New to the Train, which I will call, in my state of mine....the Crazy Train

[Muddled Quince]

Hello....newbie here, but lurking for a week or so.  I am a 66 year old female that has been smoking for around 50 years and have no desire to quit, but it is time, due to early stages of emphysema and do not even want to be hooked up to an oxygen tank said amount of years down the road here.  Since March, I have attempted, many times to quit smoking and even tho, I have finally made it to 18 hours several times, just could not do so.  I am well able to get past the 3 to 5 minute cravings, but what I thought was brain fog, eyes half shut and some dizziness, was what I thought the withdrawal was and it was unbearable and I would cave and get a smoke. I have figured out in the last couple of days, that it is due to dry eyes, which I will elaborate maybe down the way on another post.  Anyway.....for this day....I deduced....smoke what I want and come tomorrow, around 2:00....I will water down whatever smokes I have and I will do this and not cave...this I know.  It is a little scary tho....but, I will not fail tomorrow.  So I do thank all of you for the posts that I have read that have helped me!!  And I do believe, at the moment, that what I think I enjoy about smoking, will cease to exist....but....it is...a letting go of the past and time for something new.

[QuittingGirl]

Welcome @Muddled Quince  to the Train!  So glad you found us, we are a really great group and can help you succeed.  As you know quitting smoking is very difficult, BUT it is also very doable, as all of our members can attest to. We have members here from newbies such as yourself, 10+ year quitters, one of our members is quit 20 years, and everyone in between.  The beginning few months are the worst as we all know.  I have been quit for over 2 years and what helped me in the beginning was to take cinnamon sticks and pretend they were cigarettes.  I would suck the air in and pretend I'm blowing it out.  They tasted really good, so much better than an actual cigarette.  If you don't like cinnamon, you can use cut up straws.  I used the cinnamon for about 3 months or so. I had many many moments where I thought I was gonna go nuts from the withdrawal symptoms, but I got through it.

 

Read everything you can on here as there is a lot of information and videos.  There is a games section to help keep your mind off of smoking and if you really get a bad craving, there is an SOS section.  Since our members are from all over the world, someone is usually on at all times.  Take this one day at a time, on minute at a time, if you have to. Also do the daily NOPE pledge, you will see the section on the main board.  I do it every day as I find it helps to keep me focused.  Stay close to this forum as we can really give you the support you need. 

 

You can definitely do this!! I hope to see you again! 

 

P.S. "Crazy Train" in your subject line, how appropriate since the passing of Ozzy yesterday. 

Edited Wednesday at 01:10 PM by QuittingGirl

[beazel]

So happy you made the decision to quit smoking, it will truly be one of the best decisions of your life,

 

Read, read, read. There is a ton of information here, along with great posts from folks that know exactly what you are going through.

 

The only way over it is through it, and that's where it gets tough. Your mind set is important. So remember Smoking Is Not An Option...NO MATTER WHAT!

 

No matter what is a biggie. We tend to use those excuses too easily. No excuses! Smoking won't make a difference to any situation.

 

Also remember that smoking is an addiction. It helped me when I realized I wasn't changing/fixing a habit. It's an addiction.

 

I brought up strength from within that I never knew I had. You can do it!!

 

Please post often. It helps. There are no lame posts, we want to hear all the good, the bad, and the ugly. The people here want to help, support, and lift you up when necessary.

 

I hope you threw away all smoking paraphernalia. You don't need that stuff anymore.      Take smoking off the table.   Stay close to the board.

KTQ      

[Doreensfree]

Hello and welcome muddled to The Crazy Train ….I like this ..as most of the time it is crazy here ..

Im so pleased you decided to take a seat ..rather than watch from the wings .

Being involved with everyone one here helps your quit and everyone else travelling to Freedom ..

make sure you read all the green pinned threads on our Maim Discussion Board …there is lots of tips to help you along …

every time you beat a crave you have won a battle …before you know it you will win your war ..

Your right to not want to spend your days hooked up to an oxygen tank ..I watched my hubby spend his last days,weeks ,years this way …

[johnny5]

Welcome @Muddled Quince and congratulations on deciding to quit smoking.  Yes, it can be a tough decision and can be tough early on but it is very doable, as lots of people here can attest.

 

I hope you stick around.  Read a lot of posts from the Quit Smoking Discussions section of our post, pledge NOPE (Not One Puff Ever) in the Daily NOPE section of the site once you feel comfortable, and feel free to reach out for help as you need it.

 

It is great to have you here.

[Muddled Quince]

Thank you all for the warm welcome!!  I ended up going to the eye doctor and yes, the withdrawal is affecting my eyes,  which reminds me of my last chest cold, when they put me on a big antibiotic and big steroids and I walked around all day like a zombie and felt half asleep, lol....so in my mind, at this point...it is....Suck It Up Buttercup and let's get this done.  I will pledge the N.O.P.E. once I do a walk around here and get rid of the NRT's and all of the other stuff.  And thank you again for being here, as I know full well, come morning, it will not be pleasant!!

[Reciprocity]

Welcome aboard the Quit Train @Muddled Quince! I won't add musg more to what other wise quitters have already talked about. YES, you can do it if it's really important to you, which it now should be if you've been diagnosed with early stages of emphysema. Nothing but fresh air should enter your lungs from this day forward. It's not just a nice idea; it's now imperative and we can and will be most happy to help you achieve your ultimte goal   Stick around and post often no matter how you're feeling. We can help you put this fight and the challenges along the way into perspective. The turbulant times of quitting don't last all that long in the grand scheme of things and there is a whole world of benefits that will be yours aside from health improvements and money saved - like Freedom from being a daily slave to nicotine for instance - that's a biggie!!

 

Anyway, welcome and be sure to stick around!

[Muddled Quince]

Why is there no posts from this year on the S.o.S board?

 

[Reciprocity]

9 hours ago, Muddled Quince said:

Why is there no posts from this year on the S.o.S board?

 

I gather you're referring to the Pre-Respond to your own SOS Thread?

I suppose no new members thought it important to post one for themselves. It is a really good idea though to post one up for yourself to read immediately if you feel you are losing focus on your reason(s) to quit. Urges to light up in the early days/weeks can be strong at times, cloudingyourlogicalthinking.It's good to set out in writing somewhere exactly why you are quitting and why it's important to you. Can act as a wake-up call should your mind starts to wander. 

 

Posting to the SOS section when you find yourself in trouble with your quit is always a good idea! It lets others know you're struggling and people can jump in to offer a life line to you; talk you off the ledge so to speak. Too many have not bothered to ask for help and have allowed the nicodemon to sweet talk them into lighting up again. Always remember ... there's no such thing as 'just one'!

[beazel]

9 hours ago, Muddled Quince said:

Why is there no posts from this year on the S.o.S board?

 

The June/July post is from this year.

 

I tell you from personal experience, the SOS works.

 

I posted an SOS over 8 years ago and it was like people had alarms go off is their houses!

 

Not only did several people immediately respond, but they stayed with me until I reassured them that I was okay.

 

The first year of my journey was on a different site and I was a mess. I wish I could go back and read my threads/posts from that time but they are gone forever.

 

How is your day going?

KTQ

[Muddled Quince]

Well that is good to know then.  Post for one's own S.O.S, is like sometimes I will journal, then go back and read as needed to remind myself.  My day is just beginning KTQ and have almost 10 hours of no smoking.  It already feels like it is going to be a long day, but I know, that I will not give in today.  But will keep busy with Farmtown, movies and I picked up a really pretty shade of crochet yarn to try, as it has been years since I have made anything.

[Doreensfree]

Your doing great Muddled 

Just a reminder , you can post a daily 

NOPE while your on NRT…

Its a powerful tool , that will help you along each day

[Reciprocity]

You have a good strategy there @Muddled Quince! Keep yourself busy and distracted from the withdrawal symptoms. Those are just temporary anyway so do what ever you can to stay distracted and doing things not part of your daily routines or at least do things in a different order so your routine seems different. Doing that will keep your mind engaged on what you're trying to do. Remember, if you find yourself with nothing to focus on go to the games page and get involved there. It's just a bunch of word games mostly but they are at least time passers and once you get involved in some of them, you'll also get to know other site members better on a personal level. It's all good fun and the objective is the same ... to help get you quit!!

[Muddled Quince]

I did so today and almost at 24 hours and just posted on another post. If the dizzyness was not present on withdrawalll, but soooo much easier, but no, in my life, I have to do things the hard way!