I agree with Katie about getting your head in the right place. I finally quit at 10:12 pm February 15, 2006, after 28 years of smoking except for temporary quits during 2 pregnancies. For me the moment of getting my head in the right place was like a sledgehammer. I wasn't planning to quit, as I had pretty much given up trying to quit for good after too many failed tries. The longer I smoked, the more difficult it was to quit. But shortly after finishing a cigarette that night, I doubled over with a 10-minute long coughing fit, including coughing up some blood, while my daughter (age 12 at the time) watched in horror. I had enough medical background to know what it could mean. It scared the crap out of both of us, and I felt like a total heel for putting my child through that.
As if blood and horror weren't enough motivation to quit, a few minutes later I started to reach for another cigarette. That's how strong this addiction is. Fortunately, I had a "wtf" moment, and stopped mid-reach. Instead, in desperation I searched online for some sort of magic motivation to help me get through the need for that next cigarette, entering phrases like "why quit smoking". It was during that search that I found the story of a man named Bryan Lee Curtis. Look him up. He's helped a lot of people get their heads in the right place to quit smoking. I printed his picture and taped it to the wall in my office within staring distance (I work from my home office). Whenever I wanted a cigarette, hundreds of times a day at first, I looked at his picture, and imagined myself in his place. And imagined my kids there instead of his. I also made heavy use of the information on the site I found his picture on.
For me, the only way to quit once and for all was cold turkey, without quit meds or nicotine patches, although Lord knows I'd been through cases of those in the past. But this time I went through about 60 lbs of Jelly Belly jellybeans over the next couple of months, along with an additional 20 or 30 lbs of hard candies!!
Yes, I gained about 20 lbs. But once I wasn't smoking, it was so much easier to be much more active. I could breathe enough to exercise and walk, then run, and the pounds came off in another few months.
Physical withdrawal was very real, just as awful as the mental withdrawal/habit changes. In many ways quitting smoking was more difficult for me than even childbirth. At least childbirth was soon over with! It was shocking to realize how strong the addiction had been, and how much my body was fighting to keep me addicted. But over the weeks and months, eventually the cravings subsided and the physical withdrawal symptoms resolved.
Take it one minute at a time. Then one hour at a time. Then one day at a time. Every minute, every hour, every day you get through without another cigarette, is one minute, hour, day closer to health and your full physical potential.
NTAP - Never Take Another Puff.
yes if it doesn't go in a few days will be sure to get checked! Going to p,an my quit day ahead n patch up! How long have you been quit? X
( I am still using my e-cig, although a lot less now). I can breathe without wheezing and walk up hills without having to stop every few steps, so I am happy so far. I smoked for 37 years and I can really see a massive difference in my health so I am confident that I will stay off them this time.
