One day at a time
 

Day 2 now of giving up smoking. I have tried to give up these cigs many times over the last 20+ years and twice I went 6 months this time I know I can do it this time I must do it.

Are you trying e-cigarettes, gum, patches? Something else?

Good for you! I hope it all goes well for you.

Champix and using e-cig when needed. Sometimes I get the need for a cig that can last for a while but so far its not as bad as i thought it would be. A few years ago I tried the champix done 7 days smoking then on the 8th i stopped while using the med but i had cravings the whole time none stop this time i smoked 13 days while using the meds then on the 14th day i stopped it helped a lot doing it this way

Good stuff man ...I stopped cold turkey over 4 years ago and didn't do the patches, the e-cig nothing ..just completely stopped ...

You can do it my Man just don't pick one up ... I thought I was not going to be able to go a day without one, when I least expected it, I was 3 months in without a smoke...then a year...then 2 ..now 4 ...It's not that hard ..

First time I tried I went cold turkey it was very hard, but I found going for a walk helped back then. I lasted a month without one

Here's something for you to think about from a personal perspective.

I started smoking when I was 12.

I was a hard core smoker by the time I was 16.

I was 33 years old. I had two small boys, a great job, and a entire life to look forward to.

On August 22nd 2002 I was getting ready for work. I was standing in my shower when blood started to pour from my nose. It seemed odd to me as I watched the blood swirl the drain.

The intense crushing pain in my chest made no sense to me what so ever. My left arm went completely numb.

I stumbled from the shower finding some pants, while calling for my wife.

I had no idea what was happening, but I knew something was wrong.

I will mention we lived outside the city (1/2 hour) on a acreage. My wife convinced me to let her drive me to the hospital.

On the drive there the pain in my chest had subsided. I told my wife I was fine, and we should turn around and go home.

I also knew (from my job) that anyone taken to emergency would end up staying there for awhile even if nothing was wrong.

My wife declined to take me home, and continued to the hospital.

I had another smoke on the way.

We when arrived she dropped me at the emergency doors. I went inside to "check in" while she parked the car with the kids.

I walked into the admitting area, and stood before the lady taking hospital admissions.

I was able to explain "Well my chest hur...."

That was it.

When I woke up I noticed two things right off. I was on the floor of the admission area, and my wife and kids were standing off to the side crying.

Meanwhile a Doctor was standing over me explaining I just had a massive heart attack, which explained why my chest had a burning sensation, and my shirt was now all cut up on the floor.

Now I am not going to go into all of what happened after this happened, but here's what may convince you to quite smoking.

I was 33 years old. I was active, not over weight, average build, and no family history of heart attacks.

The very next day I underwent a quintuple bypass.

I quit smoking August 23/2002

Normally I would end this right here, as I am pretty sure this story is not enough to scare anyone.

Here is something that might.

When I woke up from my surgery, I had a tube (I think a breathing tube) shoved deep into my throat through my mouth.

Seeing it was enough to freak me out, but it is what happened with a small cough that put me over the edge about smoking.

I felt a small cough coming on, the usual smoker cough thing - if you smoke you know what I am taking about.

I coughed.

Having my chest cut open, lungs and ribs on display for all the doctors to see must of loosened some of that smokers goop from in my chest.

That goop came traveling up the breathing tube.

I had the kind of job where being afraid is not an option. I have seen and done a lot of scary stuff in my working life.

Nothing prepared me for this. I was awake, and about to drown in my own black lung goop stuff.

No one ever mentioned that this was one of the things that may happen to you after having undergone this type of surgery.

I can deal with the missing vein from my left leg, the shortness of breath, the metal clamps holding my chest together, but drowning in the smokers goop was never an option I thought off.

Was the worst feeling I ever had. I remember it like it was yesterday, and encourage you to really give smoking up.

You will be so very glad you did.

Good luck! Hope my story helps you along!

You went though a lot lucky it was not worse you could of died. Many people have reasons why they want to quit I myself have a few and this time I will get off them no matter what

Nobody ever really explains why smoking plants - any plant - harms us. I do explain it.

Products of combustion - chiefly carbon monoxide - is the danger. That and the tar. Not nicotine. Not cancer.

Low oxygen levels in the bloodstream due to carbon monoxide in the hemoglobin is the reason for the muscle soreness and total loss of any stamina. This is because human hemoglobin has 100 times the affinity for carbon monoxide than it does for oxygen - meaning it would rather have it and hold onto it, 100 times moreso than oxygen. Therefore it stores up in your system and displaces oxygen. You can't even catch your breath because your system is calling for more and more air... Muscles have nothing to burn with fuel, so they ache. Your blood/oxygen level is getting dangerously low.

After a week or so without inhaling smoke, your blood-oxygen levels have returned to normal and you're seeing the effects! You have your life back!

The tar is just as insidious - it first lines the lungs but then from there it gets in the bloodstream and also collects. Over time it greatly thickens the blood and makes it hard to pump, and makes it want to clot alot. This is the cardio-vascular danger of inhaling burning plants no matter what they are - tar buildup in the system clogs arteries and causes sudden myocardial infarction.

For purely political reasons tobacco smoking is demonized, but in fact it's ANY plant you burn and inhale the smoke of that does harm. All you chronic marijuana smokers out there better pay attention too - all the hard core dopers from the 60s have chronic emphysema and cardiac disease for very good reason. Ask Cheech and Chong while they're still around.

It takes about a year or more for a heavy plant smoker to get the tar cleaned out of his system.

Start now.

4 days now and sometimes in the day it gets hard

I quit on August 26, 2013 when I had my heart attack. I haven't had a smoke since but I have to be honest and say that I still get the urge almost every day. It's not easy to stop but you do not want to go down the road that Krusty did or that I did. I didn't require a bypass but did spend 11 days in a coma, dropped over 50 pounds and my heart capacity is now at 20% and will never get any stronger. My stamina is about where my heart capacity is and even a short walk will leave me catching my breath.

I now have to keep my liquid intake below 1.5 liters a day because my heart is not strong enough to keep fluid from building up in my lungs and I could develop pneumonia almost instantly if I'm not careful.

It will never be easy and you will get the occasional urge for the rest of your life. But you will have a life! A healthy life. Food will taste better. Air will taste fresher. And by quitting now, your health will only get better, you will only get stronger. You will never have any regrets.

You CAN and you WILL get through it. We all believe in you, you just have to believe in yourself!!! :D

Sorry to hear you went though all that Barcham but at least you are still with us. I know when I die I won't have to worry about smoking or anything else of this world as I will be in heaven (born again 14 years)

ForceHSS, I smoked for almost 34 years...I believe you read my post in the New Years Resolution thread..... don't let a hospital visit tell you bad news for you to quit.... just quit!

It is a whole lot easier then you think.... plus you are beyond the crave stage... its all in your mind now.... you have kicked cigarettes ass..... keep it that way.

Chew on tooth picks, eat suckers.... eat food... I have made my once outty belly button an inny from the weight gain I have gained since Dec 6... but, hey, I am still alive and can actually breath again...
I am less stressed... people say "I smoke to relieve stress"... bs.... smoking is stress!

And forget the e-sigs....what a waste of money! Sucking on an E-cig to me, is a setup to fail.
Just quit and don't look back..... You will thank yourself later...

Good luck...

I agree smoking causes stress. I only use the e-cigs a few times a day 5 to 7 draws a day at most I dont want to rely on them so i am taking the lowest lvl and making sure i dont go crazy on them but they have helped the first few days. Drinking tea seems to help me

Keep it up! It's definitely worth it in the long run. I smoked at least a pack a day for over 15 years, but the 25th of this month will mark 3 full years since I had my last cigarette. I quit cold turkey, but I did use some generic nicotine lozenges from Target for about the first 6 weeks. I would still go out on my back porch to start on a lozenge and hang out outside for the first few minutes so I wasn't really changing my habit, other than using a lozenge instead of a cigarette. I think I was supposed to keep using the lozenges for 3 months, but after the first 5-6 weeks I wasn't craving them so I switched to regular mints to help with the oral fixation.
The other thing that I think helped me a lot was a simple polished rock. It may sound a little crazy, but I kept a small piece of polished amethyst (my birthstone) in my pocket that I would pull out and play with to keep my hands busy when I was using a lozenge or just feeling antsy. I think giving my hands something to keep them busy really helped to distract my mind and take my it off of cigarettes.
I was pretty convinced that I was never going to be able to quit, so I know if I did then anyone can. Just remember that it only gets easier each day and don't give in!

If your belief helps keep you going, all power to you. I actually died from my heart attack and was resuscitated and didn't see any bright light, no departed loved ones, nothing at all. I have no belief in an afterlife of any kind and in fact when they began working on me in the hospital I made sure to say goodbye to my friend who had come with me and I thanked the doctor for his efforts. Now...the drugs they gave me to induce a coma for 11 days...that was heaven! :D

I've always believed in living your life to the fullest because it is the only one we will ever have. Live it well and live it full, die with as few regrets of things undone as possible as you will never have another chance to do them.

Some have not seen anything maybe you need to get to some point of death before you do I have no idea why some do and some dont see anything but trust me God is real heaven and hell is real.

18 days smoke free and the cravings are min so far so good

Good man.....The force is with you ;)

I was a very heavy smoker till 2 years ago.
I really enjoyed smoking and didn't want to give it up, I was healthy, no smokers cough, no nothing really, well apart from headaches everyday...

However I knew I needed to stop.
I started on the e cigs, which made it so I could stop smoking right then and there.
2 years later still on them, although we call it "Vaping" and my mod i use to vape with looks nothing like an e cig.

https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/external/2014/05/24.jpg

I love vaping, no need to go through all the pain of giving up when there is something which I can replace it with.

Smoking is dead, vaping is the future and the future is now:up:

I am off the e-cig as well I only needed it the first few days

Liquid poison there calling those things now...

Trading one addiction for another is not a solution.

That is your opinion and that's fine.
But it's not mine.
Being dependent on something in my mind isn't an addition, as smokers you get dependent on nicotine and the process of hand to mouth movement when smoking.

As i said in my post, I enjoyed smoking and in a way didn't want to give up, so looking for a safer alternative this was my move.
I have done more than enough real research into the vaping world and as it stands at the moment I have no problems in continuing this as there is no indication what so ever that this is harmful.

I do agree there needs to be long term testing done on this, and strict laws for mod makers and juice makers to follow and am keeping an eye on this all the time.

I am not addicted to vaping, I choose to do this, and I am no longer dependent on nicotine after 2 years I have gone down to zero nicotine juice for vaping.

It has now turned into a hobby more than anything, will I get bored of it in the future, maybe, but for the time being I will continue to enjoy what I am doing.

Big Tobacco's campaign to make e-cigs sound as bad as regular cigarettes... Even though they bought many if the e-cig makers they can't shut them down without even cheaper makers popping up and they can't bring in the profits they were used to- so they have to destroy the reputation when there is zero evidence.

Another 28 days and I will be off smoking for a year

Off smoking where? I'd like to go off smoking for a year but I've got things to do......:p

That's great to hear Force, really great to hear!
You had quit just a few months after I quit... I am at 1 year and 4 months smoke free, and did not lapse once.
Keep it up. :up:

Nice work Tim as you know its one day at a time

Good! I was pretty lucky myself no heart attacks thank god but I quit smoking cold turkey on June 21, 2007 after 25 years of smoking. We were living in a small space at the time and I had a cigarette lit and was smoking it. I started hacking, my sister started hacking (and she has never smoked) and my cat started hacking (and of course the cat never smoked). I looked around and said no more, put the cigarette out and quit right there. Never touched another one. I felt like what the hell was I doing, i was killing everyone in the house including my cat! It was enough for me to stop. Glad you are going on one year! Good job!

hacking?

Another word for coughing.

Not in my day I must be too old for these new meanings I don't understand if someone means coughing, then why not use the correct word for it

I smoked as well for many years but I have not smoked since the late 90's. I would not use all of those gimmicks, patches, gum, etc. They just keep you addicted to nicotine. Cold turkey is the way to do it. I watched my grandmother die of lung cancer and a few other's as well so I just made up my mind to do it. I did fail a bunch of times though and I was a real bastard for a couple weeks after quitting. Funny, I still can smell a smoke from a mile away now. Anyways, you can do it bro!

I'm 46 and I've heard that expression ALL my life! Good lord just how old are you? 90? 100?

Have never heard of it where I live

Today is day 2201, how you doing? Can I assume after 6 years & 9 days your still smoke free? :D