Smoking and ME

Yoga helps me, I think it is the focus on breathing. I quit ( FOR THE LAST TIME!) in June. I do drink tons of water, also once a week I chop bunches of veggies so that I always have a healthy choice to grab and munch-doubles by getting supper on the table faster too! Also jump rope or do crunches every time you feel like you are slipping. Just things that have helped me the past month!

yoga is not good for me since the focus on breathing makes me think of smoking and i would always have a cigarette the second i got out yoga class but everyone is different, you need to find what works for you.

I can last a few days and then the temptation takes over.

you can last as long as you want to, dont ceed that power, your mind is in control, you just need to control your mind.

What tips and tricks do you use to help you keep the cigs off? And if you are a smoker trying to quit add me to friends we can spur each other on .

I quit 14 days, 5 hours, 15 minutes ago, That's 142 cigarettes i have skipped and $41.65 i have saved. Those stats are powerful, no one wants to start over at zero. you can get your stats at quitnet.com


my two cents on quitting. you have to decide if you really want to quit, not kind of want to, not quit because your family wants you to but that you dont want to be a smoker anymore. if you cant say that you want to quit then dont try, might as well enjoy it until you decide enough is enough and you want to give it up since the battle will be an inner one.

like most everything else in life, it is mostly if not all mental. the mind can tell or teach the body to do anything but the mind can work against you if you arent completely committed.

think ahead and think about what success will look like. for instance, you said the toughest time to not have a cigarette is in the car then have it detailed, that little extra incentive will help, you dont want to waste all the money you just spent making your car nice. if you feel like you cant afford to detail your car think about it this way. how many packs will you spend on detailing the car. lets say it is 20 and that you smoke a pack a day. put the detailing on the credit card and in 20 days you will be able to pay the credit card bill... as long as you dont buy cigarettes during that time (yet more motivation)

my toughest time to not have a smoke is right after a workout. think about that time and think about it smoke free. you will need something to occupy yourself then and peeling and eating an orange works great for me. it occupies my hands and something about the citrus and natural sugar helps dull the physical cravings and oranges are good for you. good combo

change your routines as much as possible. it helped me that i quit at the beginning of a camping trip and like you, i will never smoke around my kids so that was a few days where it wasnt an option and it rarely came to mind even though those are supposed to be the toughest days. look at your week with the kids that way.

who else either doesnt know you smoke or you wont smoke around them for one reason or another? schedule a bunch of time with them in the coming days and weeks.

i dont tell people good luck since luck has nothing to do with it (and if you think you need luck then dont try to stop), it is all about deciding for yourself, deep down, without reservation, that this is something you want to do, then thinking about what that means and what it will be like to not have a break at 10a to go outside work or to not sit on your front steps after a meal or whatever your rituals are.

One of my best friends had great luck quitting with acupuncture. Sounds like a nice, drug-free option.

I too, did it cold turkey, 12 years ago. It was like I just woke up one day DONE with it...realizing that it was the stupidest habit ever, and there was no point in adopting any HEALTHY habits along the way if smoking was still going to be a part of my life. Don't beat yourself up, it's HARD, it's an addiction, but it sounds to me like you are ready to kick it, you can do it! TENACITY!

On the August 15th it will be 2 years, without cigs, cigars, roll-up or pipe after 53years of smoking, and tomorrow my wife and I are off on a short break paid for by the money I've saved.
Yes, my wife and I put the cost of the packet of cigs in a pickle jar and it pays for these short breaks we have.

By the way Ican walk 3miles in 55mins without breaking a sweat and last week I did an 11 mile country ramble in 4hours 30 mins.

Good luck, with giving up, now if only I could lose the weight I gained since giving up, I'd really be on a winner..... lol

:drinker:

I quit almost a year ago. Recently Ive begun to refuse to allow any smoking in my home or car by ANYONE.....my adult children and fiance' included. I hate the smell but mostly hated spending $400 a month on the damn things (between fiance' and myself). Now Im using that money to eat healthy, to not smoke and to be more active. When I reach my first goal of 100 lbs, Im buying a new car....an INFERNO Red Chrysler 300 C (similar to the white one in my ticker)

How'd I quit? Id love to say I just did........I just walked away but its not quite that simple. I was diagnosed with severe asthma, then UARS and SDB then Chronic Oxygen deprivation (O2 drops into the 70-80s while awake and into the 50s while sleeping) I figured it was from smoking as did everyone else. Have just recently found out it's not but still...I figured I better quit while Im ahead so I did.

I dont want one, I dont miss them, Im not even remotely tempted to start up again. Not being able to breathe doing the simplest task is not fun. Its scary and it infiltrates every part of every day. I CAN reverse most of this right now by losing weight and getting active and by the absolute sheer grave of GOD I WILL.......

....................and you CAN too. Please? For your precious lil babies..........quit now before ________ because it CAN happen to you......you, like me, are not invincible.

Hello there. Just wanted to share something with you...I should probably listen to my own advice, but I'm sure, as you know...you won't be able to quit unless YOU WANT TO. In all reality, as of this moment, I don't want to. It's easier for me to take and focus on one thing at a time, and right now, I'm focused on losing weight. Then, after I lose a good bit of what I want to, I will start working on quitting cigarettes.

I tried quitting back in 2009 with the help of CHANTIX, it wasn't expensive due to the help of my health insurance. It seemed to help, and it was nice considering you were able to smoke the first week of it. It gave me insanely crazy dreams though.

If you are trying to quit, here's a suggestion. I'm not sure if you like cinnamon, but if you do, buy some cinnamon sticks. They come in a small bundle at grocery stores (I usually shop at Kroger, so I KNOW they are there...I'm pretty sure they are at Publix as well) but breaking one of those in half and sticking it in my mouth and chewing on it really kicked the cravings. Not sure why, it just did

So, if you decide to try this out, I hope it helps you!!
Good luck!

I went to the NHS stop smoking group in my area - GP referral. You get a support group and information plus prescription nicotin replacement - so you immediately start saving the money you blow on smoking (v motivating) I just used patches, others used medication - cant remember the name but basically makes you feel ill if you do smoke.

I was on 10 a day (sometimes more) an had smoked since I was 14 (well over 20 years. Tried stopping often in the final 5 years. Smoking is a nightmare and highly addictive. Unlike most other addictive drugs its available all over the place so temptation abounds - see your doctor. Oh and freeze grapes for snacks, by a stress ball, fidget toy whatever. It can be done and you can do it too. Support groups was great cos you start to analyse how you smoke and why (triggers habits fears etc). Even tho I must have smoked about 20 on my way to the first 2 meetings.

Also setting a quit date is good, plus its not just willpower - you have an addiction (dont underestimate that), deal with that first, then use willpower to never go back.

Here is what worked for me-

1. I quit with someone else who was serious about quitting. (in my case my wife)
2. Find other things to do to occupy yourself during those times you would normally light up.
3. Don't be afraid to put on some weight- I would rather weigh a few more pounds temporarily than to continue smoking.
4. Find the positive voices in your life... and listen to them- not the same ones in your head that got you into this predicament.
5. Begin dealing with the stressors you have so far been using nicotine to "medicate".
6. When you feel a craving to smoke at night, just go to bed.
7. Last but by no means least-Seek the help of God through prayer and scripture.

This is a worthwhile challenge- Go all in!

BTW - My wife and I have been tobacco free since November 1, 2005.