Any EX Smokers here?

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Originally Posted by roseskid

I've said I quit over 25 years ago, but actually I finally really thought about it, and it's been 30 years. I haven't aged, so I'm not sure how that happened. ;) I 'only' smoked for a few years, but I smoked a pack/day. I've talked about this before but I quit cold turkey at a time when almost everyone I knew smoked. I just decided I had had it with that monkey on my back. It was without a doubt, the hardest thing I ever did, but definitely, one of the best. Nicotine patches weren't around then, but basically I sat on my hands alot at parties, etc. Honestly. I also took long, deep breaths, because I found I actually missed that part of smoking. Then during my breaks, I would go for a walk, instead of lighting up. After about one week, I started having nightmares that I lost my resolve and smoked...that's how serious I took it. I'd wake up in a sweat, mad at myself for succumbing to temptation. :lol I also took the money I would have spent on cigs, and put it in a jar everyday. At the end of the week, I'd buy myself with it. That was a great instant reward for me, until I just didn't need to bother with it anymore. Once I started feeling healthy and great, that became my incentive. Good luck to you, and I'd say take advantage of the medical help that's out there now. Trust me, you'll be so glad you quit. Congratulations to Unk and others who have quit. OTS has wonderful suggestions, too. Concentrate on the positive things. Good luck!

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Thanks Rosekid! And congrats to you! I hadn't thought of keeping the $ and I think I'll add that on. Nice post. Very much appreciated!!

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Originally Posted by JamiLee

Even ex-smokers still want to smoke sometimes right? One of my best friends whenever we are in a club. (lol i'm having trouble typing damn margaritas) she still wants to light up but, gets over it quick.

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In short, yes. :laugh But you do get over it fast and you do stop craving them. Just sometimes when you see someone with one, you'll pine for a minute. :laugh That's about it

Of course, I was a hardcore smoker. I smoked for seven years and loved every single cigarette I smoked. :teeth To be honest, if it wasn't for the people I love, I would probably go back to smoking today, despite the health problems it was causing. I just loved it. HOWEVER, I didnt want to be 40 years down the line and have my daughter and grandchildren, gathered around my bed and watching me struggle for every breath. I felt like I should just grow up and do the right thing. :shrug

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Originally Posted by Stargazer

Like Ots, lots of water seemed to help. Plus, you have the added health benefits from drinking all that water. Or, if all else fails, get pregnant. :laugh That seems to work for a lot of people. ;)

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:rofl on getting pregnant!! It would work but, then what would I do LOL kill myself! raised a girl on my own (mostly) I'm so done in that department.
My cousin is pregnant and smoking and it bugs me but, I should not judge. When I was pregnant (even before i knew for sure) I stopped. (pack a day too) just so easy when it came to someone else.

I just got off the phone with a friend of mine who gave me a group to go to in Boston, MA if things get really tough.

I'm working tomorrow, have one class and then sometime before I go to my second job. Somewhere in there I'm cleaning out my car. I won't want to mess it up after it's all nice an clean.

Just good to "stay in the moment". I'm finding thinking too much about it is making me a little crazy.

(just fear)

Well, good luck to anyone else in this "battle".

:) Jami

I hear that chewing or sucking on cinnamon sticks really helps. Heard it a few times actually.. give that a try.




/smoker :smokin

I smoked for ten years was a 2 1/2-3 packa day person, then i got "smoke away" ...best $50 i ever spent, stopped smoking in 3 days and haven't since 2000. i quit drinking and smoking in 2000 and quit sex when i got married (not my idea though) :lol


good luck Jamile, I know how hard it is to do that.

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Originally Posted by joeguy

...and quit sex when i got married (not my idea though) :lol

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:rofl Congrats on your other 'quits', but condolences on this one. :lol

Do they stil make smoke away? Maybe you should try that, JamiLee?

Jami, I haven't quit yet (but this is the year; I promised myself I'd quit when I was 30 and/or pregnant, and I'm not pregnant, but I AM 29) but I chew Nicorette when I'm with my mother (because I'm an adult, but still won't smoke in front of/anywhere near her). I think when I quit, that's what I'll use -- it addresses the oral fixation, AND provides some nicotine. On vacation last year I chewed Nicorette for 12 days, no cigs, and I found I even craved the nicotine less by the end. (sadly, I still craved the cigarettes themselves. That's the hard part of smoking to me: I LIKE it). But anyway, you might try Nicorette. :up

go to smokeaway.com and get the info there. just checked and the site is still up

the nice thing about this product is that its all herbs, no substituting nicotine in one form for another form...gets rid of the nicotine int he body and makes it easy to get through the withdrawals....

JamiLee, good luck honey! I tried a couple of weeks ago, I really did! To be brutally honest, it hasn't stuck, heck, it didn't last more than three days for me cause I was freaking myself out wanting a cigarette so darned bad. (and that was with the Nicorette!)

I had already gone thru and cleaned out my entire apartment and car since I smoked in both of them.....so atleast I'm keeping up that end of it. No smoking inside (which is KILLING me as I sit here on the computer cause that was the worst place for me) or in my car...and the biggest one for me that I'm keeping up is no smoking while at work. I'm severely restricting myself and relying on my sugar free candies and gums to keep me busy.

Atleast if nothing else I've got a good grip on my situation now (and much less stinky hair and clothes, so much so that I'm even noticing when I pull out a shirt or something that hasn't made it thru the laundry yet and still smells of smoke).....I've gone from 1.5-2 packs/day to 3-5 cigarettes/day. Even if I haven't made the full commitment yet, atleast I know I'm well on my way and have much more control than I did in the past.

aw Libra thanks! Your going through your own stuff and still could think of soemone else and that speaks volumes! I hope you beat it.

I'm crazy. I left a cookout earlier to get home and get some sleep (too much to drink) drank a pot of coffee and now it's after 10 pm and I'm going out!! I figure one more night out on the town (always one in my town) to smoke my brains out! The friends that are picking me up were laughing when I said I just ran down the store to buy ONE LAST PACK. cuz they don't think I'll quit (I say I'm doing it every other week) I'm very serious though. This sick feeling I know (I really think) is due to smoking. It's poisen!

Anyway, good luck to you in your continued try to quit!! And thanks again. And Joeguy, thanks for the site. I looked it up and I'll use it as a back up. I really feel confident (still ? nervous) with the patch. But, there is never too much advice when it comes to this.

I'm glad I started this thread. I hope I can come back and tell you all it's been going well and even better, I hope I see other people glad to be done and finally, people that didn't think they could do it....do it!!

(I'm gonna be so hungova tomorrow cigs will be the last thing I'm thinking of)! ouch!! :laugh