Quitting Smoking

[savepaws]

FH and I are quitting smoking today. Unfortunately (or fortunately...depending on how you look at it) this is no April Fools day joke. It's a good thing but its going to be so hard. I'm not looking forward to the next couple of weeks. The next 3+ days will be torture.:( Already there's a part of me that is trying to convince me to give in. I'll tell myself that I really should not quit cold turkey and maybe I should wean myself off. That will never happen. Then I tell myself that I should get a Rx from the doctor to help me quit. But I said that LAST time and I never did go to the Dr.

I smoked my last cigarette before bed last night and it tasted like cr@p. I told FH that I wish I could always remember the disgusting taste I had in my mouth and how the smoke got in my eye and made it sting. I want to remember all the bad things about it and not give in to my stupid cravings but it really isn't helping to think about the bad things. Honestly, I just have to find a way to NOT think about cigarettes at all. When I start thinking about it, I try to come up with reasons why I should keep smoking. Gah!!! Addiction sucks!

We can't fail this time. We cannot afford to buy smokes anymore. With the new taxes on them (this is the 2nd increase in just a few weeks) they will be around $8-9 a pack. That is insane. Not to mention how horrible they are for our health & they make us stink.

[WebLady]

Good for you! I wish you and your FH all the best!!

I read something about the new taxes on cigs and wondered if it was going to make some people decide to quit.

[NurseLau84]

It's good to hear that you two have decided to quit. Don't give up!!

[cookiegirl]

you can do it!

[savepaws]

Thanks for the encouragement ladies. I so need it! :)

[SerendipityCrafts]

You go girl!

K so if you aren't going to get to the dr. for prescription help, then get to the book store. My bro went to this guy's seminar and quit cold turkey after 40 years of smoking. The author does videos and pod casts too. I have a book .... just haven't read it yet :(

Dr. Allen Carr's Easy Way to Stop Smoking - http://www.theeasywaytostopsmoking.com/

[Docsgirl]

Ooooh! My mom stopped by chewing gum everytime she wanted a cigarette, because no one likes to chew gum and smoke at the same time. And if you buy those 5 packs of gum....it's a whole lot cheaper. Don't know if it'll help for you, but just thought I'd put the suggestion out there. :D

And good for you!! I've watched first hand how hard it is for someone to quit. I think you have the will power though! We're all rooting for ya! :D

[Whitewater]

Fiance told me, in earnest -- he really meant it -- that because of the new tax on cigarettes, he was going to stop as soon as the new tax went into effect.

I hope he does, our household budget is so tight it squeaks (just like our wedding budget!) and there simply is no room for cigarettes at the new price, even a single pack a week, which is how often Fiance smokes.

We agreed that the money could be put to better purposes, like, an extra tank of gas, or help with a night out, or two movie tickets (and maybe some popcorn!), etc.

I hope he really does quit. For real. Permanently.


Whitewater

[fireprincess2009]

Good for both of you! One of my co-workers is quitting. He's at about 2 weeks without smoking. He's using a patch. He says that he starting feeling better a few days after quitting - more energy, etc.

Good luck to you both. Stay strong!

[Goin2thechapel]

Yep...here in massachusetts it's $8.73 PER PACK!!!! YIKKKKEEESSS!!

imagine those that smoke almost 2 packs a day?!?!

[Jacklynn]

Congrats for adding years to your life! :) My mom had the hardest time trying to quit when her whole heart wasn't in it. But then suddenly she just decided, bleh I don't want to smoke any more and she really meant it and quit smoking about 5 years ago. She now takes that day off of work every year and has a pamper day for herself. So maybe set up a few days like that for yourself. Maybe 1 week from today you and FH get a date night. Then 1 month from today you get something special. Set up short distances so they aren't horrible to achieve. Within 24 hours you are already on your way to being much healthier and your chance of a heart attack drops drastically. The thing that I think also helped my mom was that she kept telling herself that it WASN'T going to be easy. Before she just assumed she could do it no problem. Then she got down on herself when she struggled. They say smoking is just as addicting as cocaine. So don't give up on yourself if you struggle. Just know that you ARE stronger than the addition, you can fight it and you will win :)

[KMS]

Great words of advice Jacklynn!!

I have known several people who stopped smoking - some w/ meds, some w/ nicotine gum, and some w/ hypnotism.

GOOD LUCK! :chimp:

[Ninedays9]

Good luck!! And good decision!

My fiance is in the same boat. I want to believe he'll really quit... he seemed very much against paying that much for them.

[savepaws]

Thanks everyone.

Day 2 of no smoking. I'm fine right now because I'm at work. But yesterday afternoon & night sucked. I was so MAD about not being able to smoke. But FH & I got thru it. Altho we did bite each other's heads off a little.

Here's hoping today is a better day!!!

I did quit about 3-4 years ago. I quit cold turkey and I just decided to quit and I did it no problem. This time around is hard though!

[FFC]

I haven't read your whole thread, but I just wanted to say congrats! I have several friends who are quitting smoking right now, and one of their motivations are (believe it or not) the forums.

Hang in there - you're right, you're going through the toughest stage right now. We're rootin for both of you!

[savepaws]

Thanks. :)

It's day 3 already! Yesterday wasn't too bad. FH and I had things to do in the afternoon & evening and keeping busy really helps! Oh and I've been eating sunflower seeds & they keep me occupied & seem to be helping a lot as well.

[FFC]

Thanks. :)

It's day 3 already! Yesterday wasn't too bad. FH and I had things to do in the afternoon & evening and keeping busy really helps! Oh and I've been eating sunflower seeds & they keep me occupied & seem to be helping a lot as well.

I've learned Sunflower seeds are totally awsome. They help with a lot of things (sleepiness at work, munchies, etc). I'm glad you 'discovered' them :happy:

[Nekochanpurr]

Good luck!! I know you can do it!!!

[anirow]

I think my short story will motivate you some where
I am not very financially strong but believe me after i quit smoking i have started saving lots of money.

[animal.crackers]

Just wanted to say congratulations on a wonderful decision!! And don't give up!! You can do it! You are doing yourself a wonderful service! I doubt I need to lecture on the evils of it... I just wanted to offer some encouragement! =)

[Bruce Stenman]

I have been the photographer at two weddings where the brides decided before their wedding day to quit smoking. It greatly added to the stress level and both finally got cigarettes from a bridesmaid. After these two weddings I was thinking of adding nicotine patches to my wedding first aid kit.

I smoked as a teenager for several years but quit in college when I found something physical that I enjoyed a heck of a lot more and smoking interfered. I have had a father, an uncle, and two step fathers die from cancer and I have a hard time understanding how anything can provide sufficient pleasure to take 10-20 years off your life. I especially find it difficult to understand how a woman can want to look her best and use makeup and not realize that nothing ages the skin of a woman like smoking - great way to look 10 years older by the time you are 30 and 20 years older by the time you are 60.

But I also would not advise a woman to stop smoking right before her wedding day, though a patch would be great as many venues, hotels, etc. limit smoking so it is not a great time for a bride in her wedding dress to be trying to find a place to smoke, and not a great time to be climbing the walls and wanting to get a nicotine fix either. And if there are people in your wedding party or your husband who will be smoking the day of the wedding it makes it real hard on people trying to quit.

Bruce

[anirow]

I have been the photographer at two weddings where the brides decided before their wedding day to quit smoking. It greatly added to the stress level and both finally got cigarettes from a bridesmaid. After these two weddings I was thinking of adding nicotine patches to my wedding first aid kit.

I smoked as a teenager for several years but quit in college when I found something physical that I enjoyed a heck of a lot more and smoking interfered. I have had a father, an uncle, and two step fathers die from cancer and I have a hard time understanding how anything can provide sufficient pleasure to take 10-20 years off your life. I especially find it difficult to understand how a woman can want to look her best and use makeup and not realize that nothing ages the skin of a woman like smoking - great way to look 10 years older by the time you are 30 and 20 years older by the time you are 60.

But I also would not advise a woman to stop smoking right before her wedding day, though a patch would be great as many venues, hotels, etc. limit smoking so it is not a great time for a bride in her wedding dress to be trying to find a place to smoke, and not a great time to be climbing the walls and wanting to get a nicotine fix either. And if there are people in your wedding party or your husband who will be smoking the day of the wedding it makes it real hard on people trying to quit.

Bruce

Nice
Actually we are trying to motivate for quitting smoking & not confusing yourself.

[WBandMe]

Way to go! I've quit and started again several times. I've fortunately never gotten physically addicted and I do it more as a hobby than a necessity. I know you can do it, and as you said, it's going to be great for your health AND your wallet!

[savepaws]

Thanks again for the encouragement. It really helps motivate me!

Tonight it will be a whole week since we've smoked a cigarette!! It's easy at times, hard at others. I am a little more irritable but I'm working on that. I'm really happy that I'm not becoming a total pig. Last time I quit smoking, I replaced the cigarettes with candy & fattening food and gained about 15 pounds. Hopefully as time goes by, cravings will be less often and not as strong. It's definitely easier today than it was 6 days ago. :D :D

In response to the post about not quitting before the big day - by the time my wedding day gets here, I will have been smoke free for over 2 months, so I'm not worried. I have plenty of stress now and I'm learning how to deal with it without cigarettes. FH's family doesn't approve of me smoking and I don't smoke in front of my parents, so even if I hadn't quit before my wedding, I would not have been smoking on my wedding day anyway. So at least this way I won't be going crazy needing a cigarette. I'm sure they'll be the furthest thing from my mind by then! :)

[ChristineLS]

I have been the photographer at two weddings where the brides decided before their wedding day to quit smoking. It greatly added to the stress level and both finally got cigarettes from a bridesmaid. After these two weddings I was thinking of adding nicotine patches to my wedding first aid kit.

I smoked as a teenager for several years but quit in college when I found something physical that I enjoyed a heck of a lot more and smoking interfered. I have had a father, an uncle, and two step fathers die from cancer and I have a hard time understanding how anything can provide sufficient pleasure to take 10-20 years off your life. I especially find it difficult to understand how a woman can want to look her best and use makeup and not realize that nothing ages the skin of a woman like smoking - great way to look 10 years older by the time you are 30 and 20 years older by the time you are 60.

But I also would not advise a woman to stop smoking right before her wedding day, though a patch would be great as many venues, hotels, etc. limit smoking so it is not a great time for a bride in her wedding dress to be trying to find a place to smoke, and not a great time to be climbing the walls and wanting to get a nicotine fix either. And if there are people in your wedding party or your husband who will be smoking the day of the wedding it makes it real hard on people trying to quit.

Bruce

I'm not saying that weddings aren't a big deal, but I don't think every single decision a woman makes should relate back to her role as a bride. Any time someone decides they are ready to quit smoking is a good time in my book, especially considering how difficult the habit is to let go. Stress or no stress, it's worth doing.

It seems your advice was geared at making someone the "perfect" bride instead of a more healthful human being. I think savepaws is making absolutely the right choice and I bet she'll be highly successful with it.

[Bruce Stenman]

quote=anirow;391632]Nice
Actually we are trying to motivate for quitting smoking & not confusing yourself.[/quote]

My perspective is different as each Saturday I spend the entire day with a different bride from the time the bridal party starts to have their hair and makeup down until the bride and groom leave the reception. It is one of the most stressful as well as one of the most memorable days of their lives. I focus on ways tom minimize stress so they can have more fun and better memories after the wedding. It also helps my pictures when people are not stressed out.

If this is your first wedding I can understand how you would have little sense of the stress and although it is nice to quit before a wedding day, symbolically speaking, it is not going to have any impact on this bride's future health whether she quits now or 60 days from now after the wedding.

I see so many brides with skin problems the day of the wedding and it is from stress and fatigue that are somewhat inevitable leading up to the big day with all the planning and preparation. I try to coach and help couples plan so as to minimize their stress and maximize their fun on this very special occasion. So the last thing I would recommend for a bride is to take on the added stress of giving up the highly addictive (for most people) act of smoking and be trying to find substitutes for nicotine.

Look at the posts of people stressed out who are not trying to also give up smoking or trying to drop a dress size for their wedding. Try to step back and think past the cigarettes and look at the bigger picture of having the most pleasurable and stress free wedding day possible.

During the course of the year I see some brides who can deal with the stress and it does not faze them in the slightest. But these women are in the minority. It is not unusual for otherwise kind and gentle beings to become less than lady like and more than a little temperamental on their wedding day and it due to the stress. What surprised me at first when I started photographing weddings was that I am the person who usually calms the bride down and not the wedding planner (who is usually absent) or the bride's mother who has her own issues that day, or the MOH who is focused on her hair and makeup, or the bride's husband.

And to be fair for these other people it is the first wedding for the bride, or for the mother's first daughter, and the first wedding for the husband so they are not really in a position to take care or worry about anyone but themselves. It may not be how it is supposed to be but that is how it usually is and why make it any more stressful for the bride than is absolutely necessary?

[ChristineLS]

why make it any more stressful for the bride than is absolutely necessary?

Because it adds years to your life?

[savepaws]

I think it's probably different for different people. My wedding day is an important day but my plan is just to go with the flow and enjoy it. I can't enjoy it if I'm stressing over every little detail.

I also realize that stress is going to be present whether I smoke or not. Maybe if this was my first time trying to quit, I'd reconsider and wait until the craziness is over but I know its not going to ruin my wedding or anything. I won't let it. ;)

[lilmsjess]

ooooooooooo, how i want to quit! and so does fh....here in houston, it's about $6.00 w/tax.....that's $42 a week...JUST FOR ME....doesnt count fh. so double it...the other day he wanted me to buy him 2 cartons and 1 for his co-worker to put on the chopper with their offshore equiup(he works offshore, been gone 2 weeks, and another 2 weeks now)...i spent $150 on 3 cartons! i used to pay around $100 for 3 cartson(not all at once, just an average)...i've only smoked for 3.5 years, and i hated it before....now, i keep telling myself i hate it, and i do! i hate the smell, breath, sometimes the taste also...but i'm still battling....tonight i bought these nasty marlboro smooth(menthol) on sale, so i'm hoping it'll help...any time i've bought menthol, they give me migraines.....i've had maybe 5 all day now? so i have 3 packs, and when they're gone, they're gone....

[anirow]

Bruce Stenman If anybody is in stress then one should do meditation or take rest rather smoke.

[savepaws]

Tomorrow will be 3 weeks! :D

I have been pretty moody & irritable the past 3 weeks. I don't know if it is from quitting smoking, wedding stress, house hunting stress or a combination of all 3? I don't even hardly ever have cravings anymore so I don't think I'd be crabby from not smoking at this point. It just sucks because it's like I'm just picking fights with FH & it's starting to bring him down. He has been wonderful through it all and very supportive but a person can only take so much negativity. I'm working on it though and trying to make a concious decision about how I talk to him and how I react to things. Also he has instructions to hug me when I start becoming bitchy. It kind of helps! LOL

Other than my mood swings, the quitting is actually going very well. I don't hardly ever have cravings. I haven't replaced cigarettes with food, which is a big deal to me! I have gone a little nuts with sunflower seeds though but thats ok. :)

[dereknaut]

ehh quitting is defenetly hard to do:icon_barbar:

[savepaws]

Yay today is 4 weeks!!!! And I'm doing soooo much better! :) I'm not as grumpy & FH and I are getting along better. Now FH is worried about my sunflower seed addiction. LOL

[lilmsjess]

ok how are you doing this? i can go a few hours, but then, i smoke, and then i smoke till i go to bed...i keep trying to convinve myself if i can sleep 8-10 hours and not smoke, i should be able to go all day, but it's not working :(

[WebLady]

Yay today is 4 weeks!!!! And I'm doing soooo much better! :) I'm not as grumpy & FH and I are getting along better. Now FH is worried about my sunflower seed addiction. LOL
So happy for you guys!

[savepaws]

ok how are you doing this? i can go a few hours, but then, i smoke, and then i smoke till i go to bed...i keep trying to convinve myself if i can sleep 8-10 hours and not smoke, i should be able to go all day, but it's not working :(

It's hard, thats for sure. You just have to not give into the cravings. Once you get past the first 3 days it's pretty much just psychological. Have you thought about trying prescription medication? I kind of wished I had gone that route. It worked for our friend and he said it wasn't difficult for him to quit with the medication.

I better NEVER start up again. I never want to go through what I just went through the past month!!!

[FFC]

Yay today is 4 weeks!!!! And I'm doing soooo much better! :) I'm not as grumpy & FH and I are getting along better. Now FH is worried about my sunflower seed addiction. LOL

At least all you'll have to be concerned about with sunflower seeds is your sodium intake :D

CONGRATS on making it a month!!!!!

[savepaws]

At least all you'll have to be concerned about with sunflower seeds is your sodium intake :D


Actually, I eat seeds weird, so I don't think I get as much sodium as most people do. I hold the seed with my fingers, crack the shell with my front teeth, pull the shell open with my fingers, and take out the seed and put it in my mouth. FH says that I resemble a chipmunk when I eat seeds. LOL I just don't have the talent to eat seeds the right way. But at least that way I don't have to worry about getting too much sodium.

[FFC]

Actually, I eat seeds weird, so I don't think I get as much sodium as most people do. I hold the seed with my fingers, crack the shell with my front teeth, pull the shell open with my fingers, and take out the seed and put it in my mouth. FH says that I resemble a chipmunk when I eat seeds. LOL I just don't have the talent to eat seeds the right way. But at least that way I don't have to worry about getting too much sodium.

Perfect! :D

[savepaws]

I've been meaning to update this thread the past week but keep forgetting, but was just reminded thanks to Sarah's quit smoking thread.

I have been a non-smoker for 1 year and 7 days! April Fools Day marked my one year anniversary of not smoking! I wanted to be a smoke free bride so I quit cold turkey. I didn't want to be stressing and craving cigarettes on my wedding day. Knowing my luck I would have burnt a hole in my dress! Plus I always knew I would quit once we started TTC. Once we started TTC I was really glad that it was all behind me and I didn't have to worry about quitting.

I quit in 2003 for 3 years but started up again when I left my ex and my life became really stressful and complicated. It was really stupid to start again but I knew I could quit since I had done it before!

Anyway, it really feels good to no longer have those stupid cigarettes running my life, making me feel bad (and stinky) and killing me. Yay me! LOL

[FFC]

WAY TO GO Danielle!!!!! I'm so happy for you. Can you imagine trying to quit smoking right now with all that's going on in your life? :hug:

[WBandMe]

AWESOME Danielle! Great job!

[Heywie]

Congrats! That's a great achievement and a wonderful milestone you've hit!

Now there won't be a need to go back because you'll be too busy with babies galore!

[gwenshack]

:confetti: Great job Danielle! :confetti:

[NOTKT]

That's great! Congrats Danielle! I totally missed this thread the first time last year and I looked up at the date only to see the month and day. I got really confused when I saw April 29th! Haha!

I'm really proud of you! I quit in July (I think) 2007.

[anirow]

Congratulations Danielle! I am sure your kicking up the butt will inspire other stick lovers around.