Stop smoking support group

Okay, guys - jenniferelyse74 and I have embarked on part of our next journey in our healthy lifestyle.  We're going to quit smoking!

Anyone want to join in?  We need suggestions on a game plan for how to quit - we have a deadline of September 30th.  Anyone done this successfully and want to offer words of wisdom?  Anyone willing to be there for the rants and frustration when the cravings hit?

Thanks for your support!

I quit smoking 14 months ago.  I quit cold turkey but took the generic Welbutrin.  Take the drug for 2-4 weeks before quitting to have it build up in your system.  I swear after 33 yrs of smoking I knew I was going to be a basket case and I know the welbutrin helped considerably. 

I am now to the point where I can honestly say I am a non smoker.  It doesn't bother me to be around smokers - although I do agree the smell of smoke on people is not pleasant and I wonder to this day how my husband of 22 yrs put up with it. 

I also found great support at http://www.quitnet.com  the folks over there are awesome and they have a weight management board that is great.

I wish you all the very very best.  Hang tough and you can do it!!

jennifer and jennelaw~How are u two doing? I must admit I cheated the day before yesterday. I just had 1 and I swear I will not ever ever ever do it again.

United thank you for your story. I am going through a really hard time right now and I think its the sickerette withdrawels. I was worried last night cause my husband and I were meeting my cousin for drinks. I knew I'd be drinking and being around people who were smoking. I didn't cheat but I kind of went through hell. When we left the bar I started crying and I cried all the way home. And I woke up at 4:30 am depressed and unable to go back to sleep. I really feel OK about not smoking. It's the 5th day now and I don't have the urge to smoke as strong. Whats really hard is my bodies reaction. I am so irritable and sad :( I hope this passes soon. But I've made up my mind that I will NOT pick up another cigarette again. I can cry and carry on and be so depressed I have to lock myself in my room and sleep all day if thats what it takes. It makes me sick that the companies are making them more addictive.  The most important thing is staying smoke free. I guess I'll just have to accept the depression as an unexpected side effect and deal with it later when I don't feel so overwhelmed.

Anyway sorry for my sob story but it feels good to get it out. Kinda like therapy.

Hey guys!!! I wanted to check in on you b/c I hadn't heard you talk about your successes or setbacks with smoking in your journals. Just want to make sure all is well. I know I am not a member of this little support group but I wanted to send some good luck vibes your way and check in with your progress!!!!

SarahSue - I also smoked for 33 years. I never thought I could quit until I read "The Easy Way to stop smoking" By Allan Carr. That book helped me develop the mental state of mind to combat my mental addiction.

What really worked for me... was every time I felt I wanted a cigarette I thought back to the very first cigarette I ever had. It was horrible. I felt sick afterwards... and it took me weeks to force myself to be able to choke down the smoke.

We have to force our bodies to choke on the smoke and then the nicotine convinces us we need it. We don't though. The nicotine is a vicious circle but after a week or less you are over the physical addiction. It's the mental addiction that makes us think that we need that cigarette to feel better. But it doesn't make us really feel better because it's really poisoning us. It's our addiction telling us we need it... not our body.

So I reminded myself of this over and over. And I took big deep big breaths and said to myself. Wow that feels so good to breath without choking on smoke.

I hope this helps you. If you can develop your own dialog to fight the voice in your head that says you need the cigarette - it will be easier. And every time you convince yourself you don't need it the voice will get weaker and weaker. You can drown it out.

Good luck. Believe in yourself.

Thank you so much for all of your support. It is helping me more than you all know!! I am still doing good. I have no plans to ever pick up a cig again.  It's been 5 days and my cravings are getting less and less. I am still feeling weepy but I relaxed in a hot bath today and did calming activities all day such as working on a puzzle and reading.

Thanks United, I added u as a friend too!

Ya United that other voice always won when I tried to quit. I was at the point where I was afraid to try again because I knew I would fail. However... for me something clicked when I read that book.

I hope other people won 't give up and will keep on trying whatever it takes. Now that I am free of smoking I'm almost a little sad that it took so long to break away. You realize all the harm you did to yourself (and those around you). It's a nasty mind trick. You think you need those butts to be happy... but they are the very thing that is preventing you from being happy. 

I used to feel ashamed and worry about what my teeth looked like.. how my clothes and house smelled.

I used to worry at night I was going to die of cancer.

I used to feel guilty that I smoked around my kids, my pets, my aging mother.

I worried that if the price kept going up on cigarettes I might not be able to afford them.

When I went out I worried when I was going to be able to smoke a cigarette because so many places have out lawed it.

When I met someone new I worried that if they knew I smoked they might not like me.

I could go on and on... but while I was doing all this worrying I didn't realize that it was the cigarettes that were actually causing the problem!  They are the source of so much stress.

Nina, I was thinking about all the hassles that are associated with smoking and all the things you listed are so true.  A big one for me is buying cigarettes.  It is an extra stop every other day that is wasting my time. Also I have always been in such denial about being a smoker that I don't even own an ashtray.  I always just put them out on my back patio and waited until they built up a little then swept them up. So ghetto! Another tough one was keeping my smoking habit from other people. I was very secretive about it and many friends/acquaintences/family members didn't even know I was a smoker. Trying to hide it took up a lot of energy.

I had a hard time today. My husband Keith and I weren't exactly getting along and the arguing made me want a cigarette soooooo bad. I didn't let myself though. If I were to give in at this point I would feel terrible. Right now I am feeling like I will always be fighting the addiction and just have to fight it a at certain times throughout my life. If those of you that used to be smokers can tell me what it's like it would  great. In times of stress are you finding yourself wanting to smoke? I know someone who is a former heroin addict an he says that it is something that will always be there. After over 10 years he still has to go to NA. I hope this isn't the case with smoking (as if life and watching calories isn't hard enough) but I really would love an honest answer from exsmokers.

Thanks again to everyone who is posting in this forum. You are a great help. I did sign up with quitnet but I am so used to calorie count and it's a lot more fun and easy to use for me than quitnet, though I do go there from time to time.

Peace~Sarah

Today is my first day smoke-free.  I don't think I can do it. I 've pulled out all of the stops just to get me through today.  I left all of my money at home, even my ID, just so that I could not buy smokes.  But now I am home and I am crabby.  I also have a huge migraine.  I can't take it anymore. 

How's our quitters doing?

rooting4u!!!

United-I am doing great. I really don't feel as depressed as I did the other day. Today was my birthday so we went out and I had a beer with dinner which gave me a monster craving. Then when we got back from the restaurant  we were outside my house and my sister lit up. My ears perked up like a dog sniffing out a steak but I didn't even let it be an option that I take a drag. I have been thinking a lot about why my past 5 attempts at quitting failed and the two reasons were

1. I did not take my addiction seriously

2. I got too comfortable and cheated

I am at the point where I realize I have to approach this the same as a drug addict or an alcoholic would. And I am fighting it with all I've got.

Pottery-Trust me, it does get easier. I am only finishing week one and I already notice a huge improvement in my mental state and the amount of cravings. Day 1 is the hardest and after that every day seems to get a little easier. You CAN do this. I am thinking of it the same way I approach working out. When I'm feeling lazy and I'm telling myself "I don't feel like working out" I change that prase in my head to "I WILL workout. Trust me, it is hard but you will feel better about yourself because it is something important you accomplished. Plus I could have an online quitting buddy which would be nice! I know how you are feeling. I am a smoker like you, I know all the obstacles that can hold you back. I also know it is something you can do only when you are ready. When you decide to quit feel free to email me anytime for support or if you need to vent. It's very important to be able to vent to someone who understands.

Boo me, I gave in and bought a pack last night. It is more habit than addiction...not to say that I am not addicted. My last class ended at 4 and that left me in my apartment (where I can smoke) all alone for the rest of the night with nothing but homework (when I smoke A LOT) to do. I thought it was going to be the worst when I got in my car. I was wrong. I have decided to do a deep clean on the inside of my car and clean all evidence of being a smoker out of my apartment tomorrow. I would do it tonight, but I don't get out of work until 9pm and I still have homework to do before class tomorrow. I will try again on Thursday. ugh. What made it even worse? Our campus stats puts about only 5-10% of people on our campus as smokers. Yesterday when I got there, it seemed like half the campus was smoking. LOL. I guess that was my mind trying to mess with me.

Yeah Potteryhoney, I totally understand. It's especially hard when you've got a bunch of homework or something stressful to do.  I have tried to quit 5 previous times. I know this is the time I am quitting for good. Don't give up! I am no expert since I've only been smoke free for a week but if you need some tips or motivation to quit let me know. You should check out the link someone posted on this forum for quitnet. It is a pretty cool site and even if your not completely ready to quit, the site is full of info and help in making the decision to quit.

~Sarah

Smoke-Free: 7 days, 6 hours, 40 minutes and 41 seconds   Cigarettes NOT smoked: 80 Lifetime Saved:  14 hours Money Saved: $21.18

WOOOO HOOOOO WHAT A GREAT TIME TO STOP!!!!! My YEAR is right around the corner...October 30th....YYYEEEAAAHHHH for me....I lost 20lbs..decided that since i was on my way with weight loss that I could take on smoking...2 weeks of the patch, until it started to make me sick to my stomach...then just herbal gum...(Avon) it is really good..sort of a cherry/clove taste...and it calms the nerves naturally!!!! No extra nicotine in the system....Chewed the gum 3 times a day...4 if it was a rough one...then one day I realized that I had not chewed any gum.....I did "fall off" on New Year's after a few too many drinks....I smoked 1/2 and thought my chest was going to give out!!!! NO MORE!!!!! I even had nightmares about smoking now...when I wake up my chest hurts....so GOOD LUCK!!!!! And congrats on even wanting to try!!!!

I've spent the last 4 years trying to quit smoking. Tomorrow is my 1 year anniversary smoke free. I don't consider myself a nonsmoker yet, more like a recovering smoker since previous times I quit I managed to go for long bouts of 8 or 10 months.