I gave up smoking yesterday, hows others doing?

[Lizzy 0]

Well yeah i did it, after all the lame excuses i keep finding for myself to keep going, i have finally thought, theres is NONE, for example yeah i am going home to UK next week and my mom smokes, oh ill wait till after that.. immigration is hard.......oh i wont die from smoking....always an excuse, well no more.

I am using the 21mg patches, i am eating strawberry Twizzler's like there is no tomorrow, and drinking lots of water BUT i am not getting all these chemicals in my body

I have been smoking since i was 20, i am 30 now. I do not know why now, i just looked at my daughter and thought, thats it! maybe god thought is was time..... who knows. I tried to quit last month lasted 7 hours, this time will last a lifetime. (i hope lol)

I was looking for some facts about this (seems to help me, do not know why) there about life expectancy etc.

A 35 year old smoker can still live 35 years.

A 35 year old non smoker can live 53 years or more.

The amount of life expectancy lost for one packet of ciggs is 28 minutes.

Every cigg you smoke takes off 11 minutes from your life

Theres more but ill leave it.

Hope all that gave up earlier in the year, are still doing ok!

Thanks for reading, Mel

[GaryC 7]

Good for you! Keep at it. I know that it was the HARDEST thing I have ever done. I stopped and started back up so many times I was loosing hope. I could get to the point where I hadn't smoked for 3 weeks or so and I started telling myself "you can just smoke one". Well, I am here to tell you this. One leads to two. Two leads to four. Soon your right back at it. That was the hardest thing for me to get through my own thick head. NO CHEATING!! NOT EVEN ONE!! I think I have made it now. I haven't smoked in a very long time. (10 weeks I think) and I haven't worn a patch in about 5 days now. I get a little fidgety now and again but I am handling it. My main crutch is Juicy Fruit Gum. I go through a pack of that each day. I am trying to cut that back now for the sake of my teeth. I still take the Wellbutrin. It will be the last crutch I give up.

Sorry to go on and on. This has been the battle of my life. It's been a central part of my life for 32 years and it is so hard to get myself into that "mindset" that I am no longer a smoker. I am getting there and so can you.

The biggest piece of advice to give you is this. The battle isn't the addiction. That can be overcome with the patches and gum. The real battle is the habit. You have to change the way you look at yourself. You gotta look at yourself as someone who doesn't smoke rather than a smoker that has stopped. There is the real secret.

GOOD LUCK!!!!

[Mags 112]

Good luck Lizzy!

[SoL. 0]

Good luck! It's not an easy task but it's the best decision, you'll feel better soon.

Edited February 10, 2007 by Sol-de-Verano

[Robor007 0]

Congrats on a great decision. Be strong - you can do it!