Made the decision today

[jeremy4]

After so many times of trying to quite and my doctors almost to the point of yelling at me for the past two years to quit, I've decided this is it I am done. No better time than the present. A couple of my good friends are quitting right now and they are talking me through the first couple of days and have explained in detail whats going to happen. It is a bit scary after 16 years of doing the same thing over and over. They even went and bought me like 10 packs of chewing gum. They say its easier to quit in the winter because I dont smoke in my house and wont miss freezing to death for that first morning smoke. I have my plan and my sticky notes all over the house. Blackberry is set up to remind me and ask me how I'm doing about every three hours. I've told myself over and over and over again tomarrow is the first smoke free morning. My buddies are taking me to the gym right after I drop my two daughters off. They say its the worst the first day and dont touch a beer or a mixed drink or I'll crash and burn. Taking plenty of snacks to work so I dont go broke trying to feed the snack machine. Lets Do It! I can honestly say I'm ready this time.

[JonesCarpeDiem]

Some good and some bad with having friends that re quitting at the same time.

The good is obvious. They are a little ahead of you.

The bad is if one of them falls it gives you the "well, if they couldn't do it, I don't think I can" excuse.

Sounds like your blackberry reminders are a good idea.

Don't replace the smoking with eating. I don't know why people think they have to substitute one thing for another.

The idea is that each time you want to smoke, you catch yourself and realize you made a choice not to smoke.

[pam20]

Be careful with thinking that your quit is going to be just like your friends. Every quit is going to be different. Some people have withdrawal symptoms and a hard time, some people don't feel a thing and can just give up smoking with little or no discomfort. I have a feeling if you go into this with a sense of dread it will be harder on you than it has to be. Think of it as taking back you life...not giving something up, smoking cigarettes added no value to your life...only took away from it!

Congrats on taking that first step in deciding to quit!!!

[melissa2]

Congratulation on deciding to quit!
Pam is right, everyones quit is different, and Jonescarp is the guy who has been doing this a long time and has awesome advise. Talk to everyone on here...talk and read alot! It will be tough the first few days...appx 72 hours to get the nicotene out of your system, so drink ALOT of water..and for godsake yes, stay away from the beer! My biggest trigger. YOU CAN AND WILL DO THIS!

[cory7]

welcome Jeremy,
glad to hear that you're quitting smoking after 16 yrs. the sooner the better. i smoked almost 40 yrs. (with a few quit attempts) you will start feeling and smelling much better in a short time. the example you set for your children will say more than any talking you can do. ie... "do as i say, not as i do"! within a few days i could breathe deeper and easier breaths. i agree with melissa, definitely don't drink while attempting to quit. we lose our willpower when drinking. there are so many good reasons to quit smoking and only a couple of lame ones to continue. YOU can do this! we're here to help you. have a great day!

[sally3]

Congrats on your quit! You will find allot of support and wonderful friends on this site to help you through this!

[edith2]

I'm glad that you've come to this site. Each one of us are individuals and so is our quit. Whatever works for you, then do it. Don't let discouragement or cravings stop you. Keep telling yourself that you can do this, even if you don't believe it at the time. Come to this site often and talk to people here, as well as your friends. The benefits of becoming a non-smoker are way beyond what I ever expected.