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!
Just did it!
