Breathless57

​NOPE

My quit date was originally last Friday and today is Tuesday, so I am already behind the ball. The reason I didn't start last Friday is because I was reading the EasyWay to Quit by Allen Carr and he said to keep smoking until I finished the entire book. Also, I have joined a community quit smoking group which meets tomorrow night. I guess it meets once a week and you can continue as long as you want. So I just finished my last cigarette and I am looking forward to starting my new life. Yesterday, I totally cleaned and defumed my car so I would not have to bear that smell anymore. That's my first happy step in this journey. Today I plan to remove all ashtrays, butts, lighters, and anything else related in my house. It's trash pick up day so perfect timing. I have been smoking for almost 40 years so I know this will be rough at times, but I also know I am a strong person and I just have to keep my eye on the ball and keep reminding myself that I made the right decision. My go to's will be this forum group, my Allen Carr book, and my community support group. I have always had trouble asking others for help so I need to remind myself that its okay to ask. I am going to get started now. Wishing everybody a smoke free day!

This is the only good thing you have ever done for yourself. Put all that garbage in the past and be the person you have wanted to be. Be a shark, Shark's don't swim backwards, only forward. Give it a minute and think about it. It will pass. You made the right decision. Every day that passes will get better. Signed, You Got This!

Hi Angie, I am new here too. I have recently decided to give up this ugly monster for good. I plan to quit on Friday, June 2. I know the first week will be very challenging. I really believe that concentrating on the positive things this will do for me will help me overcome the urge to continue poisoning my self. Quitting is the best gift you can give yourself. You can do this......

I have been smoking for 40 years. I smoked my first cigarettes at around 16 years old. Actually, it wasn’t a peer pressure thing. It was something I did alone. Growing up with six brothers, my dad, and no mother I was often lonely and depressed. I felt totally left out. My dad and older brothers all smoked. My first smoking experience was one of my dad’s cigarette butts. It tasted horrible and made me sick. However, after it was over I kind of felt that I accomplished something. That I was now equal to them and I would have to be included. After that, I would hide away every chance I got and smoke in private. Especially any time I was hurt, angry or depressed. It was my new friend and made me feel I didn’t need anyone else. By the time I graduated and was out on my own, I was pretty much hooked. From there I smoked whenever I was in any mood. It always took my mind off things or helped me deal with whatever I was feeling. It was my time for me, me and my friend. Smoking helps me get awake in the morning and motivates me to get my day started. What’s the point of getting up if you have no energy and feel like your dragging butt already. Just the thought of that surge of nicotine waiting for me at the kitchen table made me want to get up. So I get up every day to say good morning to my friend. Only then can I start my day. I think in order to get past this must have cigarette maybe I could drag myself to the bathroom and brush my teeth and gargle. Once my mouth is fresh I won’t be in such a hurry to put that dirty thing in my mouth. Smoking helps me calm down when I am upset or stressed out. How does it do that? I guess I have always believed that it must be the nicotine calming my nerves. Of course, I think that actually it’s because I am stopping whatever I was doing and taking the time out to smoke a cigarette which gives me the time to calm down. I should have been just giving myself a time out. Take a quick walk, do 10 deep breathing exercises, go outside and scream “I’m mad as hell and just can’t take it anymore”. Yep, I definitely need to find a good time out method. Smoking helps when I am bored. I notice I smoke the most when I am doing mundane things. I cannot seem to watch TV, Drive, talk on the phone, pay bills, spend time on the computer, etc. without reaching for a cigarette constantly. How does smoking help me concentrate on these things? I guess it’s just busy work for my hands. I don’t even realize I am doing it, or that I just finished one. People say you just need to suck on candy or chew on a toothpick or tap a pencil…….blah blah blah. I think this is actually when I need to pull out the Big Gun…..the dreaded Yuck Jar (the one with cigarette butts and a little water in a small jar with a lid). Every time I reach for a cigarette, I should reach for the Yuck Jar and take a big whiff. That should bring me to my senses or send me running to throw up somewhere. A little negative reinforcement can be helpful. Smoking is my personal time for me and my personal reward system. When I want to relax or I get finished doing some household chore and I get to take a break, it’s my reward. It is my opportunity to give myself something. I deserve it, I deserve the time out to do it, It’s my time for myself. Boy that sounds stupid and selfish. What kind of reward is that. I get to put poisons in my body. I need a different way to take that relaxing time out for myself. I am not the kind of person to strike a Buda pose and hum, nor do I want to plop down on the couch and eat bon bons. I don’t know how to relax. What can I do during that 5 to 10-minute break to relax instead of smoking. Maybe that is when I should turn to my online support and get that pep talk. A little positive reinforcement. My last smoke of the day is to relax me and to hold me over until the morning cigarette. I go to bed immediately after the last cigarette. Well, another tough one to lose. It’s not like I can never to go bed. I have a couple good books on quitting smoking. Maybe I should read those for the last half hour before bed. This might give me that support to get past it. Plus, I have heard you often dream about whatever you were doing last. I have often dreamed I was smoking and dropped my cigarette. I have even woken up in a panic looking for the cigarette. Wow! There are so many reasons why I no longer want to be a smoker. There are the obvious: My health, cost, disgusting smell, it takes up my time, it is no longer socially acceptable, it’s a bad example for my grandkids, and it controls my life. I want my car and home to smell good and fresh. I want my hair/body/breath to smell good. I want my clothes and purse to smell good. I am tired of wasting money. I don’t want to keep poisoning myself. I want to breath better and not get sick so often. I don’t want it interfering with where I go and who I hang around. I don’t want to stress out because I am running low on cigarettes. I don’t want it to be a barrier regarding how close I let people get to me because I am afraid they will smell it. I want to have more energy, stamina and ability to do the things I want to do. I want to control my own life and I want to say goodbye to my fake friend. So sorry for the length.....I just had to get it all out.

Hello, it sounds like we are both on the same journey. I just signed up to this site today. I have finally made the decision that I am going to quit smoking. I know I will need all the tips, help and support I can get. If I am able to pass on any support to you I would truely like that.