Nursing Student seeking advice... Day 1 --- Qdate: 3/16/09

[travis2]

Hi... I set my quit date for today, March 16th, a few weeks back. Unfortunately, until this morning, I had never visited this site...

I am a little confused that in the "planning" section, it tells me that I am NOT ready to set a quit date even though I got up this morning and ceremoniously slapped my first patch on to hopefully go through day one smoke free...

I am a nursing student and I am on spring break from school. My days are a bit more flexible this week and many common "triggers" are out of my routine. I have 3 days this week at the hospital so the environment IS conducive to NOT smoking... (I will hopefully graduate in 58 days, 22 hours, 16 minutes from this post... Which is 25 years and 3 days after the last time I graduated college!)

Even though the site is telling me to set a date in a couple of weeks, I think I'd like to at least try to start today... as planned...

Have others faced this? Is there a path through the site / planning that is supportive of this situation that I'm not seeing? Is there another support site that might help me more?

Any help is greatly appreciated...

Thanks,

Travis

PS.... I posted this same message on another discussion this morning, but, after no replies through the day, realized that no one had replied to any post since January in that group.

[amie5]

I quit last Wednesday and just joined today. I did the same as you and joined the March quit date. Write your quit date on a calendar at home and you'll have that for reference. I'm glad someone is as clueless as me.

[anne8]

Hi - I'm an "old" nursing student, too (just compared to the 21 year-olds; this is my 3rd degree), and I, too, decided to try quitting on my Spring Break. On the "Profile Page" I just hit the little button at the bottom that says "No, thanks, I want to quit now". You can still go through the workbook, and you still have the online community support. I quite before for 2 years and I know what my triggers are, I'm under a lot less stress while on Spring Break, and being able to pick up 4 shifts at the hospital this week will help to keep me busy.

Are you using any chemical aids to help you quit?

[Robin-K]

Hi Travis!
I quit last Friday and it did the same thing to me. Just move forward! Sounds like your ready. I've been looking at this book that people have been telling me to get. You might want to check it out also. Allen Carr's Easy way to stop smoking. Sounds like this is the best time tor you to quit as well. Not your normal routine with spring break. I also quit during spring break! lol Today was my first day back to work. Went better then I thought it would but I think if I had quit on a normal day it would of been much harder. You can do it!!

Robin

[heidi8]

Travis, it sounds like you've already been getting some support here, but I'll add my 2 cents worth. The site just wants you to know your triggers so that you can have a plan of attack when the cravings attack. The idea is simply to be as prepared as you can be so that you can be as successful as possible. If you know you are ready then you are. I know many who've just decided to quit PERIOD. No patches, no gum, no chantix, no support group and they have done just GREAT! Just watch for the insidious traps and mind games we all play on ourselves..just one won't hurt and all that - ONE does hurt, it is a very fast slippery slope to becoming a smoker again. It can happen in a heartbeat - no pun intended. Believe me as one who has slipped down that slope more than once, I know whereof I speak. You CAN do this, but there will probably be some hard moments...BUT it is ALL more than worth it. Love yourself and love your body/health enough to do this and you will be a much happier, healthier you in the end. Good luck and God bless you.

[travis2]

Thank you to the ones who have posted... today the site seems to have finally quit telling me it is NOT time to quit and I have been jotting down some triggers and such... I also welcome any suggestions and/or encouragements to stay stopped!!!

I did have to laugh a few minutes ago (once I realized what was going on)... I was going outside and found myself looking all around my kitchen (as if I'd forgotten something)... I finally realized that I was looking for my pack of smokes and lighter... Not that I was consciously thinking about smoking... just my subconscious seems to have smoking ingrained much like just picking up my car keys without really thinking about it...

I know I must watch for these little ques and make sure I never have smokes with in an easy reach!!!

Best to all!

travis

[braundi]

The way you quit is up to you. You are free to choose the how you handle it. There are so many helpful tips on this site.

I highly suggest reading Allen Carr's Easy Way to Stop Smoking. I read it right before I quit (March 13, 2009). It was a like a miracle book for me. Someone on Ex suggested it to me. It helped me correct my thinking. I am at the end of day 5 without this being a hard thing to handle. I quit cold turkey (as did Robin, below) after about 23 years. I thought I would be an emotional wreck. I am not. I have definitely done my share of praying as well! I am glad for the peaceful transition from smoker to non-smoker. I know it can be done.

Do a google search for allen carr's easy way to stop smoking penguin and click on the opposing digits link for a free pdf copy of the book. It is worth reading.

[karen-p.-fate]

Travis,

My quit date was March 11th at 10:30 am.....12 days later I am still smoke free. I have smoked off and on for the past 30 years. I never got beyond a pack a day on average, and most of my friends & family asked why I even smoked since I was not the "traditional" smoker. I have quit many times over the years, the longest being 2 years.

This time is different. First & foremost, I am scheduled for a surgery that includes a bone graph. After many hours of research, I have found (I'm sure you know this quite well being a Nurse) that healing and regrowth of bone is cut down almost in half if you are smoking. That scared me because I had my usual yearly bone density test this past October and from a year ago there is a definate sign of bone weakening. I've been taking calcium suppliments every day including an increase in my calcium intake through diet.

I had set in my mind that I was quitting the day my husband & I return from our trip to Mesquite, NV & Las Vegas (March 11th). I actually looked forward to my quit date! March 11th at 10:30 am we were at McCarran Airport in Vegas, getting off of the airport shuttle. I saw a garbage can beside me when I got off, grabbed my cig's and lighters and tossed them in. After checking into our flight, we had time to spare and my friend (she and her husband were with us on the trip) said we had enough time to go out for "one last smoke". I told her I was done....I don't think they all realized what I meant because my husband said it's ok, we will wait for both of you. I again said I am done. I still think our friends don't believe that I quit to this day....my husband does because I have been a moody bi#@h during this time.