smoke free - 3 days so far

[bellini girl]

Sandy, don't give up. I "threatened" to quit many a time before I got it right. First day was the hardest, but it got easier. I quit cold turkey..with me it's usually all or nothing...One suggestion if I may.. start a simple exercise routine like walking. I'm still battling my tummy bulge which I'm convinced got larger once I stopped. We're behind you all the way. Good luck

[angeleyedcat]

Each DAY deserves a congrats! You have to find your own way, it's a very personal thing. It's been 4 1/2 years for me. I smoked for 30 years. A necessary operation required I quit because of asthmatic bronchitis. No choice, no cheating. I used the gum and each day was hard but it worked! No cigs since the quit day but I do have problems with stress and going on and off gum. My addiction wasn't a perfect simple ending, it has been more like a road trip but I have also learned many good things about me. Everyone is different. Maybe try starting another hobby. Researching to learn about something new is definately a good time killer and mind occupier. Try changing your habits as much as you can. In other words try to get rid of triggers. Exercise of any kind is a great help and as your lungs clear you'll feel better. Stuff will taste better too Try to focus on the good changes (wow, that flower does have a scent!) the list will get much longer, not on bad (I want...) Keep trying to think good thoughts, this has to come from your strength within, it has to be wanted. You are in my prayers!

[Paul]

Originally Posted by Sandy4453

Haven't had a cigarette since Tuesday night (except for one slip)...going nuts...just a little but no intentions of turning back...I hope. I keep reading that the desire to light up will always remain, long after the addiction is no more.

Originally Posted by quietmorning

Sandy, I'm right there with you, I'm day six right now.

I've learned that smoking is like any addiction - it only takes ONE to bring you back into the addiction full force, so no matter what you do, don't smoke that first one. . .

Congrats to you Sandy, Quietmorning, and all the rest of you! Stay the course!

Never been a smoker myself -- can't stand the stench -- but my dad used to be one. He found it harder to give up than drinking. (Not surprising as studies indicate that the nicotine and other chemicals used in production make smoking exceedingly addictive.) He had smoked since he was about 12 or 13 and went 'cold turkey' when he decided to quit. (And this was before the days of nicotine gum and patches)

Originally Posted by Narnia

I won't lie, every now and then if I'm at the bar and have had a couple drinks and someone else has a cigarette, it makes me want one sooooo bad, but it passes. It's a been a year now and I rarely think of it and on the rare occasion I try and have a drag off of someone's, it's not nearly as good as I remember it.

Not surprising, Narnia. Smoking and drinking alcohol often go hand in hand -- especially at bars. While in a bar, you are once more in a place in which you are habitually used to smoking. So smoking "feels" like something you should be doing. This the psychological side of the addiction. I have known a number of folks who only smoke or feel the urge to do so when they are in such situations where smoking is simply the "thing to do".

Originally Posted by bellini girl

One suggestion if I may.. start a simple exercise routine like walking. I'm still battling my tummy bulge which I'm convinced got larger once I stopped.

Breaking old habits is always hard. Developing new habits to replace the old -- like exercising -- from what I've read, seems to be one of the best ways of achieving success.

Bellini, the tummy bulge likely DID get larger as a result of quitting. Besides the appetite suppressive effects of nicotine, smoking gives one's hand and mouth 'something to do'. Bored and need something to while away the time? Nervous or stressed and want to emerse yourself in a calming 'ritual'? The action of smoking provides this outlet. Many people find themselves eating more while trying to quit not because they are actually hungrier, but rather because the act of eating involves the mouth and hand in actions that are similar to the calming smoking 'ritual'. (And even though I have never been a smoker, I must freely admit that there are times I find myself nibbling not because I'm hungry but rather because it is "something to do".) In my dad's case, he started keeping hard candies around the house and on his person.