Stop Smoking Support Thread
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Hi everyone!! Day thirteen for me!!! Wooo HOOO!!! I am so proud and you know what? I realise I can go hours without thinking about cigs!! Then when I remember them, of course I want one, but it's not that terrible craving, more like a missing thing. I also haven't had my e-cig for few days now. It was from abroad, I ran out of the cartriges and can't find the ones here that suit that size. Was not bothered to look more here and there. I think I am better without them! I am still avoiding smokers and I can not tell for sure if I will be tempted if there was a pack in my bag. Need to work on that too.
The benefits I notice is breathing better and deeper, steady heart rate, fresh breath, glowing complexion, clear mind and just smoke free invoirement!!
Since my appetite increased after quitting, I started fruit and veg diet three days ago, mainly to clean my system and sort my metabolism out. I am snacking on fruits and having fresh veg juice 3-4 times a day.
Everyone, thanks for keeping this thread going. It's a good place to come for support and inspiration. Keep well and smoke free.
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Thanks MinusTwo for your complete honesty - macroons dipped in chocolate, eh? They sounded heavenly. But I still maintain "everything in moderation". I honestly think a bit of the weight gain may also be due to aging - when I told the doctor about the stomach weight gain, she said that I was bound to get it. I agree with LisaMarie and Karina, as well as yourself, exercising is good for us even in moderation. Like you MinusTwo, I never did exercise except walk my dog 2-3 kms. a day Since her passing, we don't do it now. When the weather warms up, I'm going to start again. Karina, day 13 - whoooooo hooooo! You go girl. I think you are starting to get the hang of this smoke-free thing. Remember, we will always think of it but the thinking part becomes less and less after time. Lisamarie, I'm jealous of your boss .... can she make me dinner and send it to Canada. It sounds absolutely wonderful .... you are one lucky girl. Ladies, going to get myself a Tim Hortons coffee .... Canada's coffee fix. Have a great day!
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CONGRATULATIONS KARINA!!! 13 days is awesome!
Lisamarie, aren't granddaughters the best?! Mine is 3 and is the best part of life. She's coming over tonight for a sleepover and I can't wait.
Hope everyone is having a great smoke free day!0 -
Beckers, Mine is 2 she will be 3 in August .. she is my world , my everything .. she makes me so happy
I wish mine was having a sleepover today .. I have to work tomorrow . MY day off was today and I had to do laundry, go food shopping .. ya know life stuff.. pre op is Feb 6th ..Hope everyone has a safe fun Super Bowl Sunday .I am going with the 49"rs for the hell of it... not much into football ... Baseball and the Yankee's are my thing ... Hugs Lisamarie
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Good Morning my Non smoking friends .. still havnging in there .. pre op testing is wednesday yuck , Hate blood draws now that I can only get them in my left arm ... my right arm is th better one go figure .. and surgery will be a week away tomorrow .. still trying to figure out a get healthy plan .. eaating right , and excersize .. lol ... well at least im not smoking and that is always a good start .
have a great Monday all Hugs ! Lisamarie
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Lisamarie, don't worry about Wednesday. Take one day, and one thing at a time. We all tend to get uptight about what we can't control ... my uptight time was on Saturday night and I was flippin out on my dh. Still the cancer thing. But you know, I heard some news on Sunday and went "wow, at least I'm alive". So my new mantra is to try and live live to the fullest .... easier said then done. Good luck on Wednesday and we will all be there with you. I don't have kids but have nieces/great nieces. Love to spoil them. Being around young ones, makes me young. You are doing fabulous and you know it, so keep going. We all all there with you, remember that!
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Thanks, Judi .. still hanging in there ..
I am very blessed to have the support of the thread .. and that reminds me everyday that I always have support when I need it . I am going to download a book today on my kindle from Allen Carr about qutiing smoking the easy way ... if anything it may help me and it's something to read :0 have a great day ! 0 -
I quit on a Sunday. Every Sunday I would report how many weeks I had. The encouragement I received went a long way. Eventually the weeks became months. Keep up the good work Lisamarie.
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Beckers, good that you can remember what day you quit on. For me, it was a Monday as my surgery was on a Wednesday. You know, I can't remember a lot of things but this was one of them. Thanks for making me think.
Lisamarie, if you are having trouble downloading the book, let me know. I would be more then extremely happy to send you the book which includes a DVD. I only read it 1/2 but it was powerful. Funny, I read it then was diagnosed with BC and quit automatically.
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Thanks Judi , I got the book on my kindle been reading away . I hope it helps me ..
have a great day all 0 -
Allan Carr's book is great for smashing (pun intended) all the beliefs of why we think we need to smoke and motivation is so important. Often we think of smoking as "self-care", it gives us what we think we need--stress relief, enjoyment etc.. but those are all illusions and Carr tackles every "benefit" of smoking and exposes it as a lie. I have found that when the motivation is strong enough (the benefits of being smoke-free are more important that the benefits of continuing to smoke or the WHY to quit), the HOW will show up, since now you are looking for a solution to a problem instead of defending the problem. I hope that makes sense.
My book is more about the HOW to quit than the WHY to quit and I will still send anyone who asks a free copy. I just need an email address. Have a joy-filled day, VJ
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Hello to all ex smokers on this board! I have been a smoker for about 40 years. I have quit off and on through the years. When I was diagnosed last October, I felt like I should quit. It seems so stupid to continue smoking when I am doing all these other things to get well. But I just can't seem to get in the right mind frame to do it. It is hard for me to get outdoors. It hasn't been that cold, but where I live, the wind hardly ever stops blowing. I feel like I can quit when I can incorporate a daily walk with it. Am I just talking myself out of it? Or should I plan on trying once I am done with chemo?( my last treatment is 2/18) and I will have to do radiation after that. Being in the car is one of my triggers and I will be driving 4 hours daily for rads. So I don't know. Any advice on how to get in the rit mind frame to quit?
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Thoughts lead to action but until action is taken a smoker is not ready to quit. So the real question to ask is: What am I WILLING to do right now???? that could be something simple as post on this board more often. It could be reading a book (both mine and Allan Carr's) or ????? Each of us has to answer that question because if we are not willing to do something, no progress can be made, no matter how small a step, it is still a step but with no action, there is only inertia.
So I always start with that question--what are you willing to do? If the answer is not much--then you're not ready, if the answer is I'm willing to do whatever it takes to quit--you're ready and willing to take action and will be successful. So what will you committ to doing just for today to take a step forward?
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VJSL8-
Thank you for your reply. I know what it takes to quit. I really think its totally mental. I have done it before and I remember being ready. I just can't seem to get in that frame of mind. Winter is bad for me even without throwing bc in with it. I get depressed and become inactive. And it's worse since I am not working now. I try to make myself go outside, no matter the weather, and that always helps, but it's difficult to make myself do it when I feel like crap. Better weather will help and until then, I will ask myself what I am willing to do now. Not sure of the answer yet. Thanks again.0 -
VJ, I hate to sound rude . I really don't think you should be bashing what others are doing to try to top smoking .. I don't think you would like people bashing your so called book do you . I also think comments like that can make some of us well not want to come here to this thread .. anyway It is only my opinion.
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I dont think I want to come here anymore to this thread ...
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MTJulie--one of the suggestions I give my clients is to make a card about the size of a business card and one side write your most important reasons to be smoke-free, on the back side put your worst nightmare of what you want to avoid if you continue to smoke. The reason is business-card size is that it fits in your cigarette pack between the pack and the cellophane--so you can read it before you light up. Have the benefit side showing and if you look at it and it doesn't give you a little motivation, then pull it out and read the backside. Because smoking is such an automatic behavior, it helps to have a constant reminder of what is most important to you--the reasons for being smoke-free.
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there is no right or wrong way to quit smoking, only the way that works for you as an individual. There is no one size fits all, or even one size fits most. I believe in a tool-box approach--many different methods--you might need one tool for your coffee cigarette, a different tool for the drving cigarette, and something totally different for that stress cigarette etc..
I also think that every successful quitter shares certain atttributes: desire--they really want to stop smoking or become smoke-free. That desire is more important than the cigarette. Next, we all have roadblocks or obstacles that we need to overcome--such as fear of losing control (withdrawals, of not knowing who we are without a cigarette in our hand), of not having the right tools or skills--such as having to learn to substitute other behaviors instead smoking, learning how to handle strong emotions and stress without smoking (or without having to hide the body in the back yard ;-)
Each of us are unique in our relationship with smoking and we each need to find our unique way to going through the process. Each time we quit we learn something new about how we relate to smoking--it can help to go back and remember what you did during the time you didn't smoke. What helped and what didn't work? And then add more tools to your tool box. If the only tool you have is a hammer, then every problem looks like a nail--but sometimes, you just needed a screwdriver instead.
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Lisa Marie ??? I'd hate to see you drop out. Whazzup? PM me if you're more comfortable doing that.
MTJulie: What about walking in a mall? Lots of people do that here in the mornings before the stores open.
Time to go check in w/my non-BCO friend who's husband won't quit.
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Thanks, minusTwo, for the suggestion. Unfortunately, the nearest mall to me is 120 miles away! People do walk in the high school gym but I am avoiding people. But spring will be here and I will be finishing chemo and THEN I won't use the weather as an excuse anymore.
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Just a note to say - hang in there -"just for today I will not smoke". Or if you've slipped - give it another go. Hope all of you still starting will have luck, and all of you who have already quit can keep it going. Quitting is truly the hardest thing I've ever done. But now I get to spend all those $10.00 bills I'm saving. Funny - I really do still price things in cigarettes. Oh yes, I can buy that sweater, it only costs two packs. Hmmm, I can buy that necklace - what a bargin at 3-1/2 packs. Special lunch at $20? Again - only two packs. Wishing you all a good weekend.
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Thanks for the encouraging words. I'm still trying. Going to try acupuncture tomorrow. Nothing else seems to work for me I.e. patch, gum, nicorette inhaler. Will keep you posted. Have a great weekend everybody :-) .
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Lisamarie......what's up? Are you ok?
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I'm ok beckers. Just had my surgery on Tuesday and still in much pain. I hats the lain meds. Just reading my book by Allen Carr hanging on one day at a time. I just got a little discouraged here that's all. Hugs to everyone. Excuse my typing I'm on my kindle and it changes words to suit itself.
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Lisamjarie - I have forgotten this was your surgery week. Hope the pain subsides quickly and the healing moves along.
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((hugs)) Lisamarie. I hope you are feeling better soon. Hang in there. We for sure know how discouraging all this can be.
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Lisamarie, why didn't you want to come back here? Oh NOOOO! You know what I think is the best thing about you? You keep trying, even if you fall off for a bit you get back on and try again! That's way more than many do, woman!!!
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Made it past one year. It was one year in mid-month January. Of course, there have been several "versaries" lately. As of now, I've made it through all the anniversaries without falling apart and smoking. How did I do that? The nictoine free e-cigs helped last summer when I almost gave in. That, and mood drugs helped me a lot and helped things overall for the past year.
We can ALL do this. How do I know? This is the second time since 2009 that I've quit smoking; once for two years and now for one year.
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Hello there! I was recently diagnosed and just had my lumpectomy yesterday. I am trying REALLY hard to quit smoking. I am a pack a day 40+ year smoker and this is the hardest thing ever! I quit for both pregnancies (that was easy for some reason) but that was over 30+ years ago. Then I quit for 11 weeks in 2003 and was having some wine with a smoker friend and decided I could handle smoking a "couple of cigs" which of course is a load of hooey. Right back to it in no time.
This time, I had the patch on for 2 days and caved. I pulled it off and smoked. I felt so awful! I called the BS and told her about what I did and she said "Right now, don't worry too much about this. Just make sure to try your best to quit before starting radiation" I anticpate that will be late March so going to make a concerted effort to quit!
I just wanted to ask all of you what worked best? Patch? Gum? E-cigs? Cold turkey? Help!!!!!
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Beckers, Minus two, Galsal ,
Hi I am here lurking always . I guess my feelings just got hurt but I am a big girl I can handle it . Thanks to all of you for the words of encouragement . I think maybe I need to buy that e cig as well . it may give my boring hands something to do ..
glasal I am so happy happy for you ... I am still recovering from the last surgery on Feb 12th .. pain still ugh . I did not anticipate it at all due to the fact that when I had my last exchange everything went so easy , PS said it was a moderate surgery, i was under for 4 hours . and I should have spent the night in hopsital .. and when I got home I almost went back . I have a ton of internal sutures due to the major pocket work .. and of course my outside scars cut open again .. I am having major pain in my left shoulder but have most rom back .. I take dilaudid but only at night as I am back to work .. PS said It should be at least another 2 weeks and to know my limitations . but being the only provider as I live alone , I do have to work to make sure I have the things I need .. my apt, car, phone .. ya know the basics .. I must say I look amazing this time around and am more happy when I look in the mirror as apposed to last time around .. ok now that I wrote a book , I am glad that you are all here and thinking of me as well as routing for me .. Hugs to you all Lisamarie
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