Stop Smoking Support Thread
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Finally! Got my sweeties photo up! Thanks for the help April. Judi, thank you so much you are too kind, it's an older pic..my hair is still pretty short, half curly and frizz from chemotherapy and I haven't allowed a photo to be taken since being bald 😢
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MommyTo6 - Welcome. I used Chantix to quit. That means the final time that i quit and it lasted. But I had to change my habit patterns before I even started the Chantix or I wouldn't have made it. (not smoking in the house, not smoking in the car, not smoking on the phone, not drinking until I'd passed the critical stage, not playing bridge, not drinking a morning cup of coffee, walking a mile every time I wanted a smoke, etc.) All of those individual triggers are really hard. I agree - potty training & quitting smoking??? REALLY a challenge. Buy pull-ups. Maybe you can get the older kids to do the training really quick before school starts again. Does your husband smoke? That is even harder.
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Mommy ... love the pics .... your kids are beautiful!
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Your children are gorgeous! What a reason to kick cancer to the curb if ever there was one. Best to all of you!
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minus I am the only one who smokes. It has become quite the habit to distress. I smoke in my bathroom, only room in the house ever. I intend to paint and scrub everything down before I start the Chantix and begin only smoking on the porch. I smoke when I drink but I should be done drinking before then, I'm down to 2 drinks a night from an amount I don't even want to divulge.... I like the idea of walking a mile every craving I will put that in my plans too!! Thank you so much for your advice! Can I ask how long you have been quit?
April and Judi, thank you so much ladies, they are the light in my life!!
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Mommy - I think I'm one of the ones with the longest tenure at this point. I just passed my 9 years mark on 7/11. And yes, I am still a smoker. I will always a be a smoker. I'm just not smoking. And I know that I can't have EVEN one puff. Sigh. It took me over a year before I was comfortable drinking again w/o a smoke. Even if you don't walk a mile, swing out and go around the block and it will change the menteal wanting pattern. Sending strength!!! You can do it if you're committed AND ready.
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Ha MT, you just passed the 9 years mark .... I'm 5 1/2 years quit. Hard to believe, eh? Sometimes I wonder "how many cigarettes would I have smoked in that time". You know how many times we had tried to quit. I think my personal best was to smoke all my ciggies (a large pack) in one night and then run downstairs in my apartment building to the cigarette vending machine. Remember those machines - banned now. Never had to worry about running out even if your brand was not there. And the price - a mere $2.25 cents. Good price! When I quit, the price of a large pack was $12.50. My dh just told me that "if I was still smoking, he would have left me". Really, hard to imagine that!
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After pack plus a day habit for 44 years, I have been quit 3 years and 4 months. I consider myself (like Minus said) a smoker who does not smoke because any second, that could change so just take an hour at a time on some days. I used an e-cig, a smoking cessation program at Yale where I had my BC treatment, patch, gum and VJ's e-book. I used EVERY thing I thought might work...and finally, I stopped.
You can do this Mommyto6! We are here for you.
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April, congrats on your 3 years and 4 months quit. I remember when you were in the throes of quitting. We all think and some times or another that we can't do it but there are many success stories here with these women. Yes, MT and April are right .... we are all smokers who just choose not to smoke at this time. Believe me, there are many times when I want a smoke or look for them. But as the ladies say "you just take it one step at a time". We are all here for you no matter what!
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april & judi - woo hoo for both of you. Even after 9 years, I sometimes wish i could have "just one". Nope. But i rarely dream about it anymore. In the early days I sometimes woke up in the middle of dreaming I was smoking.
Mommy - scroll back a page or two and find one of VJ's posts. She has written a 'quit smoking' book and is willing to send it to members of the BCO thread who are trying to quit. You can send her a PM.
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Hi Ladies ,
Chantix was the only way for me as you all lknow .. I remember saying ill stop after this pack runs out lol only to wake up and go to store and buy more .. I cannot imagine that come october I will be 2 years quit already ... I swear by the chantix .. and thankfully I really dont have too many days that I think about a smoke ...I am ever so grateful for that ..
Mommyof6 beautiful children ...
I am ok feeling better now ..
Hugs to you all and congrats on all the years you ladies have put together one day at a time .. xoxoxoxo
April, Bosom, Minus, Judi, VJ xoxoxooxxoxo
lisamarie
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LisaMarie ..... ha, ha, ha .... you are in the group too with the time you have put in!
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ALL RIGHT LisaMarie. Yes, congrats to you too. How are you feeling? Hope you finished the meds and are back at work. What happened with the truck?
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Morning ladies! I'm thinking of all of you ....
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And here if your "To Do List" today
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LOL Judi...lucky you retired lady! I wish that was MY day but alas, it is business as usual although I do enjoy the
"Friday vibe" at the office more than any other day for sure! xoHi everyone!
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Hi --yes I will send a copy of my book, "How to Win at Quitting Smoking" to anyone on this list, just send me a PM with an email address. (If you got a copy in the past and if it helped, could you go to amazon and leave a review --please put in it that you got a free promotional copy--thanks).
I always love reading about how long someone has been smoke-free (even if I don't respond). You all are so encouraging, each with your own path with the same ending. That is what makes it so hard --that every method will work for some, no method works for all and finding your own path taking patience, steeping outside your comfort zone and trying new things to see what works.
In August it will be 26 years since I quit and yet I still remember how a cigarette feels in my hand, I still remember the panic of running out and I still dream that I smoke every once in awhile. I'm in a panic in my dream to stop smoking, yet I don't want to quit.
I started a new cessation class a few weeks ago and I now have a carbon monoxide monitor to use with the class. While the participants were still smoking, their levels were all high from 26 to 34---all in the red zone (the highest number on the chart is 30). Just one day after quitting their carbon monoxide levels dropped to 2 to 3 -- all green. (I blow a 2 myself). It's really motivating to the participants for them to see what a difference just 24 hours smoke-free makes.
I finally got the results from my BRCA test and it came back negative -yahoo!!!
My life has been filled lately with a/c problems -- both my car and house a/c went out.
I took my car in and their machine to check a/c broke down, so I had to wait a week and during that time had to make 3 --three hour trips in this heat - not cool.
But the car was an easy fix, just needed a new hose but I need a new a/c unit for my house. It is on the roof and they came yesterday to remove the old one and once they did found out that the base wasn't sturdy enough for the new unit. It will be a week while they have a custom metal framing built to fit onto the roof. In the meantime, my old unit is limping along. I've certainly got enough use out of it though -it's 22 years old, and only suppose to last for 10.
Wishing everyone a joy filled day, VJ
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VJ, I credit that carbon monoxide machine as the single most motivating factor in my effort to quit. I was seeing the smoking cessation counselor at Yale and I blew a 28 on that thing while smoking. Then I cut down in anticipation of quitting and the next time, it was a 16! After I quit, I blew a 3! I was so encouraged by that and the thought of my brain getting so much more oxygen that it helped whenever I wanted to smoke along with the other tools. Sorry about your AC problems! Keep helping people to give up this habit! It is truly a marvel to be not smoking anymore. I love it!
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VJ - 26 years without a smoke!! Wait, let me put that in bold type - 26 YEARS. And it's so great that you are still helping others quit. It's the single hardest thing I've ever done, and the reason I feel so strongly about posting here if it might be any use to someone else who is trying to quit. I don't want to it's good that we still dream about smoking occasionally (although vicarious thrills are still thrills), but I've mostly gotten rid of the dreams that I can't open my high school locker & the last bell is ringing or I get to the elementary school cloak room and don't have a dress on under my coat.
What a terrible time of year for AC issues. I've been watching CA temperatures. You're out in the desert right? Is your house unit a "swamp cooler" or a full blown Freon unit? We had a roof-top swamp cooler in New Mexico. I was determined i wouldn't need a car with AC when we moved to Houston. "no problem, just go out for ice cream at night & open the windows". Uh, not so much. Midnight it's still 90 degrees, but the worst part is the 95 percent humidity.
Interesting about the carbon monoxide. I guess I never thought about it. Glad it was a motivator for you April. And glad it's a Friday for your work day. Do you stay in the office or get out in the field some? Are you going to get time to vacation with your grands this summer?
Judi - should we compare what we do with our retirement time? I like the 'not much' column. I allowing myself much more time for reading. Anyway it's way too hot to work in the garden. I put in 2 hours from 6:30-8:30 am Wednesday pulling weeds, trimming dead bushes & spreading mulch. The sun wasn't even over the yard arm yet, but melt down - literally. Our heat index here has been 107 this week.
Bosum - thinking about you.
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OMG, you ladies are just too funny! Like everyone here "I LOVED SMOKING". Even though we don't think about it, it kinda just sneaks up on you. I went to aquafit today and was a little delirious "how was I going to smoke". None of these ladies smoke (if ever) and I certainly have quit but everyone once in a while, I get a little anxious. Must be waiting until we turn 80 before i can have one - oh the anticipation MT!
Yup, nothing like retirement .... the day is mine to choose how I spend it .... I'm loving it. You ladies will get there but remember "we age as we get near it". That's why I left before age 65 so I could enjoy myself!
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BTW VJ, 26 years of not smoking. Yay! You go girl. AND, a happy dance for the "negative" result!
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Hi ladies quick update , still on meds for at least another week .. back at work though... and no truck yet ... still getting fixed.. hmmm botched ... hmmm ... anyway working a double tonight .. have a great sunday . I will be at work 3pm to 7am ... xoxoxoxo
Love all may ladies
Lisamarie
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LisaMarie .... have fun at work! Will be thinking of you!
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Morning ladies! Here's your chuckle this morning!
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Morning ladies! My thought for all of you today
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And now, here is for all of us ... whether we have quit or in the throes of quitting
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Judi and all of my fellow strugglers. We will not smoke...just for today!
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That's funny Judi. Thanks for the chuckle. But the darn things really to keep us in chains.
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Doctors Warn People To Stop Using E-Cigs Because They Are Linked To a New Disease Popcorn Lung
http://www.sun-gazing.com/doctors-warn-people-stop...
I hope this link works!
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Judi, Thanks for posting this for some that might be thinking of using ecigs. This is for the flavored e-cigs and I have known about this for a few years (right after I quit smoking someone sent me an article about this cause I was using the ecigs) that are made with a certain chemical called diacetyl. The ones I was using were not applicable (immediately called my company that I was buying them from and they have never used this flavoring) so am not worried about the time I used them and the occasional time I pull one out of my purse now. I use the zero nicotine and have no qualms about using it rather than smoking (maybe once a month) because I still could easily relapse and this thing works for me.
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