NEW QUITTER USING PATCH

[Deb-EX]

Hello!

 I'm NEW to the group, today I am 7 days smoke free using the Nicoderm patch. I have smoked about a pack (Plus) a day for probably 35 years and this is my 1st attempt EVER in quitting. This was not planned at all, I happened to get sick with a bad chest cold that wouldn't go away and something about the cough I got- scared me so bad, that I just went to our local CVS store, bought the patches, and QUIT then and there! I honestly didn't think I would last 2 days, so completing a week is way past my expectations & my 13 year old son is THRILLED. I don't see myself going back - I HATE IT!  Even with the patch, day 2 on are VERY hard. I feel out of sorts, my brain just isn't functioning, there are moments I can't even think... it's so odd. It's not even like I want to go out and smoke, I just don't think my brain knows how to handle the fact that I'm not smoking. The patch definitely works, but in all fairness - it only takes the edge off - you still have to put in the work to not light up again.  I like the fact that I can work on the mental part of the addiction FIRST which for me is more of WHY I was still smoking than anything - it's was my source of EVERYTHING!!! I will focus on the physical part later down the road when I have established a new cigarette free lifestyle - I'm a "one thing- at a time" kind of girl ! 

Anyway, I have been reading through so many great blogs- the support seems amazing and the advice is fantastic and uplifting. It's comforting to see I am not alone in my plight to quit this horrible habit. Day 8 here I come!! 🙂 

[Deb-EX]

Hi Tom! You are right, imagine how many of us still tried to get that drag or 2 in even if it caused a coughing fit that we stomped our feet, eyes filled with tears and to the point of almost barfing.. OMG, it's funny at this moment, but so not funny at all - PROVING that this is a complete ADDICTION! But I guess we should be grateful that something triggered that thought in our brains that ENOUGH IS ENOUGH I know I am. I know I have a LONG road ahead, but I would rather start now than allowing even one more day of smoking... Congratulations on your quit! Look forward to seeing you around! 

[TW517]

Oh my gosh I got the biggest kick reading your reply. I wrote almost the exact words 6 months ago. The first 9 tries to have a cigarette seemed perfectly normal to me even though I was hacking miserably, unable to take a draw. During my 10th attempt, a friend texted me and asked what I was doing. I typed back that I was desperately trying to get just one or two drags of a cigarette, but was coughing so bad and eyes watering so bad, I could barely type. When I was trying to smoke, it felt normal. But when I read those words back that I had typed, I felt like an idiot.

[Deb-EX]

LOL LOL !! You're right, when you're in it - you DON'T see it, so I imagine that reading these words 6 months later would make you feel silly. I'm 9 days in and I feel SILLY! If we think of all the things we have done for a drag off a cigarette, we ALL would feel like complete fools, but let's face it - we were (are) in that addiction complete fool's!!! I'm good with that and so should you be. These are the things to look back on when we feel like "just one drag".... they will stop us dead in our tracks :-))))) 

[elvan]

Deb-EX  Your lungs are healing, the nicotine from the patch is not affecting them.  Keep going forward, NOTHING is worth smoking over.  It doesn't do anything good...only bad.  You are doing a beautiful job...it WILL get easier.

[Deb-EX]

OK... Phewwww.. I was getting a little worried there for a minute!! I thought so but started to get a bit confused in my readings. So all is the same as far a healing my body with the exception of getting over the actual nicotine addiction. I'm good with that! Today at day 9 I can honestly say I had the most thoughts of "Oh go smoke a cigarette" days since this all began. I STOP - say NOPE. I don't do that anymore and move on to something to keep me busy for a minute. It's such an odd feeling how the thought is so VIVID almost like a dream! Yikes. But now my son is home from school and he keep me in check! As soon as he walks in - he smells my hair and then smiles. If that's not a reward, I don't know what is!!! :-))))

[elvan]

Deb-EX  You are doing great, seriously, I LOVE that your son smells your hair and then smiles, that is seriously lovely.  I wrote a blog early in my quit and I said I had been quit for 13 days and I had expected it to be much easier by now.  I had to read it out loud at the Nashville reunion and I was so embarrassed because by then I had been quit for over a year.  It was hilarious.  We DID do some seriously bizarre things when we were still smoking and looking back on them IS laugh out loud funny.  I am so proud of you.

Ellen

[Deb-EX]

Thank YOU Ellen :-)))  Isn't that the cutest thing, smells my hair to see if I made it another day :-))))  Another thing I have found during the quit is the amount of extra time I have been spending with him. It's almost like I am JUST realizing how much time apart we spent because he wasn't allowed NEAR me when I smoked a cigarette. I mean, if he came out to the garage or where ever I was smoking, he would hold his breath and I would say, go in CJ or go in the yard, or in the front (any place opposite) of where I was. I think he notices the extra time too, and it breaks my heart to see how many minutes wasted, or how many conversations lost all because I smoked! This is something that I will look back on as a "reminder" as why I can NEVER go back - not that I want to in any way, shape or form. Today I have 9 solid smoke free days behind me... I'm ready for day 10, and actually this morning instead of coffee and a cigarette in a cold garage, I got my coffee, sat down and came here to see what was going on! Do you know, I never even thought about going out to have a butt!??! Mornings are one of the hardest parts of my day,  slowly the change in my routine is starting to feel a bit better! 

 If any of us EX-Smoker's put a list together of all the crazy and bizarre things we have done to smoke a cigarette, HOW FUNNY that would be. I mean, I have some crazy stories, one specific that my husband tells to this DAY :-))))

Anyways, hope you're doing well today!!  2 days until Thanksgiving, time to get over myself and get out and buy a couple of things I need for the holiday. I just don't want to go into stores right now, I'm afraid to catch any sickness's. Since I can't wear a mask LOL.. I will take my EmergenC vitamin drink and go out early!!! 

Talk to you later 🙂

Debbie

[elvan]

Deb-EX‌ I have thought about all of the hours and hours I spent away from my kids in order to smoke.  For a long time, I was pretty overwhelmed with guilt but I learned, mostly from this site, that guilt and regret are not going to help you with anything.  Mornings were one of my hardest times too but I did just what you did this morning, instead of having a cigarette, I came directly to EX...worked for me.

That's funny, the things we did to smoke...I was thinking about some of them the other day and also about some that other people have told me about and I sat here laughing and laughing and my husband came into the room to see what was so funny.  I couldn't explain it adequately so he just stared at me...blank faced and shrugged his shoulders before he walked away.

DO try to boost your immune system before going out into the hoards of people who are shopping, I am not a fan of shopping at any time of year but NOW, it is absolute chaos and I don't respond well to that.

Stay healthy and enjoy your son sniffing your hair...I will be thinking of that.

Hugs,

Ellen

[Samsgurl2018]

Hi Deb-ex, congrats on your new quit! We have similar stories and I'm 30 days smoke free tomorrow. I'm down to using the 7mg patch but some days it is hard but I'm still reading everything I can here and posting when I can. Happy Thanksgiving also! My quit was also due to my health. Only this time, I was told after having bronchitis again that if I don't quit soon, it will develop into COPD so one night I decided to read Allen Carr's book easy way to quit smoking and smoked my last cigarette! I'm taking buproprion also and when anxiety get bad, my Dr gave me buspirone to ease withdrawal. I didn't realize this was such a horrible addiction until I got really sick and quit. It's difficult some days but stay close on here and it also helps if you have a ex-coach. I have had such a great support system here and proud I'm almost at that month mark. If you ever need someone to talk to, feel free to message me. Hang in there and take it one day at a time. You can do this and so can I    remember N.O.P.E!!

Holly 

[Deb-EX]

Hi Holly!! Thank you so much for the support, I'm sure you know how much it means to me. Happy Thanksgiving, I hope you had a wonderful day, and CONGRATULATIONS on 30 days smoke free!! That's so awesome... Isn't it the best feeling ever!! every night I put a big X on my calendar as another day of victory... My calendar is looking so beautiful. LOL

Yes our stories ARE so similar.. How many QUITS are there that started out this way. There isn't a doubt in my mind that I was heading down the path of COPD ... I was sick and tired of being sick and sick and tired of the embarrassment of getting nebulizer treatments ect...you know the deal I'm more than sure. Doctors saying you really need to think about quitting smoking, me thinking yea yea one day, get me out of here so I can go smoke a cigarette!!!

I don't know, something scared the bejesus out of me this last bout of bronchitis... Something felt different...I swear that day I quit, I never even thought about it.. I just knew that I was done, I got the patch put it on and there hasn't been 1 day since that I have regretted it. Today one of my family members was smoking outside, I didn't want to join her for a second, I actually felt sorry for her. When she laughed she started coughing .. You know the smokers cough??!! Well I turned to my husband and said, " do you hear Kelly's cough? That's the exact reason I quit" it sounded horrible... Me, I was able to laugh and no coughing followed me, it was a great feeling.

I plan on staying with the 21mg patch for 6 weeks, then move the level down. I'm in no rush and I want to do it right ( my right) we are all different... Especially during the holidays.. I LOVE this support group, and I'm staying very close and getting so much valuable advice and support. I've met so many great people... 

Now I've met you, and please know that I'm here for you as well :-))) 

Cheers to saying NOPE and again Happy Thanksgiving to you.

Debbie