quit smoking support @ woofmang.com

tbfoster1 · Quit Date: **January 1, 2006** Posts: 7 Location: Virginia Beach

Hello folks,

I smoke over a pack a day and I'm getting tired of the way I feel alot of the times. I always say I am going to quit after I finish off a carton but then the next day comes and I'm back at it.

Heres the thing, I'd like to know what are the immediate benenits to quitting smoking...from day 1 to 1 month. I know about the longer term benefits and although they are great they do not motivate me. I guess I have a "It won't happen to me" attitude. Even saving money doesn't motivate me.

Let me tell ya'll a little about whats been on my mind about smoking.

The morning cigarette used to be my favorite but now when I wake up my chest is tight and its hard to breathe...it is also hard to breathe after eating so that cigarette isn't as good.

Also I noticed when I run out of cigarettes and am too lazy to go get some right away I get alot of things done around the house and such. I don't know if thats from lack of smoke in my lungs or just that I am not taking a smoke break every 15 minutes.

I seem to restless at night and I am always up around 6 am even on days off, but the afternoon comes and I tend to nap alot.

I was also wondering how cigarettes affect the mind. If I quit will I think better, quicker, remember more?

What kind of emotions will I face the first few days? I used to have a short fuse and I'm afraid of that coming back.

I've heard of tips to quit smoking like get rid of ashtrays and cigarettes but people in my household smoke and they aren't quitting for nobody so that tip is out the door. Does anyone know any tips for someone in that situation.

I want to quit but at the same time I feel it hopeless. I am getting to the point where I hate cigarettes but as I say that, I'm thinking about smoking one after I submit this post.

Like I said above, I'm looking for immediate benefits so if anyone can share everything good and bad they felt after a day, few days and such I would be greatly appreciative

Thank you

Kerry · Quit Date: **May 4, 2004** Posts: 856 Location: Illinois

Read the post called "Will I ever undo the damage" It is in this forum and read the post by Lisa. It explains a LOT and it really motivated me. After 27 years I'm almost quit a year and a half. AND WELCOME!!! Kerry

mtwilsonranch · Posted: October 26, 2005 10:24 PM Post subject:

Welcome to woofmang,

I was a smoker for 50 years, a 2 pk a day smoker and I have quit this addiction cold turkey...

We go through physical withdrawals and psychological withdrawals.....

Because I noticed right off that I could breath without coughing, it made the physical withdrawal acceptable for me...Yes there are urges, I stopped the feedings and I needed to maintain a serum nicotine level in my blood stream, so the urges,....but they last only about 3 minutes and then they pass.....................about 72 hours and the nicotine is pretty much out of the system.......
3 days and my energy level increased, my skin and eyes looked better, my feet and finger nails were pink.....and the wheezing in my lungs had decreased, and I no longer needed my inhailer to breath Very Happy

I also started to cough up the gunk in my lungs...My body is healing and today at 4 months I feel so alive and can walk without stopping for air, and it seems as if I have better concentration......

But because we have been smokers, we need to learn about nicotine and how it affects us........

I would recommend that you read the Tales at this web site, also visit the FFS site and whyquit.com. you will find these link at the top of the page under LINKS

The FFS site has a great program designed to help in the quitting process..Information is power, and the key to success is information and the tools to fight this addiction.....and the most important ingredient in this quitting process is you, your attitude, your belief and your trust in your ability to overcome...........

Pam
_________________

Right Now, this minute, this hour, this day, I choose not to feed my addiction....

wiley · Quit Date: **March 20, 2005** Posts: 357 Location: NYC

Welcome!

It's hard not to feel hopless when you are in the throws of addiction. The amazing thing is that everyone on the boards has felt the same way at some point and yet we learned about the addiction, made a plan, stuck to it, and quit. Read Kevin's tales from the quit, good stuff.

The most iimmediate things for me were-
I and my house smelled better
My taste buds and smell came back (wow)
More money in my pocket, lots more time to do stuff
I felt homest and present
Began to cough up all this gunk
I started to really believe I could do it............

Wiley

marw · Quit Date: - Posts: 3634 Location: Chicago, IL

Hello, and welcome to woofmang. Quitting is hard at first, but it is much easier if you do the Program at Freedom from Smoking at Amercian Lung Association. It is free, and VERY helpful!!

I found the following at whyquit.com:

Deb · Posted: October 27, 2005 8:02 AM Post subject:

Welcome!

Don't feel hopeless, you can really do this if you really want to. I too reccomend that you visit the American lung associations FFS online, as it is a great quit aid, work the mods and post often.

Giving up the nic is a very difficult journey but, remember you are not alone, everyone here is so supportive and can be of utmost importance in your times of need. Come on, give it a shot you are so worth it. Very Happy

Deb

Kerry · Quit Date: **May 4, 2004** Posts: 856 Location: Illinois

Thanks Margaret, that was the post I was talking about but I still can figure out how to cut/paste/copy/quote etc. I think I need to take a class Laughing

Pamela · Quit Date: - Posts: 3538 Location: Gardiner, NY

Hi TB, if you to to the "getting Quit" forum, and the very first post is a sticky post called "stacking the odds in your favor". It's full of tips from everyone here on helping you to get quit.

It would take me a few days to answer all your questions, but the short answer is...I did it, you can too! Nothing is impossible...this is possible! It's not easy, but many of us here are fantastic quitters, and will give you the support you need. It's up to you to set your quit date and make it happen. You have nothing to lose!

GO!
_________________

FIVE + years of freedom and loving it!

Fightn4life · Posted: October 28, 2005 3:36 AM Post subject:

I know first hand what it is like to quit smoking while living with a chain smoker.

I had to tell my self (still do) this is my quit, my choice, and my life. My hubby is a chain smoker, I do wish he would smoke out doors but even though we have talked about this many times, He still smokes in the house.

I will say it is not the easiest thing I have done but it is possible. I made up my mind and he made up his mind. There are several of us that have stopped smoking and remained smoke free by choice while living with smokers.

You can do did, believe in your self and take all the advise given to you from others.

Sandyz
2 years quit
_________________

"Keep your heart open to dreams. For as long as there's a dream, there is hope, and as long as there is hope, there is joy in living."

~Anonymous

jlynn931 · Quit Date: **July 23, 2009** Posts: 783 Location: MA

tb,
i have been quit for 9 days (using the patch) and here is what i have noticed:

i smell better; although i could never really smell the smoke on me before, now i can smell it on other people and i can't believe i used to smell like that.
i can breathe much easier; running up a flight of stairs doesn't get me out of breath anymore.
my sense of taste is coming back.
i feel calmer (although the first few days i had a VERY short fuse and was very fidgety)

as far as sleep... i have had problems sleeping since i quit, but that may be due to the patch. i seem to remember from a previous quit that sleep got to be "normal" after about a month.
it's too early yet for me to guess as to whether it affects the mind. my mind is still mush most of the time.

hope this is of some help to you and hope to see you around soon!

Jenny

tbfoster1 · Posted: November 2, 2005 7:28 AM Post subject:

Thank you everyone for your input.

I haven't had a chance to look at those modules and things you were talking about yet....Actually I've had plenty of time but I've been too busy sleeping at odd times because of smoking. Its really starting to take a toll on me. I am going to look into everything today hopefully and set a quit date.

Everytime I think about a quit date, I try to time it for when I think I will run out of cigarettes. One I hate to waste something and two I keep telling myself that if I have them in the house I will be tempted to smoke them. I'm starting to look at it now as even if I didn't have them in the house a pack of cigarettes is only 3 blocks away. Either way, in the house or 3 blocks away at the gas station they will always be around me. I need to realize that and stop making excuses.

I sit here feeling horrible once again and still wanting a cigarette. I really want to do this right. Hopefully I will have a quit date by the days end. Something in the very near future.

Thanks again

~Trevor

jlynn931 · Quit Date: **July 23, 2009** Posts: 783 Location: MA

Trevor,
you are definitely making excuses for yourself. i used to do the same thing. i would try to plan it just right so that i would run out. i quit many times and threw away 5 or 6 remaining from a pack. i am using the patch and put one on in the middle of the day i quit after i ran out. that was actually an unsuccessful attempt and my last day of smoking was at a birthday party for a friend where i bummed off other people all night so i had none left to get rid of at the end of the night.
you say you live with other smokers. what about giving away the rest when you decide to quit so they won't be wasted? as far as them always being at the store...unfortunately they will always be there. i go to the store and buy scratch tickets instead. still a waste of money but at least you might get some of it back!
it is doable. look around at the other people here. some have apouses who still smoke. the most important thing is to do it for you.
jenny

Melody · Posted: November 2, 2005 9:27 AM Post subject:

tbfoster1 · Posted: November 3, 2005 7:57 AM Post subject:

Ok I have set my quit date for Monday Nov 7. That will give me about 4 days to prepare and if I have any cigarettes left, I will break them and through them out Sunday night after the Redskins vs. Eagles game...Go Skins...Go me...lol

Just out of curiosity, has anyone found more success quitting on a weekend as opposed to a weekday. One of the reasons I picked Monday is because I figure I will have less free time to think about smoking

Thanks again
~Trevor

kevin · Posted: November 3, 2005 11:19 AM Post subject:

go for it, trevor! Smile

_________________

keep choosing life!

kevin

tales from the quit