Day 1
 

Without much fanfare, I smoked my last cigarette last night before I went to bed. Last month, I planned and plotted, picked a day, and was a total failure. This month I decided that whenever I finished my last pack out of the last carton, that would be that. I was intending to do cold turkey, but on the drive to school this morning, I decided to give the patch another try. This is probably better not only for me but for the people around me, LOL. Stopped at the drug store, got some patches, went to school, and then spent the rest of the day with two smokers. There were definately moments of intensity, but I and my resolve survived.
Onward to day 2!

Good luck Atriana,

I guess at this particular moment, I know exactly how hard it is :)

Be strong,

Wa'il

:cheer: :cheer: :cheer:

WTG Atriana! Congrats on taking your first step. I too know how hard that first step is. Been there done that and now I have been smokeless since 1999 :)

You can do it!

Day 2
 

Another successful day! Several intense cravings, but they are right when they say that that a craving will pass whether you smoke or not.
The worst part right now is my very cranky mood. I should probably wear a warning sign on my shirt so people know enough to stay away from me.
Onwards to day 3.

Day 3
 

Another day as a non smoker. I wish I could say it is getting easier - but at least it isn't getting any harder. Been surrounded by smokers all day, went to a party full of smokers tonight.
Onwards to day 4.

I'm impressed Atriana, that's wonderful. My prediction (and I've never reached that point yet :) ) is that after 4 days, the cravings should subside, just like carb cravings.

Wa'il

Today is Day 4 and although I wouldn't say they have subsided, the cravings are definately more manageable. Days 1 & 2 I used the patch, Day 3 I had about 5 pieces of nicotine gum (no patch) and so far today, I have had only one piece of the gum and it is almost 5pm. So yes, the cravings are lessening some.
I went kayaking this morning for about 3 hours, that helped a lot. Between the water and the busy hands and the exercise, that was three whole hours that I didn't even think about smoking. Egrets and cranes and alligators and herons. The only down side was the sunburn that I got.

1st day
 

Hello everyone,
This is my first day without a cig. So far, I have done pretty good but I have taken three naps so far today. I need all your support and prayer .

Day 5
 

Day 5 is rapidly coming to a close. Another day surrounded by smokers but for the most part it is getting easier. The hard parts are still while on the phone, after eating, while drinking coffee and when driving.
Donna, congratulations on quitting!

Day 6 just about done. Today I wasn't around smokers at all - and I was thinking about smoking all day. Go figure. Maybe it was because I spent most of the day at home. This was the first day that I wasn't busy, busy, busy. Tomorrow will be the one week mark, I can hardly believe it.

That's wonderful Atriana, congrats on your success! :thup:

Wa'il

Day 7 was a bear! I can't imagine why, but it was like constant craving again. I woke up that day wanting to smoke and went to sleep the same way.
At least this morning, Day 8, it wasn't the absolute first thing on my mind, LOL. Well, off to school I go.

The Runaway Jury
 

I don't know if this will help you but let me share my experience. My first day being smoke-free started on Feb 1/96 (so I'm approaching my 6th anniversary). It was my New Year's resolution that year but realistically who can quit on Jan 1? You've already had 5 cigarettes by 1am while you're partying on New Year's Eve. So I gave myself the month of January to psych myself out. I also read the book, "The Runaway Jury" by John Grisham during that time which is about suing the tobacco industry. That book helped me to understand a few things, you should visit your library and see if you can get a copy - it might help you too.

When I began my smoke-free life I would challenge myself at each craving and say, "Who's going to win Sylvie, you or the cigarette? Who's stronger Sylvie, you or the cigarette?" Some challenges were more nerve-wrecking than others but I took it one craving at a time. Before I knew it days turned into weeks and weeks turned into months. At that point when I had a sporadic craving I would say, "Are you going to blow x-number of months on a stupid cigarette?" Then months turned into years. I've never looked back.

What else can I say, this has worked for me.

Sylvie P

Thanks Sylvie! I can use all the help I can get. :) The weight gain thing is really bumming me out right now. I am up 4 pounds in the last 8 days - and I haven't increased my carbs. Admittedly, I am eating more - but my carb count has remained under 30 per day. I guess I will have to add more exercise - but of course time is also a factor.

Day 8 update
 

OK - I was bad - not too bad but bad enough. Last night at about 1am I had 2 cigarettes. Back to back. Bad day, worse evening.
Things I've learned:

1) Cigarettes don't make me sick even after over a week of not smoking.
2) One cigarette is both too many and not enough.
3) My bad day/worse evening didn't improve by smoking.

This morning when I woke up my throat and chest felt weird. I guess my body must be trying to repair itself and those 2 cigarettes didn't help that along any. I got up and put on a patch for people who smoke less than 10 cigarettes a day. Now, I had only used the patch for 2 days, then just used a piece or two of nicotine gum for the other 6 days. Today I feel I need a little extra help. Tomorrow I will probably use the smallest patch available and then go back to no patch at all.

I am not going to reset my mental time of this being Day 9. I hope you all don't think that is cheating. My rationalization is that the first 2 cigarettes I ever smoked didn't make me a smoker - and neither did these last 2. Hopefully I will retain the things those last 2 cigarettes have taught me and I will be able to draw on that the next time I have a really bad day.