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Getting away with it all

15 years ago 0 +0 / -0 433

Hello A,

Nice to meet you and welcome!

Looks like you are doing very good so far. I think Faryal gave you some very good tips

on how to stay quit. For me, personally, I stayed away from smoking friends for a couple of weeks until

I felt confident in my quit. You might be stronger than I was. Everybody just has to do it their own way.

Congratulations on your quit. You will be so happy and proud of yourself if you keep your quit.

Have a great time on your date. Just think... you won't have to smoke or smell like cigarettes!

take care,

My Milage:

My Quit Date: 4/1/2008
Smoke-Free Days: 161
Cigarettes Not Smoked: 3,864
Amount Saved: $927.36
Life Gained:
Days: 19 Hrs: 17 Mins: 32 Seconds: 48

15 years ago 0 +0 / -0 823

Hi A,

Welcome to the Support Centre. There is a lot of great support, wisdom and encouragement here to help you through this tough journey.

It is critically important to review your reasons for wanting to quit and what the benefits of quitting will be for you. Your post has a lot of "can't do's" in it. You have to want to quit and then prepare and plan for the process. As Goofy said, the best you can do is get to a point where you decide you want to quit more than you want to smoke.

Please review the program and all the tools available to you. If you are not ready to quit just yet, consider setting a future quit date and prepare in the meantime. You can continue to post and engage with members to learn from their experiences and to build your resolve and strength.

Part of the plan is that you may have to avoid certain triggers or situations that will tempt you to smoke again. Is it possible for you to explain to your friends that you will be quitting and so for a few days you may need to distance yourself in order to stay strong? It wouldn't be forever.

Congratulations on taking this first step. Let us know how you are doing.

Faryal, Health Educator

15 years ago 0 +0 / -0 967

A, you are completley right. So many of us spent our entire adult life as smokers, I was 15. when I started. I had to reinvent myself and that took time. It was difficult but worth it. As time goes on, you build yourself a new non smoking self that you get used to. It is much better, but that is hard to recognize in the beginning. It is a moment to moment journey, we are here to help you. Keep us posted on your progress.

Kelly

My Milage:

My Quit Date: 12/6/2007
Smoke-Free Days: 278
Cigarettes Not Smoked: 8,340
Amount Saved: $1,042.50
Life Gained:
Days: 22 Hrs: 15 Mins: 51 Seconds: 3

15 years ago 0 +0 / -0 90

Welcome!

I did the cutting back thing as well for basically the same reasons that you have mentioned. I got down to 4 a day...I can honestly tell you now, that quitting completely was tougher in the beginning, but in the end, far easier. I remember that feeling of counting cigarettes and making plans based on what I was allowing myself that week. I know not hanging out with your friends for a time doesn't seem like an option, but I truly think you'll find it easier in the long run than constantly calculating and worrying about cigarettes. You may only need a week or two of not hanging out...everyone is different. Plus, if you do give up that time with your friends, it will be an added incentive to stay smoke free..you wouldn't want that time away from them to go to waste!!

When I first came here, I read a lot about freedom from cigarettes and I don't think I ever related to it until I just read your post and those days of 'cutting back' came crashing back to me. Trust me...the smoke free thing is WAY BETTER!!!

Just keep reading here and posting. Everyone is unbelievably supportive!

My Milage:

My Quit Date: 6/19/2008
Smoke-Free Days: 82
Cigarettes Not Smoked: 984
Amount Saved: $258.30
Life Gained:
Days: 6 Hrs: 17 Mins: 1 Seconds: 1

15 years ago 0 +0 / -0 1107

Hello A and congratulations on your decision to quit!

This addiction is so incredibly hard to get over. You'll see that the first week is called hell week for a reason. Anyhow, the best you can do is get to a point where you decide that you want to quit more than you want to smoke. I know it's a lot harder for women to quit than it is for men. If you are trying to go cold turkey, and are having a super tough time, you may want to try some of the stop smoking aids that are available. Many of the members here are successful with different prescriptions or patches.

We all know how frustrating the beginning of a quit is, and the anxiety that comes with it. Believe me, I was smoking 2 packs a day for a long time. I smoked for 35 years, and if I can stop, I believe anyone can stop.

You can do this!

Goofy

My Milage:

My Quit Date: 10/28/2007
Smoke-Free Days: 317
Cigarettes Not Smoked: 12,680
Amount Saved: $1,997.10
Life Gained:
Days: 56 Hrs: 23 Mins: 20 Seconds: 43

15 years ago 0 +0 / -0 4

And just one more thing to make everyone who reads this laugh.

A guy to who I have a crush for 8 years has aksed me out 2 minutes after I posted this.

I need 5 cigarettes to handle this. I have 3 left for today. (obviously I should say no, but I can't )

Normally I would smoke one now, but since I can't I'll just go to my room and hit my head agains the wall.

Hope you are handling this situation better than I am. :)

15 years ago 0 +0 / -0 4

I taught I'll be ready to quit completely by now, but I'm still not. I've cut down from over 25 cigarettes a day to 6.

(I have no idea why 6, but for the time being I'm holding on to that number for 10 days now.)

I started smoking when I was 14, and since then I'm a passionate smoker..

In the last couple of days I tried to remember my days as a non-smoker, which is basically impossible because I've literary gone from playing with my Barbie dolls one day and smoking, going out with my friends and drinking the next day.

I have 0 days as an adult non-smoker. I can't imagine a day when I go out, spend some time with my friends, do my chores, go to university and not smoke a single cigarette.

I can't imagine myself waiting for a bus and not smoking. Having my morning coffee with friends and not smoking..

Not to mention those darn 5 minute breaks we have during a class, it is almost as if they are calling me to smoke another.

But the biggest problem are those afternoon and evening drinks I have with my friends. I always go out with them 2 or 3 times a day to have a cup of coffee and talk a bit. Most of them don't smoke, some have just quit and only couple still smoke. I don't know how they handle sitting with so much people smoking around them. The only thing that comes to mind is to stop going out with them, which basically means cutting off all my friends for a certain period, which is something I obviously can't do. Asking them to do something else is not an option either, there is nothing else to do. Suggesting a walk or something similar is not a good idea because that is something we simply don't do. At all. If I suggested something similar they would probably tell me to see a doctor. And I can't imagine a day that goes by without sitting somewhere with my friends and talking a bit..

I don't know what to do. I'm stuck for now. I've managed to keep it down to 6 a day, but going under that is inconceivable to me. A friend asked me out the other day and I said no because I only had one cigarette for that day, which obviously wasn't enough.

I'm planing my whole day according to the number of cigarettes I can smoke. That is stupid.

I've decided this is the one time I will quit forever.

I just have to rebuild who I am from the scratch...

Help me, please!!!

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Getting away with it all