JB 883

the title of this thread, "slap slap slap slap"... Was it originally about Bakon enjoying himself to a princess Diana commemorative plate?

Last time I saw a similar thread on a forum it was titled only "Nun". It was a thread about what kind of meat priests eat on Sunday.

Just do not give in cause you have made it a short distance but it is progress. If you give in and light up, it is back to square one.

There are plenty of stories in the media about the dangers of smoking but it becomes a little more real when reading about it on forums or wherever from actual people who have faced problems.

Coming up I will actually reveal how this relates to tobacco. So first let us examine when people get in trouble with credit card debt. You sign up for one. You have good intentions. Only emergencies, pay it off each month. yeah. But then you get more offers. Sure why not? It is fun. You want, you swipe, what's the harm? Before you know it, you have a bit of a debt problem. Yet you have nothing to really show for it. But not only can you not afford to repay without going through a bunch of BS, there is nothing left for those "emergencies". What about a bad relationship? They started so great. Things progress. They become an integral part of your life. Maybe you move in together. But then things start to get a little rough cause the fun is soon over. Maybe an unexpected pregnancy occurs. Well, NOW you done it! Now you are stuck. It just seems like every bad habit or choice out there eventually leads to problems and one is hit with the "bill" unexpectedly. So now take smoking. We all thought it was fun or cool or grown up or sexy etc when we started. But at some point we learn we are hooked. people who never quit or quit too late are often likely to have varying health problems from it. I do not know about anyone else but I HATE when I am sick. Crippling. So among about a dozen other reasons I decided to say "to hell with this" (that is my own quit smoking mantra) there is one above all - yeah I had my time smoking but wanted to quit BEFORE some nasty "bill" arrived. I think knowing the health risks can discourage some smokers or would-be smokers but maybe a few more could be reached by relating the long-term problems to something one has experienced in the past. For me, being stupid with credit cards and then worrying about how I would deal with the bills... I do not want to "pay later" for tobacco. Do not get me started about my bad relationships. This forum would explode then Marylandquitter would fly over here and beat my ass.

I remember in my hospital thread you mentioned about being six years quit. Threads like this one scare me though because it makes me wonder just how or why someone could even consider it possible or even want to smoke after so many years quit. people that quit but it only lasts a couple days, alright, they are facing the brunt of the side effects but years after? Seems like one just could not physically do it. Kind of makes me scared, like what if I am in the same boat a year or so from now? Well shoot, I guess it is time to check out the videos about relapse. Do not beat yourself up though, you avoided tobacco for six years. At least you know you can stop this smoking again.

Tyme, as you get more used to not smoking, you will notice when someone around you IS smoking, it may smell repulsive. Like before you may not have noticed but now that you are quitting, you may grow to find the smell nauseating. Good thing though, it is a reminder not to light up.

Monday I got sick out of NOwhere. Headache, dizzy, nausea, and somehow cellulitis on my left lower leg. I always though that was something you got if you were extremely heavy. I am large but not ginormous. Anyways about 5:00 this morning I went to the hospital. I mentioned to the nurse I quit smoking 7 weeks ago and asked do my lungs sound normal or...? She said they sound clear. I was real glad to hear that. I didn't know if MY thoughts that my breath is now quiet was just wishful thinking. Guess not. It was nice though to be able to report I gave up smoking. Got me thinking though - Not just smoking but there are several areas of my life I need to clean up. Funny when we are over 40 how we start thinking of goofy things like "Maybe I need to change my eating habits, drink less. quit smoking, drop toxic friends, get my finances straightened out..." One miracle at a time I suppose. It has been a rough week. I was planning on working extra each day this week but of course getting sick made that impractical. Turkey day will be Sunday. If only one good thing comes out of this week, at least I know my quit is progressing. From a newbie quitter to those about to quit or JUST quitting - hang in there. It does get easier and it doesn't take real long to feel benefits.

Those were good for intense high graphics online gaming like SL or World of Dorkcraft but just didn't do much else.

Couple I like. Favorite by far is - Ask and you shall receive, seek and you shall find, knock the the door shall be opened for you. Another one - When in doubt, know your way out.

I don't know how "experienced" I am really. I am guessing (and hoping for the sake of some here) that there are articles or videos posted about dealing with "difficult" house members when we are TRYING to quit in peace. The person I live with is my best friend, the worst we do is snap at each other once in a while. Maybe avoiding is not possible, but you can learn how to possibly deal with this tough situation. I think dealing with live-in a PITA would be the hardest obstacle to overcome. Someone gets over that, I dare not tell them what "strong" is. I will let them school ME on the subject

The US govt does that for the same reason. Sure it discourages smokers somewhat but for a hardcore addict, they typically will just bitch about it then keep lighting up. I wonder though if smoking became a niche market on count of price or whatever - THEN where would the feds get extra money? They claim the tobacco tax hikes are to offset health care costs but it is hard to imagine they are not collecting more tax than what smokers are costing health care. Is it really about trying to get people to quit or is it just exploiting people who have a habit that can be a bear to overcome?

Tyme2B - right on with day three! By now you should be getting slightly used to not having a cigarette. The nicotine has left your body. So even if it is an early milestone, it STILL is one. People talk about "triggers" but for a full time smoker, everything correlates to smoking. just do your best to avoid at least some of them (some really cannot be avoided) I tell ya this - if you DO get weak and need to post an SOS, ask Doreensfree specifically why it is a bad idea to pick up that cancer stick. I do not feel it is my place to speak for the lady but I imagine she will be happy to explain. As you read, get the image in your head. Just might scare the piss out of you. She is a cool lady, even to someone like me who almost wore out her welcome within the first few posts.

If someone is wishy washy about a quit time but really wants to, I would say a decent time to establish a quit is when one is sick. Of course if someone doesn't get sick much then that day may take a while. However, I guess it is like "strike while the iron is hot". Because i know someone will say it, yes you are right, NOW is the best time. I was just one of those "cheat my way out of the habit" types. When that little nicodemon had it's back turned, I ran like hell.

Doreen, yeah that is one thing wish I had known a long time ago is how things clear up and feel better after quitting. Right now I feel like I am on death's bed but yeah honesty - Most of the time when the thought of smoking enters it is like, "Naw, I don't need it, not after six weeks" but today the thought of smoking almost makes me cry in pain cause gyod it is disgusting! Of course like BKP said, it is nice to not have to think about "how soon can i go smoke?"

Well folks, my apology for being a PITA. I guess I could use the excuse that is have been a real butt head since quitting. I have rotten days too but hate admitting it. Kind of like the sour grapes of getting out of a bad relationship. So to those who took offense, I am sorry.

Funny how temptation likes to rear it's ugly head when we quit. Good job on chucking it though.

Today specifically I am glad I do not smoke because i am sick as a dog. We all know just how wonderful cigarettes make us feel. Have not had one for several weeks. Come on body, what more do you want?

Isn't his name MrTitwank? What kind of a boob messes up that name?

I wonder about that part too of " does quitting now mean I am off scott free from cancer or smoke related disease ?" That is my main residual problem of having been a smoker for 15 years. No one gets out of here alive. Even if smoke related disease DO creep in long after someone has quit, it would HAVE to be to a lesser degree or at least onset later than if we never had quit. Of course there are folks who have never smoked a puff NOR been around smokers a day in their lives who get lung cancer or whatever. One never knows. Even if health risk remains unchanged for some who quit, there is less damage to our wallets when we quit. Plus all the other undeniable and readily evident benefits of quitting like no longer smelling bad or inconvenient stuff like "needing a cigarette but cannot smoke anytime soon". No more inconvenient trips to the gas station. Some who refuse to quit say things like "You gotta die of something". This is fact. What else is fact though is it sucks massively come time to pay the piper. Mine might be a weird reason to quit BUT - I decided finally I didn't want to "pay the piper" any more nor sooner than I already may have to. 40 something isn't an age to think, "I gotta die sometime of something". Screw that, i want to live. I do not want to give any pleasure to those who cannot stand me by kicking off any sooner than I have to.

I still wonder though just WHY anyone picks up the habit. Cannot blame our peers, parents, the TV etc... My own excuse though is life was really stressful at the time. No matter how many packs I smoked though my problems did not vanish. We all foolishly started smoking in our respective times. Even before the warnings, surgeon general announcements etc... wouldn't people have figured out that just maybe this smoking bit is harmful when weird things happen like - Breath rattling at times, especially at night. Start coughing when trying to laugh. Morning mouth gets more disgusting than it normally would be. House/car/clothes start to stink. The fact that something is glowing red hot a mere few inches from your face and emitting smoke? Yeah THAT must be safe and healthy. When we first start, the first time we try to inhale the smoky nast, our lungs flinch in the same manner that muscles involuntarily flinch in pain. Yet the doctors on TV said it was safe to smoke. I was not around back then but seen some youtube videos. I can imagine ads being crammed down people throats the same way cell phones and social media are today. Interesting thing though today they are trying to act like vaping and e-cigs are some good safe alternative. AND people are buying into it. Of course vape companies make it look sexy or they diss tobacco and smoking. First time I heard about vaping, my knee-jerk thought was, "Well, breathing water vapor, THAT is pointless." Let us hope that kids do not fall for it. Makes you wonder then what other gimmicks people will fall for? People are dumb. I was dumb. One motivator to stop smoking is think, "I am too good for this. This just is not me".

So the co-workers told you that you would start again and your friend said if you could stay quit for three months then he would quit. Kind of confirms my suspicion that in real life, people often bet against us and out ability to drop the habit. I have not really mentioned quitting to too many but one friend at work kind of scoffed when I announced quitting. Now here I am not trying to be smart against your friend but just how is he going to react come the three month mark and you have not lit up? Yep, Jan 7th when you are three months finished and tell him, he MIGHT be like, "Oh shit..." THEN the pressure will be on. With our quit, it gives a bit of bragging rights. May even pressure others to stop smoking. Aren't we evil? I do find myself getting these strange cravings. It is like they are fewer but stronger. BUT, today something happened that reminded me why i do not smoke - Room mate and i were going to the grocery and outside probably 25 feet away some guy was puffing his lungs away and BEJEEZUS did it stink! I kid you not, I about got sick and almost cried from the disgusting smell. So yeah, proving naysayers wrong AND avoiding the squalid stinch of cigarettes - alright, two motivators to stay away. I think the "crave" forgets to mention the bad parts. My room mate saw me gagging and said, "That is one side effect of quitting... it doesn't bother me cause i got used to it". she don't smoke, never has. I don't know how she stands second hand smoke. it makes me want to die.

The problem with jeans is that they do NOT lie about one's waist line. Leggings and stretch pants of any sort will tell you what you want to hear. Ever notice how in weight loss ads it shows the loser holding up their old jeans, like specifically jeans? With candy - do not tell ME about candy. I am the one who keeps Nestle and Hershey in business.

I Got This, did I not mention you have a lot more willpower than me and that I would not be able to quit under the same circumstance? Not like I am telling people to go back to it or that they cannot stay quit. I see people sometimes get shamed for relapsing. I have no plans on relapse (though I suppose no one plans to). I just start to wonder why people do, especially after some months. In real life when i told my smoking and vaping co-workers I was going to quit, one of them laughed and said, "Good luck" in a manner like "you will be back." Anyways...

So quitting when life turns good or is looking good. Kind of the opposite of how some go back to smoking when life gets rough. It is good to cut out as many stressors from life as possible. The effects of doing so are far more reaching than just making it easier to break the smoking habit. That is one benefit yes but so many other good things too