Anyone else wanting to join me in this smoke free life? Please!

Hello my name is Andie and i am a smoke-aholic..

I was going to keep this just to my journal but seriously it is harder than i thought it was going to be.

I have been smoking since I was 14 yrs old and I am now 42 in all that time I have only stopped once for 3 months.

At midnight last night I put a 24 patch on because my worst time is first thing in the morning so I figured that by the time i woke it would have kicked in.

It has to a certain extent I managed to get up (normally first thing i'd do is spark up) go out with the dog ( normally come back and have half of another) and I have had breakfast.

I have been up for 3 hrs now and I am amazed that it took 2 hrs before I started craving. 3 hrs in it's self is a goal reached.

I'm thinking it will get easier as the day goes on as i will be at work and will find it easier to keep busy with things i don't associate with smoking.

So if anyone wants to join me on this trail please do i would appreciate the company, sharing down times with up times.

good luck to you Andie.

I need to but can't yet - issues that i'd rather not share this early and this public. (short version - waiting on hubby)

You can always vent to me if you need to anytime - I quit for 6 months in the past and i know how hard it is.  I wish you all the willpower in the world!!!

Oh best of luck...I've been smoking since I was 19, turning 24 in a few months.  I want to quit so badly, well about 50% of me wants to quit, the other 50% of me is with CDC...waiting on hubby. 

Until yesterday, I realized that I'm at a barrier with C25K and I feel very strongly that I could break it if I would quit smoking.  I'm going to give myself through this weekend and then try to wean off (no patches/pills, can't afford them) starting Monday (I smoke about a pack/day now).  I'll try to keep you posted on how my quitting/cutting back efforts go. 

Again, good luck!

{{{Andie}}} It does get easier, I swear!

Good luck!!!!  Its been over 2 years here.  Had been smoking since about 12 and was 42 when I quit.  It's hard, but it gets easier. 

I used the patch (and a health scare) and my hubbie quit with me (he's super-awesome!!!). 

Pay attention to your sleep with the patch.  Itf I wore it at night it gave me nightmares.  I generally took it off about an hour before bed and then put a new one on in the morning.  My husband didn't have that problem and wore the patch 24/7, ymmv. 

Good luck Andie.

Hi Andie -

I smoked from when I was 13 to 25, about 4 years ago now..... you can do this. 

The patches definitely helped. I started on step 2 patches because of my size and how many I smoked (recommended by doctor/pharmacist) Get some buddies on a phone call list that you can call and vent to when you are nic-fitting. When I quit, my then very encouraging boyfriend and parents, and really everyone - was very encouraging. I remember being pretty anxious (unbearable sometimes) but, cravings pass! they are like clouds that float by....really. 

I listened to the CD from the patches soooo many times, there was something calming about listening to the directions, or the music.

Calming music will help. Deep breathing will help. Chewing gum helped me. For some reason cleaning out my car, and my house, and yard were good as well. Not drinking alcohol or going out where people smoked for awhile was necessary.  Definitely getting rid of lighters, matches, ashtrays, etc will help. 

People will understand. I found that when I talked about it with people, they had all kinds of helpful advice....try it. Most people of a certain age smoked at one point or another, and know the struggles of quitting.

You can find your own little coping combination system that works for you.

And every time you quit, you learn more about the process so the next time is easier!

Use the money that you save to do something nice for yourself. Treat yourself to something that you like.

Someone mentioned nightmares while the patch was on - me too. Well, it was more like really vivid dreams, not restful at all. I too recommend taking the patch off at night, and having one by the bed side for the morning but, that was just me.

Also, about the chewing gum. I had like 10 or more different kinds of chewing gum, and other candies - also a straw! yes, I used to chew the end of a straw until it was just about destroyed (at home of course). 

Exercise helps a lot too. Running helped me to relax.

Thank you everyone, well the first day is almost over and i did not too bad whilst at work, we had a quiet couple of hours where i really struggled.

I, so far have not had a problem with the night patch but thank you i will keep an eye on it. 

However this morning i swear i had withdrawal symptoms i was shaking a little, not sure what that is all about but it has now gone.

Oh and today i have gotten a tickly cough.

I quit just over 13 months ago.  It is SO worth it! 

Definitely find some way of distracting yourself during those quiet moments!  Some people don't realize that the habit can be just as hard (if not harder) to get over than the physical addiction.  Withdrawal symptoms go away after awhile, but it can take a long time to replace a bad habit with a good one (all of us lifestyle-changers on CC know that!).

At any rate, good luck Andie!  =)