Progress report: quitting smoking

[Shepp]

and he says that we shouldn't have to use willpower because if we do, then we'll still be smokers who deny themselves cigarettes; thus, at considerable risk for relapse.

 

That's an interesting point! Like your more likely to still want one if you quit with just willpower?

 

I've probably had about 2 drags on a tab in my whole life - so i cant say i get the pull - apart from like, i looked so damn cool choking away But my fiance gave up must of been like 14/15 months ago now when she found out she was pregnant, after smoking for like 6/7 years since she was about 14. She did it with just a mix of willpower and being-grumpy-at-shepp but i think she just did it cause she knew she needed to, i dont think the desire ever went away, I know shes had about 2 or 3 since the boys were born (mostly when they werent sleeping through the night!), and I know she'd still want to be going outside with my cousin when he steps out for a smoke.

 

I mean, shes still quit so all power to her, but i definitely think its easier if your doing it for YOU, not for other people.

I think that the fact that you really dont like the fact you smoke will help you, once you've made the break, not want to jump back on it!

[GemmaUK]

Well done for making the decision ja123!

 

I decided to quit a couple of weeks ago and for the second time decided to try Allen Carr.

Once I began reading it again I realised it wasn't for me though - his method that is.

I quit about 10 years ago for about 4 hours with Allen Carr! Pathetic attempt!

 

This time around what spurred me was that I have decided to get back into doing yoga again (something I used to do on and off a few years ago).

 

I couldn't breathe as well as I used to and could not relax properly.

 

I did a bit of reading up about nicotine and the addiction.

I was actually addicted to the nicotine but mostly from the high due to teh dopamine release that smoking produced.

This past er...let me count..9 days I have had the same effect (feeling great and calm) from deep breathing whenever I have craved a cigarette. It calms me down and I just breathe through a crave until it goes away.

 

I was massively stressed out about the thought of quitting the day that I did it. 10pm I had my last cigarette and then went to bed.

Next morning I got up and just didn't smoke. Each hour I just didn't smoke.

I have been so much more relaxed without cigarettes.

I never thought it possible. Even the first 72 hours was much easier than I ever thought it would be.

 

I'm not using any kind of nicotine replacement and I'm not eating more.

I have drastically cut back on caffeine as it's effects are dulled when you smoke so I need/want far less of it. I drank maybe 5-6 coffees a day and if I have more than 2 cups now in a day I get craves more often that day.

 

I used to smoke my own rolled cigarettes and the only thing I did do was to make some pretend ones with a filter and some cotton wool inside them (obviously I don't light them) but I can if needs be 'feel like' I am having a cigarette if I really have that need.

 

I am only quitting one hour at a time and if I do end up floundering then I will start again with not smoking the next day.

Just now I still have my tobacco and all the kit to make a have a cigarette if I want one badly enough to wreck my progress so far but I haven't touched any of it. I carried it all around with me last week but I packed it away in a drawer today.

 

Good luck!

I hope Allen Carr works for you but don't beat yourself up if it doesn't...if you beat yourself up you'll feel stressed and will reach for another cigarette...maybe try deep breathing instead....

Cut back on caffeine when you do stop and whatever you do take things just one hour at a time.

[ja123]

Thanks Shepp! Thanks Gemma! Yay for quitting!!!!

 

 

Yeah, if I stress out about it I will want to reach for another cigarette.

 

 

Today, I had to forgive myself for not making my "clean lungs" chart ...

 

 

I shall now continue on with the book ... So far, it's been helping me.

 

 

I'll be back to report later.

 

 

Thanks again for everybody's help!

[ja123]

I'm taking longer than expected ... still smoking and reading the book. I'm at page 158 now.

[ja123]

Well folks, I have one short chapter to finish the book. I will read this tomorrow morning, as I'll be starting the day smoke free.

[ja123]

Day 1

 

 

Well, here I am. First day. I did not have a cigarette. I feel happy and proud of myself already. I also feel like a piece of spineless sh*t for have done this to myself (smoking) for so long.

 

 

I'm trying to forgive myself and focus on the positive.

 

 

But, now with no cigarettes, all I can taste is an ashtray in my mouth! Disgusting!! I didn't taste this before because I was smoking all the time.

 

 

I just can't believe how disgusting it tastes. How could I have been such an idiot?!

 

 

Well, as Allen Carr says this is a drug addiction, not just some run-of-the-mill habit. Hallelujah that I'm kicking this addiction once and for all!!!!

 

 

I am visualizing all the dirt, tar, chemicals, and toxins leaving my body and that I'll be clean again!!! Inside and out!!!

 

 

To give myself a treat, I went to the pharmacy and bought some fancy cleansing washes for my face. I can't wash my lungs, but I can start cleansing. This is symbolic. I'm also drinking extra water...

[me85]

I am 29. I started smoking regularly when I was 14. I quit from 17-18, then quit again from 25-28. I picked it back up lightly 6 months ago & as time went on I was smoking more and more frequently. I'm not at a pack a day but a pack every 2 days.

 

The only thing that helped me quit as an adult when it was REALLY a full blown addiction were the electronic cigs.

 

Now, I'm so stressed out and sort of unhappy in life so I have no desire to quit any time soon.

 

Just being honest.

 

People can only quit when they are ready and really want to.

 

I speak from experience.

 

Good luck to you!!!!

 

For me, I got tired of feeling like someone was standing on my chest and smelling nicotine on my clothes and fingers.

 

It's weird because people always told me I never really smelled of smoke.

 

It is amazing how quickly your body starts to heal once you do quit though. & all of your senses come back 10x more powerful. Food tastes better than ever and your sense of smell...all of that. It's awesome. BUT you will cough up flem for a while. I didn't that much and it wasn't like sooo gross for me but it probably would be now.

 

Ew. lol

Edited May 29, 2014 by me85

[ja123]

@ me85 Thanks so much!! And I wish you the best on your journey to become smoke free.

 

 

I appreciate the reminders you've given me and the encouragement that my senses will come back.

 

 

I really needed that right now, as I'm at a point of weakness. I'll start reading Allen Carr's book again because I really don't want to start again. I must squash out all doubt. If I take another cigarette, it'll be the first of a chain-reaction that'll lead to a lifetime of continued smoking.

 

 

Hopefully, you will be feeling happier soon!

 

 

All the best and thanks again!

[me85]

"To give myself a treat, I went to the pharmacy and bought some fancy cleansing washes for my face. I can't wash my lungs, but I can start cleansing. This is symbolic. I'm also drinking extra water..."

 

 

This is a great attitude! Keep it up. You will do just fine.

 

& thank you for wishing me well!!!!

[GemmaUK]

So..I failed and smoked last night. I will tell you why at the end of this post.

I'm quitting again tomorrow night so I am free of cigarettes from when I wake up on Saturday. By that time you will be 48 plus hours in ( Count those hours, every hour matters and makes you feel good).

 

 

Firstly, well done for day one!!!

 

A couple of bits of advice.

 

When you get a crave remember deep breathing.

Count in for three and out for six slowly.

If that count is easy then in for four counts and out for eight.

Use all of your lungs and fill from your stomach up through your ribs up to your chest.

Do this until the urge leaves. It will and you will feel relaxed I promise.

 

If you have any cigarettes at all or tobacco then get rid of it now....or promise to yourself to get rid of it once your 72 hours of nicotine withdrawal are over.

 

I caved in for a very stupid reason.

Most folk I had told were fantastic and once I asked they did not mention smoking to me as in how it was going or anything, they just let me get on with it.

I told my boss (my Finance Director) though and he is a great boss but can be a bit of a tease. I shouldn't have told him.It was too soon for me to tell him.

The nest morning he made a sarcastic comment about whether I was feeling all relaxed and serene and he was laughing..this was out of nowhere just after I said 'good morning' to him.

I replied saying that I would appreciate if he could just not mention anything smoking related just now as it just sets a thought off in my mind which leads to a crave (yes they stillcome after that 72 hours - these are the psychological craves).

My boss didn't speak to me for most of that day but the next time he spoke to me again it was a smoking related comment. This time I had used some Deep Heat for my shoulder and he said that it smelled nicer than eau de cigarette smoke. Again he thought it was really funny.

Maybe I was taking things too seriously..but for me smoking could mean life or death (as it can do for many people).

 

So that, along with that I hadn't yet ditched my tobacco and also that I had become complacent and wasn't remembering to deep breathe, plus I had found myself wanting to join those who smoked outside at work to get a whiff of smoke were the things that lead me to give in and smoke.

I think I sniffed that smoketoo much and got some kind of nicotine hit from it (no idea if that is possible - but that was one of my rationale! )

 

If you find Allen Carr tough to read again then try looking up a website called Whyquit. There is a free book which you can download and transfer on to your pc or a kindle too. It's got a few new ideas and thoughts in there.

 

On Saturday I am off to buy some new clothes and equipment to go with my new yoga hobby (goes well with the breathing and relaxation as well as it being exercise) as my treat for stopping. I need to use those clothes for enough days to warrant buying them...so I will..and yoga is much easier when you don't smoke!

 

I hope your day two goes just as well! I'm proud of you!

 

Something else I will say. Much as it feels stressful when you get a crave (and they happened a whole heck of a lot for me. Once I did the breathing I felt a lot more calm than I ever did by reaching for a cigarette (really honestly).

 

Smoking right now..it's horrible. I'm fearful again of quitting and just generally more stressed. The bruises on my shins from kicking myself are painful (!) and I wish I had never broken my quit..cos I feel s**t to be perfectly honest.

 

I am envious of your day.

 

I intend to take up my own advice above from Saturday.

 

Most important for me:

Deep breathing - I have actually found that I stop breathing when thinking about things sometimes and I feel a whole lot better if I keep general deeper breaths more constant - craves came far less when I did this.

Much much much less caffeine

Lots of water to drink

Stay away from smelling and breathing in anyone else's smoke

Keep counting hours

Ditch any leftover tobacco

Dip into the whyquit book and site (there's videos on there also and lots to read) and any other stop smoking sites I found and liked while trying to find another mindset that was better for me than Allen Carr.

 

(I don't mean to diss Allen Carr but I am saying there's other options out there for simple reading and going cold turkey..all and any can help to support you. )

[ja123]

Hey Gemma,

 

 

Thank you!!! Your encouragement means a lot. I did some deep breathing, my lungs today feel tight and heavy. I also have a sore throat.

 

 

I can't believe the abuse I've put myself through.

 

 

I started smoking late in the game, after swearing I'd never do it. I just never thought I could get hooked. I had quit for some time, due to a nagging boyfriend (God loved him!), but I was never a non-smoker in my mind: I was addicted to nicotine gum. I felt pissed at the world and rebellious when we broke up, so I was like WTF, yeah, give me a cigarette.

 

 

I've done nicotine mints, gum, patches, antidepressants. Last fall, I went up to 2 packs a day while sucking on nicotine mints to boot... So the Allen Carr book has been the only thing that has gotten me to see some sense. I'll definitely look into Whyquit, too. It never hurts to have some more reinforcement. Thanks!

 

 

You know one thing I was thinking when I just started spontaneously laughing today, because I've been such an idiot, is that it's far more easy to quit than one would think! I think that I had to convince myself that it would be so difficult to quit because if it weren't how could I possibly justify what I've stupidly been doing to myself?

 

 

I'd like to have a cigarette right now (yes, I got rid of everything including the mints!), but I know I won't enjoy it. The only way I could possibly try to enjoy it would be to go into denial and lie to myself again. Now wouldn't that wear down my self-esteem?

 

 

It's so good that you realized what triggered your smoking. It's easy to use someone else's comment to justify our slip, eh? I think you're on to that. So, good for you!!! And good for you for making sure to get rid of all tobacco products!!! Yay!

 

 

I'll count the hours. I'll report here. I really feel it is rather critical now. I don't want to doubt myself. And, yes, I am soooo very sad about the health I have jeopardized. Let's not throw blame, but reset and continue on in our freedom from this sinister addiction.

 

 

I look forward to hearing from you again!!! You can and will do it!!!!

[ja123]

Well, I'm still smoke free. Soon, I'll head to bed and it'll be the end of the first day.

 

 

I think it went well. I was challenged: wanted to smoke after a meal, went for a walk and decided to get ice cream, but I still wanted to smoke (I just kept walking until it passed), went to a bar to watch hockey and there were smokers going out on the terasse to smoke, but I didn't join them although I wanted to, our team was eliminated from the playoffs so that's another good reason to smoke (keep in mind had they won then I would've wanted to smoke to celebrate!) ...

 

 

Anyhow, it went well.

 

 

I just can't believe that I'm sitting at the computer and there isn't a cloud of smoke over my head. I can't believe there's no butt-filled ashtray beside me.

 

 

Even though I feel like doing something with my hands and mouth, I'm relatively calm and just can't believe how much time I have. How much time did I invest in smoking or thinking about the next cigarette? I shudder to think...

[whichwayisup]

our team was eliminated from the playoffs

 

Ahh you're a Habs fan...

 

Congrats on quitting!! Please keep posting, you're inspiring me! I have that book, bought it a year ago, never opened it and put it somewhere in the house.

 

After reading your posts and updates you've motivated me to go find this book (wish me luck on that as I cannot remember where I put it!) and start reading it so I can prepare myself for quitting this absolutely disgusting habit. Sadly I'm addicted and still like smoking even though I know it's doing damage to me. It's time to quit and not let 'fear' get in the way. Fear of feeling withdrawal, fear of losing part of 'me' (if that makes sense) and seeing how much smoking has taken over my life. Smoke in the car, outside (i never smoke in the house) or out on a walk.

[ja123]

Well, I've gone the morning without a cigarette. I woke up and my mouth still tasted like an ashtray. It was weird to have my coffee and no fag to go with it. But then the cigarette was accompanying me everywhere. Yes, I couldn't even make a personal phone call without lighting up first.

 

 

 

 

@ whichwayisup Hi there! Yes, I'm very much a Habs fan! Oh well ... maybe we'll get the cup next year. I'm glad my posting is helping you because in the same way your posts help me. Well, the book really helps blast through the double-talk and the confusion of it all. That's what's helping me. Let me know if you find it. There's also an audio version available on Amazon.

[ja123]

Well ... I'm going to eat something and then go for a walk.

 

 

It's not so much the cigarette at this point but the nicotine that I mss. I really would like to have a nicotine mint!!! But, I don't have any in the house and I'm not going to buy any. For me, that'll be opening the door to continued nicotine addiction in one form or another.

 

 

Yeah, I think a walk will help ...

[Always Pondering]

Good to hear that you want to make progress!

 

My step-dad had* an addiction to smoking. He did a number of things such as the electronic cigarette/gum/sucking on lollipops instead but I feel the one most influential thing for him was having throat cancer.

 

His medical bill was off the charts and had to have Ensure (one of those nutritional "meal" drinks) poured into his stomach through an outside tube every day for months and months on end. To this day he struggles eating normal food due to not being able to produce saliva anymore (or something like that).

 

Point is, your health will plummet, your wallet will disappear, your life and eating habits will be extremely difficult and it's just not worth it.

 

I used to have an addiction to something but it wasn't cigarettes so I know how hard it is to overcome one in general.

 

Hopefully your walk helps and keep us posted!

[ja123]

Well, here I am at day 3. I know better than to have just one cigarette when I'm having a major withdrawal moment. That one cigarette is the gateway back into a lifetime of smoking. I want to be free.

 

 

Yesterday, I felt like I was a tourist or a princess. I have sooo much time now that I'm not smoking. I really pampered myself. I plucked my eyebrows. Changed the toothbrush head and cleaned my teeth with toothpaste and baking soda that I added. I even scrubbed my tongue! I rinsed liberally with fresh water and imagined all the cigarette tar and toxins getting rinsed down the drain.

 

 

I washed my face with a gentle sudsy cleanser. I rinsed and rinsed. Then applied some Neutrogena, then spf45 sunblock. All I wore was lip-gloss. A pretty hue of pink. I looked in the mirror and thought that I'm starting to get healthy.

 

 

I went for a walk. I bought a small ice cream cone. I looked at the trees in the park. Taking me time to view their composition together and solo from afar, then to go close looking at individual leaves or spines and looking and/touching the bark. They were beautiful. They just looked so beautiful and it was like time stood still.

 

 

I don't know if I felt this way since I was a kid. I felt really relaxed and in the moment. When I focused on the feeling and on visualizing my body getting rid of the tars and toxins, then my cigarette cravings dissipated more quickly. And I felt a sense of peace.

 

 

This whole cigarette business has been a sham. I think I felt it would protect me from life, from feeling, etc. Yet it's been the thing causing the most pain. How ironic.

 

 

Nevertheless, the addiction is present. I had to take a time out when I couldn't find something I was looking for and my blood pressure seemed to shoot thought the roof and all I wanted was a cigarette. I blamed everything on my not being able to have a cigarette.

 

 

So, I made myself a nice soda drink with ice cubes in a fancy crystal wine glass. I took my time out and sipped on that.

 

 

I even went to my FWBs place last night.

 

 

I had a good time ...

 

 

but, I'll admit that afterwards, I really wanted a cigarette.

 

 

I hate to admit it, but there are moments when not even sex or chocolate could compare.

 

 

Sad, isn't it?

 

 

How on earth did I ever fall into the smoking trap? I want out!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

@ alwayspondering I'm sorry to hear about your step-dad. It's amazing that he survived!!! None of us smokers want that to happen yet, if we're honest, it's always in the back of our mind. Scary stuff. Here's to better health!!

[whichwayisup]

Well, I've gone the morning without a cigarette. I woke up and my mouth still tasted like an ashtray. It was weird to have my coffee and no fag to go with it. But then the cigarette was accompanying me everywhere. Yes, I couldn't even make a personal phone call without lighting up first.

 

 

 

 

@ whichwayisup Hi there! Yes, I'm very much a Habs fan! Oh well ... maybe we'll get the cup next year. I'm glad my posting is helping you because in the same way your posts help me. Well, the book really helps blast through the double-talk and the confusion of it all. That's what's helping me. Let me know if you find it. There's also an audio version available on Amazon.

 

Leaf fan here....Just sayin'. :p

 

Start drinking lemon in boiled water, it'll help rid of the taste. Also lemon is good for the digestive system..

 

Still searching for the book! Thanks, and keep posting!

[bubbaganoosh]

I was a smoker for many many years. Back in 03, I thought enough is enough and decided to quit.

 

Like 99.9% of smokers, the first thing you do is have one first thing in the morning with your coffee. I held off for about a half hour or 45 min then had one. Now by that time, I was ready of the second but I was on;y having my first one so I eliminated one. I also did that at lunch and supper so I smoking 3 cigarettes less then I used to.

 

Then when I got the urge, I held off for a while and smoked only half the cigarette and put it out and got used to that but I needed something more to motivate me.

 

Back then they cost around 4 bucks a pack so what I did was go cold turkey because I finally was able to convince myself to do it and I took $5.00 and put it in a jar on the table. Continued to fight the urge and dropped another five bucks in the jar and at the end of the week I had $35.00 in the jar. $140.00 in a month. $1680.00 in a year. That's a lot of money going up in smoke.

 

Now, back in 2008, I got a bad case of pneumonia and again in 09, and because of that and the smoking, I now have a hose in my nose pumping 02 24/7 because since the last bout of pneumonia I now have a beautiful case of emphysema and I had to retire at 62 after leading a real full life and was a hard working man who very seldom missed a day of work and now I climb a flight of stairs and I'm winded.

 

My best friend decided to quit a few months ago and he invested 45 bucks in that e cigarette called Kangertech EVOD and he's off cigarettes and smoking water vapor and is doing good.

 

Or you can continue and be like me with a 02 bottle that you depend on. I hope you quit, it's only your life.

[ja123]

@ bubbaganoosh Thank you for writing and sharing your story. I'm sooo sorry you have emphysema. Yesterday, the fear that it's too late and that I've only unleashed some debilitating or life-threatening disease really gripped me. I can't tell you how badly I feel for what I've done. My lungs, particularly on day 2 and 3, are like hardened containers of lead. They are starting to feel a little more flexible today. I can feel mucous now swishing around inside them, and I have post-nasal drip. If I breathe really deeply, then I feel pain in my lungs; particularly, in the upper part of the right one, but the pain does shift around some. How sad, eh?

 

 

Today, I still woke up with the taste of an ashtray in my mouth. Like I said earlier, I never tasted this before because I was smoking all the time.

 

 

Today, I really wanted a cigarette. Yes, that early morning cigarette before coffee. An unsettling fear came over me as to how I'll ever survive stress or enjoy life without one. But, I also felt a strong sense of disgust.

 

 

I'm going to reread part of Allen Carr's book, today.

 

 

I guess I'm soooo discouraged in feeling that I've already ruined my health, so why bother trying at this point.

 

 

Bubba - once again thank you for sharing your story. Peace to you!

 

 

@ whichwayisup So you like our archrival, eh? You must be a hardcore fan, since y'all been waiting since '67 to have the cup again!

 

 

Please, find the book!!! I want to hear what you think about it!!!

[Haydn]

takes a while Ja for the nastiness to clear out. But fair play to you for resisting. One of my mates stopped by using the Paul Mckenna book.

[JDPT]

Caved in, bought a pack yesterday.

[bubbaganoosh]

If you feel like your caving in, invest in the e cigarette. They come with different strengths of nicotine.

 

My buddy has one and in a month was completely off cigarettes and has reduced the nicotine amount he uses and he feels a lot better.

 

Get to one of those vapor stores and but that kangertech EVOD kit. Their like $45.00, you get two of them in a kit and the fluid is like 8 or 9 bucks and rather than inhaling all the chemicals, you inhaling water vapor and you get the same satisfaction that you do with a cigarette.

 

The one nice thing about it is that rather then lighting up a whole cigarette and smoking it, you take a couple hits off the e cigarette and put it in your pocket.

 

He was a 2+ pack a day guy and if it works for him, iy will work for you. Plus it's cheaper than buying cigarettes.

[ASG]

As for the replacement strategy thing; now his body is no longer craving the drug, the fact that he keeps leaving his fake ciggie at home is a very good sign I think. I think he mostly just needs something in his hands when he is nervous etc.

 

This is a common misconception. Nicotine is addictive, sure, but you get over that in a couple of days.

The problem with quitting smoking is the company a cigarette brings the smoker.

 

I mean... I don't know what to do with myself on a bus stop, waiting for a bus, without a cigarette. Or waiting for a friend.

 

Then there are the habits and routines. The cigarette after food. Smoking when drinking alcohol. Smoking after coffee. THESE are the hard things to beat. They have nothing to do with the nicotine, though.

 

I will quit one day. Right now is not the time though. It wouldn't stick, because I don't *really* want to quit. You have to really want it. Otherwise, at the first sign of trouble (usually after a day or two when it's literally all you think about), you'll cave.

 

I spend days without smoking. I don't smoke if I'm hungover, for instance. Don't miss it at all. But I can't be hungover for a week! Don't smoke when I'm ill either.

But if I'm well, I crave them. I crave the taste and the smoke in the back of my throat!

[whichwayisup]

@ bubbaganoosh Thank you for writing and sharing your story. I'm sooo sorry you have emphysema. Yesterday, the fear that it's too late and that I've only unleashed some debilitating or life-threatening disease really gripped me. I can't tell you how badly I feel for what I've done. My lungs, particularly on day 2 and 3, are like hardened containers of lead. They are starting to feel a little more flexible today. I can feel mucous now swishing around inside them, and I have post-nasal drip. If I breathe really deeply, then I feel pain in my lungs; particularly, in the upper part of the right one, but the pain does shift around some. How sad, eh?

 

 

Today, I still woke up with the taste of an ashtray in my mouth. Like I said earlier, I never tasted this before because I was smoking all the time.

 

 

Today, I really wanted a cigarette. Yes, that early morning cigarette before coffee. An unsettling fear came over me as to how I'll ever survive stress or enjoy life without one. But, I also felt a strong sense of disgust.

 

 

I'm going to reread part of Allen Carr's book, today.

 

 

I guess I'm soooo discouraged in feeling that I've already ruined my health, so why bother trying at this point.

 

 

Bubba - once again thank you for sharing your story. Peace to you!

 

 

@ whichwayisup So you like our archrival, eh? You must be a hardcore fan, since y'all been waiting since '67 to have the cup again!

 

 

Please, find the book!!! I want to hear what you think about it!!!

 

I am searching and not giving up. if need be, I'll go buy another copy.

 

Oh yeah, ALL true Leaf fans HATE the Habs!