Why oh why couldnt we quit together!! My husband doesnt smoke in the house but obviously is smoking in the cars when I am not in them. Then I go in the car and the smell makes me crazy! When he comes inside after smoking a cigarette, he literally stinks, I hate it!! I ***** and complain every time and lately I think I am driving him to smoke more. Does anyone else have a spouse who is still smoking while you are on your quit? I am going to snap soon!
Allan Carr's book " The easy way to stop smoking" was excellent and dead on! I couldnt put that book down when I read it. I recommend it to many. Thank You for all your advice! I greatly appreciate all the advice I have been receiving on this site.
Nancy has given some great advice to you. My husband never smoked so I cannot relate to living with it, but...I think it is GREAT that it stinks so bad for you! I remember when I first quit, all of the smells - both good ones and bad ones were so much more intense! The fact that you hate the smell is a wonderful thing! Keep that smell close so it helps to remain quit! Keep up the great work and keep doing what you are doing and maybe your husband will get the hint and quit, too!
I was the one who smoked when my husband had quit. I never smoked in the house but I did smoke in the car when I was driving. Someone on here suggested a slice of apple or orange under the seat??? I am not sure which but I do know that a little bowl of baking soda helps and Febreze also has things you can clip onto an air vent to take the smell away. You could spray the entire inside of the car and it might help, I didn't realize how bad my car smelled until I quit and then I was horrified, particularly for my youngest daughter who used to borrow my car all of the time and I am sure she HATED the smell.
It would be wonderful if you quit together but perhaps your shining example might help him along the way. I kept saying NOPE, Not One Puff Ever over and over again when I first quit and I also said the Serenity Prayer many times....it does get easier, this site saved my quit AND my life.
Ellen
tha sliced apple under the seat works to get rid of the smell AFTER people quit smoking. It won't work if there's active smoking in the car.
Not my spouse but friend I have lived with her for over 20 years now I quit 1,037 days ago she is still smoking but would never agree not to smoke in the house or in the car . I have been around it so much that I can honestly say I don't even smell it .The only time it really bothers me is in the car if she doesn't open the window right away .
Like Nancy said consider how it would be if it were you smoking and he had quit .
my friend often calls me self righteous if I make any complaint or reference to her continued smoking habit . I don't want to be that ! I try not to be because I hope to be a good influence so maybe she will want to quit someday .
Hang in there you are doing a great job !
Congratulations on your decision to quit smoking and your early success!
Try, perhaps, to think about how you would feel if HE had quit and you were still smoking. In my case, I would not be happy, either!
If asking isn't helping, perhaps put some Vicks under your nose before you get in the car(s) to negate the smell. Ask him to keep his window open when he smokes in there. You might also ask him to wear a pulled up hooded sweatshirt when he smokes and to take if off before he comes in the house. That might help with the clothing and hair smell.
You can hope he will follow your example but as we addicts know, bugging him is not going to work.
I'm sorry you missed my usual welcome, so I will set that right. If you are almost three weeks quit, you obviously have figured a lot of this out, but I will let you take what you need and leave the rest!
The most important thing you can do right now is to educate yourself on what nicotine does to your body and mind. To that end, I highly recommend Allen Carr's “The Easy Way to Stop Smoking.” This is an easy and entertaining read. You can search for a free pdf of it on the net (copyright enforcement won't allow me to post the link here).
You should also read the posts here and perhaps go to the pages of folks who you think might be helpful. You might visit whyquit.com, quitsmokingonline.com and livewell.com for the good information contained there. @https://excommunity.becomeanex.org/groups/best-of-ex has lots of blogs written by members of this site with their experiences and guidance.
The idea is to change up your routines so the smoking associations are reduced. Drink your coffee with your OTHER hand. If you always had that first smoke with your coffee, try putting your tennies on right out of bed, going for a quick walk, then taking your shower and THEN your coffee! Rearrange the furniture in the areas you used to smoke so the view is different. Buy your gas at a different station. Take a different route to work. Take a quick walk at break time where the smokers AREN'T.
You need to distract yourself through any craves. You can take a bite out of a lemon (yup - rind and all), put your head in the freezer and take a deep breath of cold air, do a few jumping jacks, go for a brisk walk or march in place, play a computer game. Don't let that smoking thought rattle around in your brain unchallenged. Sometimes you need to quit a minute or an hour at a time. You will need to be disciplined in the early days to distract yourself when a crave hits. Get busy! Here is a link to a list of things to do instead of smoke if you need some fresh ideas:
https://excommunity.becomeanex.org/blogs/Youngatheart.7.4.12-blog/2013/02/25/100-things-to-do-instead-of-smoke
The conversation in your head in response to the "I want a cigarette" thought needs to be, "Well, since I have decided not to do that anymore, what shall I do instead for the three minutes this crave will last?" Then DO it. You will need to put some effort into this in the early days, but it gets easier and easier to do.
Stay close to us here and ask questions when you have them and for support when you need it. We will be with you every step of the way!
Nancy