Hi everyone :-) I'm new to this support group. I guess it would be fair for me to tell you a bit about myself.
I've successfuly quit for a year and a few months, but I'm finding that I still need support to deal with the psychological part of the addiction.
I used to belong to another support group, but lately I find I just can't relate anymore. There are many new faces and I just felt it was time for me to move on and make room for the younguns :-)
I had a bit of a struggle filling out the stuff in the glove compartment seeing as I've been quit for a while, but I love the idea of a journal- that's cool.
I look forward to getting to know everyone :-)
Hi Paula (aka I choose life)
Look at you flashing an awesome 8 day smoke free smile :-) thank you for the warm welcome :-)
8 days! Something someone told me early on that I found really helpful was, 'the urge to smoke will pass, whether you have one or not.' I could have pulled my hair out a time or two...but sure enough, that craving would pass.
yep yep yep...happened to me too, I'm with Freedom, it lasted about a month and let up. I'm also happy to finally be regular without the help of nicotine.
someone suggested that I eat more yogurt, as it will help the intestines process what they need to process in order to rejuvenate themselves.
It's amazing that smoking affects literally our entire body from stem to stern.
(I haven't figured out how to post my mileage, but I've been quit since Sept 9, 2006)
Hi Ellis,
I used the nic gum to help with this quit. I started out at about 6 pieces a day. As time went on I simply used less and less as my craves seemed to decrease on thier own. Around the 5 month mark I was down to a few peices every couple of days and then one piece every few days. At the time I belonged to an online stop smoking support group (which I believe is the real reason my quit was a success)and the debate was hot - does NRT drag out the agony or not.
Well, for me, I would have to say I'm not sure. All I know is that I've lasted a long long time without any nicotine whatsoever and I'm still going strong.
Yet for all my bravado...I still have a full untouched box of the gum in my kitchen drawer that I can't bring myself to give away or toss in the trash.
hmmm... you can see I still have a bit of a psychological battle going on.
I quit on Sept 9, 2006
well, that was embarrassing...one more try and I'll give everyone a break from my middle of the night bizarre fixation with my stats..
[B]My Milage:[/B]
[B]My Quit Date: [/B]9/9/2006
[B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 531
[B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 21,240
[B]Amount Saved:[/B] $10,620.00
[B]Life Gained:[/B]
[B]Days:[/B] 49 [B]Hrs:[/B] 5 [B]Mins:[/B] 23 [B]Seconds:[/B] 58
thanks all, I feel very welcome and i really, really apreciate that...someone asked me to talk a bit about my psychological triggers a little...
Well, it has to do with emotions running high and coping with stress.
When I'm angry, or blue, the first thing I want is to light up. Then there are the moments where I'm in a good mood and want to celebrate with a dose of nicotine.
Then there's stress. I work 3 jobs, and it can be pretty draining and ovewhelming at times...and of course I want to head out the door for a smoke simply for the escape.
I've been reading up a bit on mindfulness and awareness so that I can be more in the moment instead of stressing over what may or may not happen next or ruminate over something that's already in the past
to be fair, I have to admit that I don't crave anymore, I just pine a bit here and there for my long lost 'friend'.
It's not too hard to distract myself though. I'm just really happy to have made it this far.
[B]My Milage:[/B]
[B]My Quit Date: [/B]9/9/2006
[B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 532
[B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 21,280
[B]Amount Saved:[/B] $10,640.00
[B]Life Gained:[/B]
[B]Days:[/B] 49 [B]Hrs:[/B] 6 [B]Mins:[/B] 37 [B]Seconds:[/B] 37
Sometimes in past quits I've hit the wall and relapsed. It always started with just one...thinking I could just have one, well maybe one a week, well maybe one a day and so on.
The moments where i had that fatal slip, I really couldn't think straight I really didn't care about why I quit, or how it affected the people around me, or how bad it made me smell - I was crazed for a smoke and that was that.
Terrible place to be.
This is the longest I've ever gone without a smoke...and yes, I had a crazed moment or two, and took drastic measures with myself. Such as splashing ice cold water on my face or taking a cool bath - anything that would shock me a bit and bring me back to my senses quickly (some people use an elastic band on their wrist and give it a bit of a snap)
I wish you well, remember cigarettes travel in packs
[B]My Milage:[/B]
[B]My Quit Date: [/B]9/9/2006
[B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 532
[B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 21,280
[B]Amount Saved:[/B] $10,640.00
[B]Life Gained:[/B]
[B]Days:[/B] 49 [B]Hrs:[/B] 6 [B]Mins:[/B] 40 [B]Seconds:[/B] 14
I joined Curves a couple of years ago...it's a really good program, and it's true, the workout is all laid out and easy to follow. The staff are friendly and used to play trivia games with those of us who were there.
Sadly, I couldn't keep up my commitment and back slid until I had paid for something like 5 months that I didn't go even once.
My bad.
It's really a good workout, the main thing is commitment. Since I do shift work, I was coming in at all sorts of crazy hours and so didn't get to really click with any of the regulars.
I really think I should have stuck to it, because now I'm 30lbs heavier than I was back then.
[B]My Milage:[/B]
[B]My Quit Date: [/B]9/9/2006
[B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 533
[B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 21,320
[B]Amount Saved:[/B] $10,660.00
[B]Life Gained:[/B]
[B]Days:[/B] 49 [B]Hrs:[/B] 7 [B]Mins:[/B] 48 [B]Seconds:[/B] 37
I often perception check with co workers and ask if there's anything I'm doing that is setting them on edge. Over and over again I get a bright eyed 'I don't know what you mean...' as they put down files loudly, purse their lips, and walk more loudly than is necessary.
So, I try to change it up a bit and say something along the lines of, 'It can be really annoying when I keep on asking if you're ok. It can seem like I think everything is about me. just let me know if there's anything I can do differently.'
you get the picture. Communication works both ways...if I'm met with stony silence, rolling eyes and sighs, then I'm pretty sure that I'd best back off and give this person some space.
By the same token I have a very hard time letting a co worker know when I'm feeling put out by something they're doing, but lately I've been working on dishing it up and it's a little awkward. For example I called a co worker on an important piece of documentation that should have been completed before her shift ended. It was difficult for me to stand up to her, but I did.
I guess what my big Q is, is how can I keep my own emotions from running high if I'm doing my best to communicate in a respectful manner and am met with a brick wall?
I'm tired of sucking it up and working around people.
[B]My Milage:[/B]
[B]My Quit Date: [/B]9/9/2006
[B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 533
[B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 21,320
[B]Amount Saved:[/B] $10,660.00
[B]Life Gained:[/B]
[B]Days:[/B] 49 [B]Hrs:[/B] 7 [B]Mins:[/B] 56 [B]Seconds:[/B] 43
It’s been a while since you were active on this site. Please extend your session below
You have been logged out due to inactivity.
Please sign back in.
We use cookies to help us learn about how our platform is used and how we can improve your experience. To
learn more please see our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
