Quit smoking >100 days ago.

oregonzoo · April 2014

way to go!!!
"D

ChaplainHeavin · April 2014

I quit smoking more than 100 days ago, just before the end of 2013. In that year I already did several attempts, some of which were successful for months, but eventually I started again. I see these as useful experiences.

So I quit again and in the 100+ days after that I discovered something had changed - I didn't have a single moment of temptation. Never did I want to smoke again. Every time I saw smokers, I held my breath to avoid breathing the smoke in.

Now I see smoking as a disgusting habit that's really bad for both short-term and long-term health and that makes people, including me, behave like addicts. And I really don't want that anymore. And I don't want to spend all that money!

Just wanted to share that for all of those who are struggling to quit. I hear a lot that it's hard to keep going and my story shows that it can be different. It can be really easy to not smoke!

Another advice: start doing cardio exercise before you quit. This creates a lot of motivation to quit, exercising is a nice way to deal with the stress of everyday life and you'll see the your performance will improve a LOT in the first weeks and months after you quit - so it's a really good way to find out how big the influence of smoking is on your body!

Quitting smoking was the hardest thing I've ever done. There were times I would break my cigarettes in half and throw them in the trash can only to retrieve them and try to smoke them. Haven't had a cigarette in 31 years. The smell makes me get physically sick, my teeth aren't yellow and I don't smell anymore from the smoke. Keep up the good work.

ooBombshellBeautyoo · April 2014

Congrats!! Never been a smoker, but I hear it's not easy!!

judykat7 · April 2014

Big congratulations to you! It is tough to quit smoking - I think of more as you just stop till the next one and hopefully the next one is decades away. Once you start to be offended by the smell of it on and around others though it a big step in never wanting to start again. Because... you really did stink like that too.

rkalin779 · May 2014

I quit...again...about 100 days ago too. Vaping does count as quitting smoking. It is a nicotine delivery system just like the patch and gum. It does not have any of the other thousands of chemicals associated with a cigarette. When I told my doctor I was using an ecig instead of smoking cigarettes he said I quit smoking. I started out at 24 mg nicotine and I just bought my first round of 12mg yesterday stepping it down from 18mg. I have not had the munchies, can breathe better, sleep better, and not bite my kids heads off because I am feeling antsy. I am so very happy for the ecig. It also allowed me to start my weight loss without feeling like at any moment I would pack on 45 pounds like I did when I quit cold turkey 2 years before. Plus during that time I felt like a crazy lunatic. I was not able to concentrate, would get pissed at the snap of a finger, eat, eat, eat, and eat. I haven't had to deal with that on the ecig. It took me six months to feel somewhat normal again quitting cold turkey. I LOVE my ecig and it has been a blessing for sure. My only advise on the ecig is find a flavor and stick with it. Typically with a cigarette you have brand and the flavor of the brand does not change. Sticking with a flavor has enabled me not to relapse.

RenFairFan · May 2014

Good job OP, I lost track after three years without smoking, but I still often think about how much happier I am. The way I quit was by doing nothing at all, just forcing myself (I tried all the methods you can imagine, finally hit success by doing nothing at all but just bearing the cravings through force of will).

JojoEffeckt164 · May 2014

I´m glad you quit! I still wonder why we don´t make smoking illegal! States are talking about a special tax for "unhealthy" groceries like butter while millions of people die because of smoking!

Dagnova · May 2014

Thanks for your compliments, I can tell you that I still quit and that will never change!

Great to read about all of you who quit, well done! I know it isn't easy to get there, I hope though that it is as easy for you as it is for me to not smoke again now that you quit!

I agree that it is important for smoking to be discouraged very strongly, it is so bad for people's health! I don't know if making it illegal would be an effective method, it really is an addiction and I think that making it illegal would encourage people to get buy their cigarettes from criminals and other people to become dealers. Here in Europe a package of cigarettes become more and more expensive, you pay around 5-6 euros for a package of 20 cigarettes (could be higher, I am not sure since it is a good while ago since I bought them) - and I think they want to increase prices to 10 euros per 20. Advertisement for smoking is not allowed and neither is it allowed to smoke in pubs in the Netherlands. Though a strange thing is that the government earns quite a lot of money from the taxes on cigarettes, making the party who should discourage the smoking the one of the parties who benefits the most from the practice.

I hope though that smoking becomes less and less and that it will become something of the past. Now that I can look back on the habit, without any desire to go back, I see how it really was just an addiction. Not worth my time, money and health at all, and it really does not make sense for anybody to smoke, other than that they are just addicted. Which I totally understand and I hope for their sake that they manage to break the addiction.

Now I remember that the concentration of addicting substances (nicotine) in cigarettes has gone up so that people (literally) stick with them. It's so bad that the industry wants to keep people addicted! Here's an article on that: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/24/opinion/even-more-addictive-cigarettes.html?_r=0

For those who are still trying to quit... you can PM me for support!

PJPrimrose · May 2014

Holy Mother of God (to whom I prayed daily) that SUCKED!!! I was a train wreck. A determined, cranky, *****y, horrible wife and mother train wreck. In the end I saved my family (who were supportive despite my horribleness) a ton of money, time and aggravation by quitting. It was so worth it! Go YOU!!!

JasonKnight85 · May 2014

Been 112 days for me now, definitely don't miss it. Loving the extra money saved however!

Dagnova · May 2014

@Jason & PJPrimrose - Oh yeah the money is great too. I quit about 140 days now. Let's say I smoked 2 packages per week. That would mean I would've smoked 20 (weeks) * 2 (packages/w) = 40 packages. 40 x 5 = 200 euros. That's a whole month of rent (I'm a student) or 1.5 month of groceries or enough money to do a (budget) weekend city trip in Europe about every month.

BTW I just save the money

ReneeCK · May 2014

Way to go, OP! :flowerforyou:

A lot of quitters on here, including me! Day 31 today! (It just felt sooo weird trying to lose weight and working out so hard "for my health and beauty" and then stick a cig in my mouth!)

rps67 · May 2014

I have a few days until I hit 300 days not smoking and I'm so looking forward to my 1 year anniversary on Aug. 1. It's been a tough year with a difficult pregnancy during which I wasn't allowed to exercise so I gained a lot of weight. I had to go back to running (just restarted c25K) at 4 weeks post-partum or I was going to take up smoking again. Baby is now 9 weeks and I've been doing a combo of running and weight training that I started at 6 weeks post-partum.

My husband smokes and every once in a while, I'll catch a wiff of his smoke and think I really want a cigarette. I've also had some stressful stuff going on and that really makes me want to smoke, but I haven't and I won't. I'm really proud that I've gotten through a bunch of struggles in the past year without giving in to nicotine.

tbenjamin73 · May 2014

First of all great job on kicking the habit! One of the best things I ever did for myself was quit smoking. I haven't had one in over 4 years now.

It took me a few relapses before quitting for good. Now even the smell of cigarette smoke repulses me.

Dieting while quitting smoking is a great idea!! I really wish I had gone that route. After you quit smoking food tastes sooo much better!

Again, congrats and stick with it!!

minky_r · May 2014

congratulations to you all!! I know this is not a quit smoking site...but its been 42 days quit for me after 33 years of smoking..also with 0mg nicotine vapor..It took me 6 months to lose 10lbs on MFP...mind you they were very heavy 10lbs

. Gained 5lbs on day 30 and lost it this morning:)
One question to you all; I am experiencing severe bloating..any of you experience this? and if so for how long? Thanks in advance.

SoreTodayStrongTomorrow222 · May 2014

woot woot go OP! good job - keep it up

Ulfgard · May 2014

I had my last smoke in Oct of 2002. smoked about 2-3 packs a day minimum and when I couldn't smoke I chewed. It took 3 bouts of pneumonia in a two year period to get me to quit.

Awesome work to everyone who's quit quitting or still trying to quit.

These_goto_11 · May 2014

Nice thread, I have been trying to quit since Oct 2013. Five days here, three days there.

So for my final quit, I'm on day two, 4 out of 6 days total, and those two days I smoked was only 4 smokes. I'm hoping this long weekend gets me through the rough part. I remember when I quit for five days, and going thru those emotions, I told myself I was never going to smoke and put myself through that again! Ha! Smoked the next day.

Congrats to everyone! Thanks for taking the time to post your success stories! When I get a craving, I'm going to come back to this thread!

psych101 · May 2014

Awesome job!

I quit in 2010. Can't even imagine doing it now

TriciannT · May 2014

I certainly did. I had no idea how much nicotine affected my metabolism. Even though I am on the move at work everyday it happened.

Quit smoking >100 days ago.

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