Wish me luck - My quitting diary

[tamarian]

I'm on my first attempt ever to quit smoking. I've been smoking for only 4-5 years to replace addictions. But now I suspect it has an adverse effect on insulin resistance and may not be very helpful to my weight-loss.

I'v gone cold Turkey for 12 hours now, and so far so good.

Wa'il

[Homegirl]

I do wish you luck! You can do it.

What my sisters found helpful was (this is going to sound corny) putting up signs all around their houses that said "I am a non smoker." They kept seeing those signs reaffirming their committment to quit.

They also drank a lot of grapefruit juice to replenish vitamin C stores and counteract the cravings.

You CAN do it!

[Linnea]

Way to go!!!

I thought you were doing it Jan 1....I think it is great that you chose to quit sooner (You must have had some recent non-smoker pestering you :) )

You will do great, I know it!


Linnea

[alto]

All the luck in the world, Wa'il. I second the "nonsmoker" ideas. I think that was the single most helpful thing in helping me quit. Convince yourself that you are a nonsmoker.

Sadly, convincing myself that I an nonfat has not had the same effect :)

[tamarian]

Bummer!

The cravings started quickly, and I thought great, the batle of wills has begun.

I started biting my nails, and all of a sudden, my left hand index was gushing with blood. I used to be a nail biter a few years ago, but stopped, probably around the same time I started smoking. I badaged my finger and freekd out and bough a pack :(

Well, the deed was done in less than a day. Next plan of action: I'll cut-down gradually in the next few days, and start using Nicorettes instead..

Thanks for the support guys. Hope I didn't let anyone down.

Linnea, you weren't pestering at all. In fact, meeting you was a real inspiration, as a low-carber at goal, and a recent quitter too.

Wa'il

[doreen T]

You've taken your first baby steps. Slips and falls are bound to happen. Look at it this way .. if you fall flat on your face, at least it means you were FACING FORWARD.

You might want to have a read over at Kickingash.com (http://kickingash.com/articles.html) .. some of the articles are so excellent, especially the one about Understanding Your Smoking Rituals and Habits in Quitting Smoking (http://kickingash.com/article1014.html). I'm not a smoker, but I have my own behavioural addiction that I'm struggling to overcome, and I found that I could relate to so many of these patterns.

Good luck to you my friend, you know you have my support 150%

Doreen

[Linnea]

Wa'il,

That sounds tramautic! I hope you are not emotionally scarred! --or physically for that matter.

Remember I told you about how many times I have quit. Keep trying and you'll get it.

And you haven't dissappointed us at all. It happens.

Linnea

[tamarian]

Thanks for the links Doreen, I'll check them out.

And you look great, love the new pic! :)

Wa'il

[Atriana]

I think the statistics show that it usually takes people 5 serious attempts at quitting before it clicks. Of course you didn't let anyone down, it is a learning experience. Another site you might try is www.quitnet.com They have a lot of good information, but my advice would be to avoid the forums at all costs. Lots of flame wars and such, and everyone having nicotine fits doesn't help that. Most unsupportive support group I've ever seen.

[zellie]

Stick with us! I'm doing really good so far, no nicotine cravings. I've smoked 30 years. Look at my response to Karen.
I've been making notes of what I've done so far if you want me share in detail, I don't wanna bore people with my personal experiments.

[LC Sponge]

Open your mind to ALL the possibilities, Wa'il.

First I tried it "on my own" (about a thousand times). Then I went for hypnosis (now THERE'S a story). Did the gum thing (gag me with a spoon). After that, went the patch route. Quit for a YEAR - then like an idiot I went BACK!!!!

Went the patch route a second time. Don't need to hit me twice with the same stick. Been off the fags now for almost 7 years.

Never EVER thought I could EVER quit. I was HOOKED BAD. My day started like this: Feet hit floor, look for lighter and cigarette. Get glass of orange juice to wash down cigarette tar. Sit like that until 5 minutes before bus comes. Shower dress and leave for work. Ewwwe YUK. I was a mess.

Now I'm up at 5:30, exercise for 20-45 minutes, make a decent lunch, play with my dogs, shower, dress, play on the internet, water and feed my chickens, get ONE housekeeping chore done, and drive 45 minutes to work.

It's WORTH looking EVERYWHERE until you find YOUR "cure".

[tamarian]

Silly me!

The bleeding alarmed me, and I thought I better slow down, don't go cold turkey, your body is acting up.

Well, it turned out the bleeding wasn't due to nail biting, it was due to my sneakers! :) I just noticed while putting them on, that the plastic heel support was starting to get exposed, and it cut my left hand index in the same place (again).

So I'm going cold turkey again, and will have the nicorette gum at hand, if I feel like quiting my quiting again. :)

Thanks for sharing your valuable experiences everyone!

Wa'il

[Karen]

Wa'il, do yourself a big favour and get the patch. It makes it much easier. Once your physical cravings are dealt with, all you have to deal with is what's going on in your head and eating like a total pig. ;)

Well, that's what I'm doing!

Karen

[tamarian]

Originally posted by Karen
Wa'il, do yourself a big favour and get the patch. It makes it much easier. Once your physical cravings are dealt with, all you have to deal with is what's going on in your head and eating like a total pig. ;)

That's what I'm dealing with without the patch! ;)

Wa'il

[Karen]

If there was only a carb patch! Prozac will take care of everything else! ;)

Karen

[zellie]

I was "BADLY" physically addicted. If I woke up at 2am, no tabacco at hand, I would go out buy regardless of the weather I would hunt a place do anything for tobacco. If my "secret supply" ran out, I used to resort to butts. Butts, I used to break down, and roll again, if i couldn't find a place selling ... :)
I rolled butts a day or two before I first posted here. I could no longer breath through my nose, I was breathing through my mouth and wheezing.

In the past by this stage going cold-turkey, I was demented. I was climbing walls. :)

Tried the patch 4-5 times, each time I cheated, found myself doing the patch and smoking. I was running, 3-4miles daily and SMOKING!

That's a bit of my history.
It's two weeks since I started this "research".

Make sure you are stress-free the first day. I have vacation until Monday.
Up your water intake dramatically. Yesterday I did about 5x, my normal quota. (perhaps a lot more, i have no real recall, guessing). (my theory it flushes the body). It really helps. I had started upping it about a week before.

I started cutting out 2 weeks ago all caffeine (12 cups a day), and replaced it at first with decaf, and later with green tea.
Yesterday I was only on green tea and water beverage wise.

Watch your vitamins intake carefully. Up them as you increase water.

I've been watching my food intake carefully the last 4 days because of allergies, cut out all dairy. (I think this has contributed)
Because of the allergies I'm on chicken, eggs, fish, green salads and broccoli and cauliflower. I've been on a strict induction diet for about 3 days, and I LOVE spicy, I had that reduced to "bland" for me (lots of pepper still, salt reduced and only herbs).

Yesterday morning, I couldn't motivate myself to quit. I posted to make myself accountable. Then managed to force myself to shower without breaking down. I drank water, I drank green tea, I flooded myself :) I kept busy, and drank each time I thought of a cigarette.
I went out 5 minutes walked. I was "high/dizzy" breathing oxygen, scared of stumbling. (still could not breathe through my nose). I had "the shakes" badly. I tried to periodically go out and breathe deeply. Just expand my lungs. Took more of my decongestants, in the afternoon, watched myself closely.

I was hyper, but not craving nicotine, when I finally fell asleep (2am). It was more the "thought", the "oral/sucking addiction".

This morning I was much better. I went out earlier, walked / breathed, etc. I could smell tobacco on myself. A revelation!!! Today I started breathing through my nose. I can look at a pack of cigarettes and not reach out for it, I ignore them. I have the "oral thing" but no desire to smoke.

Good luck!! ;) I hope this helps. I'm not over it, by any means yet, but I'm healing. and have no nicotine cravings. I have other habits to control.

Sorry for the typos etc, still not my normal self :)
I'm still "damned scared" but "holding" and physically already mending.

[Linnea]

Wa'il,

The time that I quit for 8 months was by using the patch (I stopped using the patch after a month or so). The great thing about them is that when you have them on, you CAN'T smoke. You have no choice in the matter. The will power you need is taking the step to change your patch every morning. Then after a few weeks you think "Why bother having one now".

Just a thought.

Linnea

[zellie]

Sorry, my post was incoherent, i'll edit it tomorrow :)

[tamarian]

No problem Zellie, I hear you loud and clear! Good luck staying away, you're 2 days ahead of me. :thup:

Linea, if the nicorettes don't help, I'll get the patch. It would be my punishment I get off the wagon. :)

Wa'il

[tamarian]

Update,

I'm weaning myself down, plan to have the pack I bought last me till end of the month (I usually go a bit over a pack a day), and go cold turkey when the pack is finished, probably around new years. Use nicorettes whenever I get a strong craving, and if they don't work, switch to the patch.

That's my plan for now, and I'm sticking to it.

Wa'il

[IslandGirl]

those Nicorettes gave me such a burning in the gums and tongue but if you can stand them, you go with it!

I 'succeeded' on my fourth full serious committed attempt (I AM a non-smoker, I AM a nonsmoker... a good mantra). The first time I lasted 2 months. The second time I lasted almost a year (then a bad breakup and a party at which I wallowed in self-pity did me in :lol: ). The third time my dearest husband-unit (me on Patch, he with great machismo Cold Turkey) started sneaking around in 36 hours max with ciggies in the backyard and I was too cocky and finished the Patch too early (found out I wasn't strong enough yet for that...).

Finally, I used The Patch (and so did he) in full, the whole course and tapered off at the end. I knew I was done with the Patch when I forgot to change it, forgot I needed it and still got through a day or two without MUCH thought about "them".

PS: I, too, used to chew my nails. Had dented nailbeds to prove it and very touchy quicks that tended to bleed.

PPS: I'm a foodie!

Tamarian, dearest Webmaster, you can do it ... I did and that's truly amazing sometimes! 1 year and 26 days and I feel just fabulously fine, thank you very much :D Heck, I've got fingernails, my clothes don't reek of old ashtray, my dog likes me better and the both of us have (SOMEWHERE!) a bit of extra cash.

I'm with you, too, 150% Go, Go, Go!

[zellie]

You can do it, the only way to do it is "your way". We're all different.
We need to hang on to each other, support each other. Ask questions, sometimes one forgets to mention things one should.

Way to go! ;)

[Linnea]

Wa'il,

Haven't heard from ya on here since the 28th. Hope things are going well with the quitting.

If you aren't doing so well, let us know. Vent, scream, yell....whatever you need to do. That's what we are here for.

Talk to you soon!

Linnea

[zellie]

Whatever you've decided, stay with us :) The first time around trying to quit is horribly tough. Just getting there, to try quitting, is a big step.

[tamarian]

Thanks guys!

Well, I don't have a success story yet, but I don't see it as a failure either.. The pack I bought, is still being rationed :) Down from around 30 cigs a day to 3-4 a day.

What I noticed from cutting down so drastically, is how great the buz feels! :p Strange that when you smoke regularly every 30 minutes or so, is that you get nothing out of it. But when it's every 4-6 hours or so, you can feel it go through your blood stream.. Still intend to quit, but I'm surprised to my body's reaction to cutting down, and it may work against me.

Wa'il

[itsjoyful]

LMAO!!!!!!
I don't think that's productive. totally know what you mean. when in Mexico in August. I had a few drinks and smoked (they are related, right)? loved every drag of it.
had to leave the whole pack in the restaurant for fear of relapse.

kudos to you for cutting back. in any light, that is an accomplishment.
regards,
Brenda

[agonycat]

Hey Wa'il, I quit by using the lowest available patch 7 grams, and the 2 gram gum. The gum was for those times I would rip someone's head off if they looked my way ;) The patch kept things on an even keel.

Reason I went with the lowest of patches and nicorette gum was I used both at the same time and I could monitor just how much I was going through. The high end patch gave me the shakes, headaches, dizziness and some really weird nightmares.