. Hard, yea I think so. He keeps saying it doesn't matter now. It is a horrible way to die, gasping for breath, the panic in their eyes. It's like watching someone drown and you can't reach them. Only instead of minutes its months and months. I'm not sure I am going to get through this. Good luck

Just to add, he is only 57 and our Daughter is pregnant with our First Grandchild. He'll never get see her.

I am so sorry. (((hugs)))

katysmelly

I agree it helps to be in a quitting frame of mind. Gearing up for it ahead of time is really helpful, although some people do wake up one day and simply say "no more!"

What I did was buy a bunch of duty-free cigarettes. I came home with two cartons (double what the UK says I can bring in, but I got away with it.) They were about £2.50 duty free, but over £7 at the shops, here. £50 a week is a LOT of money for me, so I knew that I couldn't afford to keep smoking. So, I smoked the Hell out of those two cartons. In a way, it was great. Just smoked and smoked and never worried about buying more. But, I was thinking all along about how expensive and disgusting it was. I said that this was going to be the end of it. When the duty-free smokes were gone, I was going to quit.

And, that's what I did. I used gum and lozenges (mostly lozenges, but I had some gum in the house from a previous quit.) Some people eschew the nicotine replacement aids because they don't want to be addicted to them. I say, don't let that stop you. If they keep you from killing the kids or lighting up, they're worth it. My mother actually chewed the gum for the final decade of her life. Not very much, but she had maybe one piece a day. Hey, she had the beginnings of emphasema... I think a little nicotine gum is just fine if it means not inhaling toxic smoke! Anyway, I didn't get dependent on the lozenges. I just used them when I felt myself getting irritable, and that gradually became less frequent.

So, I psyched myself up for it, I used a nicotine replacement for the first couple of weeks, and I exercised to keep myself focused on my health and my lungs. I also avoided drinking in the pub, where I might be tempted to light up. I can actually drink and not think I want to buy smokes. I just avoid drinking around smokers.

My weight did creep up. But, since I was exercising a lot, it wasn't really all that much. And, really, I'd rather be a few pounds heavier than stinking, wheezing, and dying. So, it's all OK.

Now, I'm trying to lose maybe 10 pounds. This may be a struggle for me that is never fully resolved. But, I know that the most important improvement to my lifestyle has already been made. I am running 5k or more four days a week. I climb mountains, now, and barely have to stop to rest on the way up.

It's really been worth it.