Quit smoking (encouragement thread)!

[puffin]

I agree Maya. I have full respect for these people. I would never think of saying anything to hurt there feelings. They have done so much for me. I wouldnt be where i am now if it wasnt for them. I dont like to see them harm themselves but i know the deep down depression is what makes them harm themselves without a second thought.

[mophoto]

i thought this was an encouragement thread ...

i can't stop crying and i want i cigarette more than any of you will ever know (except those who are trying to quit smoking). this truely is the hardest thing i have ever tried to do - ignore my previous post where i made it sound like a bed of roses. life sucks.. i would rather die a premature death than feel like this anymore.....
sorry- i hope this feeling will pass. at least i am still not smoking...

good luck everyone trying to quit.... you will need it.

[mophoto]

this thread is totally encouraging... i am just a little bent out of shape right now... sorry.. ignore everything i post for the next month...... i am evil

[kriz]

Mophoto, think about nicer skin, new energy, a positive smoke-free life...... Sit down for a nice cup of tea instead of a cigarette.

[Pob]

Remember, also, that the bad times as you give up are incredibly short in the scheme of things. It may feel like you are going to feel like crap forever, but it's not true. Take a big deep breath (bet you couldn't do that when you smoked) and do a bit of exercise. Run up and down the stairs. Eat fruit until you are stuffed.

Just think of all the cigarettes you smoked that weren't enjoyable. The ones you smoked even though you had a bad throat, or a cold, or the flu. The ones that tasted crap, hurt your throat, made you feel sick.

Keep at it, guys, you're all doing fantastic

[RedWellies]

You can do it, Mophoto. Stick at it, I'm sure it will get easier.

[scruffyhead]

toma hawk its like Rob(QC) said there is no easy way!. you just have to go for it and quit! sure there is the cold turkey period, it will pass..on the day you quit, make a date in six months time and say to yourself i will start again then!! i think the biggest thing that makes it hard to quit is that you know you will never have a cig again. So by giving yourself a starting date you take away that feeling. Then in six months time and you havent had a cig, hopefully by then you wont want to start. GOODLUCK

[poppy seed]

i thought this was an encouragement thread ...

i can't stop crying and i want i cigarette more than any of you will ever know (except those who are trying to quit smoking). this truely is the hardest thing i have ever tried to do - ignore my previous post where i made it sound like a bed of roses. life sucks.. i would rather die a premature death than feel like this anymore.....
sorry- i hope this feeling will pass. at least i am still not smoking...

good luck everyone trying to quit.... you will need it.

It is really, really hard to quit smoking - but it's not impossible and you are doing great - you are! I found that keeping a journal - where I could spew out all of the venom that was clouding my mind (and there was a LOT of it!) - was really helpful. Just remember that these awful feelings you are having is really just your brain getting rid of the all the poisons that cigarettes fill you with. You are getting clean - and it will be so worth it! Good luck!

[kriz]

Quitting smoking is the most important thing I've done in my life... besides going vegan, of course. Whenever I feel bad about about myself I think about how I actually did accomplish those two things...

Smoke-free becomes a habit too, you'll see, Mophoto.

[mophoto]

thanks red, poppy seed, rob, and kriz ( you are always the voice of reason)

i thought since i could become a vegan overnight- that allowed me to lose 50 pounds and get off my anti depression meds- that quitting smoking would be just as easy.... i just can't stop crying... i was roped into going to the bar where i secretly bought a pack of smokes... i have had 3 (that is good for me) i will destroy that pack tonight and stay the hell away from the bar and beer..... quitting wasn't as hard as i thought ( i imagined having cravings all the time, not the case) -- still highly difficult... i got together a bunch of books i was going to read to take my mind of the cigs, but it is really hard to focus on anything, now i am just watching a lot of movies... and i just cry all the time.. it is actually kinda funny, but not when i am crying my eyes hurt

the day before i quit, i went to the book store to get a self help book and they didn't even have one....eeeeeeeeeeee
i went online to find a real life support group and couldn't find one either...they have nicotine anonymous- just not in my area- and it is like AA where you have to believe in a higher power- not ready to do that yet, either. i wish i could be locked up in a cell and put in a comma for a month, that would actually help

[veganwitch]

Mophoto, I hope today is going better for you. I can't even begin to imagine how awful you must feel. I really give you so much credit for going through with this. You'll find the strength you need to get through this....vegan power, you know

As far as support groups, have you looked into yahoo groups? They seem to have groups for just about everything. For a real life group I wonder if your local hospital would have info about that? I know my dentists office offers some sort of help w/ quitting.

Good luck. You really are doing great so far

[mophoto]

thanks but i am doing terrible vegan power doesn't work so well when it comes to smoking i need to lay off of the beer!! i am going to check into the hopsital thing. thanks...
another reason i want to quit is to go to the local vegan potluck, i would feel so lame if i had to go out for a smoke....

one day at a time, as they say in AA

how's everyone else doing???

[kriz]

Sorry you're feeling so bad today. I wish there were more support groups around like AA for people who are trying to quit smoking. I think your withdrawal symptoms will pass after a week or two, mophoto.... hang in there. We are many ex-smokers here who understand what you're going through right now. And we also know what difference it makes in our lives not smoking. It's worth all the pain.

[kriz]

What about this forum? www.stopsmokingcenter.net/support

[mophoto]

thanks for the link, kriz

i totally fell off of the wagon today. it was my first time trying to quit and i felt like such a failure... 2 of the 4 friends i quit with (2 didn't make it past the first day) are doing so good and they actually made me feel better by telling me that no one usually makes it on the first attempt. i thought they would be disappointed. i have a new game plan, my next attempt will be within the month and it will work on this attempt i learned that i cant smoke while drinking and think i won't do it when sober.... good lesson. if you are a true smoker, you can never have another cig, or it is all over....

[mophoto]

I found that keeping a journal - where I could spew out all of the venom that was clouding my mind (and there was a LOT of it!) - was really helpful.

excellent idea, i am going to try that also

[veggiewoman]

I will find out the name of the book later today if I can , but a brief description.
My brother who smoked for about 5years and who did pychology and university, my mum bought him this book where you read a chapter a week over a 4 week period. It says that by the end of the month/book you will give up smoking.
My brother did and the thought of smoking after reading this book even put my brother off for life.
The reason I put up that he did pyschology at university , IMO I just think that he would know most of the "pychological tricks" in the book.
Anyway, I will find out the name or at least try later today.

[mophoto]

that would be excellent, thanks

[Pob]

if you are a true smoker, you can never have another cig, or it is all over....

Yep - even 2 years after I quit I know that just one puff would be suicide.

I used to smoke the odd joint before I gave up, I just know that if I had one now I would be back smoking cigarettes full time. I actually started with smoking pot rather than cigarettes when I went to uni. I had always been anti-smoking up to that point.

[rianaelf]

thanks for the link, kriz

i totally fell off of the wagon today. it was my first time trying to quit and i felt like such a failure... 2 of the 4 friends i quit with (2 didn't make it past the first day) are doing so good and they actually made me feel better by telling me that no one usually makes it on the first attempt. i thought they would be disappointed. i have a new game plan, my next attempt will be within the month and it will work on this attempt i learned that i cant smoke while drinking and think i won't do it when sober.... good lesson. if you are a true smoker, you can never have another cig, or it is all over....

ah well i am not getting anywhere at all so far

every nite b4 i go to sleep i fill my head with all these amzing sound resaons why i don't need to smoke anythink <well at least in the morning> and every morning i wake up and hav a coffee and a rollup, THEN i remember what i said to mys elf b4 i went to sleep but its too late and i hav to leave it for the nxt day, hopeless i am

[Hemlock]

I'm speechless! Was talking about giving up smoking on another forum and one of the women on there who is 2 years younger than me (42) came out with a blinder. She says she has already had a stroke, heart attack and cancer but she's still smoking like a train and you could die getting run over any time. She seems to be under the impression she's fine now and can see no good reason to give up the ciggies WTF!
I would be freaking out if I had all those conditions at such a young age!!!!
I can't even be bothered to argue with someone that thick! i have nuutheeng to say!

[veggiewoman]

http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P...98.01.LZZZZZZZ

Allen Carr's Easy Way to Stop Smoking
Allen Carr

this is the name of the book I was talking about earlier today .


good luck

[laurin]

YAY! YOU CAN DO IT!

[sheri beri]

a past friend from another forum also is a smoker and just was diagnosed with colon cancer and continues to smoke and deny it had anything to do with the cancer.....hmmm

I quit smoking 6 years ago it was the best decision i have ever made it was the first real step for me towards a healthy lifestyle and oddly i don't sit around wishing i would of had one more smoke I do wish i would of quit sooner or not smoked at all.........

[mophoto]

thanks everyone who has suggested those allen carr books... i had one ordered for me.. i will try to quit again soon- before the summer is over.
i was a little annoyed that the book store had self help books for everything, but no allen carr (only one on the subject of quitting smoking, which i bought a month ago and was comprised of short stories by people who quit). maybe phillip morris owns a bunch of stock in borders

[Lizzie]

How's everyone doing with quiting smoking?

I made the decision to quit on monday, so today is day 3 for me. Ive fallen off the wagon a few times previously, its soooo difficult, but im determined to do it this time!

Let me know how you are all getting on?

[mophoto]

good job Lizzie!! i hope you are doing well.

i have been reading my allen carr book and he is all about staying positive. when i finish it i am going to try and quit again, maybe july 2nd or 3rd, so no more complaining from me. i can't wait to quit again, it's going to be wonderful

[Limey]

Keep up the good work Lizzie, you can do it!

Mo, you can do it as well, you know you have it in you . Maybe a goal for the camping trip?

(this was my 666th post - eeeeeee!)

[veggiewoman]

Horizon


Thursday, 29 Jun 2006
9:00 PM - 9:50 PM (50 minutes)
BBC2 (London) An intriguing take on man's passionate but ultimately fatal attraction to the cigarette. Filmed across the world on a single day, the documentary explores people's strange love affair with nicotine and whether, with the known risks becoming more acute by the day, they've finally reached the end of a romance that's lasted some 500 years. Contributors include anti-smoking expert Allen Carr, who claims he can help anyone quit, nicotine patch inventor Dr Jed Rose, and Dr Chris Proctor - chief scientist at British American Tobacco - who is attempting to make a `safer' cigarette. A unique insight into the love-hate relationship that divides the planet

[Lizzie]

Thanks for the encouragement guys, its day 4 and im doing ok but I dont feel its getting any easier just yet.

Not sure i will be able to watch that programme veggiewoman but thanks for letting me know about it. I can't bear to see people smoking at the moment, its torture!!

[Limey]

12 days to get it out of your system, right? And 21 to break a habit?
8 and 17 left, Lizzie - keep it up!

[Lizzie]

Thanks Talia, I didn't realise that. Gives me something else to aim for

[Limey]

Your chest will stop feeling like someone is sitting on it and you'll be able to actually breathe!

[Lizzie]

Are you an ex-smoker talia?

[Limey]

Yes, off and on for about 7 years. Stupid me. It wasn't an addiction for me so much as it was habit. When I quit, I quit and it wasn't that difficult. I never cared for it in the first place. I was so dumb to have ever done it.

[Lizzie]

Yeah i know that feeling. I gave up once for about 4 years then started again, how stupid!!

[coconut]

Good for you Lizzie I hope you manage to quit for good this time.

[veggiewoman]

It's on now btw- the Horizon programme if anyone wants to watch it

[Soyalicius]

I just want to wish you all the best with stopping smoking. I quit 2 years ago and I am so thankful I did, especially now I can smell how disgusting it is on other people. I went cold turkey and was ratty for a bit but it soon wears off.

Now I see breathless patients I look after and not a lot can be done for them as their lungs are past it, I am just so glad it is not going to be me, it would have been if I had continued.

So good luck to you all, you can do it.

[Lizzie]

Thanks for the encouragement everyone

Mophoto - good luck if you decide to try again this weekend, I know what you're going through

[Limey]

How are you doing with it, Lizzie?

And everyone else of coure!

[Lizzie]

Hi Talia

Im doing ok, its not easy but i feel more determined than ever this time
Just hope i make it over the weekend

[Limey]

You can do it! Just find lots of ways to occupy your time, mind and hands.

[Pilaf]

You can do it!

"You can do it allll night long!"

(okay..that joke is old)

[mophoto]

thanks pilaf for all the non smoking info, in the past, and for not putting it on this thread

although it is after 4am and technically not even saturday, i am quitting tomorrow- which is today this is the day i wanted to quit on, but my sister reminded me that we are going to a fourth of july bbq on monday, with a bunch of aging hipsters ( i will want to smoke and drink because i feel uncomfortable and inadequate) i forgot --and to hell with how uncomfortable i feel around them (for i am not a hipster, and i do not have a record player that works, if you are cool everything has to be on vinyl ) i hate aging hipsters! it's not so much the smoking but the drinking- i am the DD, as i told my sis, and the party i far away. so maybe i will be ok yes i will be ok.... damn it! i am smoking my last cig now! the againg hipsters are just like me!! we aren't hip and i won't let those bastards act as if they are better than me.....

mo's last cigarette not very exciting- but monumental for me

ok that wasn't my last cig- this one is! the song playing is sundy bloody sunday....that'll work! now it's skipping- new quit smokinig song- smoke a bowl, sebadoh- it was the next song on random play- i swear!! now that is a sign..

last smoke is out!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i am done!!
crap, the song that is playing now is "let's not say goodbye" by raul malo- one more smoke- than i will say goodbye
this is my new non smoking song- never can say goodbye- issac hayes
not a good one- someone out there wants me to smoke

ok the next song playing will be my non smoking song--f u issac hayes!
let's dance- by m. ward - no smoking implications in this song--and a very bad cover. that'll work...but i want one last smoke- man, i suck--

i need a good non smoking theme song- this isn't it but it will have to work- diamonds on the soles of her shoes, paul simon-
i am done!!!!!!

[mophoto]

ok- last one- reflections - the supremes

last cigarette, i mean... the birds are chirping outside and it is nearly dawn.... i like my new quittin smoking song much better

[Limey]

That was hilarious, Mo.
What is it with songs that make you want to smoke? When I did smoke I used to go for long drives at night, with the music up loud and when I got to certain songs, really great ones, I would have () to light up a cigarette. So silly.

Anyway, how is your new non-smoking day going?

[puffin]

Good luck Mo. I know you can do it

[Blueshark]

I quit about a month ago.

Good to see you back Puffin ))))

[puffin]

Yay for Blueshark.
Thank you hun