Topic : Trying to Quit Smoking?

Ok guys, I suppose we are going to get serious.  We've set a stop date for Monday, Feb. 13. (13, hum).  Anyway, that's the day we decided to quit.  We have a few lozenges, a few patches, and a lot of hope.  The kicker for us was when recently we had to put ourselves into credit card debt a little deeper, we got to thinking that if we quit and put 5 bucks in a can every day, we could pay off a credit card about every 3 or 4 months.  So, we're going to try, again.  Pray for us, and we'll pray for all of you too.  Good luck everyone, you too Amy.

Hi Bruce and Berni, 

Well sounds like you have a plan going. You set a quit date of the 13th, you have some gum, patches and such. I myself tried a many times too, I do believe taking the wellbrutrin, it takes the edge off of quitting, helped soooo much. You have to have a prescription, and be on it about a week first. 

You also have each other, and that can be a big plus. I really believe having a "plan of action", is what will help so much. You can always pick a quit day, but an action plan puts more serious effort. Read plenty, to put your mind in that frame of succeeding when times gets tough. When not reading, find the fun things to do, that you can't have a cigarette with you: "going to the show", a amusement park", the theater, maybe a good play is showing.  Since money is tight, just window shopping, "can't smoke at the mall".   

Also, since the both of you smoke, you would have spent more than $ 5.00 a day. Maybe up your Anni a little, like $ 8.00 a day. It is amazing how quick the money adds up.  

Well hold on tight, you are about to take the best ride of your life, it will be bumpy, but will be smooth before you know it. Good Luck. 

  

Linda 

  

Ten months, one week, five days, 9 hours, 51 minutes and 37 seconds. 7641 cigarettes not smoked, saving $1,444.31. Life saved: 3 weeks, 5 days, 12 hours, 45 minutes.
 

Thanks for the encouragement Linda.  We appriciate all the help we can get.  I've tried so many times to quit, I don't see how you can call it a "Good ride".  It seems to me that when I've tried to quit in the past it was all about pain, frustration, nerves, anger, rage, sleeplessness, anxiety, etc, etc. 

But trying is better than not trying, so, here we go.  Thanks again.  Oh yeah, Wellbutrin causes me to become so depressed as to become almost suicidal.  I've tried it twice and along about the 14th day I am so confused, depressed, stressed, sleepless, frustrated.  Just can't take it.  Didn't bother my wife at all though.  Guess I'm just weird.  Anyway, thanks. 

Bruce and Berni 

Hi guys! I am so ecstatic to hear you are ready to take this seriously and you've set a quit date. I think it so important to have a date set because the physical part of quitting isn't nearly as hard as the mental part of it and you need some time to really think about quitting and kind of get your mind psyched up about it. I used to always say "Tomorrow I'm gonna quit" and then of course I wouldn't make it and it would make me feel like a failure all day and I would lie to myself and say again "Tomorrow......." and it was self-destructive pattern that I continued until I just gave up all together. This time around I did my homework, which it really sounds like you guys did as well :o), when I decided I wanted to try again. Knowledge truly is power. You have to have the proper info and tools to be able to quit smoking. Setting aside the money to pay off debt is so fantastic and admirable!! The money adds up so fast. I have been putting the money me and my husband have saved into a savings account for vacation, a much better use for the money. When you see my stats at the bottom, that is just me. You can double it for how much we are saving by both of us quitting.  We were spending about $8.00 a day on cigs and it really was even more than that because every time we stopped for a pack of smokes, we got a snack and a drink too and we aren't doing that anymore either.  Keep comin' to support boards like this one and others to post your progress throughout the quit process.  When you get the urge to smoke, remember that cravings only last a few minutes, so if you can find something else to do, like come here and post or sit and take deep breathes through it, THE URGE WILL PASS and you will find yourself on the other side of the craving smoke-free :o) The best of luck to you!! My thoughts and prayers will be with you tomorrow as you take your life back from NIC(otine). We call him NIC at our other board or Nicodemon. 

  

Hang tough, don't puff!! Post instead!! 

  

Keep your quit your #1 priority and you'll keep your quit  :o) 

  

~Amy~  One month, one week, four days, 3 hours, 2 minutes and 40 seconds. 842 cigarettes not smoked, saving $155.03. Life saved: 2 days, 22 hours, 10 minutes.
 

I forgot to add one of my favorite quotes from "Junkie Thinkin" : 

  

I'd rather be a non-smoker with the occasional urge to smoke than a smoker with the constant desire to quit. 

  

Sending you lots of ((((("you can do it' encouraging hugs)))))!! 

  

~Amy~ 

Today is the day I have decided to quit smoking -- cold turkey.  I started out as a closet smoker, then a social smoker/drinker.  I decided the drinking was getting out of hand so I quit that thinking that the smoking would be easier, but it's not.  So far, I have kept busy, ate healthy, read four chapters of Dr. Phil's book and then received a call that my car is going to take 1,600 to fix.  It was tough but I didn't succumb to getting a cigarrette.  Any tips (other than prescriptions) would be so helpful.  Bless you and good luck to the couple quitting on the 13th.  I'm thankful my spouse doesn't smoke.

Hi Bruce and Berni, 

When I said  

"Well hold on tight, you are about to take the best ride of your life, it will be bumpy, but will be smooth before you know it". Good Luck.  

I was meaning, after you have quit it will be the best thing you have ever done for yourself, and one of the hardest too. Its a one day at a time, and sometimes one minute at a time. Lets us know how things are coming along. 

Linda  

  

Ten months, two weeks, one day, 12 hours, 18 minutes and 53 seconds. 7716 cigarettes not smoked, saving $1,458.38. Life saved: 3 weeks, 5 days, 19 hours, 0 minutes.
 

  

Ok guys, we're trying.  I won't lie, we began on Monday the 13th( of all the days, huh??), but I just couldn't quite do it.  Soooooo, we started by cutting down.  We normally smoke 1 pack a day between us, sharing the cig between us.  So, we simply started by cutting down.  Monday we smoked 7 cigs between us, Tuesday, 7 more. so far today we've smoked 2.   

I have pretty bad asthma and emphyzema and for some reason my breathing actually gets WORSE as I hold off from smoking.  It's very frustrating.  Kind of a catch 22 situation.  I realize it will get better, but somehow that doesn't help much when I know that if I just light up I will actually breathe better for a short  time.  Anyway, we're going to try harder.  We will do this thing.  My wife, Berni, is much more capable of doing this than I am.  I don't know why, but she is.  She tries to push me, but all that does is make me want to smoke even more.  Anything that makes me think of smoking causes me to want a cig.  Anything that requires deep concentration makes me want to smoke.  A telephone conversation makes me want to smoke.  Coffee makes me want to smoke.  Sex makes me want to smoke.  TV makes me want to smoke.  Driving makes me want to smoke.  EVERYTHING makes me want to smoke.  I'm not trying to rationalize this thing, or make excuses for my actions, I'm just trying to be honest about all this.  I'm trying.  I will try harder.  I will do this thing.  I have to.   

Thanks for your input, please don't feel that I don't appriciate all the encouragement.  It's just that sometimes I feel it's all so useless.  I've never felt so helpless about a situation as I do about this. 

  

Bruce and Berni 

Hi Bruce and Berni 

I so hear your pain and feel where you are now. It took this board to help me realize the addiction of smoking and how strong of a hold it has on us. We all want a cigarette for just about any reason there is, we just want to smoke. And it is hard to admit at times the cigarette was your best friend too. We all use the cigarette as a crutch to lend on. To overcome the hold the cigarettes have on us, you have got to have a plan. Replace the form of nicotine with another, such as the patch, gum or inhaler (that is what I used), weaning from the cigarettes. Then rewarding yourself as you would have with the cigarettes with something new. 

I had lung cancer and had a lung removed, and still wanted one so bad that I went back to smoking 3 months after my surgery. Then this board came into my life and I found help for an addiction I never could get a hold on till now. Post often, we care, you can do this !!!!! 

  

Linda 

  

Ten months, two weeks, two days, 1 hour, 47 minutes and 39 seconds. 7729 cigarettes not smoked, saving $1,460.93. Life saved: 3 weeks, 5 days, 20 hours, 5 minutes.
 

thanks for the continued encouragement.  Heres the story.  Monday, 7 cigs, Tuesday, 7 cigs, Wednesday 6 cigs.  Today, so far, 2 cigs.  Were using the lozenges and hard candy, so far, were pleased.  It's not really any easier , i think, im not sure, but were working it.  Our plan is to cut down, more and more and more, till we can just stop.  We kinda tried this before but didn't get past day 1.  So far we smoked 1 pack over 3 days.  That's gotta be good.  If we can get it down to 3 or 4 then i know we can just stop.  Not that i'll be all that happy about it, but it has to, I SAY HAS TO, JUST HAS TO, get better.  I once stopped for about 7 months, I was kinda forced to, i wont get into that right now, but once i was allowed to smoke or not smoke, I only lasted about 3 months before i started again.  That was the longest period of non smoking since I was 16 years old. Im now 59.  Anyway, were still working it.  Pray for us, and well pray for all of you 

Bruce and Berni