Stop Smoking Support Thread
Comments
-
Bosom , that is amazing .. see you can do it .. it does not matter what world you were in ..or are in.. I think you just need to belive in you .. and say I can do this, and Dammit , I am worthy .. I had to do that a lot ... and last night on my way home from work .. I said to myself .. I am going to become an RN , I am following my dreams , this is all about ME !!!!! and i feel better about me .. the more I put my self into motion , the more I can do ... I know it sounds crazy .. but everyday I need to tell myself that ... I love ya and have faith in you ..
JB congrats im coming uo on 2 years .. times does fly and thsnks for sharing ...
Minus I hope to meet everyone one day as well... what fun that must have been ..
Hi JUdi, April , Vj ..
xoxoxoxoxo
Lisamarie
0 -
Hi ladies! LM, fantastic .... you go girl and follow your dreams. Bosum, you are becoming more like one of us now .... that is the nonsmoking girls and you are just as strong as all of us!
0 -
Bosum - I assume very difficult can be interpreted as "a real bitch". Hang in there girl. We've all been there so we know exactly where you are. Sending hugs.
0 -
Bosom, You are STRONG .. and you are like Judy said becoming one of us ... a little at a time each day .. take deep breaths and just try to smile ... thats all we can do love you so much xoxoxoxoxo
Lisamarie
0 -
Bosum - you're part of us, whatever!!!
LisaMarie - I love that you're planning to become an RN.
0 -
(((Bosum)))) This is really, really, REALLY hard! We all get it. All in good time...
LisaMarie R.N. Has a nice ring to it, no?
Hi everyone! xo
0 -
Bosum: I LOVE your post. Hope you don't mind, but I copied it to my son - who really doesn't care much about people. He thought it appropriate, especially since I pointed out it looks like the cat we had when he was little. So maybe it's the cat's fault that he's anti-social?
Going tomorrow for a 5 year check-up with the plastic surgeon who did my reconstruction. He's an a$$ but his work is spectacular. You really can't see even see the scars. I've found that it bothers me more than I usually admit that the sides are no so uneven due to radiation after ALND on the right side for my recurrence. I don't want surgery now but maybe I'll feel differently down the road so I want to keep the communication open.
0 -
Bosum - forgot to say, sorry that you fell into a stressful mess when you got back from your sisters. I was hoping things would ease up. Sending hugs & we understand this just wasn't your quitting time.
0 -
Bosom ... no worries .. love the photo ... made me laugh .. I really hope that soon we can get together ...
I am off to another college appointment toda with the director of the nursing dept .. and funny thing was talking to my mom yestrrday adn she said that the director loved her and used to be one of her instructors so she said to emntion her ..lol
I got a busy day with the school and aa anniversary meeting then work ... nexxt month I have 2 years sobriety
Hugs to all mu beautiful friends here .. I love you more than words can say
xoxoxoxo
Lisamarie
0 -
((((Bosum)))) Real life vs. vacation life is so very different. No beating yourself up. You will prevail in the end at your own pace.
Happy 2 Year Anniversary LisaMarie!
Hi Minus and Judi and VJ!
0 -
Hi ladies ... missing you but missing getting my suitcase packed. Off to British Columbia on Saturday to do so work for my niece. Bosum, never, never, ever fret about slipping .... we have all done it. Your mind is there .... now it is just a matter of time that it will click for you. Never, ever worry .... you are one of us.
LM, way to go .... RN does have a nice ring to it!
0 -
Judi - Ah, BC. You lucky duck. What work are you doing for your niece? Have a great time!!
0 -
Morning ladies! This is for all of you
0 -
K, MT I'm off to Salt Spring Island on Saturday. Working for my niece who owns art studios. She wants to have food for the mommy's and kids but needs my help re talking to the Health Department and set up. So she paid my way and I'm happy to start it up for her. I told her one location as a test market to see if it flies. To be honest, I'm only going for 5 days and I didn't realize that Monday is a holiday so no offices open. Going to prove a little difficult but I can always go out again!
0 -
Happy September everyone. I can't believe the summer's over. What a quick year. I went with a girl friend to a South African restaurant today. The flavors were interesting & different and the food was good. We probably won't go back soon, but only because it has a high ceiling and a tile floor and it was too noisy for us to visit. Or maybe we'll go for lunch at 2pm.
I wanted a smoke at least once a week the last few weeks. Ugly, nasty weed - but still... even the residual hold is there. Luckily it's a random wish, almost immediately gone.
LisaMarie - what happened with the college appointment?
Bosum - hope you are OK - smoking or not.
0 -
Happy end of summer! Labor day weekend is kind of the official start of fall for me (which is my absolute favorite season) so have a wonderful long weekend. I took Tues off as well as having Monday so I get 4 whole days! YAY!
0 -
Enjoy your long weekend ladies. MT, funny you should say about wanting a smoke - I have been wanting one too. But I know if I try it I'll be back .... or I'll say "Are you kidding me"?
0 -
Bosum, I wish I was there to give you a BIG HUG .... you are on the right track and reaching out to VJ is a smart move. We are all here for you .... you go girl!
0 -
Bosum - assuming the pun was intended !! Because you are a person don't suck, even if you're still sucking the smokes.
0 -
American Spirit actually has one of the higher nicotine content.
I would disagree that it is only psychological --three days is still due to physical withdrawals, which happen as the the receptors in your brain empty of nicotine.
I know this is long but it tell you what happens in your brain (see highlighted section):
Nicotine Dependence: Understand the physical effects nicotine has on your brain.
Nicotine is a natural substance found in the leaf of the tobacco plant. It is both a stimulant and a depressant depending on the dose. It can be lethal at high doses but does not cause cancer. Nicotine is the drug which causes the addiction, but it is the other chemicals which cause the various smoking-related diseases (see page 137).
While nicotine can be absorbed through your skin and the oral mucosa in your mouth, inhalation through your lungs is the most efficient and rapid way for nicotine to reach your brain, faster than injecting a substance into your veins. It takes less than 10 seconds or about 10 heartbeats for nicotine to get from your lips to your brain. The tobacco companies have further manipulated nicotine into a more potent "freebase" form allowing nicotine to quickly cross the blood−brain barrier, the structure which protects your brain from chemical toxins and bacterial infections passing into your brain.
Your brains communication network includes receptors, located on nerve cells, where neurotransmitters (brain chemicals) fit into like a key into a lock. Nicotine fits into a very specific receptor, located in the reward center or pleasure pathway of your brain, unlocking a flood of dopamine which is the "I feel good" brain chemical. Your brain "likes" this flood of dopamine. As you build up a tolerance to nicotine, your brain makes more of these specific receptors in order to have more dopamine circulating in your brain.
But your brain isn't used to this dramatic increase in dopamine and down regulates the amount. It is as if you are listening to music that is too loud, so you put ear plugs in to muffle the sound. Once you stop smoking, it can take time for your brain to adjust to a normal but lesser amount of dopamine (the music has been lowered to normal but you haven't taken the ear plugs out yet). This may be the cause of depression when quitting.
This increase in receptors and the dulling of excess dopamine is what makes the brain of a smoker structurally different than the brain of a non-smoker. This can happen by smoking as few as 100 cigarettes and is the start of a nicotine addiction. This does not mean that after 100 cigarettes you become a daily smoker, only that nicotine has already changed your brain structure, especially if you have started smoking as an adolescent, while your brain is still developing.
These changes may be permanent and may condition your brain to be more susceptible to other chemical addictions. This is why smoking has been called a "gateway drug". Nicotine is often the first substance used and it primes the brain for addiction to the next drug used. It doesn't mean that smoking will cause you to use another drug, only that if you do, you are more likely to become physically addicted compared to a non-smoker because an addiction pathway already exists in your brain.
The "I feel good" sensation doesn't last long. As nicotine leaves the receptors, cravings and withdrawal symptoms start as a reminder to refill the receptors with nicotine by smoking. A craving is just your brain shouting, "Where's my nicotine?"
The half-life or the time it takes nicotine to totally leave your body is quick, about three to five days. Many mistakenly think that once your body no longer has any nicotine in it that the withdrawals are over too. But this lack of nicotine in your body is what causes the intense withdrawals and cravings, which is your brain now screaming for nicotine. This continues until your brain receptors calm down and go dormant, which can take days, weeks or months.
Nicotine also hijacks the survival instinct part of your brain, the place where fear and compulsion come from. This is why a craving can often feel like, "I'm going to die or go crazy if I don't smoke". These are your "4's" and "5's" from your Tobacco Use Record (see page 32). This part of your brain constantly scans, analyzes and interprets your environment looking for danger. It is a carryover from ancient survival skills telling you to play it safe and not make any changes because change is risky. Your instinct to survive is stronger than your willpower (the thinking part of your brain) which is why using willpower alone is a poor plan.
Unlike other addictive substances, nicotine is not a recreational drug used to get intoxicated but you need a certain amount of nicotine just to feel normal. Throughout the day you unconsciously self-regulate the amount of nicotine in your body to get your daily fix to feel normal by unconsciously adjusting how often you smoke and how deeply you inhale. This keeps the amount of nicotine in your blood system within your comfort zone, to avoid both nicotine withdrawals and overdose.
When you wake up in the morning, the amount is low, so you smoke several cigarettes to reach your comfort zone. If you smoke too much you will start feeling symptoms of nicotine overdose. If you don't smoke enough or go for several hours without smoking and have too little nicotine in your body, you start going through nicotine withdrawal. At night during sleep, the level falls again.
When you consciously try to limit the number of daily cigarettes smoked, you unconsciously compensate by smoking more intensely and/or deeply to stay in your comfort zone. If you want to cut back, substitute a fast acting nicotine medication for a cigarette, such as the gum, lozenge, inhaler or spray. You will reduce the amount smoked but because your nicotine blood level will be in your comfort zone, you won't compensate.
I've been in Seattle this week visiting family, going home tomorrow. Will post more later.
0 -
VJ - thanks for your informative post. I'm going to copy the highlighted part so we can all read it again. For those of you who are still working on quitting, it's a good explanation of why the first few months are so very hard. My brain obviously still has a few cells that remember even 9 years later, but thank heavens it doesn't scream any more. I remember the screaming sensation very well.
The half-life or the time it takes nicotine to totally leave your body is quick, about three to five days. Many mistakenly think that once your body no longer has any nicotine in it that the withdrawals are over too. But this lack of nicotine in your body is what causes the intense withdrawals and cravings, which is your brain now screaming for nicotine. This continues until your brain receptors calm down and go dormant, which can take days, weeks or months.
Happy Holiday to everyone. Sending special thoughts to those of you who are working today.
0 -
I finished radiation about six weeks ago and am scheduled to start Tamoxifen possibly later this week. I've been reading that I cannot smoke while taking it due to the increase risk of stroke. I smoke 1/2 pack a day and it seems the more I've focused on the fact that I have to stop... the more I want to smoke. The last month it seems that I am almost chain smoking when I'm not at work. I see my oncologist tomorrow and I know she is going to not be happy with me that I'm smoking. I had quit cold turkey when I got my diagnosis, but that only lasted about 3 weeks. I've quit a number of times, but nothing sticks. I've tried the patch which made me nauseated and I did Shantix which gave me horrible, gory, bloody nightmares. I am stressin' about quitting! Plus, I go back on my diet on Monday to try to lose some weight and get my estrogen down. The thought of tackling both of those while preparing to move in two weeks and being thrown into menopause has me going bonkers! Someone... anyone... words of wisdom, please!
0 -
Owens - Welcome. oh my goodness, dieting & quitting smoking at the same time? And you're moving? You are really brave. First - send a PM to VJ and she'll forward a copy of her book. Lots of good ideas.
Most of us quit a number of times before it "took". We understand and we don't judge - honest!! I did use Chantix but I kept it at the dose for the first week & never increased it per the directions. I did have some dreams but i think mine were caused more by the stress of not smoking.
So when I finally made it... I set a date & stopped smoking in my house. I put a chair on the front porch & never smoked in the house again. After two weeks I stopped smoking in my car. Only failed once at that when I was stuck in traffic for an hour. After two more weeks I started the Chantix. In the mean time, every time I wanted a smoke I stormed out of my house and walked around a block or two. Since I wasn't an exercise guru, this really broke the urge just trying to breathe correctly.
I had previously stopped drinking coffee because of fibercystic disease. I made of list of other triggers so I could eliminate them. Nope - no drinking for me for awhile. It turned out to be close to a year. I joined Curves and went every day for at least 15 minutes. It's such mild exercise you hardly know it. I bought sunflower seeds in the shell in the giant economy packs. The hand to mouth exercise was helpful - arm up, seed into mouth, arm down, crack seed, arm up to remove seed, arm down. Repeat. Another trigger for me was driving. If I went anywhere in my car that was more than 15 or 20 minutes I got crazy. It was at least 6 months before I drove the hour to a good friend's house. I also had to stay away from my smoking friends for awhile. I can't imagine quitting if your spouse or partner still smokes.
One other thing I did was read "quit smoking" blogs late at night when I couldn't sleep & couldn't smoke. I found some of them very helpful since I could see I wasn't alone and I picked up new tips or ways of thinking. These were all sites with ex-smokers or those trying to quit - not medical sites.
Owens - we're here. Check in any time to rant or rave or cry. Some of the other folks will check in with their experiences. For example, April used an e-smoke. If at first you don't succeed, please don't be embarrassed to talk to us. We've ALL been there. Good luck.
0 -
Yes, I am the person who used both a patch, the gum and an e-cig. I also went to smoking cessation classes at my treatment hospital as they offered them free. I did all I could and it worked for me. Honestly, all of us here know how hard this is to do. I smoked for over 40 years so if I can quit ANYONE can do it! Wishing you the best!
0 -
Thank you April and MinusTwo. I saw my oncologist today and she decided to put me on Zoladex and Femara instead of Tamoxifen. So, the chance of stroke or blood clot is less. That being said, I'm not quite so freaked out about quitting cold turkey right at this moment. It is a relief to me since I have too many other things going on. I will focus on the weight loss for right now and getting us moved to our new place. Then, I will tackle the smoking. I was feeling overwhelmed feeling like I had to stop suddenly because of the Tamox...
0 -
Owens - we do have regulars on this thread who are still smoking. You're welcome to keep posting. Please let us know how you do with the new meds and good luck on your move.
0 -
For anyone on this post who would like a PDF copy of my book, I just need an email address to sent it to.
0 -
Morning! Welcome Owens! Ladies, on the run but wanted to post this
0 -
Bosum, Please eat something and make sure you rest too. Ex husbands are very hard to deal with as I know all about that. Mine has since passed away, but my divorce was horrible and he prolonged it and it cost me (and my poor Dad cause I didn't have it) a lot of money. Hugs!
0 -
Bosum - we're pulling for you. Don't ever think you can't come here to rant & rave - whether you're smoking or not. We all understand major life stressors. Do what you need to do. Your time to quit will come. April is right - take time to eat & sleep so you'll have the strength to keep going.
0
