Quit smoking at 7 pm on Tuesday after nearly 30 years.

[bighart]

I am participating in a smoking cessation program sponsored by the American Lung Association. Have tried to quit with limited success several times before using various aids, gum, prescriptions including zyban once and chantix. This time I did all the front end work of tracking smoking habits, mental prep for "quit day", actually throwing away half a pack of smokes and several ashtrays, and for what ever reason have just been able to go cold turkey with very little withdrawal symptoms I have experienced previously. I have a real sense that something is different this time around and I will be able to "stay quit" for good.

[sellitman]

1. Best of luck to you!

My future wife (20 years ago) told me that if we were to have a future together then I would have to quit.

I got a good one! ;)

[Howardx]

2. right on

good luck to you! its been 3 years for me after 30+ years of smoking.

[ananda]

3. Congrats!

Well done you!

When I quit twenty-six years ago, I was
nervous for several months. I chewed
Wrigley's peppermint gum instead.

For a while, I had dreams where I smoked
and I thought they were real.

After a while all that ended, and all is
fine now.

[cyberswede]

18. I still have those!

I quit about 9 years ago after 17 years of smoking. I still have dreams in which I smoke - very realistinc ones - I'm always so relieved when I wake up! :)

[SeattleGirl]

4. Good for you! I quit on Saturday.

After lunch is my toughest time, but I'm getting through it.

[bighart]

14. I hear ya!

For me it's first thing in the morning. I have to start the coffee and go for a walk while it's brewing. Haven't been sitting in my usual spot drinking that morning cup of joe either and it seems to help. Try changing your routine after lunch for a few days.

[glitch]

16. What I said to bighart goes for you too SeattleGirl.

We're with you, and if you ever need a pep talk feel free to pm me. :hug:

[Lone_Star_Dem]

5. Congratulations and good luck!

Keep it up, the end result is worth the effort. :thumbsup:

[AndyA]

6. Congratulations and the best of luck to you!

Your body and friends and family will thank you.

I have a friend who's overweight and has smoked for years. Her older sister, also overweight and a smoker, dropped dead in the shower one morning a couple of years ago. I had hoped that would give her the reason she needed to stop smoking, but she just can't seem to kick the habit.

She is trying to lose weight, though, so perhaps she'll also eventually come around to accept that smoking is also not doing her any favors.

Stay strong! :thumbsup:

[monmouth]

7. If I go to American Lung on line will I get the info I need? Your my hero

and I really need to get serious about this. I liked what you said about the mental prep for quit day. That's where I'm going to need the aid...

[bighart]

21. You might try calling the local chapter of the lung assoctiation.

Ask them about local "Freedom from Smoking" classes in your area. It's an 8 week program with quit day being week 4. You spend the first few weeks getting educated and writing a "quit plan" Part of the prep work is actually tracking every single cig you smoke, I did it for the first 3 weeks. What I discovered was that I am, was, an "autopilot" smoker and didn't even realize how often I would light up just because. Smoked a pack a day for close to 30 years and within a week of starting the program was down to half a pack with no side-effects. Maintained that right up until Tuesday night when I threw out what I had left and so far it has been remarkably easy. Hope it stays that way.

[bighart]

23. One interesing bit of information that really made a lasting impact on me:

average of 10 inhalations per cig, times 20 per pack, x 365 packs per year is 72000 times I filled my lungs with that nasty shit per year. Take that times 28 years thats 2,016,000 drags in my 41 years of life and that's not including all the nights at the bar when I would smoke a pack in 4 hours plus all the rest I had smoked that day.
That just blew me away!

[monmouth]

29. Whoa...I need to bookmark those facts. Many thanks....n/t

[bighart]

40. One other thing,

the program I am in is being underwritten by a local group so there is no cost and it included a $100 voucher to a local pharmacy that is helping defray the cost for any smoking cessation product they carry, prescription or OTC. I haven't used it yet but may get some gum, patches or lozenges if I need them later. Thought that was pretty cool of the underwriters to pony up the money for that as there are 10 people in the group.

[LanternWaste]

54. The patches are a real godsend...

The patches are a real godsend. I quit three weeks ago and the patch removes ALL *physical* cravings-- certainly the habitual and mental cravings still exist, but the physical cravings are simply... gone.

Coming from a pack-a-dayer since 1984, it's a real godsend. Good luck!

[monmouth]

55. Many thanks. I have a great pharmacist who will know the program....n/t

[NorthernSpy]

8. Best of luck, Bighart!

Some people find that sugarless gum and sugarless hard candy can help. Xylitol-containing sugarless gum can also be good for your teeth and general oral health, so that's an added plus.

[Redbear]

9. Awesome.

Hope it does stick for good.

[Jack from Charlotte]

10. You've already done the hardest part.....

the 1st few days. I was so addicted to cigs I couldn't go 20 minutes without one.

I walked around the high school track all day for about 3 days to get through those opening days.

I also, told myself that I was going to quit one way or the other. Everyone eventually quits via voluntarily or when the doc tells you you've got lung cancer or when you die. So since you will quit.... why go through the toughest part.... again. You've already gone through the hardest part. Not that it won't continue to be awful for a couple of weeks.... for me after about 2 weeks I was OK. Shaky, but OK.

Also, I ate all I wanted for 2 to 3 weeks. Put on a few pounds but it was better than smoking.

That was about 16 years ago. I've run several marathons since.

Don't give up. It's the most important thing in your life, right now.

[glitch]

11. We're with you bighart!

Ex-smoker here, 10 years smoke-free. If you ever need a pep talk you can PM me. :hug:

[bighart]

37. Thanks. I may just take you up on that.

I'm sure after the "quitting high" has worn off I will need some encouragement. One thing about the Lung Association program I like is I have a "quit buddy" I can call or he can call me as well as the facilitator who said we could call anytime we needed a boost of pep.

[glitch]

43. Cool that you have a quit buddy.

I have tons of advice but I think it's nicer to have it be solicited. ;)

I'll just give you one little bit right now that helped me a lot: when a nicotine craving hits, pay attention to it. Watch and it will go away on it's own and when it does you will feel the same relief that you would have had from a cigarette. Your body can't maintain the craving for that long so it just gives up and when it does that provides the relief. It's amazing. After awhile your body gives up even bothering to crave for it.

Good luck!

[Tikki]

12. Congratulations...you are definitely on your way....

The nonsmoking kinda sneaks up on you...like the
addiction did. You don't smoke for a week and then
a month and then....well, you are a nonsmoker...plain and simple..
So it really is all about, just, not doing it..

My son and I quit 5 years ago...


Tikki and son...

[kpete]

13. xlnt

and good luck to you, kp

[SalviaBlue]

15. Good Luck to you!!

When I finally quit after trying 10,000 times... my secret was to take deep breaths whenever the urge to smoke came upon me. At first it was hard to really draw in a very deep breath but each day it was easier and it was really gratifying and healing as it got easier.

[bigtree]

17. go bighart!

I had a similar feeling when I quit in '83 after 11 young years smoking Marlboros. There is a period of letdown (after the quitting high) which can be tricky. But, there are huge, noticeable differences, health-wise, when you stop habitually inhaling smoke into your lungs. I took to habitually drinking different and exotic juices to replace the compulsive behavior. I think the habit is the thing, much more than the nicotine. There has to be something to replace the frequent hand-play associated with getting the pack out, pulling out a smoke, lighting it, puffing away, and grinding or flicking it out. Something also needs to be there to replace the activity right after eating, going outside, drinking, etc.. All of that is a really good opportunity to expand your life and adopt productive habits that sustain you and don't just tear away at your innards. I'm lecturing now, so I'll stop. But, just wanted to wish you luck in this effort and I hope you can build on the strength it took to make this decision and apply it to the rest of your life's challenges. :)

[Winterblues]

19. It was my experience that when the mind finally gets made up completely

It becomes fairly easy to quit. The actual addiction only last for about three days, and after that it is all mental..You will get urges for the rest of your life but they never last long. At the beginning they may last up to three minutes, get through those three minutes and then it may be another hour or two before they return. They return less often at every passing day. I have been off tobacco for thirty five years now and whenever an urge comes it never last more than a few seconds and I laugh at them. Mold your mind into a steel trap that just can't open for cigarettes. If you really make up your mind it is much easier than one would think..

[Sal Minella]

36. "You will get urges for the rest of your life " -- NOT TRUE for everyone!!!

I have been a delighted non-smoker for twenty years now and it's been at least ten years since I've experienced any desire at all for a cigarette!!!

I cannot stand the way they stink, and cannot stand the stench of people who still smoke (and I cringe now to remember I smelled like that for nearly thirty years).

I'm sorry you are still experiencing the urges to smoke, but you should stop telling other people the same thing will happen to them. People's reactions vary.

[Winterblues]

49. I don't have urges per say just an idle thought now and then

I guess I didn't explain myself well enough. When I say urges I don't mean them like in the beginning but the occasional thought will enter my head. I also am repulsed by tobacco smoke and the stink on smokers but those are not things that I was talking about..Smoking IMO is very much like alcoholism. One may never drink again but will still sometimes think about it.. IMO the very worst time for a person that has quit smoking is after six months. They have beat it they think and often are tempted to smoke just to prove to themselves they really have it licked..Smoking is insidious. It makes the mind think weird thoughts...

[cyberswede]

20. Congrats and good luck!! n/t

[valerief]

22. Good luck. You'll do it. I did years ago and it was the best thing I ever did for myself. nt

[Warpy]

24. My own feeling is that people quit when they're good and ready

and that "should" and "ought" are insufficient motivators.

You've just decided you've had enough. I think you'll make it this time.

[Hepburn]

25. I quit two years ago....

...had smoked about 10 years and had quit for about 25 years before I started again and smoked for the 10 year period. Never regret a day that I got away from those cancer sticks again.

Congrats...and keep up the great work! :hug:

[bighart]

26. Thanks for all the encouraging replies.

Feel free to check back with me next week and see how I am doing.

[MADem]

27. Good luck. It's never easy.

Some people can quit cold turkey, others need patches, etc.

I have a friend who did two rounds of acupuncture, and that did the trick!!

Take the money you would spend on cigarettes and put it in a jar every day. That's a good motivator as the dough piles up.

[d_b]

28. Fellow quitter right here

Three months clean

[bighart]

33. That is GREAT!

You are now my inspiration!

[kestrel91316]

30. Congratulations and good luck. You are doing yourself and your loved ones

a big favor (and your wallet, too).

[Speck Tater]

31. Way to go!!! I'm on day 61, and if I can do it, ANYONE can! Hang in there. nt

[bighart]

35. Thanks, you are now on my list of inspirational people too!

[Zen Democrat]

32. I only smoke at night. Anybody heard of this?

I've been doing this for at least 20 years. I don't smoke until I get home from work at night and finish dinner. Then I smoke about 10 ultra-light cigarettes before going to bed about midnight; unless I'm around people who don't smoke and then I don't even think about it. If I go on a family trip (usually at least once or twice a year) I go for a week or more without thinking about a cigarette. When I get home, the first night back I'm going for the smokes. What kind of addiction is this? Should I stop going home?

[bighart]

34. It's a mental addiction, not a physical one

If you decided to quit I would bet you could do it pretty easily

[NashVegas]

38. Good Luck, Bighart!

I tell you what I did:

anytime I really, really, really wanted a cigarette, I took a few minutes to concentrate on how good it would taste and feel to have one, trying to come up with as many descriptive words and phrases I could think of. Eventually my mind would wander off onto something else.

It will be two years, this June, since I've had one.

[Echo In Light]

39. I'm 3+ yrs w/o so much as a drag. Best of luck to you

[bighart]

41. Awesome!!

And just the kind of thing I need to hear.

[Echo In Light]

42. For what it's worth:

I had developed a change-of-seasons cold in the fall, and decided, as I had many times before, to give it up.

I cut way back (approx a half to one pack of American Spirits per day) for a week and then just stopped cold. It had never been that easy for me in previous attempts ... s'pose I was just ready. And to be honest, it was definitely calculated around my pot smoking; figuring that doing both was really asking for potential health trouble, I decided that if I were to give one up...well, very easy choice there, friend ;) No regrets, and I rarely miss em.

Try looking at it like you're paying A LOT of $ to a huge ConEvil Co to slowly poison yourself to death - makes it easier to stop. Again, good luck!

[applegrove]

44. Good on ya! Don't forget to go to the quitnet for emotional support if you have a crave. That is

quitnet.com

[gkhouston]

45. My grandma quit cold turkey after 50+ years. Impressed the hell out of me.

Congratulations to you, and stick with it.

[davidthegnome]

46. Congratulations and good luck

I smoked my last cigarette on Friday night. Didn't quite have the nerve to go cold turkey though, I was able to get free patches from one of the programs up here in Maine. So far so good. The first three days were tough, but it's much, much easier now.

What I find helps the most, is mental distraction. Finding something that requires intense concentration. And tooth picks.

[bighart]

52. Congrats yourself.

Someone that has never smoked just doesn't realize the lifestyle change this kind of thing is.
I have come to believe that commitment to quitting is about 80% of the battle.

[sofa king]

47. May I offer a suggestion?

I had a lot of trouble quitting smoking, and it was only when I addressed the manual habit that I succeeded in stopping.

I took up origami. A quarter-folded stack of paper fits easily with your cash money and can be pulled out at any time, and most paper comes with simple directions on thin rice paper which can be carried along, too.

It kept my hands busy when they would otherwise have been seeking out the ritual of rolling and smoking a cigarette. And the ladies seem to really like it when you give them a crane or a flower instead of a cigarette butt.

For me, there was something powerful in diverting my attention to something innocuous instead of simply quitting. Hope this works for you, too.

[bighart]

50. Great tip.

I have a habit of flipping an ink pen. Have been doing that a lot the last couple days.

[Flabbergasted]

48. I quit last November. I feel great. Best of luck. nt

[JerseygirlCT]

51. Good for you! Best of luck to you - stay strong! nt

[Politicalboi]

53. Good for you

Maybe to keep your hands busy try eating sunflower seeds. Keeps your mouth and hands busy. Kinda hard to smoke and eat them at the same time. Just don't OD on salt. LOL!

[WhiteTara]

56. Good luck! Yes You Can

be kind to yourself during this period of time. Things will loom large, but stay centered!

[roguevalley]

57. awesome. I am proud of you. :-D

[Occam Bandage]

58. Congratulations and good luck.

Keep us posted!

[Fuzz]

59. Good luck. Quiting smoking is easy, I've done it a million times.

;)

[NNN0LHI]

60. Good luck to you

I have the pills here and am going to quit soon too. I have been having nightmares thinking about the nightmares I am going to have once I start taking them.

Don

[ejpoeta]

61. congrats! my hubby is 1 week cigarette free. he has been taking

chantix and that and the gum (which is hard since he has dentures) he finally kicked it! YEAH!! we'll see how long it will last once he is off the medicine. but i think part of the problem is the habit part of it. I hope he quits for good this time. and i hope you are successful in that as well.

[Starry Messenger]

62. Good for you!

I just finished a year of being smoke-free. It sounds like you are ready. The first few months can be kind of a white knuckle ride. I did cold turkey too. It's the best thing I ever did. Now that I'm a year away from it, I can't imagine ever smoking again.

[JuniperLea]

63. Good for you!

I've been smoke free nearly four years now. I've saved a ton of money, and I smell so nice:)

I used the patch. Worked for me.

[spanone]

64. it gets better with time.....H A N G I N T H E R E

[onethatcares]

65. good luck and best wishes,

I'm only 2 years 4 months and 16 hours tobacco free, smokeless and I have a little more money in my pocket. That's after 40 plus years of smoking. Hang in there, you can do it. and I give you kudos for trying.

jebus, the cost of a pack of smokes is insane. even the cheapies.

[La Coliniere]

66. If you can get through the

first 3 or 4 days you can beat that addiction. Congratulation! I feel you'll do it this time. For me, drinking a glass of ice cold green tea ( no sweetener) every time I got the craving helped tremendously. Not had one in over 4 years!

[konnichi wa]

67. Hang in there. I quit 21 months ago after smoking 3 p/d for 45 years.

It ain't easy but it can be done!

[LuckyLib]

68. Congratulations! Your process is how it has to happen. Talk about quitting for awhile.

Try a few times, then finally give cold turkey a go.
One of my techniques was to change every single habit that I associated with a wonderful ciggie . . . talking on the phone with friends (unload the dishwasher, scrub the sink or counters instead), having one after a meal (serve yourself a weird non-alcoholic cool drink instead), etc.

I quit 20 years ago. Today, it's a lot easier, since smokers are such pariahs in so many public places. My state is no smoking in public places, and so few folks smoke anymore that in today's world the temptation is not so great once you've quit. Good luck to you!

[OHDEM]

69. Best of luck to you!

It's not easy, but you're doing it just right. I tried all the tricks, too, but once I got engaged, I knew I'd be having kids soon after we were married and I wanted to stop. The biggest tip: DON'T BUY CIGARETTES! Once you have them, you WILL smoke them. It's better to get away and stay away. That's not to say I didn't slip up - planning a wedding is stressful! There's always an excuse to smoke or something that you enjoyed while smoking. After 7 years, I still think of it, but I'm glad I'm done with it and you will be, too.

Congrats and Good Luck!!!

[BigBearJohn]

70. I quit for 25 years. Here's a tip:

Start creating mental images of every disgusting thing you
to associate with the habit. The uglier and more disgusting
the better. You have to start seeing smoking as UGLY and
DISGUSTING. If you still conjure up images of smoking being
your "friend" -- you will NEVER quit. We are not geared to
give up on our friends. You have to start envisioning
smoking as your WORST ENEMY. Create these images every
chance you get. Think of licking an ashtray. Think about
putting your lips around a hot tailpipe and taking a drag.
Imagine sucking the nicotine off some old man's nicotine
stained hands. You get the idea. You have thousands of
pleasure moments associated with smoking. You have to
start creating the opposite. Really create the idea that
cigarettes are NOT your friend. Start seeing yourself
as going free. Freeing yourself from 30 years of having
a monkey on your back.

Good luck.

[kristopher]

71. One more view...

After "quitting" perhaps a hundred times over 26 years of smoking I realized the main problem is that I'm spoiled. I HATE the idea that I can NEVER have another drag/drink/taste etc of something that I really like. Face it, as nasty as the habit is, when you really come down to where the rubber meets the road, there is something there that we really, really like.

My solution?

I refused to quit. Instead I just made it a matter of having to go through hoops to satisfy my desire.

No possession of tobacco.
No mooching of tobacco.
No ingestion of my preferred form of tobacco.

I liked cigarettes, so I would only allow myself to smoke a cigar.
If I wanted one bad enough I had to make a special trip to the store where I'd buy one (1) cigar and smoke it until satisfied. Then I'd toss it. No saving for later. It worked.

I still consider myself a smoker, but I haven't had an urge strong enough to make me smoke in 12 years.

However you do it, don't give up if you lapse. Realize that is part of the process.

[a kennedy]

72. A big congratulation!!!

and good luck, go here for on-line help.....really helped me through some tough spots, http://www.stopsmokingcenter.net/default.aspx

.....here are my stats:

My Quit Date: 5/2/2005
Smoke-Free Days: 1460
Cigarettes Not Smoked: 29,205
Amount Saved: $7300
Life Gained:
Days: 205 Hrs: 20 Mins: 33 Seconds: 57

Tomorrow will be my four year anniversary......and I still find at times I could use a drag......but I know if I have just one puff it's back to the drawing board....there's no going back for me.

Hope you can stay quit this time around. :hug: :fistbump: :headbang: :yourock: :woohoo: :applause:

[Dorian Gray]

73. Good luck with it

It's so difficult, but so worth it if you succeed! (If you don't, try and try again!)

I quit four years ago, and it's the second best thing I ever did. (The best thing is marry my husband!) It took awhile, but I feel better and am currently so much more healthy now than I was in my 20s. (I'm 37!!!) I can exercise without wheezing and after initially gaining weight, I've managed to lose more weight so that I'm back to my high school weight.

[madokie]

74. august of '77 I did it

and I had smoked on cigarettes most of my years up to then, actually started puffing on them long before I hit the first grade. I think this time you do indeed have it made. Hang in there as there is some rough road ahead but looks like you have your mind set and that is what will make the difference. Just think how much money I've saved these last 30 plus years. Let me see two packs a day, before long at todays prices that would be a shitpot full of money.