Stop Smoking Support Thread
Comments
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Well... I had quit smoking a few years before my dx. I recently started again. I'm blaming stress from work and life. My family is mad at me, I'm mad at me for doing it. Like wth is wrong with me?? A cancer survivor....
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Tang&Chris - don't beat yourself over the head. I quit several times - the longest was for 2-1/2 years. I still ended up smoking for another 20 years. My family nagging didn't help. You know the steps and you'll know when you're ready to quit again. Cut back if you can. We'll be here to listen and cheer you on - always to support and not to call anyone names.
I passed my 12 year mark in July. Seems impossible. Yes, there are still times I would REALLY like a smoke. And those times are usually when I'm really busy or stressed out. Luckily these are momentary urges, or remembrances of times past. Many happy times too I might add.
As we've all said before, I will always be a smoker. Just one who is not smoking. So just for today - I will not smoke.
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Hi all! Happy October! ***BARF*** I think today is the day!!!! I'm feeling good this morning. Had coffee and resisted -got ready for work and took some deep breaths through the driving the car craving. As you may know I've been trying to tackle the triggers with evening and driving being the worst. I'm doing better on the driving thing. Anyway, I've tried this numerous times and end up giving in, especially at night at home with husband having an available supply of smokes and it's just too easy to grab one and smoke it, plus take 1 or 2 for another time!! With my husband being diagnosed with COPD it's time for him too. So, if I do it, maybe, just maybe when he sees that I can succeed, he will try harder!
Small goal to start: The 72 hour mark seems to be my worst time. Should I make it past that this time perhaps I will have done it. Also training my mind with the "Don't smoke even just 1"- as well as calming some anxiety I have by knowing this is something I can control. Incentive!
At home, my plan is to keep busy and for now I'll just have to stay away from my husband. LOL I can clean out cabinets, watch TV in the basement, escape to the bedroom, and of course breathe thru those couple of cravings. I've gotten down to 2 at night time so this should be doable. This month I usually do a fall cleaning, once the windows are clean and it's time to close up I hope to make my house smoke free.
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ctm - Wishing you good luck & a strong will. I agree - drive time commute was terrible. I've been going to a Chair Yoga class once a week. The breathing routines are great and would have been really helpful when I was quitting. I had a friend who kept just one cigarette in her car for emergencies. Knowing there was only one, she was able to put off smoking it for longer & longer times.
Sorry about your DH's COPD but Too bad you can't at least get him to smoke outside.
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Heres to wishing you all a smoke free Christmas, I continue to struggle but know one day I will quit for good .
Huggs and strength to all
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Hey Honey - so glad to see someone posting. I miss all the people I met on this thread.
I'm still not smoking, but there are times I certainly wish I were. Not really a matter of 'wanting' a cigarette after 12 years (OMG - who would have believed) but I just want to smoke. I am still a smoker - just one who is still not smoking. Happy Holidays to all who are still checking in.
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HAPPY NEW YEAR TO EVERYONE, still smoking or not.
Hope 2020 will be a good year for each of you.
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Happy New Year Minus (and everyone else too
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Yay April. So glad to hear from you. Are you totally settled in your "new" town? Is the job still OK? How is your DH doing? I've been retired long enough now I can't figure out how I had time to work.
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I am settled in and still on the job. I plan to retire soon though. I am really tired of working at this point. Hubby is doing okay, thanks for asking. Good to see you xoxo.
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Bumping for newbies
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So forwarding again with this reminder.
NEVER, NEVER be embarrassed that you haven't been able to quit. It's hard. It well nigh impossible. It can be done, but the time has to be right for you. Sort of like the stars have to be in alignment. ONE DAY AT A TIME.
Some people can quit cold turkey. Others of us need to use the gradual approach. I actually kept 1/2 a pack in my freezer for a full year after I'd quit. Well, so what if I'd had an emergency?
As I told ctm in another thread, if someone points the finger at you and accuses you of not succeeding - break off their darn finger.
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Amen Minus...you nailed it! Hardest thing you will ever do, but so very worth it. The money I am saving alone is mind-blowing with cigs at 10+ bucks a pack. Best to all and remember, ONE DAY AT A TIME! 
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Happy New DECADE!
It's nice to see some familiar voices on here again -- Hi guys!
My decade (2010) started off with a second bout of breast cancer and it ended with almost 2 years of Epstein Barr Virus. This last decade sucked! But I'm finally feeling good and almost back to a new normal (again!).
(for lurkers and newbies -- send me a PM if you'd like a free PDF copy of my book - how to win at quitting smoking).
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Oh VJ - so sorry to hear about the Epstein Barr and the LONG duration or continual recurrences. I was amazed to read that 90% of adults carry this virus as a persistent infection. Great that you're feeling better for the new year.
It's interesting reading about the vape issues. For awhile everyone thought it might be a good way to help quit smoking. I think several on this thread tried it? Is anyone still vaping? What are your personal conclusions? I know some local friends switched when the got BC because their doc's wouldn't do surgery until they quit.
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My personal feeling is that I think we will find that vaping is more addictive than smoking. Not necessarily bad -- I do believe adults have the right to use nicotine recreationally -- just as safe as possible though.
Biggest problem I see is counterfeit products and clones. You have bathtub chemists who don't know what they are doing. Currently there aren't any regulations (except flavorings -- which just happened). So it's buyer beware. Short term use to quit is certainly better than continued long term smoking. But long term effects are still unknown and will change as the devices and liquids change.
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Greetings to all in this new decade.
I’m currently reading the bestselling book “Atomic Habits.” It’s very relatable. I worried it might be a bunch of rigid rules to follow but it isn’t. It has many interesting ways to see things in a different light. It has a 5 star review on Amazon with over 3,000 reviews from readers! I got it from my library and was on a wait list for a long time before I got it. Apparently everyone wants to read it.
But that’s not even why I’m posting, haha!
In the above book, the author mentions another book: “Allen Carr’s Easy Way To Stop Smoking.”
Has anyone read it? Apparently, it offers great advice: “it frees you from the mental burden of smoking and helps you feel like you’re not the victim any more. You start to realize you don’t need to smoke.”
I have not read the book, but I wanted to pass along the title in case anyone wanted to look in to reading it.
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Thanks Divine MrsM - everyone can use all the encouragement & resources available. Although I was able to quit 12 years ago (unbelievable) with the help of Chantix, I know how desperately hard this is. I'll take a look at the book. Your posts on other threads are always valuable. We all appreciate your input.
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I took at peek at Carr's book on Amazon - "look inside" feature I have no doubt this will work for many people. But even 12 years later - I have to personally disagree with his major premise. I did enjoy smoking. I still would be smoking if I hadn't developed osteoporisis. This was 4 years before my cancer diagnosis. I didn't want to break a hip & be warehoused in a nursing home. For lots of older people it's hard to regain full motion, go down hill and they never go home again. Cigarettes are a major contributor, as are carbonated drinks like coke. It came down to door A or door B.
So I quit. Kicking & screaming. It was at least the 4th time I'd quit - even once for 2 full years 30 years prior (and I blame my ex-DH for that relapse). I still like the smell of fresh cigarette smoke - but not old ashtrays. I still like the conversation of smokers. But I quit. And I quit cokes at the same time, although I'm back to three a day because it's the only thing I could drink during chemo & my MO said go for it. That's small potatoes since i was drinking 8+ every day.
I also quit gradually by using Chantix. I could never have quit cold turkey. I started cutting down by putting a set number in my package every morning. Then two weeks later stopped smoking in my house. Two weeks after that I stopped smoking in my car. Well - now I was down to the front porch. I assigned specific hours that I could have a smoke by the time I started Chantix. I used only he one prescription pkg. I started walking 5 miles a day. I went to a gym & took exercise classes. I ate a TON of sunflower seeds - hand to mouth, crack the shell, hand to mouth, remove shell, chew the seed. Good for the repetitious hand to mouth motion that I was missing. I had to quit coffee in the morning or after dinner for awhile. I had to quit drinking a glass of wine or a gin & tonic for awhile. But the necessity to waive those temptations & other triggers didn't last longer than 6 months.
For at least 2 years I kept a 1/2 pack in my freezer in case of emergency. I never smoked one, but it made me feel good that they were available. Full disclosure - I did have half of one smoke in the first month sitting in my car - stuck in traffic for an hour. Otherwise I might have rammed the cars in front of me. It meant I missed one of the few I was allowed daily. And I did have one puff at a friend's house after 6 months when she asked me to hold her cigarette while she answered her inside phone. But that only reinforced the knowledge that I CANNOT have just ONE. NOT EVER.
Once I realized I would probably make it, I took everything out of all my closets & drawers and either washed or sent to the cleaners. I had my carpet & drapes & upholstered furniture professionally cleaned. No way was I going to waste the money that cost.
Do I miss it? Not too much anymore. But there are still certain things that trip a wave of longing. And I can't figure out where the notion came from - except old habit of pleasure. Luckily it only lasts a few seconds.
As I've said on this thread before, I will always be a smoker. Just one who is not presently smoking. I have some confidence that i won't pick up a cigarette tomorrow after 12 years, but I won't write off the notion that I might smoke again if I were diagnosed with a fatal illness. (oh ho ho ho - I've made it thorough initial BC diagnosis & treatment and a recurrence - but at this time I'm grateful to be NED).
It's been awhile since I posted this history. As always, I am a smoker but ... just for today I will not smoke. (12+ years down the road).
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I have read Allen Carr's book and I think that it is great to increase someone's motivation. He takes every reason why you enjoy smoking and one by one, tears apart the argument. But it doesn't tell you anything about HOW to quit -- only that when you really, really want to quit, you will find a way. So I do think it is worth reading. My book, "how to win at Quitting Smoking" picks up where his leaves off. I teach the HOW to quit. (I've made this offer before and it's still open that I will send a free PDF copy of my book -- Just send me a PM with your email address.)
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YES - VJ!! Thanks for posting. You book is wonderful. How are you doing?
Funny, I was thinking about posting tonight but I've totally forgotten the inspiration that nudged me off dead center. Oh well.
Just for today - I didn't smoke.
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Hello Minus and friends. It's good to come back to this thread and find familiar folks! I'm coming up on 2 years of not smoking cigs on June 21, 2018. I am however still using my ecig with 1.8 ml nicotine. With all the news on vaping it was a little scary until they narrowed it down to black market type marijuana oil. I do want to quit my ecig too and plan to work on it after I retire from my job at the end of the fiscal school year June 30. I don't think I would have made it without it. I'm the tech coordinator for a school district for the past 20 years, so my days are filled with troubleshooting all kinds of problems. Sometimes the stress is relentless. Right now I am worrying about retiring in June and not being old enough for social security until after my 62nd birthday in December. Like someone else said, the stress will always be there in our lives. I'm just going to do it. We will figure it out. I can't face another beginning of the school year.
I guess time will tell on vapes/ecigs. I have a friend that quit smoking with an ecig 5 years ago who is also still using his. Here's an interesting story. Our fiber network cable was chewed by a mouse last fall at the pole (no internet makes people a little panic stricken lol), the guru that patched the cable had a vape he was hitting on while he worked (outside). He said he had quit smoking with the vape, he and his wife both eight years ago. They are mixing their own juice by the gallon. The nicotine level for him is 60ml, for her 30 ml. He swears by it having saved him from continuing to smoke as well a lot of money. That made my 1.8ml not seem like much but I still can't bring myself to give it up yet. Maybe VL is right that they may be more addicting than cigs. I love that I am not smoking anymore though. I still have my old pack sitting in my former smoking spot by the back deck. It still has 16 cigarettes in it. It has a sticky note stuck to it that says "Not today Satan".
Cheers to everyone who has quit, who is trying to quit and those who are gearing up to quit. We are so blessed to be here fighting the good fight after all we've been through. Be kind to yourself.
Carol
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CarolAnnie - great to see you. And wonderful that you're not smoking the old Camels or Kools anymore. The vaping issue is problematic, but sounds like you're reducing & reducing and have a plan to quit soon - when you retire. I'd like to suggest that you join the YMCA or a gym or .... You'll need some form of stress relief once you quit, and likely a book & the recliner won't count. Or maybe you've already lined up a ton of activities.
Is your DH retiring also? Will you stay in Michigan?0 -
Hey former smokers, non-smokers, those just starting & those still trying. Cheers & kudos to all of you. Hope you are all safe. I'm walking 3-4 miles a day. The MANY walks I took when I was trying to quit smoking are being revisited.
I thought this was a good graphic description of airborne transmission of the Covid-19 virus. Anyone who has smoked or has been around someone who had cigarette outside and then walked into the house or gotten into a car should be able to visualize this. Of course smoke smell lingering on the clothes is the extreme end, but still... And all of us have particular knowledge of this subject.
Linsey Marr, an expert in virus transmission by aerosol at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, told the New York Times that you should think of airborne coronavirus transmission like cigarette smoke. Marr, who was not affiliated with the study, said that the closer and sooner you are exposed to the person who exhaled the smoke, the more of a whiff you might get. The exposure decreases the further away you are and the longer the time has passed.0 -
OK - I quit smoking in 2007 and I really don't miss it - most of the time. Today I've wished I could have a cigarette 3 times. Somehow the thought keeps intruding. 8pm. Will I open a bag of cheetos or pour a glass of Tia Maria?
Stay safe
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Hi everyone, I haven't been on here in a while. My 10 year cancer-versary is in August. I had a big party for my 5 year.
I know this is a stressful time for many of us and it is times like these that we either smoke more or relapse if we've quit. But there are some things you can do to help you even if it's not your time to quit.
In the past, I have offered a free PDF copy of my book, "How to Win at Quitting Smoking". Offer is still open, just send me a PM with an email address -- or it's on Kindle for free for the next couple of days. I don't want to put a link because I'm not offering anything for sale. Just search the title on Amazon and it will pop up. Good luck, VJ
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Hey VJ - great to "see" you. Wow, 10 years. I'd say we need a big hoorah party. Sounds like you're OK? I'm just 'riding it out'. Of course I won't smoke after 12 years. But likely I'll always miss it.
Seems to me that long ago planned get together was when I'm 80. Only 4 more summers - except most everyone who signed up for the party has moved on with their lives and disappeared.
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Hi MinusTwo -- I'm doing OK. I was sick with Epstein Barr virus, no energy for about 1.5 years. I dropped 65 pounds, got my energy back, finally hit the clothes sales in January -- so I've got a rocking body, all new clothes, and now ---- no where to go. I was isolated while I was sick because I couldn't get out of bed, so at least this is easier.
I worked with a functional doctor and while my oncologist had me take vitamin d to got over 30, he never pushed it. My current doctor has me on high dose vitamin c, vitamin e, zinc, selenium, these are the powerhouses to combat viruses. I just read an article about vit D levels and covid---- those with high vit. D levels did much better than those with low levels. I'm hoping that I have built up my immune system so I won't get sick with another virus. I still have active EBV but it's under control. Fingers crossed -- stay safe and if nothing else we'll still celebrate in 4 years.
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Oh no VJ. So sorry to hear about the EBV. Glad it's under control. Fantastic news about the weight loss and the new clothes.
I have taken extra Vit D since cancer, but I dropped down to a combined 4000 about a year ago. I wear hats & sunscreen due to continuing basal cell skin cancers, so I figure I need the extra.
With my Silver Sneakers classes & Chair Yoga cancelled for now, I'm still walking 3-4 miles every day. Just finished day #34. I'm ready for a reward!!! When I was quitting smoking, I only walked until the urge went away - so maybe around a block or two - but I did this EVERY time I wanted to smoke, so several times a day. Getting or staying healthy is not easy but walking has worked for me. At least this time with everyone 'stuck' there's lots of visiting at 6 ft. I've never been so up to date on my neighborhood.
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Well Im still here and have fallen off the wagon big time. worse then ever. I have no clue what has happene that Im smoking more then EVER
Its pissed me off smoking until Im sick to myy stomah but I keep lightening up, Crazy how the mind works
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