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@JudiMDGood to see you back.Glad your surgery went well!! Speedy recovery for you. Congratulations on being smoke free. Keep up the good work. Post often, reach out for support!!! You can do this!!

I am 73 and began smoking right out of highschool. Never had a solid quit. It would be a week here or a few days quit and then re do the process over and over. When I decided to quit, this time for good, I had read and re read Alan Carr's Easy Way over and over until I finally got it. Smoking is doing nothing for me. It is killing me slowly. Being here these past few days has helped me stay the course. In a few days I will have a week into this forever quit. Being here has helped tremendously.

Glad all went well and happy to have you here. Stay close and you will find support here to get you off the smoking. As for myself, I started my quit over 5 years ago after a long time smoking because of a 9 day stay in the hospital with pneumonia. Look to the future as a non-smoker. Best wishes for a speedy recovery. Hope to see you hanging out here.

Great to hear from you @JudiMD glad your surgery went well! Well done for doing your first week smoke free. I hope you start to feel some benefits from quitting soon.

Hi @JudiMD... Good to see you back ..and your surgery went well....wishing you a speedy recovery.... Staying Quit ...is the most best thing you can do to help you along .... We have some great Newbies just now ...you can travel your journey with .....

Hello Judi and so sorry for all you are going through. I am new so it will be an honor to take this journey with you. We are very close on our quits so we can do this as a team. Don't feel bad as I too am learning how to get around this site. I am going cold turkey but you do whatever it takes to keep the quit. You will remain in my nightly prayers. Stay close to the boards and stay strong.

@JudiMD I am so happy to see you! You have been on my mind. I knew you would not be online for a while with your surgery and recovery time. Glad it all went well and you are coming along with your quit. It may be hard at first but you can do it!

Thank you everybody so much. I’ve been out of the hospital a couple days, now. The recovery is painful but he’s sure he got it all. Smoke free for one week today. Urges are grueling but hanging in there. Thanks again for all your kind words.

G’day NOPE .....Not One Puff Ever.... (replace Ever with Min,Hour, Day as required)

nope

Well done Newbies .... Remember as long as you don't smoke ...all your going through just now is Temporary..... Turn all the Negative thoughts into positive ones .... What your achieving is Amazing....and it's what every smoker on the planet wants...deep down ... Here is a well earned pat on the back for you all

NOPE

That's great news @JudiMD, I'm so glad to hear they got it all and you're still smoke free. Your Dr must have been thrilled to hear you quit

I would just trust your body. It will right itself eventually but in the early quit, it does all sorts of odd things. I take Valerian for sleep which helps a great deal. Kava kava is another natural calmative. And, of course, copious amounts of chamomile tea.

jillar I do have melatonin which I have not taken so far. Just watched the above video and it helped to understand the sleep issues. It's just that the sleep patters change and it's so new to me. Thank goodness I no longer need to go to a job. At least I can sleep when the mood strikes. This too shall pass. Thanks for your help and encouragement. It means alot, especially in these trying times.

@Sunshine, insomnia is pretty common when quitting. I took a OTC sleep aid a couple times to help get me back on track. I always say listen to your body when quitting. If it wants rest, rest, sleep, sleep, eat then eat.... It's doing a lot of work trying to clean up the years of gunk smoking left!

@JudiMD welcome to this great support group!! You have made the single best decision you ever could've by choosing YOU over smoking!!

NOPE…

NOPE!

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Nope... I shall not!!!

Nope

Digging out this old thread because the thought that kept running through my mind today was "Quit Wins." With all of the newcomers to the site, I wanted to share one of (my) gifts of recovery from nicotine addiction. The early days are super tough and its easy to focus on what we are missing versus what we will gain by staying the course. I hadn't skied since last April when I caught an edge (on the flats) and broke my ribs. I was down to about 4-5 cigarettes per day and was feeling positive about another quit. Well, the injury was bad and it served as an excuse to keep smoking which, in my mind, distracted me from the pain. I didn't realize it but have had a deep fear of skiing again so even though I bought a pass months ago, today was the first day I went. It took quite a bit of self-talk to get me dressed and on the road. I had thoughts of smoking because that is how I used to cope with fear. I had one of the most extraordinary days ever. Fresh powder and sunny skies. The tiredness, the out-of-breath feeling I had last year at the end of a run was simply gone. I told myself it was aging but the truth was smoking was affecting me negatively. It made me want to give up something that has consistently brought me joy over almost five decades. We "give up" nothing by quitting. Rather we "give up" not being able to breathe, not being able to participate fully in life's activities whatever they may be.

I have been getting my sleep issues resolved lately but it's taken some time to let the process work. first, cutting out the caffeine or reducing drastically can help a lot since the body doesn't metabolize it as efficiently as when you smoked. second, get 10 to 15 minutes of sunlight in your face every morning. go for a walk, preferably before 9 am. It will help reset your body and brain circadian rhythms. The sunlight is much more effective if you are actually outside as opposed to seeing it through a window. Also the effect isn't diminished that much on cloudy days. third, while your outside try and get some exercise. I started skipping during my walks. just enough to get my heart rate and breathing up for a few minutes. And lastly, get a blue light filter for your screens. I use f lux on my laptop and my phone has one built in. f lux is a free app. I started noticing positive results in about 2 weeks. The first thing that happened was I started waking up at about 7 am with no alarm, regardless of how late I stayed up. Then I started falling asleep earlier and earlier. Now I'm usually asleep around 11 30 which is a lot better than the 3 to 5 am bedtimes I was at.

@SunshineI am going thru another round of sleep issues. Like you can't sleep at night and then sleep during the day. I am trying to flip my sleep cycle right now. I will be awake all night tonight and have been gradually making myself stay awake during the day as long as I can. I think I may be able to get back to a normal sleep pattern in a few days. I don't think this is being caused by the quit. I think it is an aging thing now.

Yes KEL five days in. Almost at that one week mark. Hanging on and feeling a bit of confidence that I am on my way.

KEL I do have chamomile tea. Never thought of that. I am going to try that later tonight. Don't know what Valerian is but will look it up. Appreciate the suggestions.

Thank you EVERYONE! I am literally on pins and needles AND needles and pins in anticipation for next month’s first year anniversary! How did I even get here? LOL

@JudiMDI am so glad the surgery went well and so happy you are here with us. @SunshineNicely done! By my count, you have five days in. Just keep doing it; it gets easier...

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Nope, NOPE, NOPE!

@Gus, good for you! 11 Months is awesome!!!

@SunshineYou might want to do a ticker? Its pretty fun watching the days go by. Any time I feel the least bit wobbly, I pop on and check the reality of the gift I am giving to me by not smoking. It helps galvanize my determination....

Nope

@GusGreat job Gus!!! Your journey has been an inspiration to others.

Way to go @GusThat's pretty awesome quit you got there.

@SunshineValerian is an herb you can get in any health-food store and online. It smells something awful but it sure does work to help with consistent sleep absent the drug component which you don't really want to do. I started taking it when I first got sober and go through stages but it always helps to regulate my sleep. Guided meditation is a good one-I like Kelly Howell (she is on YouTube).

Awesome @KEL! I’m happy that you reconnected with something you enjoyed so much for so long! I hope that you laughed and laughed in the face of that old Nicodemon!!!

It’s great to see you back @JudiMD and also that your surgery went well and that you are well on your way into your quit!

Yes-there are better days ahead. And it gets way easier. So stay the course and keep reminding yourself that this is a gift you are giving to you.

Love it @KEL glad you had a great day

Congratulations on 11 months smoke free @Gus and thanks for all that you do to help others here. It is truly appreciated. Huge congrats!

Great job Gus. Congratulations. There's no stopping the Gus Bus now!

Congratulations Gus! Almost there to the one year mark. Great job. Best wishes.

NOPE!

Congrats Gus! Sending love and blessings your way today...

That's amazing @GusI hope you are treating yourself!

Yeah, I struggled with sleep for awhile. It's not too bad now. Just getting very vivid dreams. Stick with it the early days are rough just remember nobody dies from a craving but smoking can kill you!

For me, I am still having problems with sleep. It is normal, your body is going thru a lot of changes. You have to expect there will be some changes as you adjust. Just be kind to yourself, that is all you can do while the body and mind learn that there is no more nicotine. It is not easy but you can do it. Have patience in all things.