Quit or Quitting Smoking Support

[flamingfingers]

Hey, gotta post this.. I have smoked for decades. Last week I got a flu virus that, along with temperature-induced asthma rendered me unable to get adequate oxygen into my lungs. Twice I nearly had to call the ambulance because I was in such a state of panic. Now I am able to breathe, still on drugs, but am tapering off. Have not had a smoke for a week and have no intention of EVER having another. There are times when I am almost screaming to have a smoke (I have 3 packs of my own on top of the fridge) but have decided that there is no Damn way I am going to go back to the helplessness of not being able to breathe. Your posts have made it easier for me to accept that I too can move past this dependence..

[Captain Awesome]

That's awesome.

First step is always the hardest.

[fastfreddie]

Don't give up. It can be done . Good Luck. Be the master of your mind.

[justmyopinion]

That is awesome flaming...well, not that you couldn't breath, but the rest....

Tomorrow is one year smoke free for me! If I can do it, so can you!

[justmyopinion]

YEAH! ONE YEAR SMOKE FREE TODAY! :123:

[Captain Awesome]

Awesome.

[justmyopinion]

Thanks CA - I'm pretty proud of it

[Queen K]

Hey, gotta post this.. I have smoked for decades. Last week I got a flu virus that, along with temperature-induced asthma rendered me unable to get adequate oxygen into my lungs. Twice I nearly had to call the ambulance because I was in such a state of panic. Now I am able to breathe, still on drugs, but am tapering off. Have not had a smoke for a week and have no intention of EVER having another. There are times when I am almost screaming to have a smoke (I have 3 packs of my own on top of the fridge) but have decided that there is no Damn way I am going to go back to the helplessness of not being able to breathe. Your posts have made it easier for me to accept that I too can move past this dependence..

One less client for IH Community Care. You'd prolly want to strangle us all with the O2 Tubes anyways....

I truly hope you throw those three bad boys out and not look back. BTW, Directly after your experience, there is nothing more helpless making than the person beside you not being able to help you breath.

Wishing you all the best.

[xjeepguy]

YEAH! ONE YEAR SMOKE FREE TODAY! :123:

Congrats !!! Great job !

[Queen K]

FYI to everyone. There is a lovely man I know, 90 years old. When he shows you the size of what is left of his one lung, he holds his hand up and makes a ring about the size of two loonies. That's it. The other lung he says is collapsed to the size of a pancake and grey. O2 tubes can not be off him for more than eight breaths. He quit smoking at age 50 or so but blames the lung problems on all the industrial pollution he was exposed to before we had all those new fangled WorkSafe rules. Smoke, dust, and sawdust dust particles filling the air.

No names and no need to thank me. I want to retire early anyways, so quit smoking okay, help me out.

[xjeepguy]

There are people like that and then there are people like my old neighbor in Kelowna , 92 years old and replacing his fence posts and still smoking 10 cigs a day . Yes , I helped with the fence :D

[Gavitron]

Had to come back and check on everyone. I'm still not smoking and I rarely even think about it anymore. I am confident hanging around people that do smoke now, confident to have a few drinks and not give in. Its been a journey! I feel awwwesome tho, I never knew what it was like to have energy. I remember reading this thread a few days before quitting. It helped so much to help me get over my "smokers pride", if that makes any sense. We're all better off not smoking. I'm proud of everyone that has quit or is trying to quit. Join the party, life is way better without those damn things. I feel like a much stronger person overcoming such a controlling addiction. If I had some advice I would say just do it. Quit. Use whatever it takes (I crutched on the patch for 6 weeks, worked well for me for the physical craving) as for the mental part I just kept telling myself "Its not gonna kill me if I don't smoke" Smoking is NOT part of the nutrition your body needs. Plus you look like an idiot running outside every chance you get, hiding behind a dumpster just to get ur fix. I think its been different for all of us, it took me a long time to find the formula that worked for me. I'll stop rambling. Anyone trying to quit has my full support and understanding and I am cheering for you all the way. Seriously. Me during quitting -> :skyisfalling: Me now -> :sunshine:

[xjeepguy]

Excellent job Gav . Keep it up ! I have not had a smoke since Nov of 2009 .

[justmyopinion]

Way to go Gav and xjeep!! :discodance:

[strwbrrydvl]

Hi, my name is strwbrrydvl and I am a nicotine addict. Welcome strwbrrydvl!

I have been a smoker for ten years now, prior to my pregnancies I was smoking up to 2 packs a day then I went down to 4-6 cigarettes a day and have been smoking roughly 15 cigarettes a day for the last year. I have been toying with the idea of quitting for quite some time but knew I wouldn't succeed because I didn't want to quit for me..

I woke up Saturday morning and decided I don't want to be a smoker anymore.
It was like a switch flicked. I don't want to be a smoker.

It's really hard to imagine being a non-smoker when my spouse is a heavy smoker, all (but two)of our friends are smokers and all local family smoke also. The social aspect is going to be quite hard for me but it is also a huge inspiration, my children see almost every adult in their lives head outside for 'uckies' and I don't want that to be the norm. I do not want them to become smokers and the statistics on children following in their parents footsteps in regards to nicotine are staggering.

I really should pick up that Allan Carr book, perhaps I'll download. I want to use willpower to kick the habit and nothing else.

What I have been doing so far is putting off my craving as long as I can and then I only have a drag or two. Enough to get that "ahhh.." Saturday I only had 2 cigarettes! 2 Sunday, 3 Monday, 2 Tuesday, 1 yesterday(yay me!) but...I have had 4 today.

The morning coffee and a cigarette (or three) have been surprisingly easy to stop. I've been getting up and going for a walk with the pups first thing when I wake up, by the time I get back home the rest of the household is up and I am too busy to have a relaxing moment on the deck. That's *bleep* ed hey? Cigarettes equal relaxing. You smokers & ex-smokers know what I'm talking about. I need to consciously replace all required "relaxing moments" with walking or putzing in the garden or throwing the kong for the pups.

Since I have a horrible cold right now I figured it would be much easier to quit entirely since I smoke far less when feeling ill. Boy, have I been wrong. Yesterday I did so great, I kept myself busy gardening. It had been roughly 24hours since my last drag when I took my first drive into Kelowna as a non-smoker. When I'm driving solo, I usually chain smoke them. I have never smoked with the children in the vehicle and have never had a nic-fit because of not smoking while driving so I figured it would be no biggie last night... I started craving so I chewed a piece of gum. Chew chew chew. I couldn't focus on the road, I was dizzy, my heart was racing, my hands were sweaty.. I thought I was going to bust a tooth I was chomping on that gum so fiercely. It was horrible, I felt like a complete junkie. I caved. I had an "emergency cigarette" in my glovebox just in case I was too weak and I was. I lit it up and had a longggg drag off of it. Ahhhh... Had another puff and then I butted it. My drive back was equally shaky but I lasted until home. I made myself go through that extra ten minutes of excruciating withdrawl and it didn't kill me! (...and then I smoked the rest of it before bed, -1 point there)

My one girlfriend, who is an ex-smoker, said she experienced the same intense physical withdrawls (as I had on my drive) for her first few days of going cold turkey and then she felt dizzy and spacey for about three weeks. Anyone else experience this?

Wish me strength and luck to succeed. This is my first attempt at quitting and I am going to do it, I am determined to not have a quitting attempt #2. I am going to do it this time, my first time. Damn perfectionist personality type might just pay off. I suppose I should set a date? Having a few puffs here and there really could go on forever. Heck, getting down from 15 to 2-3 I am pretty proud of myself already but I know I can do better. I will. Yes, I can and I will.