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MarylandQuitter

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Everything posted by MarylandQuitter

  1. Bope, Focus on the immediate health benefits. Quit Smoking Recovery Timetable Within ... 20 minutes Your blood pressure, pulse rate and the temperature of your hands and feet have returned to normal. 8 hours Remaining nicotine in your bloodstream has fallen to 6.25% of normal peak daily levels, a 93.75% reduction. 12 hours Your blood oxygen level has increased to normal. Carbon monoxide levels have dropped to normal. 24 hours Anxieties have peaked in intensity and within two weeks should return to near pre-cessation levels. 48 hours Damaged nerve endings have started to regrow and your sense of smell and taste are beginning to return to normal. Cessation anger and irritability will have peaked. 72 hours Your entire body will test 100% nicotine-free. Over 90% of all nicotine metabolites (the chemicals nicotine breaks down into) have passed from your body via your urine. Symptoms of chemical withdrawal have peaked in intensity, including restlessness. Unless use cues have been avoided, the number of cue induced crave episodes experienced during any quitting day have peaked for the "average" ex-user. Lung bronchial tubes leading to air sacs (alveoli) are beginning to relax in recovering smokers. Breathing is becoming easier and your lung's functional abilities are improving. 5 - 8 days The "average" ex-smoker is down to experiencing just three cue induced crave episodes per day. Although we may not be "average" and although minutes may feel like hours when normal cessation time distortion combines with the body's panic response, it is unlikely that any single episode will last longer than 3 minutes. Keep a clock handy and time the episode to maintain an honest perspective on time. 10 days The "average" ex-user is down to encountering less than two crave episodes per day. 10 days to 2 weeks Recovery has likely progressed to the point where your addiction is no longer doing the talking. Blood circulation in your gums and teeth are now similar to that of a non-user. 2 to 4 weeks Cessation related anger, anxiety, difficulty concentrating, impatience, insomnia, restlessness and depression have ended. If still experiencing any of these symptoms get seen and evaluated by your physician. 2 weeks to 3 months Your heart attack risk has started to drop. Your lung function has noticeably improved. If your health permits, sample your circulation and lung improvement by walking briskly, climbing stairs or running further or faster than normal. 21 days The number of acetylcholine receptors, which were up-regulated in response to nicotine's presence in the frontal, parietal, temporal, occipital, basal ganglia, thalamus, brain stem and cerebellum regions of your brain have now substantially down-regulated. Receptor binding has returned to levels seen in the brains of non-smokers (2007 study). 3 weeks to 3 months Your circulation has substantially improved. Walking has become easier. Your chronic cough, if any, has likely disappeared. If not, get seen by a doctor, and sooner if at all concerned, as a chronic cough can be a sign of lung cancer. 4 weeks Plasma suPAR is a stable inflammatory biomarker that helps predict development of diseases ranging from diabetes to cancer in smokers. A 2016 study found that within 4 weeks of quitting smoking, with or without NRT, that suPAR levels in 48 former smokers had fallen from a baseline smoking median of 3.2 ng/ml to levels "no longer significantly different from the never smokers' values" (1.9 ng/ml) 8 weeks Insulin resistance in smokers has normalized despite average weight gain of 2.7 kg (2010 SGR, page 384). 1 to 9 months Any smoking related sinus congestion, fatigue or shortness of breath has decreased. Cilia have regrown in your trachea (windpipe) thereby increasing the ability to sweep dirt and mucus out of your lungs. Your body's overall energy has increased. 1 year Your excess risk of coronary heart disease, heart attack and stroke has dropped to less than half that of a smoker. 5 years Your risk of a subarachnoid hemorrhage has declined to 59% of your risk while still smoking (2012 study). If a female ex-smoker, your risk of developing diabetes is now that of a non-smoker (2001 study). 5 to 15 years Your risk of stroke has declined to that of a non-smoker. 10 years Your risk of being diagnosed with lung cancer is between 30% to 50% of that for a continuing smoker (2005 study). Risk of death from lung cancer has declined by almost half if you were an average smoker (one pack per day). Risk of cancer of the mouth, throat, esophagus and pancreas have declined. Risk of developing diabetes for both men and women is now similar to that of a never-smoker (2001 study). 13 years The average smoker lucky enough to live to age 75 has 5.8 fewer teeth than a non-smoker (1998 study). But by year 13 after quitting, your risk of smoking induced tooth loss has declined to that of a never-smoker (2006 study). 15 years Your risk of coronary heart disease is now that of a person who has never smoked. Your risk of pancreatic cancer has declined to that of a never-smoker (2011 study - but note a 2nd pancreatic study making an identical finding at 20 years). 20 years If a female, your excess risk of death from all smoking related causes, including lung disease and cancer, has now reduced to that of a never-smoker (2008 study). Risk of pancreatic cancer has also declined to that of a never-smoker (2011 study).
  2. Thank you all very kindly. I completely forgot about my 7 year quit anniversary. Life happens which is a good thing!
  3. Thank you all very kindly.
  4. By @Angeleek Follow the link in the blog entry to the thread.
  5. Thank you so much, Doreen! The years sure do fly by.
  6. I may pin this thread - it's an eye opener.
  7. Welcome!
  8. If you scroll to the bottom of the page, in the center, there is a drop down box where you can choose the theme. The default is black but you can also choose a blue theme.
  9. What time was your last cigarette? If I remember, you were at 20/day and $6.50 per pack?
  10. If you're having any issues creating, adding to your signature, or any other issues, please note them here so we can try and figure this out. Thanks!
  11. Congrats, Doreen!!!
  12. You're almost at 1 month quit! That's awesome! This will soon pass and you'll be thankful that you didn't smoke.
  13. I have no idea but please post this on the main board and start your own thread about it. This is an S.O.S. tread from another member.
  14. Welcome, Mellymark! First things first. The only way you're going to smoke is to put one of those nasty sticks in your mouth and set it on fire. Make yourself a promise that you WILL NOT smoke ever again. Not for any reason or for no reason at all. You deserve to be a non-smoker. There are more former smokers than there are smokers so there is nothing unique to your quit that will cause you to keep smoking. The more time that you put in between smoking your last cigarette, the easier it gets - and the healthier you get! Today is Sunday, the day you quit smoking. Tomorrow morning is Monday. The first Monday morning after having quit smoking I can't quit because I'm addicted
  15. Nana20, I have moments like this and I haven't even thought about lighting up a cigarette in years. Your advice - it sounds like that is the advice that you're giving yourself right now...a little tough love to yourself. This has nothing to do with smoking or not smoking and everything to do with being human and just having a mood.
  16. Hi Lilley, I can merge both accounts into one instead of deleting the old one. Your last quit is part of your new one.
  17. Public health experts have welcomed the move by the central government to ban the use of tobacco products and spitting in public places to prevent the spread of coronavirus infection. States like Assam, Chandigarh, Delhi, Jharkhand, Haryana, Gujarat, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh among others are also penalising violators for spitting tobacco in public places. Read more at: https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/28-states-uts-ban-smokeless-tobacco-products-spitting-due-to-coronavirus/articleshow/75657382.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/28-states-uts-ban-smokeless-tobacco-products-spitting-due-to-coronavirus/articleshow/75657382.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst&fbclid=IwAR1yLwetGk-oZ6CNheeXwUnpc6RHuuMnvvaTFv0H8Ds5cAcE4M6NbyBTqxA
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  18. Thanks for posting and congrats on 41 days! This happens to a lot of people but in these times, a quick consult with a doctor is highly advisable. That said, the fact deep breathing makes you feel better is a good sign. Deep breathing techniques probably wouldn't do much if it was the virus. When you're anxious, this is just what happens. Remember, smoking DOES NOT CALM YOU DOWN. Smoking will not help and in fact, make it worse. Nicotine is a very powerful stimulant which raises your blood pressure and triggers adrenaline to start coursing through your body.
  19. Note to mention: Joel was doing quit smoking clinics while Allen Carr was still smoking.
  20. https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2020/world/corona-simulator/?itid=hp_no-name_hp-in-the-news%3Apage%2Fin-the-news
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QuitTrain®, a quit smoking support community, was created by former smokers who have a deep desire to help people quit smoking and to help keep those quits intact.  This place should be a safe haven to escape the daily grind and focus on protecting our quits.  We don't believe that there is a "one size fits all" approach when it comes to quitting smoking.  Each of us has our own unique set of circumstances which contributes to how we go about quitting and more importantly, how we keep our quits.

 

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