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my one millionth attempt at quitting!

6 years ago 0 +0 / -0 2

Hi Ishagirl. My story is somehow similar. I too quit for 6 years and relapsed for a huge stress caused by my relationship, that happened 4 years ago. Now I am on my 8th day of this quit. We can make it. You can and will make it

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$12,580.00

Amount Saved
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Days: 588 Hours: 4

Minutes: 26 Seconds: 49

Life Gained
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2516

Smoke Free Days
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50,320

Cigarettes Not Smoked

6 years ago 0 +0 / -0 2

Thanks for replying Tim!

Just did it!

Stella

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$3,012.00

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Days: 294 Hours: 8

Minutes: 7 Seconds: 37

Life Gained
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2510

Smoke Free Days
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15,060

Cigarettes Not Smoked

6 years ago 0 +0 / -0 810

Hi Stellitsa,

Go to "MY Program" at the top of the page, then the settings tab. You can enter your quit day and other information in there.

Welcome to the site, and congratulations on starting your quit journey!

Stay strong.

Not One Puff Ever

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$26,831.75

Amount Saved
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Days: 893 Hours: 14

Minutes: 13 Seconds: 19

Life Gained
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4435

Smoke Free Days
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97,570

Cigarettes Not Smoked

Stay safe & Strong.

Not One Puff Ever (NOPE)

Tim

6 years ago 0 +0 / -0 2

Hello everyone! Happy to join this forum! Just wanted to say I quit yesterday 07/02. I was wondering where is the space to write my quit day.

I would appreciate your help:-)

Best wishes to all

Stella

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$3,012.00

Amount Saved
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Days: 294 Hours: 8

Minutes: 7 Seconds: 37

Life Gained
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2510

Smoke Free Days
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15,060

Cigarettes Not Smoked

6 years ago 0 +0 / -0 10

I completely identify with what you said, and it is easy to feel very depressed when your primary coping mechanism for bad feelings has been taken away. It helps me to realize that I was depressed whilst I was smoking, I just didn't realize it. Now that smoking is out of the way I am more able to effectively deal with my symptoms of depression. It might be the same for you, that you are depressed regardless of whether you smoke or not, it's just that not smoking means you have no distraction from it. If you can, talking to a mental health professional is a great place to start, and having access to regular therapy has been life-changing for me.

I have also tried vaping before, yoga retreats, hypnosis - the whole canon! And now, this time, I'm just cold-turkeying it and reaching out to people in a similar situation to me. That's the only way that I've ever been able to successfully stop before. I only ever go back to smoking when I've isolated myself again. You're doing the right thing by reaching out.

The opposite of isolation is connection, continue to reach out to people and build yourself a supportive community.

Eliza xx

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$368,088.00

Amount Saved
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Days: 3326 Hours: 5

Minutes: 58 Seconds: 2

Life Gained
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46011

Smoke Free Days
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690,165

Cigarettes Not Smoked

6 years ago 0 +0 / -0 1

Hi,

I smoked for 40 years, often 2 packs a day. I thought I was one of those people who would never be able to quit. I thought I was hopeless. I'm now 53 years old, and got extremely depressed when I discovered I couldn't even walk a full block without gasping for air. I used a combination of things to quit. I started using the patch while I was still smoking. I wore the patch and smoked for about 3 weeks, and my smoking slowly decreased a little bit with the patch, but after 3 weeks I needed to add more to my strategy. I started taking vitamin C with Vitamin B1, (also called Thiamin), which is a great vitamin for improving mood. Avocados contain a lot of that vitamin. Then I started watching documentaries about the tobacco industry. I didn't want to see shows about what smoking does to the body, but I wanted to learn about the smoking industry, and that made me dislike cigarette makers. Then I took the ultimate step, and not everyone can do this, but I adopted a dog from the shelter, and I picked a dog that will chew everything up if she doesn't get tons of exercise every day. Trying to keep up with this dog was very upsetting for me. I absolutely HATED taking her for walks, especially in the cold winter air. But she didn't give me a choice, she can't control her behavior if her energy gets pent up. So I forced myself on walks, and it pissed me off, and I was in a bad mood, but I had to keep doing it. And I was wheezing and gasping, and she wasn't getting enough exercise. So I started planning ahead for how to deal with cravings. I got licorice, lollipops, and a deck of cards to play solitare, and tried to find which things helped me through cravings. This helped me plan, in advance, how to deal with each new craving, and that was the final success that enabled me to quit. Now I can walk my dog much faster and longer, and the walks are FUN!!! I can't believe how rewarding this is!!! I haven't felt this good since I was 12 years old!!! If I can do this, ANYONE can. Please keep trying, and try to develop a plan for how you will deal with cravings, and experiment with those plans to see which ones work best. Do not give up!!!! Give yourself more credit than that, the world is full of non-smokers who thought they'd never be able to quit, but all those people found their individual way of success, and you will, too! Hugs!

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$385,802.24

Amount Saved
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Days: 5975 Hours: 11

Minutes: 4 Seconds: 43

Life Gained
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46011

Smoke Free Days
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1,380,330

Cigarettes Not Smoked

6 years ago 0 +0 / -0 5

Hi Ishagirl, This is the hardest thing ever, but you can do it! I also started again due to life stress. This forum really helped me. The concept of NOPE is what really hit home. I'm on week 11 and really feel good. A couple of things helped. I focused on a low carb diet ( I also eat a lot of leafy greens). For one thing I can snack on cheese salami and not feel bad.... Also, If I gained weight I know I would get depressed and start smoking. At work, I go for short 10 minute walks around the same times I would have had a cig. Maybe try to think back on times when you were stressed when you didn't smoke. You got through it, right? You can do this. You are worth it!!! Gracie

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$23,346.00

Amount Saved
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Days: 377 Hours: 22

Minutes: 36 Seconds: 3

Life Gained
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2594

Smoke Free Days
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51,880

Cigarettes Not Smoked

6 years ago 0 +0 / -0 8

keep it up it will be worth it in the end.

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$33,111.00

Amount Saved
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Days: 415 Hours: 11

Minutes: 26 Seconds: 49

Life Gained
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2547

Smoke Free Days
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50,940

Cigarettes Not Smoked

6 years ago 0 +0 / -0 11226

Welcome Ishagirl,

I'm sorry to read how tough the withdrawal symptoms have been on you. Have you talked to a doctor about how you feel during a quit? They may be able to offer medication or advice to help. Do you struggle with depression normally? Many people who have mild to moderate depression use cigarettes to cope. When that coping mechnicasm is gone, the depression worsens due to withdrawal, but also due to losing a coping method. Check out our sister site: https://evolutionhealth.care/index. It has a self guided depression and anxiety program and support group. You can learn lots of coping strategies there.

Ashley, Health Educator

Here to help :)

6 years ago 0 +0 / -0 810

Hi Ishagirl,

A to Z and you still can't kick the habit? Don't give up. You were able to quit before so you "should" be able to do it again. We can help encourage you along your journey here at the stop smoking center. As you know, it's not that easy to give up that nasty addicting drug called nicotine. And when you are feeling low and depressed, that does not help matters at all. There is a sister site to here called the depression center. You might get some help on that website too. Click on the HELP on the bar above, and then click on the Other programs. When you see the depression center, click on the icon on the left side of the page.

"I find I get extremely depressed when trying to quit and any little thing will send me right back to cigarettes. Then I feel awful and the whole cycle begins again." Did you feel like this when you quit earlier? "I never see much information about the mental and emotional aspects of quitting." It's out there, you just have to keep looking. Quitting can be an emotional roller coaster.

Maybe you just need to look at quitting smoking in a different way this time. Don't think about the future, just take it one day at a time, one hour at a time, or even one minute at a time if you have to. Keep yourself busy so you don't have time to think about smoking. Every minute you don't smoke, is a minute invested in your future. The minutes add up quickly, but they just seem to take sooo long at the start of your quit. Try not to vape either. That's not going to help you quit. It will only prolong the agony. Keep us updated with your progress would you?

Stay strong.

Not One Puff Ever

Quit Meter

$26,831.75

Amount Saved
Quit Meter

Days: 893 Hours: 14

Minutes: 13 Seconds: 19

Life Gained
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4435

Smoke Free Days
Quit Meter

97,570

Cigarettes Not Smoked

Stay safe & Strong.

Not One Puff Ever (NOPE)

Tim

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my one millionth attempt at quitting!