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I quit the first time I went to the desert...I was one of those "drinking smokers." I could go a month without smoking, but as soon as I would drink I wouldn't be able to think of anything else. Anyway, since we weren't allowed booze over there, I decided to quit smoking...then boredom set in and I took up dipping - I don't like Skoal, but that Apple Blend stuff is too damn good. Anyway, so i know have the occasional lip, but for the most part am clean.
Post by dunedingirl on Apr 25, 2006 11:00:07 GMT -5
I quit smoking 6 years ago, almost 7 in August. I had smoked for 25 years starting at 10 yrs of age(yeah, I know) and by the end was smoking about a pack and 1/2 a day. My hubby and I both quit on Jan. 2nd and I was good for a month, I wasn't very pleasant, but I didn't cheat. Then one night drinking I decided I would have just one. That turned right back in to smoking again. My hubby that August was turning 30 and I asked him what he wanted. All he asked for was for me to quit. I had about 3 months notice so I knew the exact date I was going to quit. I kept telling myself I could do it and I would never pick up a cigarette again after that date. I threw a huge party for him the weekend before and was so hungover the day after that I just threw out my pack then and said I was never going to smoke again and I haven't. It kind of took away the choice of "do I want one" or "maybe just one". I didn't say I was trying to quit smoking, I just was. I also had this vitamin I took that was"One a Day Tension and Mood Formula". They don't make it anymore but it was a vitamin with relaxing herbs in it. St. John's Wort, that kind of thing. You might want to look up on the internet what helps calm you down and take that for a month or so. It really made a huge difference. If I didn't take it my hubby would know immediately when he walked in from work. I was a LITTLE stressed to say the least! I hope it helps and I am really proud of you..It takes alot of willpower to not smoke but think of the money you will save and you can spend it at Roo. I will try to find what was in that stuff and I will lt you know what I find....
Post by dunedingirl on Apr 26, 2006 10:33:22 GMT -5
Taken straight from the One a Day website:I found an old webpage somewhere...Just normal multivitamin plus St. John's Wort and Kava Kava...easy to find and my god did it save my life(and my husband's probably)
the only time i ever successfully quit was backpacking for 30days straight, it made it a lot easier that there was no way to get smokes, but just walking and keeping busy with a lot of things makes it a lot easier not to even worry about it. my mom lost 45lbs when she quit, she would walk around the park everytime she had a craving, i was so sick of the local parks after a week of living with her- i still cringe at the thought of walking at the park
Post by dunedingirl on May 9, 2006 16:43:36 GMT -5
How is the smoking thing going? Haven't seen you post anything for awhile and was wondering if there was a reason...Did you start back or just got tired of the updates ???
How is the smoking thing going? Haven't seen you post anything for awhile and was wondering if there was a reason...Did you start back or just got tired of the updates ???
Hey, i havent been sitting in front of the computer as much, BUT, today is Day 24!!!!!! Im gonna stop counting days at 30, and start counting months
Day One was pretty easy for me. Mother's Day hanging out with Mom and Grandma was a good choice. Today (Day Two) will be the real test. I woke up feeling great today. I can really feel that there is a pack and a half of cigarettes less in my lungs than there would normally be.
I did, however, eat enough for two yesterday, but I'm at least planning on a couple of hours of excercise on weekdays. I started running a few weeks ago, and if the weather allows, I can't wait to see what it feels like today with clearer lungs.
Awesome!!! Keep it up. its your turn now. today is day 29, and as of Wednesday, (My Birthday) im going to stop counting days!
I QUIT SMOKING CIGARETTES!!!!!
I really did it. Its still hard to believe. Its Unreal.
Ka Mai, Best of luck. Remember, the first 10 days are hell, HELL, but you have to get past them. If you want to cave, and smoke, just wait until day 11. Then re-think it. The nicotine is going to try and convince your brain that you will fell better if you smoke. . . . . dont let it win! At the end of Day 11 is when i realized that i actually felt good again. I beat the nicotine.
Oh, and Water, Water, Water . . . . . and dont let your food consumption go way up. Counteract it with exersice.
I bought my self a new drum machine with some birthday money to keep me occupied. And some DVD's. I think I used to spend 2-3 hours a day smoking! I have a lot of time to think about cigarettes. It's been relatively easy until those last few hours of the day when I'm unwinding and really have free time. Then I think about it a lot. The worst feeling is when a "time for a cigarette" neuron fires and there's that split second where I reach for a lighter or a smoke without even realizing what I'm doing. Then I feel deprived. My first instinct at this point is to eat something, but I'm trying to replace it with yoga/walk/run or dust off the bass/home studio. I've probably practiced my bass more in the last two days than I have in years, and I did get a good five miles of walk/run in yesterday.
Congrats, mikede! You're inspiring! I'm really glad that this thread convinced me not to delay my quit to post-Bonnaroo.
It's really helpful to have a place to vent, because I'm making some effort to not be "only talks about the fact that he's quitting smoking guy" in real life.
Yeah, lucky for me i had a friend that was two weeks ahead of me with the quitting smoking, and i have this thread, and another on another board. It really helps to talk about it when you have the craving. I think saying I WANT A CIGARETTE helps a lot . . lol
Post by dunedingirl on May 16, 2006 8:25:44 GMT -5
It's really helpful to have a place to vent, because I'm making some effort to not be "only talks about the fact that he's quitting smoking guy" in real life.
Actually, I think that is all I spoke of for the first 3 or 4 weeks but after awhile you just kinda start to forget about it. I was REALLY annoying for the first month or two (my hubby would probably say I was just MORE annoying than usual) but smoking is such a huge part of your life and then to just stop it was all I could think about. You will stop talking about it all the time but if it takes you venting to get through it, then vent!
I did notice in your wedding pics that your wife was smoking also. Is she quitting with you? That was the only thing that saved me was my hubby quit too. Just keep doing what you are doing, it sounds like a really healthy and smart way to do it. I wish I had walked or done something healthy every time I wanted a smoke. I must of gained about 20 lbs when I quit but I finally got it off again and feel better every year. I put this info up on my fridge while I was quitting and it helped me realize why I was doing what I was doing...I apologize for the size of this post but I am just so happy to see all these people quitting smoking! ;D
from the American Cancer Society web page:
Benefits
When smokers quit, within twenty minutes of smoking that last cigarette the body begins a series of changes.
At 20 minutes after quitting:
blood pressure decreases
pulse rate drops
body temperature of hands and feet increases
At 8 hours:
carbon monoxide level in blood drops to normal
oxygen level in blood increases to normal
At 24 hours:
chance of a heart attack decreases
At 48 hours:
nerve endings start regrowing
ability to smell and taste is enhanced
The first year after quitting:
At 2 weeks to 3 months:
circulation improves
walking becomes easier
lung function increases
1 to 9 months:
coughing, sinus congestion, fatigue, shortness of breath decreases
1 year:
excess risk of coronary heart disease is decreased to half that of a smoker
Long-term Benefits of Quitting
At 5 years:
from 5 to 15 years after quitting, stroke risk is reduced to that of people who have never smoked.
At 10 years:
risk of lung cancer drops to as little as one-half that of continuing smokers
risk of cancer of the mouth, throat, esophagus, bladder, kidney, and pancreas decreases
risk of ulcer decreases
At 15 years:
risk of coronary heart disease is now similar to that of people who have never smoked
risk of death returns to nearly the level of people who have never smoked
Thanks for the list dunedingirl, I've already read it about 10 times (my nerve endings are growing back? What the hell does that mean?).
Day 4 is going great so far. I'm really not having a hard time except the 6pm-11pm time. At that time I really just need to keep busy. Go for walk. Play music. Watch movie. I feel great in the mornings. I'm really looking forward to an all-out run this afternoon (my knees were not cooperating on Monday for my first smoke-free run). I had a few beers hanging out with smoking people last night and it wasn't too bad. I had to be anti-social at points but they understood.
My wife is actually not quitting right now (she has end of the school year stress issues among other things), but we have stopped smoking inside which is a big help. Her and several friends all plan on quitting at the end of the summer, and it was very tempting to wait until then but right now I am so glad I decided to stick to my "when I turn 30" pledge.
Overall it feels way more like a great, wonderful thing to be proud of more than an agonizing, tortuous ordeal so far.
If I hadn't quit I would have put six packs of cigarettes ($42 by the pack in Chicago these days) in my body over the last four days!
Post by dunedingirl on May 17, 2006 15:50:59 GMT -5
Hey Mikede and KaMai,
I am so happy for both of you.. ;D
Mikede, Happy Birthday and Congratulations on your 30days..Now you can move to months, not days ONE MONTH...Think of that at what $4 a pack..even at 1 pk a day thats like your Bonnaroo ticket paid for!
KaMai,
I am sure your wife is really gonna cut back w/ you not smoking and not smoking indoors. She will probably cut her consumption in 1/2. I am glad you are finding outlets for your urges..I just screamed, bitched and moaned. Really not attractive but it worked for me
Yeah, what the hell does your nerve endings growing back mean...which nerve endings?... where?... did I need them in the first place?
I think you will find that you start tasting flavors more and beer was one of the things I noticed the most that tasted so much better...I found out a few years ago I am allergic to something in beer and I haven't drank it since but I can still remember what a really good cold beer tastes like. I really miss it..
Oh Well ,good luck on your run and keep us posted how you are doing!
Day 5 is going great. I have sooooo much energy its ridiculous. I just need to keep being really concious of the fact that I need to channel it properly or I will go nuts or get really stressed. I really feel like a different person. So far I've ran 1.5 or 2 miles and walked 3 or 4 miles 3 out of 4 days this week and done a light stretching/flexibility yoga routine every morning. I timed this pretty well in that nothing too stressful is going on in my life and I have a relatively light work load and plenty of excercise time. If circumstances force me to exercise less in the coming weeks, I will have to drastically reduce the number of compensatory cookies I have been eating (so far my weight has stayed the same, with the great amount of excercise balancing the excessive eating). I've also found the last two days that I have gotten a great deal of pleasure from nursing a single beer when I get through with work.
Its really weird how it doesn't feel at all like I thought it would. I don't really feel tempted to smoke. I have an unconcious impulse to "go smoke" about 100 times per day, and its a frustrating feeling to not be able to scratch that itch, but it does go away and if I conciously reward/stimulate myself with other things (cookies/excercise/music/movies) it really seems manageable so far. Two or three times a day I get in a mildly psychotic, super-hyperactive mood for twenty minutes or so, but so far I've dealt with that without biting anyone's head off or anything. I'm assuming it will get worse some time soon within the 10 days/two week threshold that everyone talks about, but I'm really feeling great so far.
Ok guys, this is my fourth time trying to quit smoking. I quit a few months ago, started again, HATED it, and now I'm quitting for good.
I'm on day 4 today, and all seems to be going well. I'm using the patch, as I've done in the past, but I tend to only use them for one week. It seems that it really helps psychologically. It's like if I can make it through a week without a cigarette, that's motivation enough for me to continue forward without the patch.
Kai, you mentioned the "time for a cigarette" neuron firing away without realization. I know exactly what you are talking about! I finshed dinner last night and walked over to my purse, reached in, and realized I was going for a cigarette! Then I felt that annoying little pang because of it.
Each time I've tried to quit and started back again, I learned a lesson. With everything I've learned so far from trying in the past, I really feel like I've got what it takes to quit for good this time.
I quit at the new year, cold turkey, after smoking for about 8 years. I still have rough cravings when I'm drinking and the occasional bout of serious frustration, but other than that, I've done very well. Unfortunately, I didn't put much planning into it and I've put on a ton of weight. I had no idea how much it would skew my appetite. The drinking and not smoking thing is killer and I think that is when I've gained the most. Instead of having some smokes with my beers, I'll eat a bunch of crap.
Oh well, I'm hanging in there and congrats to all of you in the process of quitting!
my friend kristin and her mom are now quitting. Day 2 for them. If she goes three days, then her brother will quit. . . . .pretty soon we are not gonna have smokers around to make us crave one!
Post by dunedingirl on May 19, 2006 8:52:29 GMT -5
That is what I found was the hardest part...to be around other smokers.
Have you ever watched a table of smokers? One pulls out a cigarette and lights it, then the next one pulls one out, and on and on. I used to laugh about it but all of my friends have quit smoking cigarettes now...just cigarettes, thank god! I figure if you are going to smoke you might as well get something out of it
Starting out Day 7 and it should be the easiest day yet. I was drinking at smoky bars last night and except for a few moments it really didn't bother me. I was sitting with people who were smoking at my table and even had a pack of Camel Lights sitting right in front of me. I drank many, many beers. The hangover is so much more gentle this morning than in would be with cigarettes. Today I'm going to the Sox Cubs game (which means I need to start drinking again in about an hour (10am ), but you aren't allowed to smoke anywhere near the field anymore, so that should be relatively easy. Then I'm going to a party my friend's family is throwing which is kind of a family-friendly, non-smoking scene.
I just got on the scale and I've actually lost a couple of pounds since quitting by combining overeating with about two hours of excercise a day. I probably won't get my excercise in over the weekend (and am really looking forward to a Comiskey Park hot dog or three), so hopefully I won't put on to much weight over the weeekend. My legs/knees were finally strong enough yesterday to run an honest two miles for the first time and it felt amazing. My lungs/heart felt like I could have run another two (I'm going to try to run in at least one 5k by the end of the summer).
It looks like I'll be cruising into the one week mark still waiting for this to get hard!
Today I'm going to the Sox Cubs game (which means I need to start drinking again in about an hour (10am ), but you aren't allowed to smoke anywhere near the field anymore, so that should be relatively easy.
God I miss Sox games.
I almost came out this weekend for the game tomorrow, but it wasn't going to happen with the flights/flying standby. Oh well, hopefully soon!
