Quitting Smoking

Great work!! It's a huge step to take

The worst thing for me was the non stop coughing up bits while my lungs were trying to get rid of all the crud caked in them from 28 years of smoking..That lasted for a few months and started about 1 month after I quit - Get into the habit of carrying Kleenex with you!

I had cut back quite drastically before I actually quit so my cravings weren't too bad. Make sure you have lots of crunchy veggies around to snack on to avoid the weight gain usually associated with quitting and drink lots of water.

I'd also suggest giving all your clothes a good wash - especially things you have in 'storage' because you will not believe how smelly smoke is and opening a box of 'summer clothes' after having been a non-smoker for almost a year was enough to make me almost puke.

Good luck!

I quit successfully with the nicotine patch. I know that cold-turkey quitters like the idea of a fast purge of nicotine from their system. I also hear that day 3 is the most difficult.

If you make it for 3 more days, you'll only be dealing with the psychological addiction to cigarettes.

The patch is less effective if you start it several days after quitting or skip a day or two.

But if you are tempted to smoke and thinking of giving in, go buy yourself a box of Step 3 patches. Step 3 will have the equivalent of 5 cigarettes a day. Since you're approaching 72 hours smoke free, starting the Step 3 patch will give you an opportunity to deal with your habit and oral fixation until you're ready to give up the nicotine part of smoking.

I found it easy to quit with the patch, because I didn't have to deal with nicotine withdrawal until I had already broken my smoking habit and reduced my associations of smoking and certain activities.

In short, stick with the cold turkey method for now. But if you lose your resolve, don't light a cigarette, simply go buy yourself the Step 3 patch system.

Nice work. Keep on going. There's nothing better you could do for your mind, body and spirit!!! Will be trying to follow in your footsteps!

There's an app called quit now that shows you how much money you've saved, when the nicotine is out of your system, when your respiratory improves, etc. It's a great motivator.

I do have to say that in my experience, 4 things have to happen:

1. You have to despise cigarettes. You have to feel incredibly guilty every time you light up, and it eats at you as you are taking each puff. If you do not, you are not ready to quit.
2. You have to want to quit for you. If you quit for someone else, even your closest kin or loved one, you are setting yourself up for failure. I quit because what I want is a healthy life and becaus I also want a hot wife. A hot wife stays hotter if she does not smoke, and her sexual libido lasts longer in life, years beyond a smoker's. I also do not want my future kids to grow up in a smoking household. But it is what I want.
3. If you are not in a low stress situation, the deck is stacked against you. Money issues, family issues, Just lost job and dealing with the EDD....be in a low stress situation, and you will eliminate half the triggers that make you smoke
4. Lastly, you have to be okay with gaining weight for a bit. You will eat more to counter the motion of smoking. Since you will eat more, you will gain weight. If you are not okay with that, or use that as an excuse, you will fail.

I am 35 days or so smoke free, and I gained 10 lbs in the first week, week 1/2. I can say today that I have lost it all back. I now do not even think about smoking with my coffee. It is a great feeling to not even THINK about smoking. I also went out to the theatres to celebrate my 31st day. It is the longest time since I was 13 that I had not had a cigarette. It was the first time I had been to the theatres in about 2 years. Just went by myself. It was nice.

Good luck to you! May you beat the wrath of Phillip Morris!

Keep on going. You are doing great, cold turkey the third day is always the worst. By day 6 it will be a lot easier. Hang in there
You will do fine.

watch this video! It will keep you motivated!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yskYG-EVlBY

and then this one:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FBJANtZq0cw

My husband quit cold turkey by using lollipops (temporarily for a couple of months) and chewing gum (he still does) when he got the cravings. Instead of lighting up, you chew gum or grab a lollipop. Even now, 12 years later, I can tell when he's feeling stressed (times when a typical smoker lights up) because he pops in a piece of gum. He carries a pack of gum around like a smoker carries a pack of cigarettes! He used to get pneumonia and bronchitis a lot, and he had an inhaler for his asthma - major reasons he decided to stop smoking. He has hardly been sick at all since he quit and the inhaler is a thing of the past. Good luck -I know you can do it! :flowerforyou:

I quit smoking April 2010 and it was not easy! But you made it 3 days and that is awesome! Only way from here is to keep going! When I craved one I ate a hard candy and I ate them all day long! When I was able to I went for a fast walk just to keep my mind off of it! I still lost 30lbs after quitting smoking so don't let that discourage you! Keep it up after 3 days its all mental from there!