X-Smokers

robin52077

How's it going gutterball???

Today should be day 2 if you did it when you said you would...

I hope you are out for a walk right now and not outside having a smoke!

FitbitConnor

I quit about four years ago when my wife and i decided to try for a baby (shes nearly three now :0) ) and the only way i could do it was to at the best of my ability cut any ties i had with the smokes. I mean i didnt go to pubs or bars, i didnt even go near beer as that was when i tended to really smoke the most *socially* I also tried to take on new habits to replace the habitual/ritualized smoking. Before my official quit day i also quick taking smokes to work with me. I'm kind of impulsive in nature so if i had smokes to hand when i had a real craving i was probably like 85-90% going to cave in so i knew i had to always be a few steps away from getting near to a cigarette because the cravings really do pass, and the longer you go, the quicker they pass. after a couple of days the physical withdrawal is over, then you just have the routine to break. After about a month you should be more relaxed about it and the desire to smoke will really dissipate, you will most likely still get cravings out of the blue for a much longer period of time but you'll be able to take them in your stride :0)

SageGoddess320

How's it going gutterball???

Today should be day 2 if you did it when you said you would...

I hope you are out for a walk right now and not outside having a smoke!

It's going better than I thought it would. The cravings seem to be coming in waves. I have a feeling next week is going to be way more difficult than these past two days. At home there are no stressful situations to face and, more importantly....no annoying co-workers/customers to push me over the edge. Monday is when the real challenge begins.

Dragonfly11

Hi Ex's,
Day 11 no cigs for me - one puff at a time!! It's Sunday afternoon and already I've walk/jogged 3miles and did 30 day shred!! To deal with my sweet tooth I did buy low fat fudge brownies to bake - they aren't completely horrible unless you eat half a pan :laugh:
Which I have not done..... at least not yet.:drinker:
I want to say a big "Thank You" to the poster who wrote " Is this stressful situation going to be any different if I smoke this cigarrette" or something to that effect. I have used that several times this weekend, and it worked just fine. I was in a meeting this morning watching the smokers and instead of feeling that longing, like i was missing something, i felt something else. I'm not sure what it was, a saddness and a recognition that it's not good for you~ no really. I can't believe how long I've been rationalizing my smoking- saying things like " oh, everything's bad for you.." I just don't feel that way anymore. A miracle.
I have a walk for later this evening planned when I get back from the grocery store, going to spend a few cig bucks on some fruit

Thanks for the support and good luck to us all,
Janet5

robin52077

great job gutterball, and all the other EX-smokers, myself included! We ROCK!!!!:glasses:

rjadams

It is a great accomplishment so even when the scale isn't doing what I want I look at the number of days I haven't smoke and remember that I am really amazing (if I don't say so myself:blushing: ) Good luck to all of the ex's and like Robin said, "We Rock!"

SageGoddess320

Well, it's my third smoke-free day and my first day at work since I quit. I have only been here for an hour and I already want to rip everyone's faces off. I really don't want anyone to talk to me unless it's work related. I can't wait to leave this place.

lina1131

I quit on July 4, 2009. I will never smoke again! I don't have any suggestions really. I put it down and just haven't wanted it since!

nursee67

Smoke free for almost 6 months after 20+ yrs of smoking. Feels great to breathe! No morning coughing...love it! Good luck on your journey. It can be the best one of your life!

SageGoddess320

Well, I made it through the day without spazzing out OR slipping up. I also started a blog and that seems to be helping me work through some of my thoughts and frustrations with this whole process. We'll see how I do tomorrow. Hopefully I won't feel quite as much rage as I did this morning :explode:

rjadams

the jumping jacks or runing up the stairs can take some of the edge off that rage.

Fayegill

Just do it!!!! You'll feel like a new person in a couple months. Every thing will be better - breathing, taste of food, exercising, sleeping, your hair clothes and personality. Your head will feel clearer b/c your not always thinking about smoking.
I smoked for 13 years - once you get through the nic rage you'll become a nicer person.

And when you want to smoke - walk instead
Also avoid long stays at places where the majority of people are smoking - be prepared to leave if you have too.

robin52077

good for you for making it through work....
here's an idea.
did you have to go outside to smoke?
If so, maybe it's the ten minutes outside away from everyone that you miss?
grab a bottle of water (to have something to put to your mouth) and go for a walk around outside, instead of just standing there where the smokers stand....

Ryhenblue

I started smoking in my early teens. I'd say about a half pack a day average. I quit in 2002 after my father passed away from lung cancer at the age of 45. I used Zyban to help with the mental addiction of smoking. I haven't had a craving for cigarettes since. Congratulations on quitting though. You're going to love the way you feel once you're smoke free.

LaTerri

This August will be 9 years. The HARDEST thing I EVER did, period!

1. the cravings pass, get up and move, and tell yourself over and over and over again. I AM NOT A SMOKER!
2. the cravings pass, I can't say it enough.
3. It will be hard, but I did it and so have 1M+ others, and believe me I am a whimp, so you can do this too.
4. You will be grumpy, and you might snap at people, it is part of it, don't be hard on yourself, you can apologize later.
5. the cravings pass
6. You family and friends will put up with you being a meany, so don't feel bad about it.

You can do this. You will do this. Oh, and the cravings.... they pass.

Super_mom

I am in the same boat with you. I am trying to quit also. I was doing really good about a month ago, down to
about 3 cigs a day from 10 or more and i felt great. I spiraled back into my smoking and now i'm tyring to stop
again. I picked April 1 to stop which is tomorrow, i hope i can keep this going. I have started BC pills and with
doctors orders i'm not supposed to start them until i quit, well it's been 1mth since i started them so today will
be my last day. I know its gonna be really hard but i'm going to try with everything i have in me not to give in this
time. Theres alot of triggers for me so i know i need to find something else to do than pick up a cig or some
sort of junk food.

We can get through this.

SDTeaGirl

I quit over 11 years ago. The 1st week is hard but you can do it. I used to smoke 2 packs a day. I went through hypnosis. Good Luck. You can do it. Just try to figure out what "Triggers" you to have/wanting one.

Jay424

It'll be 3 years this summer for me. I smoked a pack a day for 14 years! I used Chantix and can't say enough good things about it. I smoked the first week of taking it like it suggests and haven't had a cigarette since. I only took it for 3 weeks total, never had a single craving either. Anyone who is having trouble quitting, I highly recommend giving it a try.

lucky1ns

I beg beg beg you on bended knees, please please please read this free book that I am presenting to you today.

Please.

http://www.opposingdigits.com/ebooks/Easy.Way.To.Stop.Smoking.pdf

Here is a link to the site of the author-

http://allencarr.com/central/

And yet another book-

http://www.whyquit.com/joel/#book

Courtesy of this helpful site-

www.whyquit.com

And a great online forum that helped me find all this stuff-

http://www.quitsmoking.com/bbs.htm

rjadams

Hey Gutterball, How's it going? It has been over a week. how are you doing on the quest for a smoke free life?

SageGoddess320

It's actually going way better than I thought it would :happy: . I haven't had a single slip-up and have not gained any weight so far (which I was pretty worried about).

rjadams

good for you.

suziblues2000

wow! thats great! I quit smoking too, just 4 days ago!

I have nicorette gum to help me though. and suckers. and my family and my treadmill!

Yep, one time I was craving a cigg really bad and my daughter says, why don't you try walking to take your mind away from smoking, so I did, and it worked like a charm! So now whenever I get a crave to smoke, I get my butt on the treadmill for at least 20 minutes.

It's only been 4 days but I can already tell the difference: I can take a real deep breath! I had trouble doing that before.

But I am coughing so much! I think I heard somewhere that it's normal to cough for a while after you quit.
Have you had this problem too?
I am 55 yrs. old, smoked since I was about 14 yrs. Pack a day.

SageGoddess320

suziblues:

Congrats for quitting! You should be very proud of yourself. It sounds like we're using the exact same tools to achieve success. I am also using the gum (total life saver) and suckers (for that pesky oral fixation). Our new treadmill just arrived yesterday and I just can't wait for my husband to get that put together so I can run my butt off too I have heard that when you quit smoking you sometimes can cough more in the beginning. I did for the first few days but that is dwindling down now. Hopefully that doesn't last too much longer for you either. I don't even cough in the morning anymore, which is REALLY nice.

You're doing AWESOME! Keep up the hard work :flowerforyou:

LadyLawJHF

1 Year and Counting!!! I quit smoking with the support of loved ones over a year ago now. One of my goals for 2009 was to quit smoking before I got married in May. Talk about a difficult decision to make. I had started a new job in Oct. of 2008 that gave me awsome medical benifits, and one of the benifits was assistance to stop smoking. They actually paid for my stop smoking meds as long as I participated in a support group. Talk about a life saver!

I had already been using the patch just durring work due to the fact that is a very long walk for me to have a smoke break, and I had to pass through several security check points. From there I decided I wanted to finaly quit. I went to my doctor and talked about getting the prescription for chanex and then called my insurance to get on their support program. With that done, my medicine was free and all I had to do was put up with a few calls each week. After the 1st or 2nd week of being on the medicine, I quit smoking! I continued talking the medicine for about 5 weeks, then decided I did not need it anymore. I have been tabacco free for a year now, and by my calculations, I have saved at least $1825.00.

I still have the cravings, but I am able to work though them now.

Stormakins

my dad had been a smoker for almost 30 years. he tried everything in order to quit and finally what he had to do was find something that killed the craving... turns out that was V8 juice. Every time he got a craving for a cig he'd just have a glass of V8 instead. He said it made it so much easier on him.

SageGoddess320

Since I quit smoking I've noticed that certain foods taste like complete crap now. I also have developed super smelling powers. Has this happened to anyone else?

erica79

I quit 77 days ago. Chantix helped me a lot with the cravings but I only took it for a couple months not the reccomended 6 months. I also found a web site that was similar to this one but for quitting smoking. For me that was the best help. Reading others posts and seeing I was not the only one going through withdrawals was the best thing for me. I also found a downloadable copy of the Allan Carr book. I never read it but I can send you the link if you want.

lindalloo

Hello gutterball,

My quit date was 04/04/04 .. which makes me six years FREE! And what a Freedom it is!

I joined MFP only a few days ago and plan on blogging about my quit story in the near future. But for now, I'm happy to share some of what worked for me.

After 26 years of (nicotine) abuse, and at least a pack a day for a good portion of that time, "association" was one of my greatest fears .. not including weight gain (but I'll blog about that later). I associated smoking with everything I did. It was with me at all times. So one of the first things I did was switch up my routine. If talking on the phone and smoking go hand-in-hand, don't give up the phone, just talk in a different room. Surprisingly, something so small can really make a difference!

I suppose the trick is in learning about the things YOU associate with smoking. For some people it's driving, phone conversations, or following a meal. For others it may be more social, like parties or dining with friends. I've even known people who smoke only at work (or at least during their work day). I could never do it!

If cravings are a concern for you, rest assured they really don't last very long. If you can train yourself to see where the craving begins and where it ends, you'll be surprised to see how brief it really is. Cravings only *feel* longer because there is little "down time" between them, at least in the beginning. But as the gap widens (and it DOES), the cravings become .. well, smaller and less painful.

Here is a link to the website that was very, VERY helpful during the first few years of my quit. Printing the 149-page "Never Take Another Puff" manual (under patient resources) is well worth it. There you will find a lot of great articles and teachings.

www.whyquit.com

Good luck to you on your journey .. you CAN do this! :flowerforyou:

Crawline

5 months and counting for me!

Congrats to everyone! It's a big accomplishment!!