Quitting smoking, again!
Options
jxspxr
Posts: 150
I just quit smoking about a week ago, after a relapse of 3-4 months, after I quit for 6 months or so (after smoking for 4 years).
During the relapse, I eventually smoked 3-4 packages per week, I think I did that for six weeks. What does this mean for my health? Was my first attempt useful for my health, do you think my body has to start the cleaning process all over again?
From the last time that I quit, I know that I can do it, I know how to do it and I know some extra pitfalls that I should avoid this time. I will not take smoking as lightly anymore as I did lately. It's really enough. No cigarettes, but also no other forms of tobacco. For life. Like I said before somewhere, smoking does not fit into my new life of being fit!
During the relapse, I eventually smoked 3-4 packages per week, I think I did that for six weeks. What does this mean for my health? Was my first attempt useful for my health, do you think my body has to start the cleaning process all over again?
From the last time that I quit, I know that I can do it, I know how to do it and I know some extra pitfalls that I should avoid this time. I will not take smoking as lightly anymore as I did lately. It's really enough. No cigarettes, but also no other forms of tobacco. For life. Like I said before somewhere, smoking does not fit into my new life of being fit!
0
Replies
-
So, what do you think?
By the way, I posted it in this area of the forum because I don't know where else to put it. But motivation is the most important thing to quit smoking and I need it every day, since I still feel tempted to go to the pumping station and get a package. Fortunately my motivation is so strong that it's not too hard to resist the temptation and I know the urge to smoke will erode away during the next days/weeks/months.0 -
2 Things -
1) I have a good friend who is actually a fully qualified doctor - long term damage isnt so bad if you quit before you hit the 30s
2) Nicotine its self isnt that bad for you - apart from it being addictive - its the smoke and chemicals that are...
What I did - Get an eCig ! Not the crappy one in the shops... something like an ego ce4... itll only cost about £10 and your oil for it - well thats about £5 per week tops... tastes great, its clean, and it makes giving cigs up a breeze as the vapor from these feels exactly like smoke and you get the same relief...
Hope that helps = ive been *kitten* free now for about 4 weeks - not a single craving0 -
I think - give up again. It's worth another try. You will be thankful that you can breathe better when exercising & the health benefits, well they speak for themselves....
20 minutes
Your blood pressure, pulse rate and the temperature of your hands and feet have returned to normal.
• 8 hours
Remaining nicotine in your bloodstream will have fallen to 6.25% of normal peak daily levels, a 93.75% reduction.
• 12 hours
Your blood oxygen level will have increased to normal and carbon monoxide levels will have dropped to normal.
• 24 hours
Anxieties have peaked in intensity and within two weeks should return to near pre-cessation levels.
• 48 hours
Damaged nerve endings have started to regrow and your sense of smell and taste are beginning to return to normal. Cessation anger and irritability will have peaked.
• 72 hours
Your entire body will test 100% nicotine-free and over 90% of all nicotine metabolites (the chemicals it breaks down into) will now have passed from your body via your urine. Symptoms of chemical withdrawal have peaked in intensity, including restlessness. The number of cue induced crave episodes experienced during any quitting day will peak for the "average" ex-user. Lung bronchial tubes leading to air sacs (alveoli) are beginning to relax in recovering smokers. Breathing is becoming easier and the lung's functional abilities are starting to increase.
• 5 - 8 days
The "average" ex-smoker will encounter an "average" of three cue induced crave episodes per day. Although we may not be "average" and although serious cessation time distortion can make minutes feel like hours, it is unlikely that any single episode will last longer than 3 minutes. Keep a clock handy and time them.
• 10 days
10 days - The "average" ex-user is down to encountering less than two crave episodes per day, each less than 3 minutes.
• 10 days to 2 weeks
Recovery has likely progressed to the point where your addiction is no longer doing the talking. Blood circulation in your gums and teeth are now similar to that of a non-user.
• 2 to 4 weeks
Cessation related anger, anxiety, difficulty concentrating, impatience, insomnia, restlessness and depression have ended. If still experiencing any of these symptoms get seen and evaluated by your physician.
• 21 days
Brain acetylcholine receptor counts that were up-regulated in response to nicotine's presence have now down-regulated and receptor binding has returned to levels seen in the brains of non-smokers.
• 2 weeks to 3 months
Your heart attack risk has started to drop. Your lung function is beginning to improve.
• 3 weeks to 3 months
Your circulation has substantially improved. Walking has become easier. Your chronic cough, if any, has likely disappeared. If not, get seen by a doctor, and sooner if at all concerned, as a chronic cough can be a sign of lung cancer.
• 8 weeks
Insulin resistance in smokers has normalized despite average weight gain of 2.7 kg (1997 study).
• 1 to 9 months
Any smoking related sinus congestion, fatigue or shortness of breath have decreased. Cilia have regrown in your lungs, thereby increasing their ability to handle mucus, keep your lungs clean and reduce infections. Your body's overall energy has increased.
• 1 year
Your excess risk of coronary heart disease, heart attack and stroke have dropped to less than half that of a smoker.
• 5 years
Your risk of a subarachnoid haemorrhage has declined to 59% of your risk while still smoking (2012 study). If a female ex-smoker, your risk of developing diabetes is now that of a non-smoker (2001 study).
• 5 to 15 years
Your risk of stroke has declined to that of a non-smoker.
• 10 years
Your risk of being diagnosed with lung cancer is between 30% and 50% of that for a continuing smoker (2005 study). Risk of death from lung cancer has declined by almost half if you were an average smoker (one pack per day). Risk of cancer of the mouth, throat, esophagus and pancreas have declined. Risk of developing diabetes for both men and women is now similar to that of a never-smoker (2001 study).
• 13 years
The average smoker able to live to age 75 has 5.8 fewer teeth than a non-smoker (1998 study). But by year 13 after quitting, your risk of smoking induced tooth loss has declined to that of a never-smoker (2006 study).
• 15 years
Your risk of coronary heart disease is now that of a person who has never smoked. Your risk of pancreatic cancer has declined to that of a never-smoker (2011 study - but note 2nd pancreatic making identical finding at 20 years).
• 20 years
Female excess risk of death from all smoking related causes, including lung disease and cancer, has now reduced to that of a never-smoker (2008 study). Risk of pancreatic cancer reduced to that of a never-smoker (2011 study).0 -
It took me a few tries to finally quit, but it's more than worth it. Just stick with it. I don't recommend any other kinds like chew or ecigs, they'll just send you back. Best of luck!0
-
It took a few tries for me, too. I finally used the patch and had great success. I don't remember the last time I smoked, but it's been at least 18 months. Good luck!0
-
As one who tried everything oodles of times, I quit a year and a half ago after 32 years, pack a day habit. Do I still want one? You betcha.
Change your routine.
Invest in cinnamon sticks, gum and chewing sticks (chewing sticks can be obtained at your local fresh market)
You CAN do it.0 -
I picked up smoking when I was 11 - I'm 18 now, and I've been 6 months cig free. Just keep sticking to it - I gave myself rewards everytime I reached a goal (cut down to 3/4 a pack for 1 month, 1/2 for another month, etc.) and it was also around that time I started to seriously work out/eat clean. Exercise definitely helped with the cravings, stress, overall happiness, and feeling the difference in my lungs when I ran was a huge incentive to keep cutting back. I wish you the best of luck!0
-
I used Chantix. It's been five years ago this coming October since I quit! The best advice can give you if you use Chantix is to use it for the FULL three months. I stopped one time after 7 or 8 weeks thinking, "I got this", but I didn't. A few months later I tried it again (when insurance decided to pay for it) and used it for the 3 months. I quit! I was scared and thought about asking for a 4th month but turns out I didn't need it!
You can do this! I smoked a pack a day for 17 years.0 -
I have been smoke free for a little over 4 months and I never want to smoke again. What helped me was the link below, it's a forum where you can talk to others who are/have quit smoking. I also read Allen Carr's "Easy way to quit smoking" Very motivational and inspirational! I have quit before in the past for like a day or 2 and I smoked for a few years. Whenever I think about smoking again I think about the fact of if I smoke then I will start the cravings again. One cigarette usually never ends at one cigarette, it is a repetitive pattern and it was designed by the makers that way to keep you being a slave to smoking. You can do this and be successful, it really sounds like you are ready to quit and it does not fit into your healthy lifestyle. Just take it one smoke freee day at a time! :flowerforyou:
http://quitsmoking.about.com/0 -
2 Things -
1) I have a good friend who is actually a fully qualified doctor - long term damage isnt so bad if you quit before you hit the 30s
2) Nicotine its self isnt that bad for you - apart from it being addictive - its the smoke and chemicals that are...
What I did - Get an eCig ! Not the crappy one in the shops... something like an ego ce4... itll only cost about £10 and your oil for it - well thats about £5 per week tops... tastes great, its clean, and it makes giving cigs up a breeze as the vapor from these feels exactly like smoke and you get the same relief...
Hope that helps = ive been *kitten* free now for about 4 weeks - not a single craving
I think there is some dangerous advice here:
1) The belief that you'll just quit later is common. How many smokers only buy one pack at a time because this pack will be his or her last? Don't all smokers in their 20's just assume they'll quit before it harms them? Did you know that according to the CDC, 70% of current US smokers want to quit - http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5129a3.htm. Of the current smokers surveyed between ages 45-64, 68.2% wanted to quit and 36.6% had quit for more than a day within the prior year. It's easier to said than done to just say "I'll quit when..."
Keep in mind what the number one killer of smokers is - cardiovascular disease. So if you're waiting around for your first sign, the first warning could be sudden death. You may be lucky and get more of a warning - you may get terminal cancer at 33 - http://whyquit.com/whyquit/BryanLeeCurtis.html
2) To say that nicotine itself isn't harmful, is far from accurate. Nicotine raises blood pressure, stimulates angiogenesis, and promotes tumor growth. Recently, a University of CA study "demonstrated for the first time that chronic nicotine treatment can induce the development of muscle sarcomas" http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0024320512001890Hope that helps = ive been *kitten* free now for about 4 weeks - not a single craving
I chuckled at this - if you're craving free, what is prompting you to get a fix from your e-cig? Do you like the way it tastes? Do you look cool doing it? Are you rebelling against your parents? Why are you spending any money on it if not to ease the symptoms of nicotine withdrawal?
Don't just "try" to quit again. Find out why you smoke, why you continue to even though you don't want to, why you should quit, why you relapsed, and find out how much long term quitters (greater than one year) quit smoking.0 -
when I quit tobacco about seven years ago, my health professional said that nicotine leaves the body within a week and within 12 months, your lungs are 95% as good as they were before you smoked.
If it was a slip up then your few packs a day has probably put you back a couple of months, but no more.
After another year, you will be back to the 95%
So well done, get some nicotine replacement gum, or whatever you fancy, and go for it.
Nicotine on its own is no where near as harmful as the crappy chemicals in tobacco - even E-cigs as mentioned above are an acceptable alternative.
Giving up smoke is worse than giving up heroin, im told. Well done for getting thus far.0 -
The E-cigs have helped me be smoke free for over a year and a half now, longest stretch since I was 12......not sure what the harm in that advice is. It has also helped two other people in my life quit who would not have done so without the help.0
-
My recommendations is cold turkey. If you are trying to quit smoking, then cut out all nicotine. Mind over matter... after the first few days it is all mental. Find something to replace the habit of smoking, chew gum in the car with the window cracked, etc. Download the Cessation Nation App.... it really helped me. You can do it, you just have to want to quit more than you want to smoke. Take a long hard look at why you smoke, your triggers, etc.0
-
Anytime you are not smoking you are doing your lungs a favor!! I smoked for 20 years and have been smoke and crutch free for 9 months and feel 1,000,000,000,000,000 times better (plus the pocket book $10/pack in Minnie). I used Chantix for 3 weeks and that was it. That said to quit for good you really have to have your mind set that it is something you know you are going to do, if you have any doubt in your mind, you will fail. Good luck and keep on trying!!0
-
My doctor told me that people are more successful if they use something to help them quit. He also said to use as many thing as needed to help me quit.
I used the patch and it worked really well for me, it helped take the edge off. You still get cravings but they only last a few seconds.
I will never start again! I feel so great and am doing things i never thought i could do (like run a half marathon...heck, like run at all!).
You can do it if you really want to! Just take it one day at a time.0 -
I think i may have not put my point across correctly....
I think there is some dangerous advice here:
1) The belief that you'll just quit later is common. How many smokers only buy one pack at a time because this pack will be his or her last? Don't all smokers in their 20's just assume they'll quit before it harms them? Did you know that according to the CDC, 70% of current US smokers want to quit - http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5129a3.htm. Of the current smokers surveyed between ages 45-64, 68.2% wanted to quit and 36.6% had quit for more than a day within the prior year. It's easier to said than done to just say "I'll quit when..."
Keep in mind what the number one killer of smokers is - cardiovascular disease. So if you're waiting around for your first sign, the first warning could be sudden death. You may be lucky and get more of a warning - you may get terminal cancer at 33 - http://whyquit.com/whyquit/BryanLeeCurtis.html
My reply: I dont mean it in the sense of wait till your 30 but the more you stress over it the harder it will be, so take your time, baby steps, and wean off it...
2) To say that nicotine itself isn't harmful, is far from accurate. Nicotine raises blood pressure, stimulates angiogenesis, and promotes tumor growth. Recently, a University of CA study "demonstrated for the first time that chronic nicotine treatment can induce the development of muscle sarcomas" http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0024320512001890
My reply: So does coffee.... but the point is its a way to wean off them and it works better than any patches, or gum, and you can slowly lower the nicotine strength... ive tried NLP treatement (the same guy who treated Ewan MGGregor actually), patches, gum, everything, and the only thing that worked was this and it made quitting so so very easy, ie not one bad craving.... in 2 months i went from 20 a day to having around 1ml of 0.3mg strength nicotine ejuice per day maximum... basically im now smoking rthe equivelent of less than a quarter of a silks super light.... the point is you cna instantly stop taking in the main harmfuls you get from smoking ....Hope that helps = ive been *kitten* free now for about 4 weeks - not a single craving
I chuckled at this - if you're craving free, what is prompting you to get a fix from your e-cig? Do you like the way it tastes? Do you look cool doing it? Are you rebelling against your parents? Why are you spending any money on it if not to ease the symptoms of nicotine withdrawal?
LOL oh dear.... smoking is a habit... some people enjoy the act of smoking and the taste.. as i did... the thing i miss now is the actual taste and smoke.... somethning im about 1 week away from being able to do completely nicotine free....
No need to be arrogant against someone trying to help who has recently gone through the stopping smoking process....0 -
I quit many, many, many, many times before it finally took.0
-
@Benjib - Well done on quitting. You have some good points. If the e-cigs works for you, go for it, I have no experience with them, but the fact that they have no chemicals in them that harm your body, like cigarettes do, makes a huge difference! (Edit: ok nicotine is not completely safe, but on the level of coffee as you mention). So, you've my respect!
For me - I prefer to let go of smoking and nicotine in general - I feel a strong motivation to keep going and to get rid of it completely. Also, I don't think an intermediate step would work for me. My strong motivation gives me so much momentum now that I think the chance of smoking this month is less then 10% or so - which is good. After that it will get smaller and smaller - but I've learned that I should always stay on guard.
I will use something like e-cigs if I fail during the next 3 months of this attempt.0 -
It can be done. I have been smoking for 7 years. Back in 2011 I quit for a few months. Then I relapsed and just continued smoking again. Now I am starting all over again, trying to quit, but this time it will be forever. Just as with every other addiction, everyone knows it is bad, however other people will not motivate you, anti-smoking commercials or scientific researches will not make you quit unless you strongly desire and decide to make that change. Most of the time people don't have that strong desire to quit, they just want to avoid the negative effects of smoking. It will be easy if you find that motivation and make sure it comes from within, bad habits can be changed with reprogramming your mind on a subconscious level.
Oh and green juices or smoothies in the morning help a lot as well.
0
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 391.9K Introduce Yourself
- 43.5K Getting Started
- 259.8K Health and Weight Loss
- 175.7K Food and Nutrition
- 47.3K Recipes
- 232.3K Fitness and Exercise
- 399 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.4K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.5K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 152.8K Motivation and Support
- 7.9K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.3K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.4K MyFitnessPal Information
- 23 News and Announcements
- 979 Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.4K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions