trying to quit smoking..

OneHalf said:
It took me probably 8 tries to actually quit. The first time was a "forced" quitting when I entered basic training. I immediately bought a pack on my way home after graduating basic.


I will claim to have successfully quit since it has been over 27 years since I smoked. I had been waking up and spitting up solid little balls of phlem. And I was YOUNG!. I found I wasn't really enjoying it any more. I used to love opening a fresh pack and smelling the tobacco. I didn't even get out of bed before lighting up. I would smoke before going to the gym to work out and as soon as I left. I would stop while backpacking for a smoke break. etc. But I finally decided I didn't want ANYTHING controlling me and my daily routine. (of course this was pre children LOL)
I quit. And 3 days later I almost caved. I was working and a fellow contractor came in to a very small space to talk with me about his project. He was a HEAVY smoker and he just STUNK!!! That ended the urge for the moment. When I asked my coworkers if I had smelled like that they said yes. It was all I could do to not vomit while we were talking (the smoker and I). That didn't end all my urges but it took for that day. 3 days, 3 weeks, 3 months, 3 years.... I kept reminding myself of this. 3 days to detox, 3 weeks to end the addiction, 3 months to end the habit, 3 years to create a new lifestyle.

IT DOES GET BETTER.

Here's a funny. Every night for at least 6 months I had the same dream/nightmare.

I was in a room. No lights. No furniture. No windows. Just a door with a little light splashing in from the hallway. I'm standing there in the room. Just me and a dead body at my feet. Person had obviously been stabbed many times. I look up and can see blood splatter on the walls from the hall lights. I look back down. I see myself - blood all over me. A knife in one hand. A cigarette in the other. And I hear someone coming down the hall and know they will see me. Standing there......

With a cigarette in my hand, smoking.
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Thanks for sharing your experience. Congrats on your success!!!

I failed. Light up today:/
Yup, I’ve got nightmares too, every night, always something to do with being desperate for a smoke. I think it’s because the body is craving.
 
i had acupuncture top of ear. Had to go into hospital for cardiomyopathy (enlarged heart, virus) Discharged from hospital got home wife threw away all remnants of tobacco. Never used tobacco again.
 

Zone said:
Thanks for sharing your experience. Congrats on your success!!!

I failed. Light up today:/
Yup, I’ve got nightmares too, every night, always something to do with being desperate for a smoke. I think it’s because the body is craving.
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Don't beat yourself up enjoy your cigarette and when you finish it start over.

“Failure is not the opposite of success; it’s part of success.”- Arianna Huffington
 
RubyK said:
I quit cold turkey and it was one of the most difficult things I've ever done. Ciggies still smell good to me.

@Aunt Marg ~ You have a good start. Don't give up.
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Thank you so much, Ruby!

I can't believe it, but I'm sitting at the 7 week mark and I haven't cracked yet! I won't lie, there has been a few trying days where I thought I was done for, but I managed to drag myself over the dips and humps and I'm still remaining strong.

I'm applying my standard mantra to the smoking thing... "one day at a time".
 
Aunt Marg said:
Thank you so much, Ruby!

I can't believe it, but I'm sitting at the 7 week mark and I haven't cracked yet! I won't lie, there has been a few trying days where I thought I was done for, but I managed to drag myself over the dips and humps and I'm still remaining strong.

I'm applying my standard mantra to the smoking thing... "one day at a time".
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You’re doing great Marg. You’ve got this.
Now you’ll need a new avatar. Lol
 
Zone said:
Thanks for sharing your experience. Congrats on your success!!!

I failed. Light up today:/
Yup, I’ve got nightmares too, every night, always something to do with being desperate for a smoke. I think it’s because the body is craving.
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Been there - done that, many times before.

Tomorrow is a new day, Zone! :)
 
Zone said:
Aww.. thanks Aunt Bea for your encouragement:)
I did, enjoyed the cigarette:p
I will have to start all over again.
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Zone they say cigarettes are more addictive than heroin. If you mess up today...start over tomorrow. Find something to do with your hands and maybe try chewing some gum. I ended up doing crochet and chewing gum and going for walks after meals and changing my morning routines too.
 
It was the hardest thing I have ever done in my life, I absolutely loved to smoke, so much so that when I decided to cut down, my thoughts were consumed with the countdown of how many minutes to wait before I allowed myself the next one. My girlfriend and I used to smoke our heads off over lunches for years and it wasn't until we were in our 50s that she started to develop a bad cough which has now developed into serious health problems. Fear enabled me to stop. So IMO, if you are not afraid - you keep going.
 
mellowyellow said:
It was the hardest thing I have ever done in my life, I absolutely loved to smoke, so much so that when I decided to cut down, my thoughts were consumed with the countdown of how many minutes to wait before I allowed myself the next one. My girlfriend and I used to smoke our heads off over lunches for years and it wasn't until we were in our 50s that she started to develop a bad cough which has now developed into serious health problems. Fear enabled me to stop. So IMO, if you are not afraid - you keep going.
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I ended up with asthma and COPD after 2 pks a day for 25 yrs.
 
MarciKS said:
How's it going for you? Any luck kicking the habit yet?
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It's going surprisingly well, Marci.

Unlike other times I have tried to quitting... unsuccessfully, I have no cigarettes in the house this time around, and that's proved to be a saving grace for me a few times.

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Years ago when I took care of my grandson in the late evenings, I would lie down on my daughter's bed to sleep till she came home from work. And when she drove me home I smelled like a smoke stack & so the next day I would shower, and wash my clothes to get rid of the odor. I used to smoke while on the computer, but was not tempted to at other times, so it wasn't too difficult to quit completely, eventually.
 
For some cold turkey is too much. I couldn't manage it. I turned into a real 🤬. I found it easier to ween down and then I got the patch and then eventually the Commit lozenges. Those worked really well but they were gross.
 
MarciKS said:
Zone they say cigarettes are more addictive than heroin. If you mess up today...start over tomorrow. Find something to do with your hands and maybe try chewing some gum. I ended up doing crochet and chewing gum and going for walks after meals and changing my morning routines too.
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Thanks for sharing your experience MarciKS.
Yes, I take walks everyday, took up Taichi and learn to play the recorder😅
 
Hey, good luck with it. I have never smoked, mostly just by luck not wisdom. However I have lived with and around lots of smokers and know how hard it can be to quit. Hope you are sucessful.

Had an uncle who had smoked many years ago, he always said quitting wasn't too bad, the first 30 years were the worst! Hope you can say something like that one day...
 

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