Stop Smoking Support Thread
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Mena4911 -- good luck! I have written a book that may help, "How to win at Quitting Smoking". I will send you a free PDF copy if you would like. I just need an email address. (PM me).
Happy (early) Mothers Day to all the mothers on here. I am leaving tomorrow to fly to Seattle to visit my mother for Mothers day. She is 89 and still kicking it. Her sister's birthday was in April and she turned 98. She lives in LA and came over for a few days. I'm lucky to have such good genes.
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Hi Ladies , My apologies for not being here I have been non stop interviewing . I mean 2-3 a day .. I am praying each day for work.
Minus , I am so happy your out of that sling and wont need surgery ,,, xoxoxox
Bosom.. The system as we both said before is a very upsetting process.. I got my medicaid back and went to doctor and she filled my meds that i needed and all that and she changed my depression med as the zoloft was causing my jaw to hurt so bad .. anyway .. my aunt drove me and then we went to pharmacy to pick up the medications 4 of them .. and they tell me I do not have insurance .. I just said I do .. I have medicaid ... and he pharmacy tech said no its rejecting stating no coverage .. UGH .. I just walked out of there into my aunts car and cried ... I called medicaid and they said yes you do have insurance call doctor and have the medications changed to generic ... I said they are all generic .. omg .. so I call pharmacy back and they said oh sorry you are insured and you can pick up in one hour .. OMG ... needles to say they did not pay for stomach medicine it needs prior auth .. lol .. The System...I am totally with you xoxoxoxoxox .. we work all our life only to get the run around !!!
Judi .. you must be busy , don't hear much from you these days .. but I do Love the photos and quotes you post ..
April.. as you were describing Florida and your vacation , I sat here and was there in my head .. Florida is my One true Love ... I love New Smyrna Beach .. and I love the Romance of St Augustine .. I tell you some day that will be my final resting place ... I am determined to buy me a small place and retire there.. that's my dreams and Hopes ...I can almost taste the shrimp and smell the salty waters.. and the sand in between my toes .. ty for the meditation moment and thank you for sharing your vacation...
Minus I am also with you on the Chantix .. I know there are many side effects and bad stuff about it .. My Mom tired it years ago when it first came about and had a very bad reaction that scared her .. she is stil smoking ad walking around with oxygen today .. I love her so very much , I hate to see her suffer .. I also know that for me anyway smoking was what I had .. in good moods ... in anger... in sadnesss... it was my crutch for everything ...I never imagined that I would be sitting here now 19 months smoke free ... never .. I thought I would Die smoking ,,, The Chantix was my savior and If not for that I don't think I'd be where I am today .. I used the patch and quit in 2 weeks for my mastectomy and recon .. but I think it's because they scared me so much that I just put it to my mind im done .. but as you all know .. after all my surgery I started back up .. and the patch no longer worked .. so for me Chantix was it .. I totally understand it is not for everyone ...
Mena4911.. Welcome to the group .. there is lots of Support here and Great Women ... and the book from VJ is amazing as well ... so grab it and read on ... we all are here to help each other .. One day at a time ... xo
I almost forgot .. Going to my daughters house today to help out with a surpise 30th birthday part for my son in law ..
xoxoxox
Lisamarie
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Hello everyone, I was diagnosed about two months ago and was successful at quitting after two weeks....I have not convinced my hubby to join me yet but maybe after this is all over I will.
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Hey Cincinnati - welcome. It's HARD to quit when your spouse or significant other or room mate is still smoking so you are to be doubly congratulated. Way to go. Stay strong. Take a look at the post from VJ on the previous page about her book.
Mena - welcome even though we KNOW you don't want to be here. Is your doc going to test your blood as a criteria for surgery? Most of us have found that the mental addiction (habit) is just as bad (or worse) than the physical nicotine addition, so be sure you have things to distract yourself when your regular smoking "time" rears it's ugly head. I went for a walk around the block every time I wanted to smoke - and that's some serious hot times in Houston in July. I also ate sunflower seeds like crazy - hand up & seed to the mouth, crack the shell, hand back up to the mouth to remove shell, repeat.
Lisamarie - glad to here there are interviews out there. Something will break soon. Hope the surprise B-day party is fun.
VJ - How neat that you're flying to see you Mom and that she's almost 90. Have a great trip.
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Bosum - just to let you know that we are ALL keeping you in our thoughts & sending hugs & prayers. Hope today is a better day.
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Bosum - thanks for checking in. We're with ya. Yup, the lottery thing sounds great. I've finally figured out why I never win. I've never bought a ticket!!!
Happy Mother's Day, and I'm going to copy Eli from another thread: "to everyone who is a mother and everyone who has or had one".
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Happy Late Mother's Day to everyone ....
Bosom , I pray for you and your son everyday ...I Love u bunches ..
Once again Welcome to the new ladies and best wishes on your journey ..
Minus that about sums up the Lottery for me .. I cant win because I don't play , I find it so hard to let go of the dollar ..lol.. but they say here all it takes is a dollar and a dream ..
As for me I had a quiet day yesterday , I spoke to my mom and all my kids called .. then I had this idea to go back on the social media .. Bored I guess and i changed my profile picture to my mom and I for mothers day .. and as it was uploading the chat box popped up with an old chat that said I love you from my dear son in heaven and that made my mother's day complete .. as I sat and stared at it and cried for hours .. that was my one and only sign I have ever gotten from my son since he has been gone and it was the best one ! xoxo
Judi , I keep seeing fires in canada , I hope that you are not near and that all is okay ...
Love you all..
Lisamarie
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Bosom, I am sorry the system is totally F****d up ... especially since most crap nowadays is paperless .. I mean honestly ... Long story about my 2 kids in NC .. and I used to pay child support becasue they lived with the dad .. he is such a jerk .. he owns a construction company and about 8 houses in NC .. and I owe back support .. Just the other day my son informed me that the cops were at the house looking for me ... Go figure that jerk... so I guess it was a good thing I left when I did .. I knew at the time it was not a good idea going there but I did anyway .. so you see .. they don't need the money but they will do anything to ruin your life to benefit them .. I also Give up ... but im not going to smoke .. I am so used to this shit going on in my life .. I will continue to pray for you and your son .. and as for me as soon as I start work they will garnish my pay as always .. yeah
xoxoxoxoxoxo
Lisamarie
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Ladies, please don't give up. I know it makes your head spin and sometimes you say "why me" or say it everyday but you are both strong. LM, you are standing up now and saying to the world "f@# you" and Bosum, it's your turn!
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Bosum: Read an interesting report about new clinical trials investigating the effects of pairing certain nutritional supplements with several major classes of antidepressants. (SSRIs, SNRIs and tricyclic antdepressants). "...omega-3 fish oils had the most dramatic effect, significantly reducing symptoms of depression." "Researchers speculate that supplements help by easing inflammation associated with depression or targeting brain processes similar to those targeted by antidepressants." The full report was in ScienceDaily.com. I didn't know that antidepressants are only effective for about 1/3 of people who take them, but maybe some of these new combinations will help. At least something to ask the doc.
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Thanks Judi , I am still wondering zbout you , I hope the fires on TV are npt affecting you .. I have been thinking of you ..
Minus .. That sounds interesting .. I might look into that .. the Doc put me on a new anti depressent wellbutrin ..who knows if it will work or not .. she states I have severe depression and need the medicine ..any how good info ..
Bosom .. WE are STRONG ... not me but WE ... I don't always feel that way but i try to think that way most days .. I love ya
love and hugs to you all.. you are all the most beautiful ladies I know
Lidsamarie
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I am totally with ya Bosom ... we think so much alike !!!! I love ya girl ....xoxoxo
Lisamarie
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Bosum, you are a wise woman. You are absolutely right .... no amount of pills will change your life it you don't change the circumstances around it. Been there and know that. Both you and LM are very strong, independent woman but I feel you are clinging to something .... don't know what but that's what I feel. Break loose and live. Now, for me to follow my own words!
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I echo the cheers for the strength of LisaMarie and Bosum!! You rock ladies. I'm not sure I would be able to stand up under everything the two of you have had to go through.
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Just a thought
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Love the post LisaMarie .... how true!
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Afternoon ladies! Lazy day ... inside and going to make burger. Then do nothing. I thought this was cute so I decided to post it! As if!
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Hey Judi,
I think that photographer was being sarcastic. People use photos from the internet without paying a royalty to use them and they get very angry about that. Usually, if you look hard enough, you will find a price list for using them but no one does it. They just copy and paste and used them!
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April, you are so right that the photographer was being sarcastic. In all honesty, it is a slap in people's faces as who would work for free. No one I know! I didn't mean to offend anyone as even though I thought it was cute because the photographer took the time to post it exactly for the reason you just stated April!
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Morning ladies! I loved this pic!
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Heck Judi, it would take a hell of a lot more than that post to offend the likes of me ...LOL I agree, they do get upset but I think most of us are guilty of filching a nice photo from the net and posting it. I know I am. I have never once paid a copyright fee. Some are in the "free" section but most would like to be paid. I will be darned if I am going to pay to post a photo of a tree or an ocean! I would personally be flattered if someone thought my photo was beautiful enough to post. Where I would be upset would be if someone took it off the net, blew it up and framed it for use in an office or home.
As for the pic above, PERFECT!!!!!! Happy weekend ladies! xo
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Judi , I thought that was funny as well about the photographer .. I have a friend that is a photographer and she has on all her photos she posts do not copy and so on .. but mainly its of people . As for the lady in the photo with that shirt I have two that say that .. I will have to take a photo and put it on here .. xoxoxo
If anyone is on Facebook .. I am wondering if you could like and share my page ..Anthony's Angels Addiction and Recovery .. My two daughters and I started to for drug addiction and alcohol awareness as well as ways to get help into a rehab or detox ..I am trying to get my page to go around and be shared .. facebook wants money to get it around the world .. so if you could like and share if your on face book , I'd apprecitae it ... xoxoxoxo It's in memory of my son ..
Lisamarie
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LisaMarie - sorry I don't do Facebook, but you know I'll be keeping you and everyone involved in rehab & detox in my thoughts & prayers. It sounds like you're more involved with your daughters again. I'm glad.
Bosum - I've been thinking about your son the last couple of days and hope things are looking up.
I had to have a crown put on a tooth last week. Wonders never cease - after grinding out the old filing & the cavity underneath, the dentist took pictures with a probe (looks sort of like an Ultrasound wand) that went into a computer & he "created" the crown sitting right next to my chair. He sent the drawing to the back room where a "3D printer" cut the custom crown out of a block of porcelain exactly to match his specifications, including color. There a 15-30 minutes wait for the cutting. Then the dentist does some fine tuning by hand and another short wait while the new crown "bakes". And I could eat as soon as the Novocaine wore off so I wouldn't chew my cheek.
All that said, the point is I REALLY wanted a smoke when I got out of the office. Sigh. Who knows what arcane things trigger our memory banks. Needless to say, I didn't smoke - but the longing was momentarily very vivid.
For those of you still working on quitting, we're all sending support. It's the hardest thing I've ever done. "Just for today, I will not smoke".
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LM, will look for your Facebook page and will like and share. Kudos to you and your family for doing this!
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Oh my goodness. Just read these stats below in an article about CA 's voters to decide on a new tax. Boy howdy, I haven't credited myself with nearly enough "reward" income - earned because I no longer smoke so now can buy fun things. Interesting that my first DH quit smoking in the late 60s when cigarettes went up to $0.25 per pack.
Nationwide, the weighted average cost for a pack of cigarettes is $5.96. The highest combined state-local tax rate is $6.16 in Chicago, with New York City second at $5.85 per pack.
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What Year was that Minus .. $5.85 per pack .. Not here In NY .. they range from 10, 11, up to 12 in NYC .. I remember saying when cigarettes are $5.00 a pack im quitting ..lol and never did .. then again I said it when the cigarettes go up to $10.00 I am quitting .. so here I am I quit and when I did they cost $11.00 per pack .. when I started smoking at 16 I think cigarettes were like .85 cents per pack .. crazy how much the price has grown . I never did learn to put that cigarette money away every day in a jar .. that would have been a great thing to do . Maybe I will begin that once I am working ..I also think that I traded off food for smokes .. I would get fast food everyday and spend just as much as the pack of smokes ,,lol trade one addiction for another .. I am beyond amazed at myself .. I never imagined I could live without the cigarettes .. I was saying last night that it is a very hard thing to fight off on a daily basis latly. But I figure it's going to do nothing for me to smoke again .. except add stress about how to get them and more health issues .."Just for Today I choose not to smoke " I wil be going on 2 years smoke free and im amazed ...
Ok so I blabbed away ... Hope everyone is doing well .. xoxoxoxo
Lisamarie
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The $5.85 is just the state tax part, not the total cost of the cigarettes. In California, it is just 87 cents. I worked on the campaign to gather signatures for this tobacco tax increase. It is interesting that smokers almost always signed - said that it might cause them to quit. While non-smokers would say -- the poor are burdened enough and shouldn't have to pay more for cigarettes.
Nobody thinks that smoking is good for anyone but nobody wants to do anything to really help smokers. Instead society is brainwashed into saying that smoking is "just a bad habit", that smokers would quit "if they REALLY wanted to", that smoking is a "choice". Smoking is an addiction and needs to be treated just like any other addiction. But California has done nothing to help smokers quit.
In my county, when I started in tobacco control in the early 1990's, there were 5 or 6 people working at the county in tobacco control. They held free cessation classes and did a lot of other things to help smokers. Now we have 1 person (and Riverside is a large county) to do the work that was previously done by 5. San Bernardino county actually closed down their tobacco control unit in public health. This new tax is to put money back into existing tobacco control programs to help smokers. It also gives money to Medi-cal (California's medicaid program) to help offset the cost of treating smoking related diseases.
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VJ - thanks for the clarification. I obviously read the article too quickly. I agree - we really need to treat smoking as an addiction.
LisaMarie - love to hear you babbling. We're so proud of you. TWO YEARS!!!
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Yay for two years! I think that all of us deserve kudos for being so vigilant about not returning to the evil cigs. We all would happily be puffing away if we did not know just how evil it is. Hardest thing I have ever done was to quit smoking. We support all of you who are still trying. We get it!!!!!
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Bosum - congrats on the mammo. I hear you about the haircut. I've always had long hair but when it had finally growing back some from chemo, I said I wanted to look like Annie Lennox - just a bit shorter than Jamie Lee Curtis. Oh my. Cute, but it wasn't me. I've kept it relatively short because it's easy, but I am NOT the lady in the mirror. My son's comment was a shocker, although he really wasn't being mean. When I asked how he liked the cut, he said "All women get their hair cut short when the get older." Ugh!! First of all, why do we always have to ask (most) men if they like our hair, or our shoes, or our new dress, or the new carpet? Second of all, I've given up hope that it will ever change. Third - as I look around it seems that he is technically right. I just wasn't thinking of myself as "older".
April - the really hard part is we all have to set out own definition of smoking as "evil". I didn't quit because of cancer. I quit because my bones had osteopenia & were headed towards osteoperosis. Smokes & cokes (colas) are two of the worst causes. I didn't want to see myself in a nursing home with a broken hip. I had walked & exercised my way back to perfectly healthy bones before I got cancer and WHAP, chemo threw the bones into full osteoperosis. I'll probably start Prolia shots later this year. But no need to start smoking again and make it worse.
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