Well I would love to quit but can't right now. I would love to keep in touch and get all the helpful hints for the future.
We just found out two weeks ago that my Father is dying of lung cancer. I tryed to quit last weekend but failed. My Mom and Dad is staying with me right now because they live two and a half hours from the city and he has to go for radition every day and chemo once a week. They say he has a year at the longest. He is so sick and I have to smoke outside because of the oxegen. You think seeing you're Dad dying right in front of you're face in you're own house would be enough motivation for anyone. I'm just so stressed right now I can't do it. I have cut down alot because it's 13 degrees outside so I don't go out to often.
When I try to quit I just get so stressed I feel like I'm going to exploed. I dont know how to get past that stressed out feelling. Might have to try the patch, i started to take Wellbutrin about a week ago they say it takes a week to ten days to get into youre system. Does Wellbutrin make you gain weight?
Wish me luck and will power.

Hugs Susan. I'm so sorry to here about your dad. I've never done the Wellbutrin, I can't answer. Stick around with us and post. Stress is something hard to handle at most times, let alone be stressed out and trying to quit. Look under the other posts, lisa's posts i think you don't gain weight.

take care
zellie

Hi guys. I haven't been around here much except the occasional lurk...but this thread caught my attention.

I started Lc-ing in July, lost 25 pounds in 6 weeks, then quit smoking on 9/1/01. Of course, 11 days later all hell broke loose, 2 weeks later I lost my job and am still unemployed, but I am STILL NOT SMOKING!!!!

At Thanksgiving I got off the low-carb track and put some of the weight back on and now I'm back on track trying to take it off again.

I did substitute a lot of low-carb candy for smokes for a while and to be honest, it stalled the weight loss and also made me crave sweets again.

I'm proud that I didn't take up smoking again and it's been an adjustment, but now I am smoke and candy free. January 1st will be 4 months without a cig.

Oh, and the About.com Smoking Cessation forum helped me alot. I also used the patch for 2 months.

You guys can do it, too!!!

I am so sorry about your father. I do know what you mean about the stress -- I always felt so stressed when trying to quit, and added stress like your father being so ill would have sent me reaching for the cigarettes also. I did try Wellbutrin, and it helped me tremendously -- I even made it through an emergency trip to the hospital with my mother while taking it. I made it three months on the Wellbutrin! But then I broke out in hives from it and had to quit taking it, and I started smoking again. So, hang in there, and maybe the Wellbutrin will help you quit in spite of the stress.

Atriana,

I was reading one of your other posts where you said you were sitting there looking at your smoke burning away in the ashtray. One thing that helped long before I even decided to quit was to not smoke inside. I was very firm on this. Not out the window, not in the garage...not inside at all! Not only is a real tick off to go out in the rain and cold...but you start to realize just how bad you smell. If you smoke inside everything smells like smoke so you get desensitized to it.

I once handed in a resume for a friend of mine at work. The co-worker whom I gave it to asked me if my friend smoked. The resume smelled like smoke! There's some perspective for ya.

Trust me, give it a try!

Linnea

Susan,
You'll be in my prayers tonight. My dad died of lung cancer 13 years ago. And I still kept on smoking. I started when I was 13 and am now 45. It's a very tough addiction. I'm on Zyban now, twice daily, and still smoking. Someone told me that at the base of all addictions was a spiritual issue. I'm meditating on that for now and trying to figure out what to do about it from the inside. I wish you much courage and keep the faith.
Ruby

Hi Atriana,

Its good to read about everyone elses hopes and goals to loose weight and give up smoking, I know its early days for me I only gave up smoking 4 days ago and up untill now I acn honestly say that I havent had any real cravings for a cig, I have tried sooo many times before to become a non smoker, I have also gone through all the tried and tested ways to give up ie: patches gum
ect ect I even spent over £200 on an Alan Carr quit smoking day,
that was a year ago, but alas the evil old Nic got his way, I have also put alot of weight on after stopping smoking I think that this and a feeling of being over confident about not smoking has been my downfall, In all the times Ive tried to stop I never seem to get cravings not bad ones anyway and then when I dont expect it one great big one will just rear up and bang thats it, this time Im in control, Iam using patches, I got them on prescription from my doctor, I have been back on my lo carb diet for 48 hours I have just won a bet in work that I wouldnt last till end of week. the only thing that Im taking this time are vitamins. I hope that we all reach our goals come everyone if I can you can.

Hi Susan,
so sorry to hear about your Dad, my dad died when he was 56 yrs
old he had been a smoker since his teenage years, he was told he had leukimia ( not sure if I spelt that right). The sad thing was that although he smoked he had enjoyed a very healthy life, he'd tried giving up a few times, I could never get it into my head how he could have got this awful deadly thing, untill recently, I was at the doctors after a car accident and while waiting I spotted a leaflet on smoking so I started reading it the usual list of things that may happen to you, one of the not so usual things hit me smack in the face Smoking can Cause Leukimia, it seems I had my answere. It has really made me think that I dont want to take these chances I wanted to stop before somthing terrible happend to me,I belive that Im healthy right now and I dont want to do anything that could change that. You will with time overcome your stress and sadness, dont be to hard on yourself Susan somtimes its best to keep on doing what your doing for now anyway, and the right time to give up will come along when your ready.

I too quit smoking.

I smoked for 15 years, and was supporting over a pack a day habit. I tried to quit smoking. Tried the patch and it made me ill. Tried the gum and it burned my throat.

In May of 2000, I was waking myself up in the middle of the night coughing my lungs out and wheezing. I almost couldn't breath.
I had x-rays taken because of pneumonia and the doctor showed the sever scarring of my lungs and what smoking was doing.

This was going to be my final attempt at kicking the habit. I went to the American Lung web site and read up on suggestions and articles. They gave me the courage I needed.

In June of 2000, I had to go to Portland, for business. So I armed myself with the 7m patches and 2m gum, packed my bags minus the cigs and I was off! My hubby went with me for support. We went sight seeing a lot. Every morning he would rip the patch off my back and replace it with a shiney new one.

The first month was a bit edgy. I was popping gum like a heroin addict.

I can honestly say, I do not for one minute regret having given those things up. It has been almost 2 years now, and I have not gone back. I can be around smokers and it doesn't bother me too much other than I had no idea how badly those things stink.

My lungs have mended. I no longer gasp for breath when walking up stairs.

I wish all of you success in breaking the habit, it isn't easy, but it is sooooo worth it!

If anyone is interested the link to the American Lung web site is: http://www.lungusa.org/

Thanks for all the support and good information. I had no idea that smoking could cause leukimia. I have slowed down quite a bit and have not totaly given up the thought of trying to quit. I'm just not ready yet. My hardest part is I feel soooooo stressed out like I'm going to burst. I know that sooner or later that feeling will go away but I just can't make it to that later time without giving in. My Dad is doing better he is done with his radiation for now and they quit doing the Chemo because it was making him to sick. Mom and Dad went back home yesterday. Love them to death but it sure is nice to have my house back.

I wanted so badly to be a "loser" when I found this low carb website. Now not only to I want to be a "loser" but I also want to be a "quitter".
I have been smoking since I was 15. I am now 36- and I can't stop myself. I smoke about 12-15 per day. I have tried everything. I have geared myself up to start trying to quit again as of this Monday, January 14th. I am going to buy the patch.
I have heard a few good things about the patch- and a few friends who said it never worked for them.
My other worries are the stories about smokers who try to quit- go on binges. WHat the heck am I suppose to do now???


Looking for advice.

Kassy

I quite on May 7th 2001...
I previously had quit for a year and started again due to health problems with my husband and difficulties in our marriage... Hugly stressful time....
But this time i started my own moto;

i was afraid of gaining weight , which i did...but i kept saying or yelling out loud''''

ICAN LOSE WEIGHT!!!! YOU CAN'T ALWAYS LOSE CANCER !!!!!!

If i just didn't light the first one i knew I'd be o.k.
drank water and changed my habits... you know that after dinner smoke ....got up instead and did the dishes right away.. stuff like that.... i even quit coffee because coffee was not the same without the smoke.... come on guys NEVER QUIT QUITING

HI Kassey,

My Heart goes out to you, I know only to well how hard it is to quit smoking, especially when you are prone to putting on weight after you quit, this has been the one thing that after so many atempts to give up has made me run so fast to the shop to buy a packet of cigs and then I've sat in my car and made myself almost sick smoking them, you then say that you'll only smoke that packet but no you are back buying more as soon as your down to the last two, and to make things worse you dont even go straight on a diet to loose the eccess weight because putting the weight on is'nt at this time and was'nt in the first place really that important, it was just an excuse to start smoking again. Fear is the biggest thing about becoming a non smoker, let me tell you there is nothing to fear and once you really realise this you can then start on the road to being a happy no smoker, going on the patches I belive is the best thing I have also tried every other way to give up and have found these the best Iam using NiQuitin CQ 21mg 24 hour I have'nt had one craving to smoke, and Iam having no problem with the diet, I have just been reading Atkins book and was suprised to read that LO carb diet can help with nicotine addiction I belive this to be true in my case anyway, you know Kassy I dont feel that Iam special in anyway I feel that if you get yourself in the right frame of mind that you can achive any thing you want, and that is what you must do, it isnt the nicotine that is unhealthy it is all the tar and the many poisons that are in 1 cig its all of this that we taste when we puff away on a cig, I'll bet you dont use sweetners and WHY because you've been told they cause cancer, well so does smoking, so why do it, have you read any of Allen Carr's books The Only Way To STOP SMOKING, if you havent got one of these go and buy one and sit down with your ashtray and your cigs and read it over and over if you need to, it really will help to give you the willpower you need and show you how to overcome the fear of giving up.
And Kassy I will be here as well to give you any help that I can you can do this belive me it really is so easy when you know how.

Keep in touch please and let me know how your doing, but tomorrow buy the book, its the easyway.

Take care
Carol

You know what is my biggest down fall? I really don't want to quit but I know I need to. I enjoy smoking to much still. But I will check out the book. Thanks!!! Love all the helpfull advice

I want to say thank you for the words of encouragement. I am going to go buy the book this evening. It is not that I don't know what smoking does to my body, it is that I chose not to look at the facts all of these years. In some sort of a sick way, if I don't acknowledge the facts, they aren't real.
I just watched my father in law die from lung cancer and this put a reality check in my mind. I want to do this.
I am getting the book and the patches today, and am going to put all my efforts into this.
Thanks for your kind words.

Kassy