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OK, I'm back home. So far, so good, no smoking inside the house anyway. Hope you all don't mind me using you for a life line (well, what else is new - it's SI!).

I've put an open packet of cheese pops on top of my purse, so when I'm setting off to buy nicotine, I'll have to go through those. The idea is to put up some 'road bumps'.

Here's a list of things I can do when I get the urge:

- set a timer for 15 minutes and work on something else (find a job, work out a proposal for a client, advertise for my newest project - whichever changes the pace of whatever I was doing).

- find a cat and cuddle.

- pick up some handicraft for 15 minutes.

- tidying/decluttering for 15 minutes (gotta love Flylady).

- play the fiddle for 15 minutes.

- prep/eat the healthy nibbles I just bought.

- do a RET-analysis of the urge and my response to it.

Any other ideas are very welcome!

About the AD's: I'm very reluctant to try them for help. Some of my friends did, and seemed to fall right back fairly soon. Obviously, they helped you, so perhaps they're worth the side effects and the 'cognitive' risk of starting up again once I'm weaned of the meds. I think I'll see how things go through the first week.

For now, I feel grumpy - and pretty much fed up with myself. Good thing nobody's around .

Have a lovely day!

~L.

edited for spelling

[This message edited by leftoolate at 3:46 AM, January 17th (Friday)]

Well, I'm nagging at myself, and defying my own resolution, and scolding myself, and poking fun at myself, all at the same time. It's annoying. I should have put 'take a nap for the rest of the day' on my to do list.

Off to set my timer now.

~L.

Stay strong LTL!!!

You are stronger than nicotine addiction!

Don't let this get the best of you!

Think of nicotine as the monster under your bed or in your closet when you were a kid. It may be scary to deal with at the moment but after you do it can never bother you again.

The first 24 hours is the hardest.

Take a pillow and dress it up as a pack of cigarettes and use it for a punching back for 20 minutes when you get the urge.

The goal of quitting is worth what it takes to get there.

You CAN do this!

Ok...I'm in.

I will try not to be the worst person evah.

I am scared (owning my shit)...

(Eranda. Simply. Rocks. btw)

and

I'ma been procrastinating on this like, forever.

Gonna need lots of help & support.

Canya help 'drag' (haha a pun!) me over the finish-line?

A couple of helpful links:

http://forums.quitnet.com/community/talk/

&

http://allencarr.com/

Hi jjct, thanks for joining - and good luck. Well, perhaps not so much luck. Lots of strength & courage, then.

I just managed to completely dishearten myself. Got frustrated (not even nicotine related, stuff happens), went for a stroll, bought a brand new pack an lighter, and lit up. Stopped seeing stars after the first few drags . Not sure if I should stop beating myself up about it quite yet, but I should definitely STOP SMOKING. Eejit.

I did like Allan Carr's windscreen wiper analogy. I'll chalk it up to something similar for now.

BTW, lowner - how do you know I can do this? How did you know you could do this? Beforehand, obviously...

Oh, I did drown the rest of the pack and threw it in the bin. What a waste. First 24 hours starting all over again.

~L.

[This message edited by leftoolate at 7:20 AM, January 17th (Friday)]

Leftoolate....

Quitting is so unbelievably hard, there were times that I would have killed someone for a cigarette...but each day that I conquered was one more day I was in control of *me*

It's been over 8 years since MH and I have picked up a cigarette and I still miss it. I really, really loved smoking

If you haven't done this already, I highly encourage you to call the American Cancer Society. They were so incredibly helpful with quitting tips, information and a really great support system...all for free

I know how hard it is to quit and be successful...you have my full support!

Back in the saddle!

I've got 3 more - I'm weaning, trying to anyway...

No till after lunch.

Baby steps.

Good for you jj!!!! You're stronger than the nicotine

You CAN do it. Others have done it before you. You have said that you want to quit, that is the first step. Your body wants you to quit, too! Once you overcome the hurdle in your mind, you're there!

My body was telling me it was time to quit. I had headaches from smoking. I had the cough. I knew it was time. I planned to quit on a business trip where I would be out of town for a week last November. I thought it would be easier with a change of habitat for a few days. I actually quit the week before while still at home.

My daughter also was encouraging me to quit. She's 10, and knows it's bad. I wanted to improve the example I was setting for them.

It's like all of the good reasons to quit were starting to outweigh my need for smoking. Once that realization hit my brain, it was over.

I'm sorry if I sounded over the top trying to encourage you. Once you quit for good, you will be glad you did, no doubt about it.

Ha, thanks Deeply Scared and lowner, for the support. I don't mind over the top

I'm going to see about the Dutch equivalent of the American Cancer Society, and I did sign up for the quit-site you mentioned, jjct. Now that's over the top. Very cheerful, and all. Grmph.

I agree that it's easier to not smoke while you're routines or surroundings are different than usual. On holiday with my family, I barely notice not smoking. Once I'm back to business as usual - well, I'm back to smoking. On the other hand, sometimes it's more difficult. I have a weekend away coming up, without my husband and kids, with music and fun all day long and lots of aquaintances to catch up with. I'll really need to be done smoking by then. Any wavering, and I'll bum my way though the weekend, I'm sure.

How're you doing, jjct? Feel the relief yet? I know it's coming.....

~L.

I quit several years ago. Of course started again after a year off. When I did quit I visited the whyquit.com website daily.

Drink juice, preferably cranberry juice. It speeds the bodies ability to remove the nicotine from the body. Make a list of the reasons you want to quit. View it when tempted. Add to the list as you think of new reasons. Only try to worry about one day at a time. Reward yourself daily for hitting your daily goal.

Keep in mind that whenever you light up again you start the withdrawl process all over again.

[This message edited by dontknowwhyme at 12:28 PM, January 17th (Friday)]

Have a good deep breath, jjct.

I'm off to bed, on to the next...

~L.

MisterSister is so grumpy I almost want him to smoke. He is against Chantix and other drugs.

there were times that I would have killed someone for a cigarette..

I feel this way about DH, that I want to kill him because he can't have a cigerette. I don't let him know this because I really, really want him to quit.

He really is interested in the e-cigs. He is a Marlboro man, any suggestions on what e-cigs that may be helpful to him? Do you get hooked on the e-cigs?

leftoolate, yes you can do it. Many have, but I wasn't as addicted as some. I quit cold turkey and wasn't much bothered, I was only smoking for a couple of years. I am glad you drowned the rest of the pack! *big pat on the back* You just pick yourself up and get back on the quitting train!

[This message edited by SisterMilkshake at 6:57 PM, January 17th (Friday)]

I'm going to post a little primer on e-cigs because many people have asked me about them.

'Morning all. Hope you're having a good night, jjct. And that you haven't killed, SisterMilkshake .

As far as I know, nicotine addiction is a fairly small part of smoking. There's a mental and behavioural component that's a lot bigger. Not sure an e-cig would satisfy a real Marlboro man, but its worth a shot if he's willing. My e-cig looks like a regular cigarette: white tube with a yellowish 'filter'. It's a bit larger and a lot heavier than a cigarette, though, and it glows up blue when you take a puff. I think it's called a supersmoker, and I'm not sure what the dosage is. You're better off visiting Eranda's post if you want actual advice.

Time for breakfast! I wonder when my sense of taste will improve... Not that I noticed any decline, but an improvement would still be nice.

~L.

Hi all, as usual I am late to the party. So I quit actual cigarettes on Dec 9 2013 and started using the vapor system as nicotine substitute. I stepped down over a few weeks and on Jan 6 2014 I went nicotine free. I have gained weight, , I also started drinking water (I NEVER drink water, I have unintentionally somehow given up soda too) I haven't killed anyone yet, though some of the potential victims would have been justifiable and a couple I could have gotten medals for taking out, just saying. I have developed a maddening addiction to Jelly Bellies. The worst for me is the after a meal thing. Cigarettes would "finish" the meal for me and suppress the want for more food. Now, a loaf of bread or a tub of Jelly Bellies later, I gain another 20 lbs every meal. Ugh, this is why I smoked for so long. I can't stop eating

Hi all, nice and busy Saturday. I had some trouble running errands by myself, but taking it moment by moment, and allowing for the urge to buy seem to help.

Good to see you, IrishLass. I'm quite worried about weight gain. Even without eating more, your metabolism needs to adjust to doing without nicotine . If smoking signifies the end of a meal for you, perhaps you can introduce a substitute? I'd even go so far as to suggest breaking out the chocolate for this. Just a square or two after dinner may be a good stop signal, and it'll do its happy magic in your brain as well. The darker the chocolate, the better (less sugar, more cocoa). Just don't overdo it...

Jjct, how are you doing?

~L.

Turns out I evaluate pretty much all plans/events to include a 'smoking moment'. It's almost impossible to imagine not smoking. Very strange...

~L.

I have been smoke free for 8 days now and it's tough but the one thing I told myself when a craving kicked in and it got bad was "this won't kill me, smoking will". Yeah it's corny but got me through the worst of it. Good luck!!!

Hi,

Although I never considered myself a "smoker"--that is, I would buy a pack once in a while, smoke a few, throw out the pack, repeat in a few months--I decided a few years ago that I was in fact edging closer to really becoming a smoker. And then when infidelity hit, I knew I would either stop completely or go the other way and become an official Smoker.

I decided to begin nicotine gum/lozenges. It worked. I have not smoked. Except....yup--I became addicted to nicotine substitutes. So my next step is to kick those.

The e-cigarette never worked for me as it resembled too closely real cigarettes and thus I found myself going back to the real thing--or sucking them down one right after the other. Very expensive.

Finally, my brother was the heaviest smoker I've ever known--four packs a day--and he was the last I'd ever imagine to quit. But he did, using the transdermal nicotine patch--as well as a result of a big health scare. AND he met his life-partner. He really changed his life around.

In any case, I know hard it is. Since we are on SI, use the NC approach: you know it is bad for you. Really bad. If you fall off, dust yourself off and get at it again. And again and again.

Best of luck to you.