How hard is this going to be???? - Smoking Cessation Message Board

Allison1125 · 07-15-2005, 12:38 PM

hi there...i'm 25 years old & i've been smoking for maybe 8-10 years. not a lot...sometimes 5 cigarettes a day, sometimes a pack a day. the past few months i've been in the 10 or less a day area. my boyfriend smokes as well. well, we made a bet & i lost. the loser has to do whatever the winner says. he decided that we both have to quit smoking. i tried telling him that making somebody quit doesnt work. my ex always tried to make me quit & it used to get me mad...he was very nasty about it. and it never worked.

my boyfriend explained to me why he wants me to quit...he was very sweet about it & it made me think what the heck am i doing to myself? this is the dumbest habit ever! i lost my mother to breast cancer in october...she was a smoker. i realize now that i'm at a higher risk so why should i help it along?

i do want to quit, but i dont think i'm ready. its not that i crave cigarettes all the time. i can have like 2 or 3 in a day & be happy. i just like to smoke. i like the feeling. i like to drive in my car have a smoke. i like to just sit down for a few minutes & relax with a cigarette & a glass of wine. i like that cigarette after a meal, and the one before bed. i like to smoke when i'm out having a few drinks.

what do i do here? do i quit cold turkey? do i limit myself to a certain number each day and gradually work my way down? my bf & i are going to try to work out some sort of plan. am i ready for this? how hard is this going to be? any comments would be greatly appreciated...

pageaday · 07-15-2005, 06:48 PM

Hi Allison,
Quitting smoking is one of the best decisions that you can make for your self and to do so at 25 is to give yourself years of freedom from a unhealthy habit that is never easy to break no matter how long or short a time you've been a smoker.
How you quit is a matter of what works for you. I used the patch and found that that helped with dealing with the cravings and the physical withdrawal from nicotine. But which ever method you decide to use the first two weeks are the toughest but they are manageable as long as you remain comitted to your quit.
Allison, you should think about making this quit about you and what you want and not about a bet with your boyfriend. When you quit for yourself it gives you a strong resolve to remain quit no matter what life throws at you. But this bet could be a big turning point in your smoking, and it looks like you and your boyfriend are thinking about quitting.
Before I quit I cut down on my smoking and did a lot of research on the net,then when I felt ready to give up, I went to a smoking cessation councellor, joined quit smoking forums and tough it out many times! And I am really happy I made this decisions to quit.
I wish you luck.Allison.You could'nt be doing yourself a better favour than quitting now.

mfh · 07-15-2005, 11:28 PM

You've already taken the first step, which is to realize that smoking is dangerous and unhealthy.

If you don't feel you are ready to quit - don't quit. You won't be successful anyway. Since you don't smoke very much, try to keep it to a minimum and smoke half cigarettes when possible. Remind yourself everyday that you plan on quitting.

Then one day, you will realize the time has come and you'll do it. Stay strong.

Tobias · 07-16-2005, 09:09 AM

Hi Allison:

The beginning of being a former smoker is feelings such as you're having right now. You're seriously considering it and that's good. As to how hard it will be, I won't lie - it's not easy! I can identify with all your feelings. I too loved to smoke. I haven't had a cigarette in almost 3 1/2 yrs and I still could light up and would probably thoroughly enjoy it.

There are many ways to stop including all the possibilities that you list plus a few more which include the use of nicotine replacement and/or Rx medication (zyban). I smoked for 38 years, mostly a pack a day, and it took me many tries before I succeeded. I tried everything from cold turkey to tapering off to nic replacement. I never tried zyban however, so I can't tell you too much about that. In the final analysis, what worked was nicotine replacement. Tapering off just made the remaining smokes that I "allowed" myself that much more important and hard to give up. I failed at cold turkey several times.

You are fortunate in one sense: you are young and to stop smoking now (instead of 30 years from now like me) means that you may escape the health consequences of the smoking you have done.

Tobias
(I had to re-enroll under a new handle after I deleted all my cookies and couldn't log on!

so now I am Tobias2

Allison1125 · 07-16-2005, 08:48 PM

thanks for your replies everyone. i've been thinking about it a lot & i really do think its a good idea for me to do this...duh...of course its a good idea! i'm just really concerned about how to handle it. i though about nicotine replacement but i'm not sure its the nicotine that i'm addicted to though i'm sure that sounds stupid. i think i'm more addicted to the action of smoking. i must be strange...i just love holding the cigarette...breathing it in...flicking the ashes. do they sell something that mimics the act of smoking without actually smoking?

i've been noticing lately that i've been coughing a lot though i havent been sick in months. that freaks me out. i dont want to be one of those people with the constant smokers cough. and i also find that when i'm talking, i'm always doing that "uh-hum" clearing the throat thing. this bothers me too. i recently started running & i'm sure quitting would make my life a whole lot easier. i also wouldnt mind the extra money in my pockets seeing as how i'm a poor struggling college student.

i tried to take it easy yesterday...i had 7 smokes. today, i had 7 as well but i'm really wanting that before bed smoke. my bf & i havent had the talk about what we plan on doing yet. i thought i should get a few ideas from all of you experienced people. he hasnt stopped yet either. so i'll probably cave tonight & have 8. thinking that maybe i'll allow myself only 6 for the next couple of days & then drop it down to 5. is this a good idea? i think the after dinner & before bed ones are going to be the hardest to kick.

please let me know if there is some kind of fake cigarette that they sell. i think that would be excellent for me. also, how do you guys feel about the patch? think that will help to keep me from wanting to go through the actions? this is crazy. its starting to make me angry how involved this is. it should be so easy right? i'd love to smack the 1st person who came up with the idea!