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Is it true that you have to "want to give up"?


16 years ago 0 1160 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
Freebird, I didn't want to quit either. I was staying sick all the time and knew I had to quit. I hope I quit soon enough to reverse the damage. I also smoked a long time and I'm no spring chicken. I may not have wanted to quit but I [color=Red]WANT[/color] to stay quit. [color=Blue]BLUE CLOUD[/color] [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B]7/4/2007 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 95 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 1,900 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $380.00 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 12 [B]Hrs:[/B] 16 [B]Mins:[/B] 18 [B]Seconds:[/B] 36
16 years ago 0 1093 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
Sounds to me like you want to quit more than you want to smoke but just for reasons other than not enjoying smoking anymore. You've seen what it can/will do to you so now you want to live healthy more than you want to smoke. Seems like the same thing to me. The first time I quit I was 28 and had a PE (blood clot in my lung). I was very, very young to be having that and all the nurses in the hospital were so amazed and came in my room telling me "Wow...". Ugh! Anyway, a PE often kills people. I was lucky and it probably had something to do with my age. Anyway, that's what got me to quit. You would think that would have been enough to keep me quit, eh? I lasted about six months, I think. Maybe even less. The second time I had just started a new job that put me in nursing homes every day. I was suddenly immersed in a totally foriegn environment where people were literally dying. So many of those people were dying from smoking related illnesses. I would almost become physically ill when a person with COPD was sitting near me coughing and hacking. It was aweful! It scared me right back to quitting. I was 30. I still work in the same position doing the same thing but now I'm used to it...mostly. It's still sad and disturbing but no longer is it enough to keep me from smoking. I think that quit lasted about 9 months. The thing you have to watch out for is that the "scare" may eventually fade. Especially if you are feeling well. You have good motivation and the timing obviously was right as well. My advice is to continue to remind yourself the reason(s) you quit. Continue to remind yourself of the zippers. When you forget is when you're in trouble, I think. Good luck and congrats!!! :) [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B]8/25/2007 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 43 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 1,290 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $251.55 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 3 [B]Hrs:[/B] 21 [B]Mins:[/B] 7 [B]Seconds:[/B] 29
16 years ago 0 2223 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
Hi Freebird and gang, I was also one of those Die Hard I DONT WANT TO QUIT smokers that fought for smoking rights etc, but after 35 years i had an awful cough and started really thinking about getting older and the effects smoking had on our health, the thought of Emphysema scared the crap out of me so i knew i HAD TO QUIT. It was a hard thing for me to do, but iam so glad that i did it, it was worth the battle for me :) Tresa Five years, one month, four weeks, one day, 3 hours, 3 minutes and 46 seconds. 37722 cigarettes not smoked, saving $5,658.38. Life saved: 18 weeks, 4 days, 23 hours, 30 minutes. [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B]8/8/2002 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 1886 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 37,720 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $6,601.00 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 265 [B]Hrs:[/B] 22 [B]Mins:[/B] 26 [B]Seconds:[/B] 38
  • Quit Meter

    $14,578.20

    Amount Saved

  • Quit Meter

    Days: 688 Hours: 16

    Minutes: 39 Seconds: 2

    Life Gained

  • Quit Meter

    5607

    Smoke Free Days

  • Quit Meter

    89,712

    Cigarettes Not Smoked

16 years ago 0 3307 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
Welcome. It helps if you want to quit more than anything, but then again you had a pretty good wake up call. I had siblings die from cancer caused from smoking. I has taken me a long time to get quit, but the journey has been so worth it. Did I quit because they died, no. But their deaths made very aware of what I was doing to my body. After trying to quit and joining this site smoking was never the same. Once you quit and feel the benefits, for you, you will want it to be lasting. You will come to a point where complacency will set in, beware. As you come here and read you will find coping tools. No matter what that monster may whisper in your ear, he is up to no good. You will be fine, just don't smoke today and let tomorrow take care of itself. :) Keep the Quit Sparky [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B]4/30/2007 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 160 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 1,600 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $480.00 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 21 [B]Hrs:[/B] 13 [B]Mins:[/B] 35 [B]Seconds:[/B] 59
16 years ago 0 3875 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
Freebird137, The saying goes 'You have to want to quit more than you want to smoke.' In saying that you know its time for you to have to quit, you are saying that! Yes, cigarettes do kill people, every day and thats one of the many reasons we are all here. Welcome, read all the information you can here and you will find 1000 more reasons to quit and stay quit! Congratulations on quitting! :) [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B]3/5/2007 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 216 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 5,400 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $2,278.80 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 26 [B]Hrs:[/B] 9 [B]Mins:[/B] 44 [B]Seconds:[/B] 43
16 years ago 0 695 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
Welcome Freebird Good luck.. It looks like you have been through the worst alone. Please take advantage of this site.. It is great & there are so many smart people to help you through any sad, depressing, lonely, etc....whatever you might be feeling.. [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B]8/25/2007 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 43 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 860 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $129.00 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 4 [B]Hrs:[/B] 14 [B]Mins:[/B] 23 [B]Seconds:[/B] 56
16 years ago 0 28 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
This site really does help you keep with your quit. Whenever you feel down or you don't feel as motivated as you once did, come to this site and read the intros from people who are just starting their quit. It really does help. [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B]12/31/2006 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 280 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 11,200 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $1,820.00 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 34 [B]Hrs:[/B] 6 [B]Mins:[/B] 7 [B]Seconds:[/B] 26
16 years ago 0 1698 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
Freebird137 Like you I came here with an I do,nt give a s--- attitude.Hell I was 68 had smoked for over 50 years without any visible side effects other than some wheezing !!! and why should I quit now ?? Well the nice people here took me under their wing and more or less convinced me that quitting was a good thing to do and here I am 200 days later and still do,nt smoke. If you get into trouble come here as often as neccesary you will not regret it .All the best. :) [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B]3/20/2007 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 201 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 3,618 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $2,010.00 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 45 [B]Hrs:[/B] 21 [B]Mins:[/B] 59 [B]Seconds:[/B] 16
16 years ago 0 1148 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
You've got all the ingredients of a sucessful quit there Freebird137. It takes a degree of determination to quit cold turkey so you're obviously determined. Now that your quit you're going to examine every part of the reasons you quit in order to stay quit. The addict within you will make you face every bit of it while it attempts to topple your quit and get you smoking again. Know well the reasons you quit. These are your primary defenses against the addict. [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B]3/15/2007 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 206 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 4,120 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $865.20 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 33 [B]Hrs:[/B] 5 [B]Mins:[/B] 12 [B]Seconds:[/B] 56
16 years ago 0 58 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
or is it timing? I am 41, started smoking very early on (about 10) but it started to "stick" at about 15. Have smoked up to 30 a day for the last 25+ years and never really felt the urge to stop as I hadn't really felt any bad health signs, apart from some wheezing (which we can all rationalise away, right?). My husband (who hadn't smoked apart from the odd cigar) had to have a triple bypass recently so I was at the hospital with him for about a week. There were 15 people on the ward, 14 were either smokers or ex-smokers. The youngest was 33 (!) - he was slim, fit and well, but a heavy smoker who had had arrhythmia. I looked at these people with newly built "zippers" in their chests/drains/tubes/catheters etc and realised that reading the warnings on smoke packets could never teach me the most basic thing - SMOKING IS REALLY F&&KING BAD FOR YOUR HEART. Since we came home I have stopped smoking ... did it cold turkey and apart from day 2 (nightmare'ish), it has all been pretty good. Everyone says you have to "want to stop" but I didn't want to stop - for the first time in my life I realised that I HAD TO STOP. I could no longer smoke and think I could "get away with it" - the truth is you will always pay for smoking, whether it's thru your pocket or thru your health, now or in later years. What I'm saying is you don't have to want to stop, you can know that you "have" to stop, it is enough.

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