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Hey everyone,

Thought I would drop a post on this group blog, just to introduce myself and my progress in trying to quit smoking.

I made the decision to quit in early February, having been a smoker for over five years. Going from smoking one pack a day to nothing at all was a real challenge, especially as I’m in my final semester at university – probably the most stressful period in my life that I have encountered thus far. The first month was the toughest; all my friends would pop outside the pub for a cigarette and I’d be left inside on my own – those are the times when you really feel like giving in. But I persevered and kept focussed. Then came the set-back of having an influx of job rejections (I’m trying to find a graduate job at the moment). However, I stuck to it and didn’t give in. Not once. No matter how much I wanted to smoke, I just took a deep breath, and said to myself ‘No’.

I now haven’t smoked for almost 2 months. I think I’m over the worst of it, but you never know what’s round the corner. However, I’m confident of achieving success.

If anyone needs any advice on how to quit – I’ve come up with a few exercises that might be of help. Let me know if you’re interested; I’d be happy to help.

Anyways, hope all is good.

Joey

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Hello. Do you want to quit smoking? Have you tried many times only to go right back to the addiction?

Have you already quit smoking? Do you have valuable advice to share with others still struggling with the habit?

If you answered yes to either of these questions and enjoy writing, then we want you! All of us here either smoke and want to quit, or used to smoke but have already quit. We write about the struggles and the nicotine addicition. We share different methods to stop smoking. We support and commiserate with each other’s stories.

If you would like to write for this blog and be a part of this effort, please contact me at kb@kellfinder.com. Please put “quit smoking” in the subject line. Thank you!

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I admire everyone that’s is trying to quit smoking. What an endeavor. Gather the wagons up in a circle, pass the bottle of vodka around (no wait, don’t I’ll want to smoke), send up the smoke signals and hang on!

I officially quit on February 7, 2008 for the umpteenth time, after threats and warnings from my doctors and friends. What really turned the table for me was my brother who was 39 years old, DIDN’T SMOKE dropped dead of a heartattack on August 25th, 2 days before my 21st wedding anniversary. I had been doing great up until that day, only occasionally smoking AFTER work on the porch with my husband. I broke all my rules that day and smoked like a freight train. What an excuse for me, my brother died so I wallow in cigarettes, knowing full well I’m 30 lbs, no let’s be honest 40 lbs overweight, on 2 kinds of blood pressure medicine and to add insult to my injury now cholesterol medicine. Not a med in the world until I turned 47. I’m digressing, sorry.

Anyway, watching my parents bury their only son, is something I wouldn’t wish on anyone, especially since he was the “healthy” one and of course the baby in the family.

So I came home, and plodded along bitching about smoking, being fat, being on medicine and drinking too much. Doctors still hounding me……..all the while.

I sat down with myself in late late December and took a real hard look at my health, my life, my family, you know blah blah blah…….bottom line i was going into my 50th year of life and my health SUCKED. No one could fix it but little ‘ole me (no wait that’s big ‘ole me).

I laid a plan. Not on New Years Eve, I’ll blow it. SO, i started back on Chantix (GREAT MEDICINE by the way – I’ll digress here somewhat, I have some really shall we say VIVID dreams, and believe me my body knows when those little receptors are starting to act up and man is it time to take a little blue pill (Chantix is blue – amazing huh?) and I do take that pill FAITHFULLY.

Back to the Wagons, Bottles and Smoke Signals. I was circling the Smoke Signals with my wagon slowly – no smoking from the time I left the house until I returned in the evening. I hated that ride home. Now I’ve gotton used to it.

Then I started back at the GYM oh hell yeah, I’ve done the gym thing before……but this time it was different, it wasn’t about being skinny or svelte (I have never been svelte but I love that word), it was about getting off these damned old cigarettes and all this medicine. I was a picture now imagine, me huffing and puffing trying to get through an hour of exercising. 5 minutes on the treadmill did me in at first! Everything ached, popped and cracked. Still Circling in my wagon.

On February 7th I said no more, I smoked my last after 5 cigarette that night at 8:15 pm and held on……….Amazingly I did ok, (of course I went to bed at 8:25!) The next day was tough, it was Friday! My husband & I always meet all of our friends at the local bar for you guessed it Bottles and Smoke Signals (most of our friends smoke). Add alcohol and we can entertain ourselves for hours!

Friday night, So, here we are pulling up the watering hole (I had worked out for 30 minutes after getting off work went home cleaned up, loaded my husband up in the wagon and off we went) I decided ok, Deann you’re not drinking tonight, you can’t you’ll screw up and smoke. SO I DRANK WATER!!!!!!!!!!!!! hey I felt great the next day and my husband didn’t have to be the Designated Driver.

And so it goes, some days are better than others. Chantix does really curb your cravings, you don’t come across as a total A$$hole because of mood swings, etc.

I know my triggers, as most of us do, I’ve learned to avoid them or change my habits
(man that’s the hardest part). I finally drank last Friday night and never smoked a cigarette or wanted one. My friends have been very supportive. My husband has even cut back some, I guess he’s getting ready for March 1st – when the house becomes a non smoking facility. But hey since I had left the bottles near the smoke signals, I have felt better and lost weight – not much but some!

I’ve rambled on long enough for one evening. I’ll leave everyone with this thought I truly believe our government outlawed the wrong drug!

gigi50 (not quite yet)

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Well here I am day whatever and still not smoking, yipee for me! I’m going to the gym, not having my evening cocktail, eating healthy, blah blah blah. I should be doing jumping jacks.
I quite frankly don’t feel like it. No Roses here, I miss whatever I thought I enjoyed, although everyone in the world spent millions telling me I didn’t enjoy it. My mother who quit over 25 years ago to this day occasionally wants a cigarette! But by damned I made the decision to quit and this time, I’m going to stick to it. Resolve – WOW!

Remedies – The bottom line is there isn’t any one remedy that will make quitting any easier. I like to skim the blogs at night to read about others trials and tribulations or quit smoking schemes as I call them. They read like an old traveling salesman selling snake oil!

I am using Chantix, it’s worked for me. Cold Turkey works for others, cutting back works for some, smelling old butts, smoking 3 or 4 packs at a sitting, the list goes on and on. No one miracle cure for a disgusting habit.

Reality check – You the quitter has to decide that you WANT to quit. ARM yourself with what you think will work for you. Make up your mind and just go for it.

Give up your triggers, talk to yourself – have pep rallies by the minute if you have to better yet by the second.

Prepare yourself for Bitchiness (yeah I’m using that word, not “crabby”), Short Tempered, the worst type of PMS you’ve ever suffered in your life. Be prepared to eat more food. (food actually does taste better).

Saving Money now that’s a reality I kind of like. I’ve decided that for every week I do not smoke, I’m going to reward myself with $30.00, that’s approximately what I spent each week on my nasty little habit.

When I get off the $75.00 worth of medicine I’m taking monthly for HBP and Low Cholesterol medicine – there’s another savings.

BUT wait, I’m spending $50.00/month on Chantix and $35/month on going to the gym.

I should still come out to the good by about $100/month give or take.

Post Quitting Reality Check – I’m tired most of the time, I’m suffering from insomnia and I feel like I could hack up a lung. But I’m hoping this too shall pass with time.

Roses it aint but by quitting they sure do smell better!
Remedies that work for you the individuals,
Realities – it’s hard as hell to quit!

Kelly/Mandy I’m rooting for you

Gigi50

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Tomorrow is February 21st. According to the almanac, that is one of the days in February that is a good day to quit smoking. A supportive friend suggested checking the almanac because a lot of people swear by it.

So far, Mandy and I are quitting tomorrow. I thought I would throw it out there to anyone else that wants to quit smoking. Sometimes it is easier to quit when you know other people are doing it at the same time. As they say, misery loves company!

If you would like to join us tomorrow on our quest for better health, let us know by commenting here. Actually, why not become part of the community too? There can be up to 100 writers on this blog. I would love to see this become somewhat of a quit smoking forum. We could all talk about our experiences and be in it together. You don’t have to be a “writer” to post here. Heck, I am not a writer, I just play one on the internet! Let me know if you want to write on the “forum” too and I will get you in.

Thank you Deanne for your well wishes. You sound like you are doing great! Your attitude and sense of humor will get you through it.

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I found this blog by accident,but since I stopped smoking late last December, I got very interested in reading the posts, I check it sometimes more than once a day.. I emailed Kelly to try to encourage her success in stopping smoking and she emailed back from time to time to let me know how she was doing, but I didn’t know how to get into the blog so she invited me and that is how I happened to be here.
I don’t know how it seemed so easy for me to stop smoking I have smoked for over 45 years and at least two packs a day but one night I just decided that I have been a slave to cigarettes and decided to not use them anymore, or maybe I should say,let them use me. So the next morning as usual, I grabbed the cigarettes, but instead of lighting up, I took them all in the kitchen and put them on the frig. I didn’t completely throw them out just in case I couldn’t stand to not have them.
Anyway it has been a while now and I haven’t had one because I pretty much know, one leads to another and soon back to my old smoky self.
And I am having some problems that I didn’t have before , like the coughing and the wheezing I don’t know if the night sweats are because of not smoking or not but I have them some now I don’t think I am any more irritable that before but there are some effects of stopping , I am guessing those things will go away in time, I hope so anyway.
the main thing anyone that really wants to stop,, I would just say be stubborn and not give in to those triggers and I know there are lots of them ,they pass fairly quickly and as time goes on they get a lot less difficult to over come.
Of course I have times I would love to have a smoke but when I get those feelings I just say to myself, “you don’t smoke any more” and I immediately think of something else and ..LOL… one thing that always helps is the though of $6.00 per day I am saving that is over $2100 per year. that makes something very easy to think of when that urge hits.
Well, I have blabbed on long enough and said very little I am afraid , but I know for those of you that really want to stop , you will be able to accomplish it, I know everyone says this.. but if I can stop anyone can.. even my kids are amazed as they though I would never stop..
Good luck.
Vernon

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I am so glad you finely made it, I know you wanted to stop smoking very much, and I agree for some reason it isn’t hard for me either not to give in to the cravings and the longer you go with out smoking the easier it is to not even think about cigarettes, but I do still think a smoke would sure go good about now but I put that out of my mind right away and that is all there is to it for a while.
I am still having some breathing problems I am wondering if it has much to do with my stopping smoking or caused by something else, it is very annoying to have that little wheezing , whistling sound at night,, kind of like I swallowed a duck call or something.. lol
But I am like you, I don’t intend to go back to smoking for one thing the money I save is already showing up to the good and since I don’t smoke now I realize how stinky smoking is to others. but, I am not going to tell anyone they can’t smoke when they come to my house since I smoked so long I am not going to become one of those ex smoker radicals.
I hope the rest of the folks on here are having good progress as well ,I know if they just keep at it they will succeed..
Keep up the good work Kelly.
Vernon

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I am hanging my head down in shame when I tell you that I broke my quit. On day 6, I just couldn’t shake the all day crave and I gave in to a smoke like the addict I am. I went 6 days…… 6 days!!! How could I go back to it after that long?

My doctor wants me to try Chantix. I got the prescription filled today. I was thrilled that my insurance company did pay for most of it. I took my first pill today and I will see how it goes.

I have heard of a lot of success stories with Chantix. In fact, a few people have left comments on this blog about their success with Chantix. On the other hand, I have also heard some bad things about it too. Interestingly enough, two of my closest friends are using it right now to quit smoking too. I didn’t know that and found it funny that we are all trying to quit at the same time. I asked them if they have had any bad side effects from Chantix but neither one of them has. They both feel that it is really helping them. Sooooooo, if they are liking it then I am going to give it a try.

I will tell you how my Chantix journey goes. I hate to point fingers but I am going to point one at my husband anyway! If only he would try to quit with me at the same time, I think it would be so much easier. While I risk soundy whiny, I must say it is hard to quit smoking when your spouse continues to do it. At least I was able to get a time frame from him. He said that he would quit once I have stopped smoking for three months. I see it as him buying himself some more time but I am going to hold him to it!

The way it works with Chantix is that you take it for a week and let it build up in your system. You can still smoke during that week. Then, you can either start cutting back or stop altogether. I will probably pick a day for early next week and stop. Cutting back has never worked for me before. Of course, it is painfully obvious that stopping altogether has not worked out the way I wanted either! There is one thing that I can guarantee: I will never stop quitting until I really quit. It will be done!

If you have a Chantix story, please share it here with everyone. Also, where are all of my quitting buddies?

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