Archive through January 30, 2003
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TV ClubHouse: Archives: 2003 January: Who wants to quit smoking with me? (ARCHIVE): Archive through January 30, 2003

Fruitbat

Tuesday, January 28, 2003 - 07:07 am EditMoveDeleteIP
I guess that was their outside guess. :)

Denecee

Tuesday, January 28, 2003 - 09:06 am EditMoveDeleteIP
Thanks Juju & Dahli!

Flyonthwall

Tuesday, January 28, 2003 - 11:06 am EditMoveDeleteIP
Hi everyone! I thought I'd pop in and give my very short story! LOL

Been smoking for 13 years, one pack to two a day.
Have tried several times to quit by cutting down, watching how many I was smoking a day and timing them out. I was in the hospital for brain monitoring and so couldn't smoke for 5 days, so they gave me the patch.

This did give me confidence that I could quit putting the smokes in my mouth.
I knew I was a trained monkey who at different activities now had to have my smoke hanging from my lips. Like Pavlovs dog, rushing to light up at the slightest light going off in my brain!

There was never a time I would be without my cig case, and if I was, there was panic!
Over time I've thought about all the bad things cigs do. I faced the fact I was hooked and really should quit because of all my health issues.
But that was a double edged sword. If I quit, I'd still have the brain tumor, the spine tumor, I'd still have Lupus raging my body.

So why give up my smokes? I contolled them, when nothing else was in my contol, at least my choice to smoke was MINE. And I ENJOYED it!
What a joke 'eh?

My neice asked me one day why I smoked. I lamely tired to explain. In the end she said "you're a drug addict". I admited Yes I am.
After that we talked several times about it and I began to realize that I really didn't need it, could live better without it and hated everything about them! So why smoke?

So I smoked my last pack of cigs and went and purchased the patchs.
Slapping one on I thought this is great I'm quitting! LOL ( I did think about drug for drug interaction here, but at least I wasn't lighting up!)
Then I stumbled in over here and saw you all talking about Allen Carr's "Easy way to Stop Smoking".

After reading Dahli's post on chapter 6 I wanted to get this book!
I found it at Barn's n noble here at the mall in town last Monday, the 20th.
I came home and read it streight though.
I pealed off my patch and rejoiced in the fact that I am a NON -SMOKER and I will never have to have any of that again!

I have been smoke free - patch free for 9 days now.
And I have no doubt in my being that I will ever smoke again. I am FREE!!!

Thanks for posting about the book! I am already encouraging others in my life. They are amazed at how different my attitude is already!
The confidence is back and I feel great about myself!
I could be saying it's been 9 years, not 9 days at the way I feel. Like, I know it's going to last a lifetime!

Because before I kept my smokes hidden away, yeah, I was "trying to quit".
I spaced out my smokes to "cut back", not realizing it was making it even harder to quit and making that almighty cig even more precious!
I told myslef I enjoyed it, and I was in contol, and smoking made me happy, calm...blah blah blah...

After you stop lying to yourself to ease the guilt of what you're doing to yourself, you start to see smoking for what it truly is.
A nasty addiction that leads to so many other problems!
You realize that it is the one sucking the life out of you!!!

You can rationalize it anyway you want. You can hide behind excuses, but the bottom line is, you have to admit you're a drug addict and want in your heart and mind to be free and to live your life with more confidence and power then you've ever had before!

I may sound boastful and arrogant, since it's only been 9 days, but for some reason, in my life this was a far more simple challange then some of the others I'm faceing.
I can't do brain surgery on myself, to remove that tumor, I can't open my spine and see what is wrong with it, I can't take away the effects of the autoimmune disease I have raging though my body.
But I can stop putting posion in my system on purpose!!!!

There's a lot that I can't control in my life. Lots that I wish were different.
Many regrets, many ideals that were changed over time, but one that has given me new strenght is the fact that I am powerful!
I have overcome many things and now I no longer smoke! It's that simple.
Not a sacrifice, for they did nothing for me, they took from me.

I hope this both helps someone else, and gives Thanks to those who encourage others.
Dahli, thanks for the book info! It was the courage, truth and wisdom, that opened my eyes to what I already knew!
God bless you guys,
FLy
(I'll try to drop in and update, but I just don't get here much. I had to type this over time, so I hope it makes sense!)

Juju2bigdog

Tuesday, January 28, 2003 - 11:52 am EditMoveDeleteIP
Dang!

Congratulations, Flyonthewall!

Tashakinz

Tuesday, January 28, 2003 - 12:19 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Ll - Thanks so much for the encouragement. You're really sweet. I should point out, however, that although I'm not inhaling, I am still receiving nicotine. I'm just not ready to give up my patches yet. Last time I quit I tried to wean off the patches quickly and I think that contributed to my downfall. The water is a good trick for giving yourself a feeling of fullness and I've been drinking quite a bit of it; maybe that's the problem, I may just be retaining it. lol

Thanks to all here in this thread. The encouragement is really a help.

Tash

Tabbyking

Tuesday, January 28, 2003 - 12:33 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
tasha, i guess i shouldn't have called them 'cold cuts'! it's not like it was salami or bologna...i would cook a roast and eat slices of it, or have sliced turkey breast from cooking a turkey, etc. although, my buds at the hospital who all lost tons of weight and went off insulin and lowered their cholesterol DID eat a lot of 'processed' foods. i was amazed and totally envious! they would have the nurses' station full of deli platters delivered from our grocery store!

congrats on all the days without smoking! i am so proud of you!

those of you using patches, be careful!

before i just quit cold (not processed, lol) turkey, i bought the patches. i even bought the ones where i could go right to step 2 or 3 for the lighter smoker. the first day was great, no problems, no cravings. the second day, about a half hour after i put the patch on, i felt as if my blood pressure instantly dropped off the charts. i got cold, clammy, totally nauseated...and could barely crawl up to my bed, where i knew i would die! i pulled the patch off, but of course, the 'stuff' stayed with me for another couple of hours. i threw the damn things away as soon as i realized i was still alive! most people have no problems at all, but do be careful!

Staceyinpa

Tuesday, January 28, 2003 - 12:37 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Is it too late to jump on this bandwagon? I quit for 30 days in Oct/Nov then I went out on my first date in 5 yrs, and he was smoking, so I just had one.. then one more... then I had him stop so I could buy a pack.. >:o|
Now, I just can't seem to get over that hump and quit buying them again...
I do have 2 boxes of patches left, and want to get started on them again.. but again.. that big hump... :o|
If I can sign up and be part of this support group.. that would be great!
Thanks
Stacey

Jagger

Tuesday, January 28, 2003 - 01:07 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Jump right in Stacey, there are a few of us who are just sitting on the fence waiting to fall one way or the other so you are not alone. I was doing real good for several weeks, well actually several months, than the holidays hit and I have been trying to get myself back to the non-smoking side of reality but I just have had no luck, but I keep trying.

Denecee

Tuesday, January 28, 2003 - 01:09 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Welcome Stacey! I think you will find plenty of support here, these non-smokers are great.

Dahli

Tuesday, January 28, 2003 - 02:15 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Fly - You ARE a non-smoker!!!!!!!
I am so happy for you when I read your post I cried... What an incredible story and thanks for telling it. Can you believe how amazingly powerful the mind is? How long and often we can fool ourselves and when your eyes are opened how clear it all becomes!!? Way to go - I'm sending all my congratulations and belated Happy Birthday wishes to you!

Juju2bigdog

Tuesday, January 28, 2003 - 02:45 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Jump right in, Stacey. The Allen Carr book thing is dominating the thread right now, but we have people who have done it other ways. How ever you do it, in order to be successful you somehow have to get your head around to knowing that you are not "depriving" yourself of anything. You are setting yourself free from something that controls your life.

Llkoolaid

Wednesday, January 29, 2003 - 04:41 am EditMoveDeleteIP
for Stacey for joining us.
I can't tell you how many times I quit smoking only to start again, usually just with one smoke and before I knew it back to a pack a day. It happens to us all. Right now I am pushing the Allan Carr book, it is amazing but that is not how I quit. However in saying that I did do a lot of the things that you will find in the book.

Check in with us every day Stacey, you will never get nagged or critized here, just encouragement and praise for your efforts.
Go back and read this thread and you will see what some of us did to quit, I came on here at least once a day for months. Part of this thread is archived and I don't know how to get it but if you do you will see what we did and how much support we got, This thread has been going for over a year now and Juju and Dahli have been here helping people quit since then, they helped me and now it feels so good to be with them trying to support new non-smokers.
Juju is right, you have to get your head around the fact that you are not giving something up. Don't think of it as quitting but starting to be a non-smoker.

Meme9

Wednesday, January 29, 2003 - 12:00 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
I'm on the fence too!!! I'm thinking maybe I need to go find this book. You all make it sound so easy with this book. Is it something you just have to read to get the message...I'm guessing it is since no one has really posted any of the tips or tricks. (I must be getting closer to quiting since I have been reading this thread lately)
Still wobbling on the fence!

Juju2bigdog

Wednesday, January 29, 2003 - 12:37 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Go for it, Meme!!!

Maris

Wednesday, January 29, 2003 - 01:43 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Whatever trick works for you I say give it a try. I always swore that I would never pay a certain price for cigarettes. That was my benchmark. Once the price of cigarettes hit $5.00 I had to keep to my word and I have been cigarette free for exactly one year this Saturday. I quit cold turkey but my quit smoking aid was the price. lol.

Crossfire

Wednesday, January 29, 2003 - 01:51 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Other threads of personal achievement here tend to have running totals. I am curious if anyone here knows how many here have quit and stayed quit or how many days free since this thread started?

And I am curious how many quit because of this thread? I find it taunting me all the time.

I am assuming that the info is not available, but I thought I'd ask anyway.

Tashakinz

Wednesday, January 29, 2003 - 02:56 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Today is day 18. Cranky day - but I'll deal.

Crossfire: I didn't quit because of this thread - but I find it a great place to keep me on track. I can come in, rant or congratulate myself and others, and know that everyone else is going or has gone through the same thing.

I'm going to go beat up on my laundry bag now - great for taking out frustration. lol

Juju2bigdog

Wednesday, January 29, 2003 - 03:40 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Tomorrow will be better, Tasha. One day at a time. Good work!

Meme9

Wednesday, January 29, 2003 - 04:26 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
I went to a Barnes and Noble bookstore in Cincinnati...and I found the book!!! My hubby was happy. When we got home, I was having a smoke and was thumbing though the book and he laughs and said that's not how you do it! hehe I told him I wasn't quitting until I READ the book. Anyway it was a nice evening out, even DS went with us(he's 18 and he still loves bookstores)and we went out for dinner. It was nice because DS doesn't like going with mom and dad and hasn't for sometime now.

Maris, I said the same thing about the price...lots of times!

Crossfire, taunting you? Do you smoke too? If so maybe your on the fence too.

Tasha wish this was my 14th day!!! Your doing great!

Juju, your go for it...was what made me think..yes go for it NOW and at least get the darn book.

Maris

Wednesday, January 29, 2003 - 04:44 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
As I said Meme, what ever works for people they should use, whether it is coming up with a bizarre logic or a book. My reasoning worked for me since it will be a year on the 31st of this month for me. Good luck to all you folks.

Juju2bigdog

Wednesday, January 29, 2003 - 05:02 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Hahahahah, good for you, Meme. You gotta start being a non-smoker sometime. I'll be looking forward to seeing if the book does it for you.

Halfunit

Wednesday, January 29, 2003 - 05:03 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
fence

Meme9

Wednesday, January 29, 2003 - 09:02 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
LOL Halfunit! Yep, that's me!

Lancecrossfire

Wednesday, January 29, 2003 - 09:05 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Ok, now that is cute!

Dahli

Thursday, January 30, 2003 - 07:02 am EditMoveDeleteIP
Hi Meme! It's great you are checking in here - we are thrilled to see you! Don't change anything about how you smoke while reading.
If someone is ready to make the change it simply shows you what you already knew inside - that place where our wisdom and smarts is comes forward and takes over, instead of the drug. You know it is because of how you feel, happy and free - it's clear as a bell- what's really going on, and for me, it was like a huge boulder off my back.

HOO HOO WAY TO GO MARIS! one year is a biggie, you made up your mind, and that is exactly where the power is, Congratulations.
<<Dahli can't believe how happy she is for folks she doesn't even know... but dang she just is>>