Tomorrow May 2nd is my day to quit.

[tinker2]

Hi everyone....I just saw an ad on TV about this site, and I was interested in joining because of  focus on relearning how to do all the activities we do "without having to smoke".....That is a biggie for me.....I"m painting inside my house, getting it ready to list for sale, and everytime I start onsome job I say to myself I need to smoke while doing it....I know it is stupid, and I know I can do anything without smoking, but  knowing that and actually doing that are two different things...I know I have to retrain my brain, it's as simple as that.  Any helpful info I can get here, and any suupport from others will be hugely appreciated.\

BTW my name is Debra, I'm 53, been smoking most of my life, but I have had many quits ranging from a year and half to 2 weeks.  I've had tons of 2 week quits, but somethign makes me always go back.  Now I'm noticing real health issues...and it scares me....I don't want the cigarettes to kill me.  ... I'm at a very stressful time in my life right now, trying to sell my country property, which means tons of clean up work, gardening, I'm redoing a bedroom completely, and I've a developed a pain in my leg, and it hurs every step I take....I must sell because I just can't manage a country property anymore, too much work, and financailly having a big place is just too much.  I've got a huge job ahead of me, listing, selling and moving...so I ahve every excuse to keep smoking, but isn't that how life is, there is always something, always an excuse for not doing it....well I"m fed up...I mean it, I'm fed up with those stupid cigarettes controlling my life, and in a sense my death.  not to be morbib, but come on everyone knows cigarettes kill.   I've been free before so I know the wonderul feeling of being a non smoker...the freedom...I want that again...plus I just met someone very specail, and he doesn't know I smoke...He is everything I have been praying for, and I don't want to keep our relationship strickly to talking on the phone and e.mailing because I smoke and I don't want him to know...How dumb is that....I need help....

I'm looking forward to meeting others here on this site, to support and recieve support from...there is power in numbers....good luck to everyone here....and thank you to the creators of this site....

Debra

[margy]

Debra -

Thank you for your comments.  I quit this morning (after many tries).  I have smoked everyday about 10 -15 cigarettes / day for the past 20 years.  I have someone special as well, and although we've been dating for 3 years, he lives in another state.  Because he is a non-smoker, I liked it that way.  I could light up anytime I wanted and not feel the guilt.  I never told him I was a smoker and would bite my tongue when I had a craving when he was around.  He has never seen me smoke. 

The thing is, it's a 6 1/2 hour drive to his house.  I would smoke all the way down, stopping about an hour outside of his town.  I had been fooling myself thinking he didn't know, so I could stuff my guilt.

The last time I went to visit, I opened my suitcase and even I could smell the smoke WAFTING FROM IT!!!!!  I can only imagine what it smelled like to him.  Even I was disgusted with the stale smoke smell I was introducing into his home and made a promise to myself right there and then.  I'm not going to kid myself this time.  This morning, I woke up and slapped on a nicotine patch.  I've had this website up all day and have emailed him some of these pages, so he knows what to do and not do when I see him next.

I waiting right now for the reply telling me that he new all along...

Best of luck to you.  Keep in touch.  I could use the encouragement!

Margy.