Okay...so...quitting Smokin.


murphzlaw1
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First week IS the hardest....

but there are occasions, sorta' like "flashbacks"... when the craving will come back strong and suddenly,

say one month out, maybe later, and likely "more than once"...

I couldn't "believe" that I had kicked it until after one year had passed...

and even then, occasionally the craving would return...

but weaker, always weaker, after that first 6 months.... or so.

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yes i have an electronic cigeratte and you can get the non nicotine"filters"so that all you have is flavor,and water vapor.but i digress.

caffine is something i fought not giving up.i did fine with it,even tho most programs say you should eleminate it.i understand that most smokers associate a cup of coffee with a smoke.by the way,root beer has very little caffine,same with tea(most of them anyway).drink lots of water and enjoy whatever caffinated beverage you choose.

it's not easy murph,but you seem to be doing well. :bouncy:

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First week IS the hardest....

but there are occasions, sorta' like "flashbacks"... when the craving will come back strong and suddenly,

say one month out, maybe later, and likely "more than once"...

I couldn't "believe" that I had kicked it until after one year had passed...

and even then, occasionally the craving would return...

but weaker, always weaker, after that first 6 months.... or so.

I agree... this is how it was for me... certain triggers took a bit longer to go away. So to be kind to myself, if I figured out a trigger, I would avoid it for a while, rather than suffer through the craving (didn't visit with friends at bars, etc..)... And, after making it that long, I was so proud of myself, I didn't "want" to go back. I KNEW one cig was all it would take. 12 years for me next month.... :)

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I've just read through this. Gripping stuff!

For this non-smoker never-smoker never-wanted-to-smoker (but with many bad habits of other kinds) it makes me realise how tough it can be.

Thank you for documenting it Murph. And we're rooting for you!

My Mum gave up smoking in 1975. My Dad (also a smoker) had died suddenly the year before, leaving her with four kids aged between 11 and 16. She had smoked for 30 years and enjoyed every moment up until then.

She took us on holiday to France, caught a chill on the ferry, and spent 14 days laid up with bronchitis in a French pension. Went home and never smoked again.

It was the question 'Who will bring up my children if I die now?' that really motivated her to do that.

As it was, she had another 26 years of life, lots of activities, travel, a second marriage, and four grandchildren to look forward to.

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heh. I suppose it could be said that I quit smoking out of spite. People expectin me to die from lung cancer or somethin. I'll show them!

:D

I'm pretty pleased with my progress on this. My official quit date is supposed to be Oct 13. I don't know how I'm gonna tell them I will be smoke free for almost 3 weeks at that point LOL

I guess it really helped that I had already been working myself up to it by the time I actually even called them to start the program.

Really, I made it a focus. "okay, you're gonna quit, you need to start pacing yourself...slow down the smokes...go for a drive without taking them with you..." things like that.

Of course, not smokin in the car is the worst, because that's a HUGE habit. Run to the store? smoke! go to get the kids from school? smoke! go to work? smokesmoke. comin home from work? smokesmokesmoke.

So yeah, I started my focus there. We already didn't smoke in the house. Was just a chore in gettin the smokes outta the car.

But it's going well. I DO still want smokes, but I think it's not as severe. It's more a "boredom" thing now. I finish my work, I'm sittin at my desk, and I wanna go out for a smoke. Just gotta push through that, and I'm good.

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First week IS the hardest....

but there are occasions, sorta' like "flashbacks"... when the craving will come back strong and suddenly,

say one month out, maybe later, and likely "more than once"...

I couldn't "believe" that I had kicked it until after one year had passed...

and even then, occasionally the craving would return...

but weaker, always weaker, after that first 6 months.... or so.

After nearly 11 years free of tobacco, in certain environments, I still have an occasional,"Hmmmm....one cigarette might feel good right now..." :crazyeyes: moment....But fight it, recognize the insanity, :crazyeyes: and don't ever do it!!! :derisive:

Edited by To`na Wanagi
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Keep with it Murph!

30+ years in Pulmonary/Cardiac Medicine, and can appreciate your strength and courage!

Smoking is not a habit, it's many habits like you said, So it's a real trial to quit so many different habits on top of an addiction.

Blessing for sharing this with us.

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3 weeks today.

The Quit Now coach called me thurs night. Thursday was supposed to be my "quit date." The day of my last cigarette.

So I called them back, on my way to work. "Hiiii! how are you! How was day 1 without a cigarette???" "pretty good, that was back on Sept 24." "ohhh.....you quit early??"

I think I floored her. She didn't know what to say.

It was amusing.

in other news, I noticed that I have sorta replaced Nicotine with coffee. Even the bad coffee here at work is still better for me than smoking LOL

I will say it again, it's been tough, but I'm really starting to get confident that I can actually stay "quit."

A question was raised last week. "How long does it take to be considered a "non-smoker?" I didn't have an answer...but I would guess it'd be more along the lines of "months" or longer.

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A lot of the coffee habit can come from having something to do with the smoking hand (raise the mug take a sip, instead of raise the butt take a drag). Remember, you can also do the bottled water habit from time to time... it'll help flush toxins out.

Too much coffee isn't good for you (yeah, I know... look who's talking!), but I wager it's less damaging than smoke, so at least if you have to replace one addiction for another, you are headed the right direction.

Congratulations on a sucessful three weeks and counting. You have only begun, but the sucessess are very real.

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3 weeks today.

The Quit Now coach called me thurs night. Thursday was supposed to be my "quit date." The day of my last cigarette.

So I called them back, on my way to work. "Hiiii! how are you! How was day 1 without a cigarette???" "pretty good, that was back on Sept 24." "ohhh.....you quit early??"

I think I floored her. She didn't know what to say.

It was amusing.

in other news, I noticed that I have sorta replaced Nicotine with coffee. Even the bad coffee here at work is still better for me than smoking LOL

I will say it again, it's been tough, but I'm really starting to get confident that I can actually stay "quit."

A question was raised last week. "How long does it take to be considered a "non-smoker?" I didn't have an answer...but I would guess it'd be more along the lines of "months" or longer.

It could be said that if you do not have a lit cigarette in your hand that you are a non-smoker. At least for the moment.

It sounds like you are doing well, Carry on.

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