Sheesh. Now what?

[DOCmarkC]

OK, so I quit. I stopped. I don't anymore. Wow.. What a relief.

The cigarettes are gone. The ashtrays are gone. I am slowly washing the stink out of my clothing and the car. I wake up in the morning and remember that I don't smoke. I remember again after breakfast. Again when I get in the car to go to work. I don't smoke when I get to the parking lot at work or when I walk to the front door.
After working a couple hours I remember that I don't go on a smoke break, and after a stack of paperwork I don't reward myself with a quick smoke. I don't start lunch or end it with a trip outside. My afternoon break has nothing to do with smoking, and I don't light up as I leave the building to go home. I remember several times that I am not smoking as I drive home and I do not light up as I get home or even after dinner.
At bedtime, I relax by remembering that I do not have a smoke before bed or even while relaxing in the hot tub with a nice adult beverage.
The next morning I start over not doing it again.
OK, I swear I am not going to put myself through the three day hell of detoxing again, but damn. When do I stop having to remind myself all day long that I don't smoke?

[lana2]

when you feel unwell. and i have....that kind of makes it seem so powerful. The power of nicotine that when we don't have it we are unwell. that is just scary.
Nicotine is so powerful......
I am busier than i use to be. i use to be lazy. doesn't take much work to sit outside and smoke...........and stink.......and get stains on your teeth.....

So, i actually read the paper now.....and starated cross stitching....and choosing to be more powerful than nicotine.

[roberta]

You're right, it is powerful...and I don't think I minded giving into a power that I could control in some sense. I smoked for 37 years, 2 1/2 packs a day. I was energetic, happy, on the run constantly...and 23 pounds lighter. Now I get out of breath, I retain water, my blood pressure used to be perfect, now it's raised, my body aches, I don't sleep well. Short of becoming anorexic or bulemic, no matter what I do, I can't get rid of this weight. I feel it's harmed my physical health and emotional wellbeing a heck of a lot more than smoking did. Sorry about the negativity, but I think people need to know it's not always a "yahoo!!" when you quit smoking and it will be a lifetime choice because there will always be triggers to remind you of a cigarette. And certainly, any positive effects from quitting might not be immediate (except the money end of it) and for a while there will be some very real physical downfalls.

Also, don't be fooled by gum and patches. As long as those are used as tools to quit, you are feeding your receptors nicotine and some day you will have to face the monster withdrawal. Or you could be like my sister, addicted to nicotine gum for the last 11 years.

Three months, two days, 12 hours, 58 minutes and 38 seconds as a non-smoker. That's 4429 cigarettes not smoked and a savings of $692.89.

[doris2]

Thank You so much for your support and great job! All you have said is so true, I have noticed just in the three days of quitting that I can taste things and smell things better. I intend on wening myself off of th patches afrer a week, can't stand having these patches on me. The gum helps, but you are right I don't want to get hooked on it either. Thank You again, and take care.

[doris2]

Oh really? Well I hope that does not happen to me, I am hoping I feel and breath better. Three days today and still determined. Hope you get to feeling better.

[DOCmarkC]

I found this link to a counter that tells you what you have saved so far.
I don't feel that you are being negative when you say you are having a hard time. The important thing is that you are looking to have a better time and not looking to give up on your goal or just wallow in self-pity.
I can say that for the first few days, I thought of almost nothing but smoking. Later I thought of it so much I could hardly stand it. At this point I think it crosses my mind at least hourly. Way too much... I hate it... But at the same time, at this rate I will think of it once a week or less within the year. I figure if I managed to smoke for 25 years, then spending a few months getting used to no doing it anymore must be worth it.

[lana2]

I totally agree that it is not a "Yahoo when you quit smoking. It is very HARD and like most everyone else, I think of it ALL the time. After 8 weeks it is getting better.

The fact that it is HARD to quit just reinforces how ADDICTING nicotine can be. How it can CONTROL you. I like to have my own control not give it to nicotine. I think of that all the time. I WILL be stronger than the nicotine.
I have mentioned that words can be who you are.....
Watch your thoughts; they become words.
Watch your words, they become actions.
Watch your actions, they become habits.
Watch your habits, they become character.
Watch your character, it becomes your destiny.

Later,

[roberta]

Everyone is concentrating on my mention of the constant thoughts of having a cigarette. That's the easy part to control. My main contention is the fact that it's been three months (actually 14 weeks) since I quit smoking. Physically I should be feeling better, not much, much worse.

People who are going to quit smoking need to know they aren't going to instantly feel better. In fact, it could be a very long time and you are likely to feel much worse before you feel better.

Of course, no one should smoke, but let's be realistic and honest about the quit process. It ain't pretty!

[doris2]

That's Great, Thank You!!!!

[DOCmarkC]

I did take Chantix for a little bit... Contrary to what many people say, I LOVED the dreams I had. I looked forward to each night sleep and had lots to think about the next morning.
I didn't complete the Chantix cycle tho. I ended up just stopping. Physically I can't say I have much of a change, but I know that as my body heals, the cilia grow more active in my lungs. As they become more active, they will expel more and more of the crap I have been collecting for all these years. I absolutely expect that I will not feel like I am breathing better for several weeks, and I am an athletic person. I have been on the treadmill or elliptical a few times a week for a long time and I am a fairly avid outdoorsman... I consider myself to be naturally healthy. I know however that smoking has made me less physically efficient that I would otherwise be. I know that given time, I will be able to be even better.
This weekend will be one month. I get to celebrate that along with my 39th birthday. (give or take a day or two) I think it is a pretty good present to give myself.
Today I think I thought about having a smoke... about 15 times.
I think that is less than half as many times as I did a couple of weeks ago.


I stopped smoking on Sun, 16 Mar 2008 22:01:00 GMT.
It has been 3 weeks, 2 days, 3 hours, 57 minutes and 58 seconds since I quit.
I have saved $152 by choosing not to smoke 579 cigarettes.
More importantly, I saved 0 weeks, 4 days 10 hours 10 minutes of my life!

[doris2]

Well that is so great, Happy Birthday and Anniversary this weekend, I hope I can say the same in a few weeks, so far so good! It's only been a few days, but people like you give me more and more hope that I really can do this, Thank You!