I QUIT SMOKING , YOU CAN TOO. I QUIT SEPT 27, 2012, SUPPORT EACH OTHER HERE

I,m off to the Doctor here in a bit.... will check back with the results.....

I'm fine,working hard here.
I'm also better for health.

Stay fine Salt.

Thanks.

Aren't we all amazing!

Even when we slip up we are amazing because we learn.

Anyway, today, i couldn't freakin' locate my wee little patch (5mg or so because it was a big one cut into 4)... so I've gone the day without any nicotine whatsoever. And I'm fine. I'm gloriously fine.

Just fine.

I am completely free. Except for the nicotine in tomatoes. (I'm just teasing you Don'tBeAfraid...)

No patches. No nuthin' Just fresh air. As cold as it is. Yes!

I agree with Carr and quitting cold turkey but then I knew myself enough to know that i needed a prop to get over the horrific side-effects so that patch really did help me. Maybe I tortured myself for weeks instead of getting over it all at once. I guess I'll never know...

DF!Oh good. You are feeling better. When in pain i always say "this too shall pass" because it does DF. hugs always.
CHL: Report in! What sayeth the doctor?
Mac: Everyone crawls into your heart and stays there because your words are warm, funny and loving and its cold outside. Promise us you'll always be our port in the nicotine storm.
Salt: Yay! as ever...
Danger: you is the man! You decided and you done did! :)
Everyone: Never take another puff. Just breathe. You can do it.

Now... to stay quit. That is the ultimate victory.

One day at a time.

Good job Grumps! I knew you could do it!

As for the doctor visit.............. GREAT NEWS! well sort of......

No significant lung damage to report, the physicians assistant had me do a peak flow meter test, the first exhalation was at 449 on a scale 800, she looked at me funny and said "do it again" Did it again and blew it up to 500.... She grabbed it and said "apparently there is no need to do that a third time" It seems my peak flow is excellent even for a 30 year smoker!

The official diagnosis is........

Acute bronchialspasms, brought on by airborne contaminants and or allergies, just as I had suspected....

Seems I quit smoking for nothing....lol.....just fooling!

It seems tht I will be here for a good long while yet, god willing accourse!

THANKS FOR EVERYONES THOUGHTS AND CONCERN, IT MEANS THE WORLD TO ME!!

It doesn't suck, the smokes do. You can do it as proven by all the wonderfull contributers to this thread... And this will be your greatest tool in the fight

[link to media.wix.com]

Keep at it, it's the most worthwhile thing you can do with your life!!

Where is the great and powerfull DF this morning/ afternoon?

Hopefully you're not in too much pain and getting better... We need ya Brother you're our rock and mentor in this endeavor....

REPORT!

Nice work Salt, you are a champion and there aint nothing you can't do....

Good luck with the move to the east coast...

Good for you. I haven't read the whole thread.


How old are you? There's this study that I remember of older smokers quitting cigs and their percentage of getting cancer after they quit--cold turkey.

This is a very complicated subject I guess.

Wish you well.

I've been always suspicious of the " governments' " urge to help their people to stop smoking.



Do they want us healthy? NO.

Do they make big bank on cancer? YES.

So why this whole PR on smoking bans?

The process Sucks, but has great rewards. Hang tough. DF

Last Edited by Desert Fox on 01/25/2013 03:04 PM

Yea, it's been a ride. Glad you are still free and making you plans to move back to family. I am sure they will be proud of your courage to have beaten the habit. DF

Yes Sir, present and accounted for. Doing well today. I see you are as well. Great! DF

Quitting at any age has enormous benefits, the younger a person quits the more benefits and longer life. As for me, I am just slightly older than dirt. Thanks friend for stopping in. DF

Thank you!!

Thank you!!

Re: Older than dirt

Dirt is soil that is living and essential for Life. Dirt is an acumulation over time and as such, logically is dynamic. It therefore could be defined as timeless and ever-renewing.

Even if you feel old, really you are ever-changing as a dynamic human being. So don't feel older than dirt! Feel perpetually renewed!

Last Edited by Don'tBeAfraid on 01/25/2013 08:00 PM

LOL

Hey everyone..
Made it through first week and now am on day 8 smoke free and am happy that I have made it this far.

However, yesterday I saw a relative that I have not seen in several years. I really looked forward to the visit as this is someone who was always so positive, upbeat and supportive. I'm not sure what happened to the person that I used to know, but in her place was an angry, judgmental person who spent most of our time together making subtle digs and starting arguments with me about anything and everything... Needless to say, I came home feeling completely depressed and drained yesterday and the low has stayed with me all day today as well.

I was feeling so positive with my decision to quit and was not suffering any sort of regrets at all. I have not had a cigarette nor do I want one but this low mood is rather discouraging and I'm not quite sure how to snap out of it..

Anyhow, maybe I just needed to vent-- I feel a bit like I have lost a life long friend and am grieving.. Not sure whether this grief feeling pertains to the cigs, my relative, or a part of myself...

Grumps - That's amazing. Totally nic-free! No more patches ("I go from rags to riches!"). So happy for you and you have much to be proud of, sister. Just incredible and what a long way you've come. I'll never forget your description of watching the smoker in the cold. Vivid. You brought me right there physically and emotionally. Stayed with me. Thanks for the lovely words earlier. I feel the same about you.

CHL, great news on the health visit today. Looks like you're going to be here to tell the tale for a long time to come. Just as you wrote the other day, I have no doubt you have important work ahead in supporting and helping others. You have much to give.

Double Nickles ("if the good Lord's willing and the creeks don't rise.") tomorrow.

55 days. Grateful for 54 today, but 55 feels special (like I'm ridin' lady luck and cleared the curse of a boxcar double six) and I remain amazed and delighted (most days) I no longer smoke.

Best to all.

Just a bump in the road, a test of your resolve, don't despair. Vent all you want here because this is part of what this thread is about. We are here to listen and try to understand your situation, help if we can, but listen we will. DF

I checked back in just to check on your Dr. visit. I'm so glad it's nothing serious! If I was a smoker I'd quit to join you guys, it's nice you care for each other so much. Good luck to you guys!

55! amazing aint it?

51 for me and STILL having a fairly large amount of cravings especially since depression/ anxiety has lifted.

Again the real reward is NOT SMOKING!

As stated in the easy way to quit smoking, I have really begun to pity the fool that still smokes......

Oh, Canada! Welcome back.

Eight Days! Wow. Eight Days! Huge. Eight Days! Wonderful!

Amazing! Congratulations.

You have been doing something that is huge, life-changing, affirming, and loving for yourself. I'm sorry about the meeting with your relative. Those digs, jabs, and challenges are more a reflection of the sad place your relative resides than about you. That said, I'm sure you were disappointed. I can walk into a room of 100 people and 99 of them may say, "Hey, Mac. Hail Fellow, well met! Great to see you, brother." But then there's always the one aloof person in the corner. The person who may meet me with a false smile or turned back. Now do you think I'm delighted and focused on the 99 people happy to see me? Nope, time after time, I'll focus on the one miserable bastard to the exclusion of all the goodness and wonder around me. Lousy odds in any game.

Seems to me you have accomplished much over the last eight days. Nothing wrong with feeling down or sad (and many here have gone through the same thing so you're not alone and you'll find no judgement), but I ask you to consider what a huge gift you've given to yourself weighed against an afternoon or evening with a relative (you haven't seen for some time) who may be attempting to crawl from a dark hole by pulling you down. Fuck that. If I can ask anything of you, it would be that you step back (from the relative and their potential hole) and look in the mirror to view a wonderful smoke-free winner who decided to give themselves the prize of life and love eight days ago.

Great things to you.

Hi quitters! Day 124 and its good to be smoke free, but I have to tell ya it has not been easy at all. Got the new estimate for getting my truck fixed and it had me sick all day. Nerves on edge wondering how were going to manage. I was thinking its a good thing that I quit smoking when I did so I could spend the money on other things that I had been putting off getting. But just when you are about to catch up something happens and knocks you down further than you were before. That's when the urge to smoke is greatest for me. Really its the nicotine and the calming of the nerves that I crave. I have been teaching myself to be calm by stopping for a moment and taking a deep breath and just clearing my mind, I find this helps to bring me away from the urge even further (I HAVE kicked the habit!) and gives me a little clarity to focus on the task or problem at hand. Hell, I don't think I would be doing so well health wise right now with all my troubles if I were still smoking. Damn it feels good to be a quitter! Congrats to all of you quitters going through your own personal hell. It gets better, you will find that your thoughts are changing about your whole life as well.

You said exactly what I needed to hear at this moment to keep going and for that I thank-you from the bottom of my heart.. Your 100% correct about her and for once I am going to just let it go and worry about myself for once, rather than letting others and their negativity affect me.. Am going to take my dog for another walk (he's loving this lol) make a tea and read before what I hope will be a peaceful sleep for first time in a week!
Thank you again...

Eight days is huge Canada. It's huge.

Did the relative you speak of smoke? Just a stray thought. Some smokers become real edgy with those of us quitting...

The other thought I had was the sadness is normal in any event when you quit you know. We get sad. We've lost that friend (nicotine) we thought we had that was not a friend at all...

How strange. A similar parallel... your relative was not who you thought she/he was and neither were cigarettes... A real life lesson there. You rose to the challenge! You did not smoke! You are made of sterner stuff!

Tomorrow is another day. Just one more day.

:)

Riggsalent, you are amazing. I'm amazed at how strong we are really. You are a real role model for us all on what to do when bad things happen... like Mac said, "Even if your ass falls off, you don't smoke."

I'm wishing the best of the universe for you. Be gentle with yourself. :)

CHL, if I ever lose count I can always check with you because you are two days ahead of me. Imagine 51 days! Wow. We sure probably didn't believe it when we started. But we're believers now.

:)

"Not smoking is liberation, not punishment"

Hi Grumpy,
She did smoke but quit around age 40 as well so she's one of those "ex-smoker nazi types" She definitely has a large chip on her shoulder.. Apparently my husband and I are "losers" for choosing to not have children. Although I had not had a cigarette for 7 days at that point, I should not be proud because I had not really accomplished "much" at that point.. Ughh it was pretty hurtful stuff spewing from her mouth.

I won't be seeing her again while she is here.. Your right, interesting parallel!
Tomorrow is definitely another day.. Thanks so much...
Guess better take my dog as he has his leash and is looking perturbed!