Quitting

[dkvart1]

Last week DH dragged me to ER and I got to spend the night for chest pains and trouble breathing... after all the fun needles and iv's, chest x-ray and a nuclear stress test, mri or cat scan whatever they do.. .ultrasounds,etc, all came back wonderful, except for slightly elevated cholestrol, thankfully. Of course doc told me to quit smoking (which will help to lower cholestrol) and quit drinking so much coffee... I've done fairly well cutting down to 3-4 cups a day... a huge improvement for me!

Needless to say the whole ordeal scared the heck outta me and tomorrow I go on the patch, with lozenges as suggested by Dr. Got the knitting needles out and the pattern book, went out yesterday and bought yarn (we're moving up north from Florida and I figure I can use the nervous energy to make some warm clothes I'm sure to need up there!). This a.m. put DH on plane to Boston, he'll be gone 9 days so he won't have to endure my frustration and tears and there will be alot of both. I quit once for 2 years, but went through a divorce and started up again... and I know from failed past attempts that I am a basket case, which is why I usually quit trying to quit! This time though I have the added motivation that I'll save a heck of a lot of money which I can use on.... CHICKENS!!!

Bigger coop, bigger run... more chickens!

 

[turney31]

Good luck to you. I'm trying to quit also............failing miserably.......I just drove to the store in a big thunder/rain storm at 5:30am to buy a pack.

It nuts, but it feels like a death in the family to me. I am actually grieving over these cigs. I just want to eat everything in sight.

 

[EastTexasChick]

Hope it all works out for you. I know when I quit smoking both times I quit cold turkey kinda. I only smoked half a pack to a pack a day, but the week before my quit day I would slowly ween myself off of them (say I smoked 10 on monday, then 6 on tuesday 4 on wednesday and so on until I would only smoke 1 a day for a day or two) that way i didnt have so much nicotine in my system... Im happy to say Ive gone 9 months with out a smoke (I thought I would never feel better again, its like when you quit, you body goes to crap lol, but I feel great now)....Good luck!!

 

[flocksalot]

I'm sending strenght and resolve your way. I quit 13 or 14 years ago. The hardest part was the 5 to 10 minutes of craving, but I would get a drink of water and find something to occupy my mind and hands til it passed. Sounds like you have a good plan in place. We will be your cheering section.

 

[miraclz5]

Nothing worth doing is ever easy! As a cancer survivor at 20...and a heart attack at 32 (a result of chemo and radiation)...life is too short! My husband is going on 2 years since he quit....and I know how difficult the challenge! Like I said, nothing worth doing is ever easy.....and when you are having a tough time....instead of chanting "I think I can, I think I can" from The Little Engine That Could....chant "Get more chickens, get more chickens" Wishing you the very best!

 

[greyhorsewoman]

Good for you~! Go for it. Stick with it, whatever way works for you.

I was terribly addicted to my smoking habit. I quit EVERY day (and failed EVERY day). I finally went to a solo hypnosis session and it worked like a charm. No frustration, no tears, nothing. Just left the unfinished pack in the car. Took my husband two weeks to realize I'd quit! (He still smoked, quit 6 months later.) That was twenty years ago. Been through my share of ups and downs since then, but never felt like picking up cigarettes again.

 

[turney31]

Quote:
I did the hypnosis and smoked on the way home......

 

[TinaSwarr]

Wishing you the best of luck, all i can do is offer you some suggestions that helped me........ I kept a bag of lollipops near by, always had one of them in my mouth. and i hung pictures of things i wanted to buy all over the place ( i still put the money aside that i was no longer spending on cigs) . unfortunatly i started smoking again after a year without when my dad died. Have faith in yourself if this is something you really want to do you will succeed, and you can always rant on here when you have a bad day, sounds like alot of us have been in the same place before. again good luck.

 

[fishin-nole]

I quit by using the patch. I skipped steps 1&2 and went with the last 14 day patches.

 

[mandelyn]

Good luck! I've reduced coffee, but the smoking thing.... the patches I haven't tried. I did try Chantix and it made me crazy so I quit taking it. But that would be an awful lot of money I could put to the birds.... maybe that's the motivation I need!