Quitting smoking seems impossible

Discussion in 'General Lounge' started by trina, Jan 7, 2003.

  1. trina

    trina Well-Known Member

    I want to quit, but I can't. If I did I would be jobless, homeless, and probably in jail.

    rant over.

    Trina
     
  2. Manequinne

    Manequinne Well-Known Member

    I had to laugh at your post, because my uncle would listen to 'stop smoking tapes', and be smoking at the same time, then start coughing, saying he needed to quit smoking ;-)

    I forgot to add, he would often wonder why the tapes weren't working.....LOL...

    I know it's hard to stop (easy for me to say, I don't smoke), but hang in there......

    Good luck, if/when you decide to quit.

    ;-)
     
  3. trina

    trina Well-Known Member

    Thanks for the kind words. Mostly I get chided. It usually seems that the people that tell me to quit (home, work) are the people who give me the urge.

    I really want to quit because my mother already had a cancer scare, and I don't want her to get sick. I know it's partially my fault. But she really makes me nervous. And I won't even get into how it is at work...

    Trina
     
  4. Manequinne

    Manequinne Well-Known Member

    I'm glad to hear your mom was/is ok. ;-)

    I have always believed that it doesn't work to try to goad people to quit smoking, or lose weight, etc......

    WHEN they are ready, they will do it on their own, and it will have a lasting effect, because it is something they wanted to do.

    I am extremely proud of my dad, because he quit smoking cold turkey one day.

    I felt so sorry for him, because I know he was miserable, but, like you love your mom, I love him very much, and I want him around a long time too!!!

    Ignore them at work, they don't live with you, and it's none of their beezewax!!!!

    ha ha ha ha ha...............
     
  5. georgiaboy

    georgiaboy Well-Known Member

    Trina, starting today, im trying to quick,, 3 packs a day smoker here.Just up and decided out of the blue to quit, heres the update.

    5:30pm purchased Nico Gum, 4 mg
    5:45pm smoke cig
    5:55, open gum, commence chewing with mindset that if I survive a hour, I get another Cig.
    6:55pm, made it ahour, smoked a cig
    7:55pm, made it a hour, smoked a cig
    8:55pm, made it a hour, smoked a cig
    9:55 pm, made it a hour, smoked a cig
    Hmm, its 10:55, been a hour, gonna smoke a cig.

    Some may say im defeating the purpose, but for someone that chain smokes, i feel im doing ok lol
     
  6. OnTheBayou

    OnTheBayou Well-Known Member

    Trina...

    ...you caught my attention tonight.

    Have wrestled with this demon since since 1991 when I went on nicorettes, and am still on them!!!!!

    I'm kinda looped tunite on Irish Coffees, but when I sober up tomorrow, will try and give some input that may be of help.

    Jay
     
  7. newstdt

    newstdt Well-Known Member

    It's not easy...you just have to quit kicking yourself though. The urge really does have to be there and your mindset has to be a lot more concrete. We also tend to think too long term, when it really should be just probably hour by hour.

    I know, I tried a few times before i was finally able to, and my choice was because I was a couple weeks pregnant and it grossed me out. To this day it still does.

    Hubby swore he'd quite before our child was born and here it is 7 years later and I don't know if he'll ever decide it's time.

    Don't give up though. Don't think it can never happen because it can! You already know the health risks, at some point you'll be ready and hopefully it's soon.

    Newstdt
     
  8. KHM

    KHM Well-Known Member

    I quit 9/15/02 and I'm still smoke free :)
    It was hard, EXTREMELY hard.I awarded myself after certain lengths without a cigarette.

    24 hours smoke free we went out to eat, 1 month I got my nails done (friends a hairdresser :)

    When I reach the one year mark I am getting my teeth whitened, I can't wait.

    The urge is GONE. You have to realize my 5 year old said in his pathetic little 5 year old voice, while batting his eyelashes and damn near shedding a tear "Mama you're gonna die from smoking, I don't want you to die" He ripped my heart out.

    It's funny how k=now the smell makes me sick. I smoked 2-3 packs a day and I had smoked since I was 11. 15 years of smoking.
     
  9. fla-tan

    fla-tan Well-Known Member

    trina

    I stopped smoking in July of 1983. I had been smoking 3 1/2 packs of unfiltered Camels a day when I stopped. I finished a pack and never lit another one. That was almost 20 years ago and I still say that I have stopped ( I never say I quit smoking...that defines a finished endeavor and not smoking is never finished) This is a technique that was originally developed by AA for alchoholics. If you know anyone that is an alchololic, ask them about how not drinking is a constant struggle and an alchoholic realizes that they can only control now and not the future. If you take just today or right now and decide that you are not going to smoke then it becomes much more doable. One of the hardest parts of quiting smoking is the finality of it. Never is a very long time and most people can't handle the enormity of it.

    Hope this helps you to see another way to the same result. Which is to be smoke free of '03.


    fla-tan
     
  10. RichGuy

    RichGuy Well-Known Member

    You can find creative ways to duplicate any of the "benefits" you perceive from smoking.

    If smoking makes you feel confident and cool, you can find other ways to act cool or feel confident.

    Nicotine lowers the blood flow to your extremities and redirects it to your brain, which is why it tends to relax you. Well, simply elevating your feet for 15 or so minutes can duplicate that particular sensation.

    If smoking occupies your hands and dissipates nervousness in that way, you can find something else to occupy your hands. Hopefully something that doesn't drive other people crazy. :)

    I've never used nicotine, so I can't advise you on how to get through withdrawal. I guess that's where personal commitment gives you the endurance to get through it. But I think that programming your mind, for example with self-talk or with neurolinguistic programming, could take your mind off of any physical or neurological symptoms of withdrawal.

    NLP and self-talk can seem very structured and very limiting, like they take away your freedom to think for yourself. But for a heavy-duty challenge like quitting smoking, never smoking again, and learning to enjoy being a healthy non-smoker at all times and under all circumstances...see what I mean?...you may have to be a little bit of a fanatic for a while. And you may have to set some ironclad rules, like always walking away from situations where anyone else is smoking.

    Those are just some opinions from an amateur psychologist. Now if I can just apply the same principles to losing about 20 pounds...
     
  11. RichGuy

    RichGuy Well-Known Member

    I forgot about deep breathing. People tend to relax and breathe deeply when they smoke. Try relaxing and breathing deeply without any smoke. I actually think that could be a lot more pleasant, even with a few unfulfilled nicotine cravings present.

    Best wishes for a beautiful, happy, confident, stress-free, smoke-free life. It all fits together. :):)
     
  12. waalien

    waalien Well-Known Member

    OK, Feb 3 is my quit day.

    There.


    I've admitted it in public that I'm a smoker.


    LOL. Step one is admitting you have a problem,
    right?

    In addition to all the great advice you've gotten here, Trina, let me add what worked for me when I quit right before I got pregnant with my DD.

    WATER. Lots and lots and lots of water. When you want a smoke, down 8 oz. of water. Yeah, you'll pee a lot. But you'll flush the nicotine out of your system quicker, it will help you not eat everything in sight and heck your skin might look younger, lol - not sure if that's an issue for you or not ;-).

    When the cravings get REALLY bad (and they will), brush your teeth. If you're like me, I can't stand to smoke right after I've brushed my teeth, I have to wait a while.

    I've also started cutting WAY back. I was up to just under a pack a day (my heaviest ever) and now I'm down to about a pack every three days.

    Oh and I've also started changing my routines around a bit already - like waiting an hour or so in the morning to go outside and light up, instead of heading out there with my coffee and the paper first thing, waiting after I eat - increasing the wait time as time goes by, keeping myself busy during my DD's nap time and after she goes to bed (when I'm most likely to head out to the patio and light one up), anything I can to get out of that rut of "OK, I've done XXX, now it's time to go smoke".

    Good luck :)
     
  13. georgiaboy

    georgiaboy Well-Known Member

    Update, since 1/08/03, Ive now ONLY smoked 1 and 1/2packs of cigs, chewed thru only 12 pcs Nico gum, ,,, its progress, beats the hell out of dang near 3 packs of Marlboro a day.

    Hmmm lets see, 3 packs a day @$3.29 a pack X every day of the year, Damn, that would make for a IRA wouldnt it!
     
  14. trina

    trina Well-Known Member

    I think I'm going to give up gradually, I don't think cold turkey is the way to go.I'm currently @ a pack a day, going to shoot for half that starting NOW. Thanks for all of the support you all give me for everything from credit to smoking!!!


    Trina

    PS I'll give a progress report tomorrow; I feel like that might help too (??)
     
  15. ma_bear911

    ma_bear911 Well-Known Member

    Re: Quitting smoking seems impossib

    Trina,

    I'm down from almost 2 packs a day to about 5. I'm going to try to decrease about 2 every 3 days. It's funny, I went cold turkey for over a year and it was much easier last time. This time I hope to never start again. We all can do this!
     
  16. RichGuy

    RichGuy Well-Known Member

    Re: Quitting smoking seems impossib

    Exercise, even light exercise like walking, might help you quit or reduce your smoking. I've never seen or heard of anyone smoking right after they exercise.

    Exercise could take your mind off of smoking.
    Exercise could reduce any false anxiety about gaining weight if you quit smoking.
    Exercise gets you breathing deeply and gets more oxygen into your body.
    Exercise gives you a reason to avoid the carbon monoxide in cigarette smoke.
     
  17. waalien

    waalien Well-Known Member

    Re: Quitting smoking seems impossib

    LOL I'm not going to argue with anything else you said about exercise......

    I just wanted to tell you that I used to light up as soon as the gym door closed behind me ;-)
     
  18. trina

    trina Well-Known Member

    Re: Quitting smoking seems impossib

    I let something get to me today, and I used that as an excuse to light up. I won't do it again.I'm determined.

    Trina
     
  19. RichGuy

    RichGuy Well-Known Member

    Re: Quitting smoking seems impossib

    waalien,

    LOL, that's funny. I've never followed people from the gym to see what they do afterwards. They probably go to McDonald's for Big Macs, fries and shakes. After they smoke that first cigarette, of course. :)

    In a way, that does make sense, though. Lots of body builders use very unhealthy chemicals to bulk up faster. And fat guys eating pizza and drinking beer after the softball game are everywhere. At least, everywhere I eat pizza myself. :)

    There was a very good basketball player for the University of Arizona, now a very good NBA player for the Golden State Warriors. I live near the University, and I saw him in public once. He was buying cigarettes at Circle K. :(

    Of course, and this idea could help Trina, he probably smoked 3 or 4 cigarettes a day rather than 2 packs a day. If you smoke at all, it still makes a great deal of difference how much you smoke.
     
  20. RichGuy

    RichGuy Well-Known Member

    Re: Quitting smoking seems impossib

    Trina,

    If you lit up once because something got to you, that would still be a hugely successful day for you. I just hope you didn't light up once and then use that as an excuse to light up for the rest of the day.

    Either way, I think it's great that you're so determined to quit. I'm really getting involved with this. Please let us know how it goes.
     

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