Has Anyone Here Quit Smoking?

RicCraig

I've been smoking since I was 11 years old. That's over 30 years of smoking. It's an anniversary I don't like to celebrate. When my son was born in 1991...... I wanted to quit smoking..... and the longest I think I have ever gone is two weeks.

I've tried the patch, Zyban and the gum......I think for the most part, I never felt smoking was effecting my ability to do anything..... but as the years pass, I feel the damage it is doing. I'm to the point where I believe the only way I can do it is cold turkey. The problem is my will power..... simply..... it sucks.

If you have quit smoking, I would like to hear how you did it..... when you felt you were feeling better (like when you could taste again)..... how long before you could run a sprint without dropping to your knees.....what methods you used to fight the urge..... like I say..... I could do anything with a smoke in my mouth.... even your philosophies..... even if you want to preach and tell me how it would effect my children..... I want to hear it all. Maybe if I have something to read over and over again..... I can fight this thing off..... I would appreciate it.

I've set up another stop date for tomorrow.....got to be able to breathe to do my exercise regimen.

Thank you, good day, Ric.

RicCraig

I've been smoking since I was 11 years old. That's over 30 years of smoking. It's an anniversary I don't like to celebrate. When my son was born in 1991...... I wanted to quit smoking..... and the longest I think I have ever gone is two weeks.

I've tried the patch, Zyban and the gum......I think for the most part, I never felt smoking was effecting my ability to do anything..... but as the years pass, I feel the damage it is doing. I'm to the point where I believe the only way I can do it is cold turkey. The problem is my will power..... simply..... it sucks.

If you have quit smoking, I would like to hear how you did it..... when you felt you were feeling better (like when you could taste again)..... how long before you could run a sprint without dropping to your knees.....what methods you used to fight the urge..... like I say..... I could do anything with a smoke in my mouth.... even your philosophies..... even if you want to preach and tell me how it would effect my children..... I want to hear it all. Maybe if I have something to read over and over again..... I can fight this thing off..... I would appreciate it.

I've set up another stop date for tomorrow.....got to be able to breathe to do my exercise regimen.

Thank you, good day, Ric.

apaden4

Here is some info I found on the internet - there are tons of support sites out there....
This coming from a smoker, lol.
Good Luck to you!



What are the immediate benefits of stopping smoking?

The health benefits of smoking cessation (quitting) are immediate and substantial. Almost immediately, a person’s circulation begins to improve and the carbon monoxide (chemical carcinogen found in cigarettes) level in the blood begins to decline. A person’s pulse rate and blood pressure, which are abnormally high while smoking, begin to return to normal. Within a few days of quitting, a person’s sense of taste and smell return, and breathing becomes increasingly easier.

What are the long-term benefits of stopping smoking?

People who quit smoking live longer than those who continue to smoke. After 10 to 15 years, a previous tobacco user’s risk of premature death approaches that of a person who has never smoked. About 10 years after quitting, an ex-smoker’s risk of dying from lung cancer is 30 percent to 50 percent less than the risk for those who continue to smoke. Women who stop smoking before becoming pregnant or who quit in the first 3 months of pregnancy can reverse the risk of low birth weight for the baby and reduce other pregnancy-associated risks. Quitting also reduces the risk of other smoking-related diseases, including heart disease and chronic lung disease.

There are also many benefits to smoking cessation for people who are sick or who have already developed cancer. Smoking cessation reduces the risk for developing infections, such as pneumonia, which often causes death in patients with other existing diseases.

jasip7

Hi Ric,
I quit smoking on March 1st of this year. I used Chatix which was a good tool...but the thing that made me quit and stay quit was myself. I did not and don't ever want to be a slave to cigarettes again. Also,...knowing and talking to other people who've beaten tabacco addiction helps. I also smoked for almost 30 years and I must have tried to quit at least 6 times sometimes not even lasting a day . Since quiting I feel great...my blood pressure is normal...I feel stronger. My daughter says I smell better. Don't get me wrong...there are days when I'm stressed...(like having my car rear ended ) that I've had really bad temptations., but I've been able to dig down and hold firm with the help of some friends. And now I'm on my fitness pal to continue in the right direction to a healthy lifestyle. If you need someone to talk to...or some motivation you are welcome to email me: judsip@msn.com

Good luck!

donnag524

I'm another 30 year smoker and am pleased to say that I have been smoke free since Aug.1. Yeah!!!!! I also used Chantix and I feel like it was a wonderful tool. I did not follow the program exactly so by my final smoke date I was down to only 2 cigs a day. I have finished the Chantix prescription now and feel great. I am tempted at times, and use a nicotrol inhaler that I had gotten on a previous quit attempt. The worse times for me are when I'm out with friends or commuting to and from work. I have an hour drive. I have found that keeping my mouth busy with water, gum and the inhaler have been a great help. The main reason that I joined this site was to try and keep track of what I am eating to be sure that I don't gain additional weight since I have quit smoking. So far so good. I haven't lost very much but at least I haven't put on any extra. Try the Chantix and see if it helps. From my experience, if you don't REALLY REALLY want to quit, nothing will do the trick. You've got to have the desire first and foremost. I think that was always my problem before. It took my father battling lung cancer (not a smoker) for it to really hit home. The treatments and sugeries have been extremely painful for him.

mjm0771

I smoked for 12 years.
I quit 6 years ago.
BeforeI quit, I consistantly tried to gain weight to get to 180lb.
After I quit, I'm now trying to get DOWN to 180lb!!!!
I just found and started using myfitnesspal on Fri (7-sept-07)
So far so good!
-mike

Derjoep

yes I have, smoked for 25 years, tried it all, same like you, , tried about 8 - 10 times , best thing for me was " cold turkey" and simple perserverance, if u get past the first month, you actually start to forget, about looking for a cig, you simply need to want to quit bad enough to keep on going, after about 2 weeks, I started feeling better, I quit because I would wakeup from a dead sleep, gasping for breath,
that was enough of a deterent for me, chewed on coffee strirsticks and chewed on Halls cough drops, the mint taste soothed my throat, when inhaling, giving me a fix, best thing to do is become a "hermit" for a couple of months, so you wont have to bite anyone's head of that says hello hehe.

now it doesnt bother me anymore at all, simply dont care to anymore, and feel sorry for people who smoke becouse it is one heck of an addiction to overcome, ...... but you can, and you will.......

So Good Luck and Hang in there

ponytailfnp

As a health care professional who talks to people about smoking EVERY day, here are a few extra tidbits for you.

If you quite cold turkey, the nicotine is out of your body after 3 days, then you are dealing with purely a psychological addiction. I often tell people that if you are used to drinking a cup of coffee in a certain chair every morning with your cigarette, then move to a different spot, drink orange or grapefruit juice ( which don't taste good with cigarettes) and make everything about your morning routine different... not just the fact that you don't have a cigarette.

One cigarette decreases the oxygen and blood flow to your skin by 50% for up to 8 hours.... that is critical for me because I work in a burn and wound clinic and we need to get as much blood and oxygen to the skin as possible to get our patients to heal...

And yes, there are many days that I am tempted to walk outside and "beg" a cigarette from one of the other workers or families, but I know that the first time I do that, then the second time will be that much easier and the third and so on....

I will try an look up some of my other information about tobacco cessation if you would like...

Also, Chantrix is a wonderful tool to assist you if you have a good desire to stop on your own... it can't provide you the cure if you don't really want it.

rusty878

I smoked for 25 years and quit cold turkey 10 years ago. My husband and I did it together and that was a great motivator. After the first week it got easier; after a month I could walk up stairs and not be out of breath. For the first few months I would dream about smoking. And after a six months I stopped thinking about it. I had all my carpets, upholstery ,drapes and my car cleaned. I burned candles and my house smelled nice for the first time ever.

My husband just said the other day how happy he is that we don't smoke.

I had a friend who quit a little after I did. He would bum smokes off other people and eventually started again after quitting for two years. I never took so much as a puff once I quit; I knew I couldn't. If it did I would have started smoking again.

RicCraig

Thank you, everyone for all your insight..... I've always been the sort of person who likes to see a sort of schedule..... and learning what I am to expect a few hours or a few days into this challenge is very helpful....I'll be referring back to this post from time to time for a little inspiration. Thank you.... as for the Chantrix.... I don't know if that is available in Canada but I will ask to see if it is or a similar prescription.

Thanks again, here's to my first deep breath.....Ric

gtdavis

I have not had any tobacco for 6 years now. I first started smoking at age15 and smoked about a pack day until I was 21 when I quit cold turkey motivated by the church group I was associated with at the time. I left the congregation and began smoking about 1 1/2 packs a day about 2 years later. I smoked steady from that time until I was about 40 years old. By then I was smoking over 2 packs a day. I used nicotine patches and nicotine gum to stop smoking for a short time, maybe 6 months to a year, but could not stay stopped. That was so frustrating. For the next 7 years I kept trying to stop but could never learn the lesson that the first cigarette will take you all the way back to 2 packs a day no matter how hard you try to deny it. But I never stopped trying. Finally I decided to use the nicotine gum but not by the standard 1 or 2 pieces every hour or so and gradually cut back. No, I chewed 3 or 4 pieces at a time and when the nicotine wore out I chewed more. My theory was to get hooked on the gum and then go cold turkey quitting the gum. That was easy because after 3 or 4 months of that damn gum it was no problem stopping. And the gum does break the smoking ritual of carrying cigarettes and lighters and reaching for a smoke after eating or while driving That was the harder than nicotine withdral .

lisabauman

Congrats to everyone who has successfully quit and I am rooting for you, RicCraig!

I, too, quit this past March after smoking for more then 8 years and it was of course extrememly difficult but it does get easier with time.

I want to attest to what ponytailfnp mentioned in his post ~ changing your routines can be a big contibutor to being successful. I used to park my car in the same spot at work, near the smoking area, and have my first cigarette before I headed in ~ my reward for coming into work. And of course, one before I left everyday because I didn't smoke in my car (and several inbetween coming and going to work and usual more cigs at home that night). Coming in to work my first day as an ex-smoker, I began to mentaly prepare myself and realized that if I was going to do this, I could not park in my usual spot. I changed everything about my day to help me resist temptation. Instead of going for that 10:00am smoke, I'd go for a 10:30 walk int he courtyard outside of my work.

So my advice is be aware of your daily routines and change them up.

Quitting smoking is probably the hardest thing I have done thus far in my life. But myself and everyone who has posted advice is proof that you can quit ~ just believe in yourself!

Please keep us posted on your progress!

cmriverside

.
My Stop-Smoking Story

I smoked for twenty-five years. I have been a non-smoker for eleven years. The last few years I only smoked at work. I was a waitress and it was how I escaped the stress and annoyances of the job.

In the last few years, I did the following:
I didn't allow myself to smoke around my family - and when on vacation I could easily go a week without a cigarette.
I wouldn't smoke in my car - hard to get rid of that smell.
I wouldn't smoke in my condo for the same reason.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
And then, something unexplainable happened, which can only be described as spiritual. I had begun going to church, and had been going for a month or so to an evangelical church. Hadn't been to church in years. I'm not going now....I'm not going to preach - just my experience.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The youth group did a skit during a Sunday morning service.
There were maybe five teenagers. They came out on stage. One very tall boy was holding a magazine like Hustler or some such thing. He also was holding a bottle of Jack Daniels. His friends were silent as he flipped through the pages. Then the friends picked up a very long and very big chain - like a tow truck chain. They began to wrap it around the boy. As it became heavier and heavier, he finally dropped to his knees - clutching the magazine and the bottle.
The friends backed away. He began to scream in a way that was so primal and so disturbing, that even now I am getting goosebumps and tears in my eyes.....he continued this scream for probably the longest 20 seconds I can remember. Then a new person came out. He handed the boy a Bible. The boy put down the "vices" and openned the Bible. The remaining kids came out and gently, tenderly removed the chain. He was crying, I was crying, it was wrenching.

I never picked up another cigarette after that.

Two weeks later at work, I really hit the wall with everyone smoking and me being stressed. I had stopped going to the back area where employees were allowed to smoke, so I would not be around it in the old familiar way. A girl I worked with was in AA at the time, and she and I were friendly -- I didn't drink either. I told her my cravings and she said, “Well, yeah, you don't have your familiar coping tool-cigarettes."
That was a light-bulb moment as well. She pointed out to me that TRUTH. If I was bored, stressed, mad, unable to cope with any emotion, I smoked. It caused me to get away from whatever was going on: and smoking causes deep breathing which is the part that calms you, (nicotine is a stimulant.)

I continued to dream about smoking for several months after I stopped, and sometimes would wake up and think it was real, and that I had ruined it all. The dreams and cravings tapered and I finally "GOT IT"

I wish you luck, thanks for reading this.

clynpaint

I have just joined today and was sent this link from the new members list.
I have been smoking since I was 13 and am now 63 yrs so thats 50 yrs.
I started cutting down in Aug to where a pack lasted me almost 2 1/2 days.
The last one I had was on the 5th of September . I had decided the only way to do this was to go cold turkey.

I went by the Farmers Almanac on the days to quit smoking and so far I have had no problems .I also use the Bible Verse "I can do All things through Christ who strengthens me"
I am glad I found this topic and I will go through now and read all the posts and I feel this will help me along with us all helping each other.

I'm not saying I won't mess up and want one but I know now I can do it. I still get the urge, but I do some deep breathing exercises for about 2 minutes, and tell my self not yet I am busy and it passes

Best of Luck to you Ric and we can keep each other posted

cmriverside

RicCraig & clynpaint -

How are you two doing? I have a good feeling that this is the time you will put those cigarettes down for good. Anyway, I'm pulling for you both. Let me know how it's going...

~Cheryl

clynpaint

So far so good.
Still have not had a cigaertte and really do not desire one.
Now its just the habit thinking I need one, and I tell myself no you don't Your busy.
One thing we never smoked in our house so thats a plus,
Hubby just came off the Chantrix, He has been quit for 9 weeks. He knew he couldn't go cold turkey.
Thanks for checking up.
This is a great little support group.

martamyd

my husband and i were smokers for about 10 years (i was on and off). we will be non-smokers for 2 years in mid-january...and neither of us have any desire to go back. throughout the course of smoking, i quit several times, but would start up again using my husband's smoking as an excuse. we made the decision to quit together. we did it by using the patch...but not the way it recommends on the box. we each bought a pack of cigarrettes. for the first 10 days of quitting, we allowed ourselves2 cigarrettes per day. we went through the first box of patches as recommended, but we were both doing so well, we ended up splitting the second stage (we only used those 2 stages). it worked well for us.

i think the biggest thing was mental preparation...set a date a week or two in advance. mentally prepare yourself up until that point. be proud of your decision and GOOD LUCK!!!

clynpaint

Congratulations to you and your husband.
So far so good for me. I really enjoy this discussion. helps us all.

yourmoneyman_1994

good luck you can do it!!
I quit cold turkey after 11 years of smoking I was afraid to go to a bar because i knew if I had a beer I would want to have a smoke as someone said before get away from the element or situation that makes you want to smoke. After a while you wont even think about it anymore.

I did not have a beer for three months -boy that beer tasted good after that. Still smoke free 20 years later. The physical feeling after about three weeks was almost as if my face tingling. I think it was actually blood returning to my skin.

dnjcountry

I quit smoking november 2006 on smoke out day the 16th. My husband had lung cancer in April of 2005 removed. I have been watching him go through some tough lung surgerys since. About every 4 to 6 months he has to go to the hospital because his lung collapses. Most people would not be able to survive the trouble he has had. He keeps telling me (quote) "You don't want to have to go through this like me." I sure don't . It has been a fight but I still don't smoke. And I really don't want to. I still have cravings now and then but they go away in a second or two.

Everyone keep up the great job. Try to find something to inspire you not to smoke. Or find someone.
Try to help others to quit also. (Don't preach just teach about how much better it is not to smoke.)

Janet

beca1975

Hi,

I quit smoking last year after 17 years. For me it was a combination of things that worked. I used Zyban, slept a lot when possible and started doing crafts so I could keep my hands busy.

The hardest times for me were break times at work. What else do you do on a cigarette break but smoke!! I just stopped taking breaks altogether until I was stronger. Also, this is gross but I chewed on a straw all day. Not very lady like but it worked.

Hope that helps and good luck.