Aine

Posted by Aine on 26 February 2014 - 04:48 PM So, I threw away the cigs, cleaned the ashtrays, put them away, put the ecigs in the top of the closet. I've smoked for forty years, and I'm a chain smoker, 3 -4 packs a day. I don't know if I smoke all of them, but I ALWAYS have one if possible. I'm scared to death and I don't even know why. My son just got home from school. He's 12. I don't like feeling like this.

Thank god for ellipses is all I can say.

I almost did this two years ago, and this year, had 3 of these pureed zucchini packages graciously given to me. Sigh.

There is something vaguely obscene about this. . . :unsure:

Wow. My first flashback in years! Truly impressive, Marcus.

I wish to be free from "personal attacks." Responses that address me personally with condescending and patronizing replies that negate what I have just said I consider attacks. If there are exceptions to this policy, then it is not a policy.

If you wake up alone, then no.

No, your journey is not "a joke" , bug. I worked in a hospital for about ten years, many years ago. Several times, I helped a patient to smoke, turning off their oxygen and in a couple of instances, removing the gauze from their throat where they had a tracheotomy so they could hold the cigarette to their throat. That was back in the early 80's. This addiction kills, too. People around us are hurt, too. Watching someone you love hurt from smoke related problems is horrible. "I watched him, I tried to help him...I watched how he destroyed himself.. there was nothing that I could do/nothing anybody could do. " I think this sentence sums up concisely addiction to nicotine, too.

And now, no secret. So much easier to breath, on several levels!. Big step, Dors. Well done.

In my case, it is a matter of daily maintenance. I wanted to quit twice before. I didn't remain a non smoker because my denial system is quite good! Without daily reminders, such as a list of reasons for quitting that I can take out of my billfold to remind myself and reading on this forum, then my little monkey whispers in my ear silly stuff--like how one won't hurt me, it will taste good, etc. while this is lessening for me day by day, I do not want to get complacent and forget I have an addiction. So here I am!

Made eggrolls and sesame noodles with sweet red peppers and sautéed mushrooms for supper tonight. Time consuming but yummy! That is my treat for today. John Irving rocks.

Below is Joel Spizer's article about his background, but what I like most about Joel, other than is smile, is his perspective of smoking as a physical and mental addiction. The approach is the same; don't smoke. He explains well, I think, how the experience may be different for each. My Background in the Field of Smoking Cessation "You never smoked--how could you understand what I am going through?" Not a clinic goes by where I don't hear this complaint from at least one participant. If I get asked about my personal smoking history on the first day of the program, the entire group often questions my ability to help them. While it may surprise many smokers, my understanding of the overall quitting process is more comprehensive primarily because I never did smoke. There are numerous programs taught in smoking cessation, mostly by ex-smokers. The instructor often is working under the assumption that he was a "typical" smoker and what worked for him will work the same for everybody. If, when he stopped, he had little or no withdrawal, he may figure that the technique he used makes quitting an easy and painless process. Some participants in his program may have a similar experience--but others may not. In a typical group, some people will have an easy time, others will find it only moderately difficult, and a few may have real severe physical symptoms. The teacher often cannot empathize with class participants encountering difficulties. In his opinion, if they followed his approach, they should be feeling fine. The people having symptoms often begin to feel that they are abnormal. In the opposite extreme, I have encountered clinic moderators, who, when they had quit, had terrible withdrawal. An instructor like this may get a person in his group who is having only minimal difficulty and convince him that severe reactions will soon occur. If symptoms don't develop in the class member, he may think that he is abnormal. When I started conducting clinics, I had no preconceived idea of what quitting smoking was like or how it should be attempted. Due to a strange set of circumstances, I was asked and very reluctantly agreed to try to help seven people quit smoking. The first day of the program I showed the medical consequences of smoking, which then was my area of expertise. The next day I came to the group having absolutely nothing more to add. So I encouraged the group to talk. Four of the people had gone cold turkey. I didn't tell them to; they were just so alarmed by the slide show that they did not want to smoke. The others had cut down drastically. All seven were complaining of symptoms. I figured that you feel some discomfort the first day no matter what you do to quit. The next day, one of the people who had gone cold from the first day was feeling substantially better. Another who had gone cold turkey said that he was now cutting down. In actuality, he had relapsed, but neither of us recognized the significance at the time. The other five people still sounded miserable. In the fourth session, a pattern had become clearly obvious. The three who had been totally abstinent from day one said they were feeling surprisingly good. Urges were weakening and were less frequent, and physical improvements were becoming noticeable. Those who had been cutting down were increasing consumption and still suffering horribly. While the immediate effects of quitting were difficult for all, those going cold had the shortest period of suffering, and, more importantly, they were the only ones to successfully quit. Since that clinic, I have witnessed the experiences of thousands of people attempting to quit. In every program I have conducted since that time, I have shared the techniques and experiences of people who have succeeded. I don't feel it is the way to quit only because it is how one person did it; it is the way to quit because it works for the majority of people following the approach. While the intensity of the withdrawal varies, anyone going cold will feel better in a few days from his or her last cigarette. More important, once a person quits smoking, withdrawal will be a thing of the past, something he or she will never have to contend with again as long as he or she knows to NEVER TAKE ANOTHER PUFF!

What does Johnny5's relative's background have to do with his opinions? My uncle is a pharmacist, but I don't think I have the education or the training to fill prescriptions for you. I do hope the moderators of this new forum are not now being touted as "nicotine cessation experts." I'm going to listen to anyone that has one minute more than I do without nicotine; but, "take what you want and leave the rest" works just fine for me. What doesn't work is a response that negates what I am presently feeling or dismisses what I say with a self righteous and pompous "hope for my future" or some such nonsense. Posts I listen to are ones that offer me reiteration of the message that supports nicotine addiction, not a feel good "just say no." I do credit everyone here with valuable experience in how they have quit smoking. And I am incredibly grateful to all of you for sharing those experiences.That's all I can share; my experience. I don't much care for "trolls" either. "Trolling is the term derived from the word "troll," which indicates trailing a fish along a baited line." Throwing out several remarks per day that generally say it is easy to quit and if you feel bad, you're doing it wrong looks like a baited line to me. And putting smiley faces at the end of each sentence doesn't negate dismissing remarks. Just saying.

No smoking for me today!

The word "probably" means you did EXACTLY the right thing. Now you have practice and can do it again if needed!

Nobody gets here looking for a roast beef recipe. Well. . .it could happen. Maybe. Probably not. lol! So, when I clicked on the link to this place, some part of me "wanted" to quit. I agree, Amy; most of me still doesn't want to quit. I NEVER want to quit. I just can't figure out how to smoke like I smoke and be healthy, content, and free. So, today I do not smoke. Recognizing that line of unresolvable conflicts and stepping across it is the big step I think. I keep reminding myself why I quit. Those reasons remain solid ones even when the monkey is calling. . .

Why wait until tomorrow to quit? Why do you want to quit, Amy?

Having the hair "twerp" as I am calling her now professionally color my hair Friday. Never had this done before; just another version of red, my natural color, but still. Wash that gray right out of my hair! This is my "big" treat for the month. Smoked oysters in a tin for a dollar a tin is my treat for today. Love those things.

Yes, you need to go back to work. Cute, though!

Dump the Champix.

I've been clean from narcotics/alcohol now for 22 years. The first 5 years or so I had many horrible and realistic "using dreams," as they are called in N.A. For the first couple of years, off and on again dreams filled with fear and horror of using, and then, finally around 3 years clean, I had a gut wrenching and sweat producing dream of running through many houses away from my "monster" and in each house, a neighbor would offer me a drink or a pill or a joint; for the first time, in the dream I remember saying "that won't help!" I woke up and called someone and she told me that it was a great sign of recovery. I believe that. To me, having a healthy amount of respect that reminds me that I have a sneaky addiction to nicotine is helpful. Past experience has shown me what is worrisome is when I "forget" how powerful addiction is. As long as I keep using the tools, I don't have to live in fear, I just have to stay "mindful." Love that word! I had a dream the night before last, many things were going on, but for a brief moment Sarge was in the dream and he was eating a human arm. At least he wasn't smoking it. lol!

Hey, you are saying what I have been feeling for the last hour! lol! Yep. Sometimes being a non smoker just sucks. sucks. sucks. sucks. And, then, it doesn't. Wait for the doesn't again. It will come around again. Has so far, anyway. And, sometimes there are hateful people that just need to go away. Or, I do. hehehe! If I had compared my "quits" too much more than I did, I would have been smoking on day 11 of this one. And, getting 7 weeks now doesn't mean I can do it again or will get the opportunity. Which cigarette causes that cancer cell to explode? Deep breaths. Just for now.

1972 Pace Arrow, right? Verrrry cool.

True. But giving people rewards for accomplishment regardless of how well they did. . .that doesn't improve performance.