Messages By: linda12k

Hi Gina, your doing great. To work double shifts is really hard but it keeps you from picking one up. I know that the 3's where really hard for me, and some of the others a while back, (3 days , 3 weeks, then 3 months). But that will pass.   

How many years did you smoke?  

 For me it was 34 years, I was 16 when I started. I had to quit almost 2 years ago because of surgery; that lasted 3 months. Then I fought with it for over a year, now I'm at 5 months, this time is different, the tools I picked up from this board, is what that has carried me this far. My biggest mistake was to take one puff and think I could put them down any time, WRONG.   

Hope you are having a good day, keep us posted.  

Linda  

Five months, one week, six days, 11 hours, 37 minutes and 27 seconds. 3995 cigarettes not smoked, saving $754.98. Life saved: 1 week, 6 days, 20 hours, 55 minutes.
  

Hi Tray, I had this long posting and  I posted it, but it flew out the window somewhere. 

 In your posting, take one minute at a time. The addiction is so strong. Go back to  the archives in smoking, and read and read. The one thing that I take with me is the saying "NOPE", not one puff ever. Once you set your quit date, and have no more smokes in your hands, take it one minute at a time, and it will turn to hours, then days.  Then get a meter www.silkquit.org. you can do this, one minute at a time. 

Linda 

Five months, two weeks, two days, 1 hour, 11 minutes and 59 seconds. 4057 cigarettes not smoked, saving $766.62. Life saved: 2 weeks, 2 hours, 5 minutes.
 

Hi Gina, it sounds like you have a pretty busy schedule with two little ones and a nursing job, too. You are almost into your 1 month anniversary, balloons will fly then. So proud of you to hold on and not give in to that  "nicotine demon".  

At 5 months I still have some strong urges, but they pass with a deep breath. The kind you take when you inhale, then exhale.( Smoking an imagery cigarette.)  I tried so many times to quit in my life, but when I took it a minute at a time and all the other tools I learned from the group, I feel more hopeful.  

It is amazing your sense of smell that comes back, that took about 3 months for me. And I thought I had a great sense of smell, I was fooling myself big time on that one. I can now smell cigarette smoke 2 houses down!!!!!! Of course if they are smoking outside. Here in Texas, the humidity is high, and not much of a breeze lately, so ready for a fresh norther.  

Taking care of someone that is 92 and still smoking, WHOA, that is one of a kind!!!  Keep me updated on your progress. Never fool ourselves, from one puff to being addicted again. 

Linda 

Five months, two weeks, two days, 12 hours, 55 minutes and 41 seconds. 4068 cigarettes not smoked, saving $768.84. Life saved: 2 weeks, 3 hours, 0 minutes.
 

Hi Bamamon47 

I also went to all the stop smoking classes, and where they expensive $300.00 for a week, and I did it twice. But none of the things I did to quit, was I successful, I will say the steps I took were, I prescribed to wellbrutrin, took that for 2 weeks before my quit date. My quit date March 30, I feel the one that will stick with me. I also brought an inhaler, for rough times, I keep it with me, I guess you can say like a security blanket. I know the inhaler has nicotine in it and I am very fearful of returning to smoking. I was a person that truly didn't want to give it up, but when you are told you have "Lung Cancer", that puts it in a different perspective!!! I was truly blessed, they removed the left upper lobe, and I have been clear since, it will be 2 years in October. But you know when your hearts not into it, it won't work. Three months after my surgery, I went back to smoking, a cousin came over (actually the first person that smoked in front of me since the surgery) and I picked those  things up, like it was no  problem for me. Then I preceded to beat myself up daily for smoking again. But it finally hit again when I joined this board. It was totally the support of  people trying to accomplish what you are striving for. And it's working for me.  Post often, we are here for all who want to quit, and for those that are fighting with it daily. 

Linda 

Five months, two weeks, four days, 51 minutes and 52 seconds. 4080 cigarettes not smoked, saving $775.63. Life saved: 2 weeks, 4 hours, 0 minutes.
 

As I was walking yesterday evening,how I felt burden free the  chains are really there, although you don't see them.  

 My husband dips snuff, claims "he can quit anytime", (has dipped for 32 years), when he has ran out of snuff, there is a mad dash to the store. I say" I thought you said you could quit anytime"? "I can, I'm just not ready yet".  

I know for myself I have made a million in one excuses. But not anymore, now that I'm into my 5 th month smoke-free, I do not take anything to do with smoking for granted, as so I won't slip back into those chains. I might have the chains that were around my lungs off, but the imprint of a cigarette on my mind does not leave. So I keep my guard up, as to things that might trigger a weak moment. 

When you have fought with smoking for so long, and broke free. You are only one puff away from being chained again. There are so many things out there to help a person get over the "hump" in quitting smoking, that we have to STAMP in our minds, we are just one puff from being chained again. If anyone has a moment to read a few reasons to quit, the site is  www.whyquit.com , it helped me. 

Hoping everyone has a good week, we have so much to be thankful for.... 

Linda 

Five months, two weeks, five days, 11 hours, 50 minutes and 57 seconds. 4139 cigarettes not smoked, saving $782.24. Life saved: 2 weeks, 8 hours, 55 minutes.
 

Hi Gina, so proud of you for holding on and not giving in to the "nicotine demon". After 5 months, I thought to I would not be having cravings. I heard of others saying "they still think of them twenty years later,,,,, "and I say you got to be kidding",But it is a passing thought, like a second or two or three. 

I guess when we smoked for so many years, that habit is hard pressed in our minds. I believe we related to the cigs in good times and bad, they (the cigarettes) were there for us always!!! 

I have not replaced one habit with another, I just try to keep busy, and keep in my mind NO MORE. 

Look at the amount of money we are saving!!  WOW 

 Linda 

Five months, two weeks, six days, 11 hours, 2 minutes and 3 seconds. 4163 cigarettes not smoked, saving $786.62. Life saved: 2 weeks, 10 hours, 55 minutes.
 

Hi Everyone, talk about a stress factor, Hurricane Rita !!! That girl will not stop growing!!!! We live 60 miles from the coast line. No one is leaving our small town, but the towns closer to the coast are mandatory. So we got all the provisions and we are staying. According to the weather channel, they are truly not 100% sure where it will go in, local weather has it coming in at the closet port to us.......YUCK..... SCAREY AS HELL!!! At times, I think about go get a pack, this is a time of need !!!!! Then the other half says, we don't have time for this now, get busy with preparing for the storm. Tensions run very high now, have seen what Katrina can do, but Rita keeps growing....So far holding on, I don't want that meter to go back. This is the time when you say to yourself, what all have I learned, time to put it to use. Can you imagine be huddled in middle of your home, and one person smoking. I will not give in.  

Linda 

Five months, three weeks, one day, 8 hours, 5 minutes and 26 seconds. 4208 cigarettes not smoked, saving $795.14. Life saved: 2 weeks, 14 hours, 40 minutes.
 

Well with all the worry of Hurricane Rita, I remained smoke-free. With so much going on with the hurricane of not knowing exactly where it would make landfall. 

It is somewhat strange at times, what will really trigger the desire to go back to smoking. I do believe in my quitting smoking, you do have to be on your guard at all times for a while. With so much going on in the news of the hurricane, I didn't think of it, at those times!!!!!. It was when I had a moment to myself, that I thought about it. I was big on rewarding myself for little tasks, or should I say I was just addicted to smoking and I thought I needed a reason. 

 I take a deep breath and inhale, then exhale as to taking a drag off a cigarette.  

With all the stuff  going on from the hurricane, I did not think once, about my inhaler. Yippee.  Before that, I made sure to always have it in a security spot (my purse) !!!!!  

Now it's my inhale and exhale of breathing that does it for me. 

For all those that are still yo-yoing with smoking, please try again. There are all types of mountains we climb, for all different reasons. So what if you tried a hundred times, maybe this is the time for you now. Get all your gear (knowledge) together, and take a deep breath, and start climbing!!!!! Before you know it, you will be at the top. 

Linda 

Five months, three weeks, six days, 13 hours, 49 minutes and 44 seconds. 4333 cigarettes not smoked, saving $818.90. Life saved: 2 weeks, 1 day, 1 hour, 5 minutes.
 

Hi Everyone, 

I could almost pinch myself, 6 months !!!!!!! This is something 6 months ago, that I had my doubts, but I was going for the long haul.  Yippee, Yippee. 

Linda 

Six months, one day, 1 hour, 37 minutes and 42 seconds. 4441 cigarettes not smoked, saving $839.28. Life saved: 2 weeks, 1 day, 10 hours, 5 minutes.
 

Hi, I have been in those shoes of a closet smoker. I got where I would stay at home so much more just so I could smoke. Majority of my family didn't smoke, so when you have a bout with cancer (lung), they assume you are going to give it up!!!! I did for a very short time, then went back to it, I came across this board, and that is what pulled me over to the other side. A closet smoker, was no easy task, make sure you didn't smell of smoke and your home, and try to get in a pack a day, I was exhausted and broke, from all the stuff I did to hide it. Enough on the closet, this was the route I took off this board. See if you can get the  wellbrutrin prescription from your doctor, it takes the edge off of quitting, you have to be on it two weeks or so. Then you pick a quit date, get whatever you need to get you over the hump, nicotine gum, patches or inhaler. I used the inhaler. My suggestion to you, as you already are down to 6 to 8 a day, you substitube the inhaler for the nicotine you are taking in. Then post often on the board, everyday if you can to get you over the rough times, there is always someone reading the board. But whatever you do don't tell yourself "just one more puff",  after you quit. The  word "NOPE", not one puff ever, that is what I took from this board, a wonderful lady instilled that in my mind, named Shelly. Getting your mind set  on quitting, go to the archives and read the old posts, there is also a web site that can help you see another side of why to quit, www.whyquit.com . That helped me, then there is this meter, that gives you an inscentive. Hope this helps, I fought with smoking so many years, it is really something to say "I'm smoke free". 

Linda 

Six months, two weeks, four days, 12 hours, 15 minutes and 25 seconds. 4860 cigarettes not smoked, saving $918.40. Life saved: 2 weeks, 2 days, 21 hours, 0 minutes.