Author |
Message |
Twinkie
Member
09-24-2002
| Tuesday, June 06, 2006 - 5:21 pm
This is my very first visit here. I've avoided it like the plague because I wasn't ready to quit. But I am now. I'm down to my last 3 packs of cigs and then I am done. I'm already getting nervous. I've been smoking since I was 16 and I'm 54 now, 55 this month. A very looooong time. I really want to stop smoking now. I've only tried once before several years ago and I only got to 18 hours before even my normally calm husband hissed "smoke a damn cigarette"! I was a maniac. Over the top. Yelling, throwing things, crying, you name it. That's why I'm so nervous now. I asked my doc if she'd give me some valium to calm my nerves while quitting but she won't because I take pain meds. My main problem is that I'm stuck in the house almost 24/7. I can't even go for a walk because we don't live in a very safe neighborhood. Hubby is off with the car working 2 full time jobs so I can't go anywhere. So what can I do to take my mind off a smoke?? I really need some suggestions and support. I know it sounds silly but I'm scared. Oh, I can't use the 'look how much money we're saving' bit because I get my smokes at the indian reservation and they are $6 a carton. Also, last time I tried to quit I was wearing 2 patches! LOL
|
Lawrie
Member
08-03-2002
| Tuesday, June 06, 2006 - 6:04 pm
Hi Twinkie. I think it's a great decision to quit. I can relate to some of what you say. I also avoided this thread like the plague until three months ago. I was extremely nervous, scared, sad, etc. at the thought of quitting. It will be three months on Thursday since I have had so much as a puff and I am very happy about it. It hasn't been an easy road but I really do feel so much better now. More energy, no coughing, no shortness of breath, fewer headaches. I encourage you to visit www.quitnet.com. There is a lot of support there from other "quitters". You will find others there who is experiencing the same feelings and concerns as you. Even a place to vent if you are wanting to take someone's head off. Please let us know how you are doing with it.
|
Twinkie
Member
09-24-2002
| Tuesday, June 06, 2006 - 6:20 pm
Thanks, Lawrie! I will certainly be going to that site! I need all the help I can get! Its nice to hear from someone who's only 3 months into it that you are still not smoking. Way to go! I'm really tired of the coughing and huffing and puffing from the least bit of exertion. I'm so over that. I figured if I quit drinking to make my liver healthier why shouldn't I do that for my lungs too? Yikes! My last vice! LOL
|
Danas15146
Member
03-31-2004
| Tuesday, June 06, 2006 - 6:45 pm
quitnet.com was and still is a godsend for me. Especially my group of cancer survivor and family members -- I would never have made it through this year - let alone smokefree - without them. Good luck Twinkie - we are all rooting for you!
|
Twinkie
Member
09-24-2002
| Tuesday, June 06, 2006 - 6:51 pm
Thanks, Dana! I'm going there tomorrow! For tonight...one more cig and then to sleep. I hope. LOL
|
Retired
Member
07-11-2001
| Wednesday, June 07, 2006 - 5:33 am
Good luck Twinkie! You can do it! You can do it! Join Quitnet and vent away. Lots of good info and support there.
|
Lumbele
Member
07-12-2002
| Wednesday, June 07, 2006 - 5:49 am
Hey there, Twinks! Congrats on your decision for a healthier you. You've already made the biggest step towards it. You can do it! Use whatever aids you need, for however long you need them. Things may be a bit rough and b*tchy for a while, but if you can stick out those initial tough patches, things will get easier. Before I quit (for the umpteenth time), I, too had smoked for many years, 36 to be exact. Very often I read here the words "if I can do it, anyone can" and thought "yeah, right!". It really is true though. Even those of us who don't think we'll ever be nicotine-free really *can* do it. Finally making the decision to do it for *me*, not anyone else, and to use any and all aids right for me for however long I need them, is what helped me to actually kick the habit. You can, too! Keeping busy helped (and still is sometimes) me through those rough spots. This keyboard can be a "smoke saver". Drinking lots of water, initially, to flush all that guck out, mild and then increasing exercising, too have kept me out of trouble. Warning though, do not substitute Werther's for cigs. Been there, done that and am still paying for it waistwise.LOL Hang tough, girl and just come here for support and/or to let it all hang out.
|
Twinkie
Member
09-24-2002
| Wednesday, June 07, 2006 - 12:18 pm
Thanks, Retired and Lum! I've been really stretching them out today even though what I really want to do is smoke one right after another. LOL I'm getting more nervous the fewer cigs I have. I anticipated how hard this was going to be and I ordered Cigarrest for $6.95. Paid only for the shipping and handling and got a 90 supply free. The thing I think I'm going to like about it is it's nicotine free. I never could understand how the nicotine patches or gum would help me quit. These are non-nicotine gum, pills, and vitamins plus 2 booklets and a cd. I also went to quitnet.com. I'm gearing up for all the help I can get. I still have a little over 2 packs left. I'm getting antsy.
|
Shadoe
Member
11-04-2004
| Wednesday, June 07, 2006 - 1:15 pm
Twinkie, if you are really serious that you want to quit, that you no longer enjoy smoking, you can do it. I smoked longer than you, about a pack a day, and had trouble lasting 3 hrs without a smoke. Flying was major torture. I have never truly tried to quit smoking because I honestly still enjoyed smoking. I don't think anyone can quit and honestly be happy; in most cases, I bet they end up going back to smoking. Oh, I had thought about it and entertained thoughts about it, but knew that I could not do it - yet. Slowly over the last 6months or so, I found that I really was not enjoying smoking and decided that I would finally try to quit. I did not want to do it with patches or gum if at all possible because they are still nicotine. I had heard good things about welbutrin and zyban from several people, so I decided to give it a shot. I got my prescription from the dr on Feb 1st; I did not fill it till March and then had to pick a quit date. I chose April 1st because if I failed, I could always say I was a 'fool' to even try. Even though I had heard so much good about Zyban, I did not plan to expect much. After all, how could some pills make me able to quit smoking, just like that, after 40+ years. I doubted, but gave it a shot. I started taking my pills on March 19th, then I had my last smoke at about 11:55pm on March 31st. I did not plan to make it easy either, and kept one unwrapped pack of smokes, plus a half dozen in a container, which I take with me everywhere. I read the insert for some tips and the best one was this: If you feel like having a smoke, wait 2minutes. It's hard to believe, but that actually works! I just do something else, but always lose track of time and forget that I wanted one. The hardest times were the automatic times. You know when you finish a meal and you are fixing your coffee and then you reach for a smoke to have with that coffee? It's times like that - they were frustrating in the beginning, but very quickly those times become less frequent. I have about 12 more days on this last refill of my Zyban. I was worried that maybe I should get another refill, but over the last few days, I am thinking I may be OK because I am finding I keep forgetting to take my Zyban. I am guessing that's a good sign. Through the first month or so, I resorted to Werther's butterscotch hard candies as my replacement. There were times I would wake in the middle of the nite and want a smoke but instead, I'd just pop a Werther's in my mouth. You really don't want to know how many of those I have eaten, but I think it's worth it. I have not had one single smoke or even a puff since the first minute of April 1st. I am almost starting to think I can make it. I would recommend this Zyban stuff to anyone because if I can stop after over 40 years, I think anyone has a good chance of quitting. Everyone has their own little tricks that helped them get over the rough spots - I used Werthers and exercise at the gym, Lumbele had other things, and each person you ask may have even more things you can try. It all comes down to one thing. Do you really want to quit? If you do, you will find your own ways to make it. Good luck to you.
|
Juju2bigdog
Member
10-27-2000
| Wednesday, June 07, 2006 - 1:18 pm
Yay Twinkie!! We've all got to do it sometime, giving up smoking and drinking, that is. Best to do it now while you're still alive. A bit of gallows humor there, but we did have one who made it here too late. Daisymae? You've got to want to do it worse than anything in the world, and you have to do it for yourself. You can't do it for anybody else. If you can manage to think of smoking as a beast who has had hold of you and is choking the life out of you, that works better than thinking of it as losing a dear old friend. Smoking is not your friend. It IS a beast. If you can be stronger than the beast, you can fight your way to freedom. Some days it will be a real hard fight but you have the option to come out the winner EVERY day. And every day you win, you are a stronger fighter the next day. When Fruitbat was quitting, it comforted her to know that all she had to do was endure. One day at a time, one minute at a time, just endure. And one day you will have your freedom. Go Twinkie!!! Good luck.
|
Twinkie
Member
09-24-2002
| Wednesday, June 07, 2006 - 5:38 pm
Thanks, Shadoe and Juju! When I tried to quit many years ago I tried Zyban and had to stop taking it because it interferred with my blood pressure meds. That's why I'm now going to try this cigarrest stuff. I don't know if it'll help any but its worth a try. After hubby got home today we went grocery shopping and I spent almost 2 hours there and then came home and put everything away...another hour...before having a cig. I'm really spacing them out. I'm hoping that will make it easier when I have none left.
|
Twinkie
Member
09-24-2002
| Sunday, June 11, 2006 - 4:28 pm
Boy, I sure know how to kill a thread. Don't mind me (not that anyone does) I'm just having a really hard time.
|
Lawrie
Member
08-03-2002
| Sunday, June 11, 2006 - 4:38 pm
Twinkie; sorry you're having a hard time. I assume that you finished your last cigarettes and haven't bought more. The first week can be tough. You can be tougher. Let us know how you're doing.
|
Juju2bigdog
Member
10-27-2000
| Sunday, June 11, 2006 - 5:05 pm
Twinkie, if you are having a hard time, you are supposed to be in here pissing and moaning every half hour. I just figured either you were doing okay, or you had a support group going at that quitting smoking website. Hope you are managing to hang in there. Think of it as the toughest thing you will ever have to do, and you will be about half right.

|
Twinkie
Member
09-24-2002
| Sunday, June 11, 2006 - 5:36 pm
I was hoping I wouldn't have to be in here pissing and moaning but I sure want to. I don't know if I can do this. This is really hard. I put a pack of cigs in the freezer saying I wouldn't touch it, but after 7 hours I took it out and smoked one. I'm a failure already. And now I've got an open pack of smokes!!! HELP!!!
|
Babyruth
Member
07-19-2001
| Sunday, June 11, 2006 - 5:45 pm
Crush 'em and flush 'em NOW, Twinkiepoo!!!
|
Lawrie
Member
08-03-2002
| Sunday, June 11, 2006 - 5:46 pm
Moan away! I wouldn't have lasted very long during my first week if I had had a pack in the freezer. I suggest wetting down and trashing the open pack but that may be just me. Since quitting smoking I have developed a chocolate addiction. I have discovered during the past week that I had no self control over that until I got rid of all chocolate in my apartment.
|
Shadoe
Member
11-04-2004
| Monday, June 12, 2006 - 1:00 am
Twink, are you using the ciggarrest stuff you wanted to try? I am sorry you are having such a bad time and can't do the Zyban. Twink, you need to find yourself a replacement that occupies your mind or takes it right off the idea of smoking. Even with the Zyban, I still needed my butterscotch drops during the first month or so, and exercise has really been helpful for me. You need something to turn to whenever you feel like having a smoke or think about smoking. It's far from easy but it is worth it. If chocolate was helping you, I think that addiction would have been less harmful on your health than the smoking. I can say that my days of at least a dozen Werther's is now down to maybe one or two, so maybe your chocolate thing would have been the same. If it helps you get over the cravings to smoke, maybe it will be a good thing for awhile. If not, then just look for some other item or activity to get you past the cravings. I also kept a closed pack when I quit but I did not try to preserve them in the freezer. That would be like saying 'I am going to try, but not very hard and will most probably fail quickly so I will need this pack to remain fresh for my use.' The reason I kept it was to taste horrible if I ever resorted to smoking one of them. That pack has been on the table in my living room since Apr 1st and I am pretty sure they will taste bad. I still have a small container of about 6 or 8 that I take with me everywhere and so far so good. I think I must be getting close to stopping the Zyban because I have been forgetting to take them so I decided to start just taking the one in the morning - sort of start weaning myself off them. I wonder if that is a bad thing. I tried the once in the morning over the weekend because that's the hardest times and I did ok. During the week, with work and the gym, it's not too hard at all. I have about 18 more pills left, so that is about 9 to 18 days worth. Twink, whatever you do, don't just cave in and give up. Even in the Zyban pamphlet, they speak about slipping and having one. Hey, it happens, just like with any other addiction or thing you try to quit - it's common to slip and have one, but just continue or go back to the cigarrest and no smoking again. Just pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and try again. It takes time for a person to get a habit, or make a change become a habit. That's the hard part in the quitting. That habit thing. Compare it to potty training a little one. Can you imagine if every one who had a little accident just gave up? I don't even want to go there! Just like learning to tie your shoes, you needed to learn that skill, that habit. Treat this the same - make it a habit to not smoke.
|
Lumbele
Member
07-12-2002
| Monday, June 12, 2006 - 4:34 am
Twinks, don't give up! This is the worst of crunch times right now. If you can hold out a little longer it will get just a bit easier with every day, and before you know it when you catch yourself thinking "wanna have a cig", you'll actually answer yourself with "nah" and move on with your day. It's tough right now, but it *will* get better, I promise. Come here and moan and groan and beyatch as much as you need to. We've all done it. That's what this thread is for. Have as many pity parties as you like, they'll turn into celebrations soon enough, just you wait. Hugs! PS: Dump that "freezer pack"! Shadoe, I was warned about going off Zyban/Wellbutrin too quickly and told to skip one day a week at first, then 2, then 3 etc. Since I also use it for depression, I just gradually went down to a lower dose. You really must be a rare specimen, because only very few could quit with that pack smiling at them from the coffee table 24-7. Congrats on going strong!
|
Twinkie
Member
09-24-2002
| Monday, June 12, 2006 - 5:32 am
Thank you all so much for your support! The smokes are gone now. Now I couldn't have one if I wanted to. Here I go white-knuckling it. I don't think I gave the cigarrest enough of a try. I'm going to do that now. And I'm sure I'll be back here moaning and groaning all day today. But I'm determined. I don't want to be a smoker anymore. I'm tired of coughing and my hair smelling bad. Now that its long there's a lot of it to smell bad and I hate that. For now I'm going to try to get some more sleep but I'll be back! Oh yes, I'll be back and you will all get so sick of me. LOL
|
Lawrie
Member
08-03-2002
| Monday, June 12, 2006 - 5:45 am
It's great to see someone making the decision to stop being a smoker. I'm so glad you got rid of that pack of temptation. Hang on to that determination. Remember those reasons you have just listed. I don't know many people who will say it is easy but it is doable. Stop by here anytime!
|
Babyruth
Member
07-19-2001
| Monday, June 12, 2006 - 5:52 am
Yay, Twinkiepoo!!!! 
|
Shadoe
Member
11-04-2004
| Monday, June 12, 2006 - 12:12 pm
Lumbele, I don't know about my being a rare one to keep a package around all the time. I just wanted to be sure that I quit for good, so I am making it hard by having cigarettes always available. If I want to be a true non-smoker, I have to be able to stay smoke free even when they are around. I am doing this quitting business only once. I do know myself. I am almost positive that if I had none and wanted one, I would just go out a buy a pack and then have one. I would be frantic about having none. With them sitting on the table, I can stare at them and say I could have one if I wanted one, but I don't. Also, if I ever cave in and want one, it will be a wickedly dry and terrible cigarette for sure! How I saw it was that I have them and can always do the 'wait 2 minutes' thing. They are like my training wheels or water wings or safety net. When you have that safety net under you, it's easier to walk the tightrope. The same with the water wings - I can wander out in the deep end without worrying about drowning. I have done 4 days of only one Zyban instead of two a day. I have 13 pills left, so I am good for that many more days. Do you think that way would by an OK way to get off the Zyban? I started on them around March 19th. I asked the pharmacist how long people usually stay on this stuff, and she said there have been people who take it for almost a year! There is no way I want to take it that long; I want to stop it as soon as possible now. Twinks, I knew I was succeeding when I started to forget to take my Zyban and I had stopped counting the hours till the next pill. I am sure the cigarrest would be the same for you; you will need it less and less until you realize that you can stop it. I am cutting back on the Zyban but if I start wanting a smoke again, I'll go back to the 2 a day and see what the dr has to say about it.
|
Retired
Member
07-11-2001
| Monday, June 12, 2006 - 12:25 pm
Hang in there Twinkie! You've got some good advice here. Congrats for getting rid of the cigs. You will not regret quitting.
|
Twinkie
Member
09-24-2002
| Monday, June 12, 2006 - 4:04 pm
All day I have felt such a sadness. I've lost my best friend, my constant companion. Everything feels so different. I don't have my wakeup smoke or my after meals smoke or my in the car smoke. I don't know what to do with myself yet.
|
|