any one understand how hard it is to quit smoking?

[mommyfisc]

i have decided to quit smoking..........it is hard. i have quit 3 times in my life so far and was sucessful each time at least 1 year each time ...but this time is very hard to do.... i was hoping to get some support from this site... has anyone been here done this and actaully seen health benifits? how long will it really take to repair damage? since hubby and i work out and eat pretty healthy but smoke ciggs... do you think our recovery time will be quicker? i feel so stupid for not being fully educated on the true dangers of smoking...if i don't stop soon i am increasing the chances of not seeing my children graduate from high school......so far i have been drinking hot herbal tea instead of smoking so that i still get that "me" time i crave and i just think about my kids..i did slip and smoke 1 cigg today but usually i would have had about 3-4 by now....if you understand what i am talking about from personal experience share..please pm me i know it is never too late to stop but can my body ever fully repair?is it possible? i have already called some hotline for quitting and one of my friends who lost someone about my age not to long ago from smoking related causes has sent me a ton of info on this subject but i like this site and was hopeing to find someone with similiar interests (working out...ect...) who has been where i am and might be understanding and supportive....if you are just going to refer me to some self help program or doc prescribed drugs then don't waste your energy because you are not who i am looking to hear from....you just don't "get it" move on to another thread.....if you understand then drop me a line.. your words may help me at just the right time....thank you......

[Channel1]

I quit twice & it was pretty easy. It is like working out. Once you get past the painful first 1-2 weeks you got it made. I smoked for 13 years then walked away for 2 years, then quit for a year & haven't been back since. Cold turkey, no extra help.

I can breath & run.

[kettle1531]

I hear you, sister! I've quit six times - tried the patch, the gum, the drugs - even dip (yuck!). Even when I didn't smoke for 6 months, my friends came up to be and said "we liked you better when you smoked". Maybe I was nicer then?! What I'm doing now - first and foremost is not talking about it to my friends so that I don't get all the pressure and nagging questions - I figured since I keep a log of my workouts, my weight and my food - why not add a line for the number of cigarettes I've had - not only do I smoke less (because the effort of logging it) but I can use "historical data" to prove to myself that yesterday I only smoked (X #) less than I want to today - and I survived just fine. My goal is to taper off gradually - with as little stress as possible - but while still commited to quitting!

You can do it

[kettle1531]

I forgot to add this -

When I looked at your health benefits and recvery time questions -
I googled this - it's a pretty fair time line

http://www.health.ri.gov/tobacco/ben...f-quitting.php

[mommyfisc]

thanks for the link.... i love to see facts....and stats...i have only had 4 today.....so i am doing great.....hopeing to do less tomorrow than today and none on saturday.....my kids are helping me.....

[SpaceCakeGirl]

I am so so so happy I quit smoking. I smoked for four years (15-19), quit cold turkey, and never went back.

I just pictured myself in the future, the faaaar away future, and I saw my little old wrinkly ass in a paper gown being told that I had lung cancer, and that I was going to die, and that my husband would start screwing someone else because we were still pretty young after all, and that I wouldn't ever meet my grandkids, etc etc etc. And I just looked so ANGRY and FURIOUS and SAD with my younger self for smoking that I just had to stop.

I decided choosing life was better.

I used to be out of breath climbing one flight of stairs. Now I climb five with no problem.

The longer I don't smoke, the more I hate smoking and smokers. The smell, which I never noticed before, is disgusting and awful.

[jadore]

I smoked quite heavily for 3 years - up to a pack a day. I tried quitting 3 times but the things I learnt on the third go were:

1. VERY IMPORTANT: You actually need to WANT TO QUIT and figure out why you want to quit. Are you quitting because you've been scared of the health effects? Are you quitting because your friends and family want you to? Are you quitting because its expensive? Are you quitting to get fit? You need to do it for you and not anyone else.

2. For someone like me who had smoked for so long and so much, I realised I couldn't go "cold turkey" or any of this other crap - your body is craving a drug it's relied on so much, your body is wanting to satisfy that need (ie/your used to the physical act of smoking) and your emotional needs are also tied in with this - alot of people smoke to rid stress, calm down, feel happy (this was me!) So I went out and bought the patches. And you know what? 6 months later, I still have them in my cupboard in case I need them.

3. I also realised to quit properly I would have to stop going out socially and stop drinking alcohol for a few weeks. Yes it was boring. But the temptation was too much - I would be offered one, or smell or see one - I remember one particular time on a previous try at quitting, I actually took off the patch to have a cigarette.

4. You need to get rid of all cigarettes, lighters, matches, ashtrays and clean up all areas of your house and car. Do a bit of a spring clean so you can't see or smell anything at home that might trigger.

5. Have some support. I was lucky and quit smoking with my boyfriend - so we were both in it together and supported eachother.

6. Reward yourself when you do quit! Think of all the money you are going to save!

It personally took me about 2 or 3 weeks to finally quit (I was using patches during these weeks). It worked for me - now I don't even crave any cigarettes, and the actual thought, smell and sight make me feel physically ill and I think to myself "how the hell did I manage to smoke for so long?". One side effect I've had is weight gain - about 6 kg. BUT I was 48kg when I was smoking, I've lost 3kg, so now I'm at 51kg. I'll never be in the 40's again though - such an unhealthy weight. Shows how much I was smoking, and how much I was substituting cigarettes for food. So try and keep an eye on how much you eat as you quit if you don't want to put on weight. Most people find that if they eat healthy/clean and exercise you will put on minimal, if no, weight.

How I feel after quitting: great - so much healthier, my skin is clear, I can sleep, my anxiety has gone (I used to be a nervous, malnutritioned wreck!!). I feel happier and more alive than ever. I'm so glad that I did it.

As for the actual damage you've done - this depends on how long and how much you have smoked for. This has been taken from www.quit.org.au:

"* After twelve hours almost all of the nicotine is out of your system.
* After twenty-four hours the level of carbon monoxide in your blood has dropped dramatically. You now have more oxygen in your bloodstream.
* After five days most nicotine by-products have gone.
* Within days your sense of taste and smell improves.
* Within a month your blood pressure returns to its normal level and your immune system begins to show signs of recovery.
* Within two months your lungs will no longer be producing extra phlegm caused by smoking.
* After twelve months your increased risk of dying from heart disease is half that of a continuing smoker.
* Stopping smoking reduces the incidence and progression of lung disease including chronic bronchitis and emphysema.
* After ten years of stopping your risk of lung cancer is less than half that of a continuing smoker and continues to decline (provided the disease is not already present).
* After fifteen years your risk of heart attack and stroke is almost the same as that of a person who has never smoked."

All the best and good luck! YOU CAN DO IT!!

[Channel1]

I weaned myself off. Stop buying cigs right away. Kill that last pack & let the last one you take be before you go to bed. Dump all the ashtrays & clean them

When you get up in the morning the craving will be killer. For the next day or so if you want one bum them, sooner or later people will get tired of you or you will get tired of begging.

I went through this process for a week. Stop hanging around people that smoke if you can & bring them back around when you are fully off. The first two weeks are the hardest. Plus drinking does not make it easy.

Be strong, tell yourself you really don't need them. Addiction will make you think you need the cigs. Think of how much money you wont be literally burning up. Do other things to keep you busy.

[Ancient Olympia]

After 10 years of smoking I really wanted to quit. I tried a few things that most people do. What helped me was going to google and looking up pictures of all the areas in the body you can get cancer due to smoking. It is pretty disguising but worth looking at. A charred lung/throat/tongue is pretty gross. The removal process/aftermath is even worse.

[FameGirl]

It's something YOU have to be ready for. I smoked since i was quite young and stopped smoking in January. I was still a "closet" smoker and would have a ciggy or two a day. Then one day cigarettes just disgusted me, and i can never imagine smoking one again. Weird, i don't see how i ever smoked in the first place. Gets better with time, and support. I tried the gum ages ago when i tried quitting during the holidays while working retail. It helped me from having nic-fits on people, but when i officially quit, i didn't use any gum or patches. I will never ever smoke again.

[FameGirl]

Oh, and really, do it for your kids too. Use them as motivation. My parents never smoked, but I know it would hurt me if they ever did. My dad died over the summer, and he saw me graduate from HS, but he will never get to walk me down the aisle one day. He will never get to see his grandkids. So many milestones in my life that I imagined him being involved in are now just a fantasy. When it gets hard think of that. Don't you want to see your kids get married? Play with your grandchildren? Watch them turn into adults and start on their own journeys?

I do know it's hard. Hell, I went from smoking over a pack a day to having not a single cig the next, and i couldn't even get out of bed. I felt like i was dying, I have never felt so ****ty in my life. But it was worth it. I FEEL so much better. I have energy, i get compliments all the time on how GOOD i smell, my hands no longer reek, I no longer freeze my ass off like a homeless person, people are proud of me.

You can do it girl, Yeah it's hard, but you only live once, and people who die of smoke related disease suffer. No one should have to go through that, that doesn't have to be your fate.

[kettle1531]

Originally Posted by mommyfisc

thanks for the link.... i love to see facts....and stats...i have only had 4 today.....so i am doing great.....hopeing to do less tomorrow than today and none on saturday.....my kids are helping me.....

You ARE doing GREAT!!!

Keep it up

[Random907]

Piracetam helps people get over addictions, or so I hear.

[Jordana-Jaz]

Yeah i smoked for like 10 years, it's been over a year now that I have finally stopped. I had given up twice before, buy only for a few months... This time I know it's for real.

What really made me stop was because I wanted to take care of my body, as I loved working out, i sort of hated the fact of inhaling smoke into my bod, I actually started to feel sorry for it, so I stopped for the 3rd time (lucky) cold turkey.

It's really really hard, I sooo know, but it does get easier and easier!!! and you really do feel a big difference. It was also important for me to not really hang out with smokers coz it made me crave....Thats a good start actually.

I wish you well

[Mo_ria]

Smoked about 2 packs a day for 10 years, quit cold turkey only because I had pneumonia and couldn't breathe! My lungs were NOT happy with me and I only stopped because they couldn't take it anymore. Trust me, I was so addicted that if that hadn't happened I'd probably be typing this with one hand, LOL. It's been 15 years now, and sometimes I still miss them. Sick, isn't it? Overall my health is TREMENDOUSLY better, I found bodybuilding and healthy eating and all is good...oh, and my cystic acne went away after I quit.
Good luck---you can do it and it is so worth it!

[wv4x4mom]

It looks like I am going to be jumping on the ?Former Smokers? train in a few days. My 2 sons play midget league football and I told them that if either one of their teams won the championship (Super Bowl) game this season, I would quit smoking. Well, Saturday both boys teams made the championship games. When my oldest son came running off the field, the first thing he said to me was ?You better enjoy this week mom cause next week you are going to be jonesin? for a cigg?.

To be honest, I am going to quit whether they win or not. I?m not looking forward to it but if my boys can get out there and bust their butts and win, then so can I.

Wish us luck!!!!

[canuck_chick]

I smoked for 13 years, and quit when I was 26. I started smoking when I went into highschool. Over the years I had quit 3 or 4 times, a year was my longest time without a cigarette. I came to the realization that I wasn't really ready to quit and that is what kept me from succeeding.

Once you realize you are ready to quit (ask yourself this question and figure out just how serious you are about it), you have accomplished the hardest part. Once I figured out that I was finally ready to quit I was disgusted with the smell and taste of the cigarettes every time I had one, whereas before I still enjoyed all aspects of it. Unless you have the right frame of mind you are not going to be able to quit. Plain and simple. You have an addiction and you can't go at it half-heartedly. It is all or nothing.

Anyone who tells you that you can't do it cold turkey is full of it. Sorry if I've offended anyone, but I quit cold turkey and I haven't looked back since. It is possible. I had tried gums and pills when I had quit before, but the final time was cold turkey.

You are going to face physical symptoms of withdrawal. These symptoms do not last very long and are really quite easy to overcome. The hardest part for me in terms of withdrawals were the emotional aspects of quitting. I don't know if you have ever seen the patch commercials with the flight attendant yelling at people one minute, crying the next, etc. That is exactly what it was like for me and it was hard. After that cleared up I was free and it has been awesome. It is so nice not to have that little stick rule your life.

Changing your habits is also really challenging. You have been used to drinking coffee and having a cigarette, eating a meal and having a cigarette, etc, etc, etc for years of your life. This has become a part of who you are. Breaking that off is really hard, but if you are determined to do it, you will.

One suggestion that I will make is to pick up the book "Allen Carr's Easy Way to Stop Smoking". I read that book right before I quit and it will help you to get into the right mind set. If it worked for me it might work for you as well.

Good luck with this, and feel free to PM me if you need to chat or ask more questions.

Sandy

[xbubblesx10]

I have been an on and off smoker for the past 10 years. I quit 3 times (for at least a year) and somehow ended up getting hooked again. The last time I quit was a little over a year ago. I started up again around May (wedding planning = stress!) of this year and am currently working on weaning myself off. My partner is a smoker as well, so it makes it a little hard to resist when she's lighting up in front of me!

I'm down to about 2 cigarrettes per day.

Best of luck. You can do it!

[Mrs-gsxr]

my husband and I had smoked for over ten years , a pack or more a day... One day as I said ,honey I need $$$ for cigss he said why don't we quit?
I said what ? are ya kiddin?
I need time to think about it (stall) ,(smoke another ciggarette),He said , no today ..When we finish these ciggs were gonna be done . I had prayed myself to sleep every night ,asking God to help me quit , well I took this as a sign , he was ready, I will MAKE myself ready ...I think the hardest part of it is breaking the habit of the "usual" ciggarette , the one with coffee , the ones programmed for after a meal ....This will be the worst . my husband and I sat in the car at Taco bell a day or two after quiting and could move,,,we wanted our programmed ciggarrette so badly and were torn for hours over whether or not to go and buy some...It was agonizing ,but ya know what we got through it and I am here 5 years later a better person...I hate the smell of them , I hate how I smell after being around relatives who smoke....I hate the fact that relatives got offended by me asking them not to smoke in my home anymore, The would say things like " Oh yea , Heather and Jason are perfect now , they don't smoke" , I would feel so proud , and think to my self yup that's right ,,,,,Their are gonna be a lot of people around you that will do this ...They are green with envy ,Think of the long run . How proud and tall you'll be standing ..They will really look up to you but not admit it ..You will have set a great example for your kids also . My daughter is very proud I quit.. I let her know how hard it was to quit also , so she'll now if she starts she will have a war to stop...Good luck to you ... By the way , we quit cold turkey ,didn't use anything...And up until a few months ago I still had ciggs left from the pack we told ourselves was our last..Seemed to help me to have em around , You always want what you can't have , having them around was a security blanket for me ,knowing if it got too hard they were there. Eased the pressure a little I guess . This won't work for everyone , but My husband and I didn't touch em .....