My quit day - Smoking Cessation Message Board

Sue74 · 07-07-2005, 04:05 PM

I had my last cigarette just before midnight last night, the 6th. I quit about two weeks ago for five days only to start back in again on the sixth day. I do not want that to happen to me again. It seems I will look for any excuse I can to start smoking again even though I really do not want to be a smoker anymore. I feel like I'm giving up my best friend and what ever will I do with out my "best friend?" I have smoked on and off since 1973. In the past I would use a smokeless tobacco in the place of smoking. I would get addicted to that and want to quit, only to go back to smoking to get off the smokeless tobacco. I do not want to be using any form of tobacco, but it is sooooo hard for me to quit. I feel lost and I don't know what to do with myself. In previous attempts of quitting I find that I do ok up to the fourth or fifth day and then I get weak. The normal amount of cigs per day for me is around 10....although I would smoke some of it, put it out and relight it the next time I wanted to smoke. Quitting is not fun, but I am determined to do it this time. Just a little tid bit of information to help with the cravings....sip some grape juice when you have the urge to smoke....haven't tried it yet, but I was told that it eases the cravings and also helps rid your body of the nicotine faster. I am really anxious to see what it's like to be a non smoker.

BelindaG · 07-07-2005, 04:41 PM

Sue74 - YOU CAN DO IT! I quit March 27! I know what you mean about losing your "friend". However, cigarettes are not really our friend - they are killing us! They make us numb emotionally, they also charge to be our friend, make us smell bad, and ostracize us from many situations. Yes, they give us something to do with time and something to focus on. But, you can learn to do something else with your time - and learn to focus without them too. It's not easy in the beginning but you can do it. You can make it past that 5th and 6th day. I finally had to realize that I am an addict. Not just someone with a bad habit. That seems to be the nice way we've all come to accept smoking by referring to it as a simple habit. WE know it's much more than that! Realizing I'm an addict and that I had given up control of my life helped me put my mind in the right place to succeed. I watched a show about a day in the life of a crack addict. They go about their business, score some crack, do the crack, go about their business, score some crack, do the crack. The pattern is really no different than what we do as smokers. Our addiction is different because it is accepted out in the open. As addicts we need to be aware of the urges and do our best to walk away from them. Count to 30, count to 60. Urges only last seconds and you can make it through them. They will hit you with less urgency and less frequently as time passes.

I strongly suggest a book called, "If only I could quit". It has daily affirmations and true stories of others who have quit. These personal stories helped me with the aloneness.

Again, you can do it. You can know what it is like to not smoke! Best of luck to you. B

Johnsternow · 07-07-2005, 05:35 PM

GREAT JOB BelindaG and Sue74!!!

Welcome both of you!!! I am with BelindaG 100% that these cravings turn into seconds until they fade away to nothing. Do everything you can not to trust that dirty rotten friend. It is a snake and a wolf in sheep’s clothing. It has lied to you, robbed you of money and years. Smelled up and ruined your clothes, car and home. It also took the lives of some friends and loved ones before their time and is trying to kill you. This is no friend! RUN AWAY!!!! It’s a monster and YOU WILL BEAT IT!!!!! GO, GO, GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YOU CAN DO IT!!!!!!!!!!!

Sincerely

JohnD

Deda · 07-07-2005, 11:51 PM

Congratulations to both Sue and Belinda--way to go!

Sue, I know exactly what you mean by losing your best friend. I quit almost 22 months ago, (after smoking 1 to 1 1/2 pks a day x 30 years, and quit at least 10 x). I would feel SO sad and depressed for quite a while after I quit, (every quit this happened too.) I would actually sit around and think to myself, "I guess I'll never truly feel happy again". I found out, finally, through this final quit, IT'S NOT TRUE!!!

Yes, I felt the blues, oh for months, truthfully, about the loss of this "friend". John is SOOO right...it is NOT your friend! I love your description there John..."a snake and wolf in sheep's clothing". But guess what? That feeling of loss and sadness will one day go away, and NOT come back, if you stick with it long enough! I promise you! I didn't think it was possiible, but it is! I hate smoking so much now. I hate to smell it, see them on the shelves in stores, hate seeing butts on the ground, and hate to see people smoking...especially teenagers! I hate the fact that I did smoke all of those years, and regret so much that I ever started, and wish I HAD quit while I was really young. I did try, the first time after I had only been smoking about 18 months. I just didn't try hard enough, and I wasn't patient enough. Please be patient...those feelings of losing your friend will go away, and one day you will think of them only as your enemy. It just takes time for your body and thinking to go back to "normal". Be strong, you can do it! I KNOW you can! I always felt that I wasn't truly capable of quitting for good, yet here I now sit, with 22 months under my belt, and still have a firm resolve that I will NEVER smoke again.

AND I REALLY MEAN IT THIS TIME!!!!! If you REALLY, TRULY want to quit, well, you will!! Use patches or gum, (NRT) if you have to. I HAD to use NRT myself, or I would've never accomplished this. Take up a new hobby...puzzles, reading, music, walking, (exercise is great, and you will grow to love it!) I now walk everyday, I bought a nice treadmill, and a recumbant bike. But most of all, I love walking outdoors. I go to different parks and walk, so I don't get bored! And now I can hold up my head high...no more shame or embarrassment over being a loser--smoker!
Let us know whenever you need advice, encouragement, or just want to vent. We're here for ya!
Deda

urdanyc · 07-08-2005, 01:50 PM

Sue74,

Congratulations!
I recently quit smoking and it has been the best decision of my life (starting to smoke being the worst). I am writing to give you encouragement and tell you that you are so smart and brave for not smoking. When I first quit, I felt like I was back in Kindergarten because I needed so much encouragement from people, it really, really helped. I would tell my husband, "I want to smoke right NOW." and he would go into a 10-minute monologue about how proud he is and how brave I am. So I want to do the same for someone else...

I quit cold turkey. One day I had only one cigarette and felt so amazing about myself that I decided not to have any the next day, and I got addicted to how good I felt psychologically, it was like a self esteem boost. I also started to drink MASSIVE amounts of water which made me feel generally healthier...now I carry a huge bottle of water everywhere I go, and when I want a cigarette I just gulp water. And likes someone said, the cravings hardly last all day, it's just a few seconds or a few minutes, and then you focus on something else. You just need a coping mechanism so that you don't give in during those few minutes.

Also set up a reward system for yourself. For example, I invested in a personal trainer 2-3 times a week. It's expensive, and I just remind myself that if I were to smoke again, working out with a trainer would be a waste of money, because I get so much more out of my workouts when my lungs are clear and I can finally take a super deep breath.

GOOD LUCK, I promise you can do it with enough focus. And surround yourself with people who are aware of what a tremendous challenge this is and that you may at times feel depressed.