Anyone around who wants to quit smoking?

[sensfan1960]

Hi I'm Sue and I'm addicted to nicotine.
I hate it!!
It's the worst addiction in the world and I want it out of my life!!
I've quit a million times and I want to do it again FOREVER!
I'm 46 years young...have smoked since I was 13. My father passed away of lung cancer when he was 58 in 1988...my mother has had colon cancer and I guess it would be safe to say that I am at a high risk.
I want to quit cold turkey and I would LOVE to have others join me on here to do so.
I'm heading to Toronto on a business trip today and there will hardly be anywhere to smoke as I'm at a conference for 3 days and in a non-smoking hotel. I'm going to give it my best shot as I'm leaving here today at 3pm to get my flight.

PLEASE...will anyone join me on this journey??? Is there anyone out there who is an ex-smoker who would be willing to support me?

Looking forward to hearing from you

[ValidRouge]

Hi, Sue! I quit smoking in July cold turkey, and I'd absolutely LOVE to help you get through YOUR quit! Read the forums here, there are some threads that have some really good information about smoking and low carb. Kylie is another member who recently quit. And Lyssie quit in September I think it was. Brook, too.

A quit smoking website that helped me tremedously was www.whyquit.com My sister tried to quit using drugs (wellbutrin) and lozenges and was having a really really tough time. I gave her that website, she ditched the pills and the lozenges and is now smoke free. The guy who writes the site is a real no-nonsense guy, and I like that.

Basically, you just have to white knuckle it through. 3 days to get the nicotine and other chemicals OUT of your body. 2 weeks to get past most of the bad psychological addictions. You can take cranberry extract pills to help get the toxins out of your system faster. I took them, I can't say if it actually helped or not. My quit, when I decided to do it, really wasn't *that* bad. Personally I think quitting carbs were much much worse than quitting the smokes.

[sensfan1960]

Hi Joy and THANK YOU!!
I will take you up on that.
I've added you to my buddies list and you can be sure you will be hearing from me...
I've bookmarked the website and WILL be reading every bit of it. I've also read Allan Carr's book which was great and gave me some helpful tools.
I know I'm ready.
I know I'm a stress smoker as well. Last time I quit it was either start smoking again or choke my 14 year old son...so I smoked...sigh...an excuse as any other I guess but the stress of being a single mom with a teenage boy without any emotional support from his dead beat Dad is hard. I need to learn how to get through those...I know if I figure that out I'll be fine.
Perhaps now that I've started exercising I can work out my stress on my elliptical machine...didn't think of that...
It's mind over matter...I know that...I know EVERYTHING there is to know so there is not one GOOD excuse anymore.
I hate the smell on my clothes...my hair...on others...it's just plain GROSS!!
Thanks again Joy...I need someone on this journey with me.
Hugs

[WheresMeFeet]

Hiya Sue!

Congrats on your decision to quit!

I quit the dreaded ciggies 2yrs in Sept and it was the best thing I ever did!

You have to be ready to do it though.
I had smoked from the age of 12 and for the last 10 or so years I was on 30+ a day........More when socialisding! God I must have stunk!!
Hubby was a smoker too and still is (he's weak I say! Lol jk).

I used nicotine replacement to help me, in the form of a minty gum. I used the 4mg strength for a couple of weeks then moved to the 2mg. Couple of weeks later I came off that before that became an addiction!
Using a replacement therapy was the best thing for me....I mean...why suffer?!
At the end of the day though it's an individual choice. Do it in whichever way you feel best.
To be honest it was an easy thing to do! Friends and family still can'
t believe I quit...to this day I still get asked "You still not smoking?" lol.
I thought I would really struggle as I always had a fag in my hand...but I didn't. It's similar to weight loss.......you need to be in the right mind set to succeed. Something just clicked in my head!
If I had known it would be so easy I would have done it years. I too have lost people close to me through the dreaded 'Big C', one of them being my father. Even with all the knowledge from that time in my life I didn't quit. I wasn't ready. I have only tried the once to quit and succeeded.
Like I said before it's down to your mind set. If you want it bad enough you will succeed.

Hopefully I will stay a non smoker! In fact I can say for deffo I will, lol! The smell now makes me feel sick....I have actually thrown up after nights out in smoky bars and clubs...and no...not through the booze hehee.

Anyway, good luck! Keep in touch I'd love to hear how you get on.

Cathy
XoXoX

[sensfan1960]

Hi Cathy and thanks!!

We are very lucky here in Ontario. It's a smoke-free province and we can't smoke anywhere but outside or in the privacy of our own homes or cars. They have made it really hard for smokers which is GREAT!!
Oh yeah there is the argument that the government allows the sale of tobacco but yet they ban the smoking but I don't argue with that at all. In the last few years everytime they banned it somewhere it just made me happier as in the end it helped me cut them down.

My fear is weight gain HOWEVER..now that I'm in my 5th week of this WOL I hope that my cravings for carbs won't come as they have in the past when I quit smoking...gosh I could sit and eat a BIG bag of those cadbury eggs in one sitting when not smoking...so yeah...

I WANT THIS SO BADLY!!!

[WheresMeFeet]

Awww you sound like you have the strength to get where you want to!

The new no smoking laws come into effect here soon....fantastic I say! Lolol
And yeah I know what you mean about goverments....greedy sods lol. They up the price, grab all the tax etc...but then moan about spending in hospitals when smokers need treatment. Grainy area huh lol.

Try not to worry too much about gaining weight. Though

[sensfan1960]

I've just joined the Atkins attack challenge for May 1st so that should help the weight!!!
Just pray I'm not bitting more than I can chew!
So I've decided that when my girl friend picks me up to drive me to the airport I'm quitting.
Not bringing any with me and bringing my work out clothes!!

[Honey17]

WoW!!
You seem so motivated!
Im from Montreal (Quebec) and we have the same smoking laws here..but, in our homes or cars....thats where we light up!!

I mean i have tried SO MANY times to quit...then i get a little stressed , i have a drink (well not anymore,thanks to Atkins lol ) or drive to work...and thats all it takes---- i have 1---- and i start again!

So, all this to say, that i know how hard it is to quit, especially if your in it alone!
So im going to stop smoking with you aswell! That way we can support each other
My pack is finished, so i wont go out and get a new one!

APRIL 15TH will be the day i quit smoking too

[sensfan1960]

Honey...THAT'S GREAT!!!
WOW...I'm so happy and excited.
My last cancer stick will be just before leaving for the airport.
Everyone I'll be with in the next 3 days are non smokers so that will HELP a lot!
I added you as a buddy...
WE CAN DO THIS!!
WE CAN DO THIS!!

Big hugs

[ValidRouge]

Hi, Honey, congratulations to you too on deciding to quit the cigarettes.

Both of you, focus focus focus. This isn't going to be easy, but then again it won't be that hard either. You can do anything or two weeks right? That's what this is going to take. Keep in mind that most people gain weight because they use food, PARTICULARLY CARB-LADEN FOOD, as a replacement for the cigarettes. If you are conscious of that, and purposely find something else to use as your "crutch" you'll be much better off. Also, be aware that the sugar cravings WILL return. They mostly return around the 3rd or 4th week of the quit and they are INTENSE. This might even be the hardest part--it was for me, and it was for Kylie who is another member on here. But I promise if you stick it out, the cravings WILL go away.

I started running when I quit smoking. I used the Couch to 5K program http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.shtml If anyone had told me one year ago that I would quit smoking and be running 5 miles, I'd have laughed them out of the room. If you can turn your smoking addiction into an exercise addiction, you'll have given yourself a precious gift.