Justins Intro - Quit date Sept 7, 2021

[JustinHoot99]

I quit my 1 pack a day habit cold turkey on Sept 7 at 6:30pm.  I actually had a pretty easy first 3 days.
a)  I had my wife (who does not smoke) hide both sets of my car keys so I could not drive to get cigarettes and told her I was not to get them back until 3 days were done.    (I had here write location and seal in an envelope just in case of emergency).  Except for long walks, that stopped me from having access to cigarettes.  Nicotene is only in the system for 3 days, after that, it is all mental.
b)  I bought a bunch of cold red mountain dew to deal w/ any tiredness.
c)  I printed a calendar of the month for putting my red x's on.
d)  I decided my visualization to fight urges was that I could smoke, but I would have to pay $4000 for that 1st cigarette and accept being handcuffed to a barrel w/ 7000 cigarettes in it that I would be required to smoke.  It was realistic because I know I never am able to seriously try quitting again for at least a year and that would be cost and approximate # I would smoke in a year.  I believe there is no such thing as a "minor" slip up.  When a junkie gives in to the craving, they have quit their quit.

Its interesting how easy it was to get through the first 3 days when your access is cut off.  All my previous quit attempts would result in irritability, tiredness, dizziness, and other issues during the chemical withdraw.  This time, I had some slight dizziness a couple times and minor irritability, but nothing major like in the past.  I think the symptoms were inflated in the past just like when I have my "man" colds.  Since I had no access, the mind did not seem to get as bent out of shape over not getting the nicotene.  

Now I have to get through the more long term issue the constant cravings.  They aren't huge cravings, more like having a child poke his finger into the back of your head every hour to remind you that you haven't had that nicotene you've been taking 20 times a day for the last 40yrs.

And that's why I'm here.  Just wanted a support group to turn to and share the pain some.  And give encouragement to others if I can.

[Paul723]

Congratulations on one of your best decisions - to quit smoking.  You've made it past the first two weeks and your body and mind are beginning to heal.  The craves can't hurt you and I always give the advice to dismiss them immediately.  Tell yourself "Smoking is not an option, so move on."   There is a lot of information on this site to educate you about nicotine, smoking and quitting for you to take advantage of; knowledge is power.  

[Martian5]

Welcome aboard Justin, good to have you along on this journey.  From what you say you know what is coming and have planned well.  Looks like you have 2 weeks into this quit at this time, congratulations you are doing well and have a good grasp of what is happening to you -- that is key in your quit.  Yes you are at the time that the cravings are annoying and that you have to be on guard but each day you will get stronger physically and mentally.  You have come to a good place, there are several people here that are ready to listen and to help and we always need new members to share their experiences to show that none of us are alone and are willing to help.  Others will come along to chime in so take time to go over this site and get to know what it is like on this train ride.  Again -- Welcome on this train!!!!!

[Doreensfree]

Welcome aboard ....

Congratulations on your great Quit ....

You seem to be in a good place and have some understanding of this horrible addiction ...

Knowledge ...this is what you will fight the Monster with ...make sure you read all you can here .

On the Main Smoking Discussion Board you will find ..pinned in green ...brilliant advice and help to help you along the way ..

Those that stay ,post often and help others ,are those likely to succeed...

Looking forward to getting to know you ..

[jillar]

Hi @JustinHoot99, welcome to our train What a great way to get past those first 3 days. I love how you visualized your consequences if you caved to a crave, glad it worked for you

I'm married to a never smoker too who couldn't understand how I wasn't "over it" after a month quit so finding an online support board was instrumental in my success. Being around others who had been or were going down that road with me gave me a lot of incentive to keep my quit and I now have friends from all over the world

I hope you check out all our various forums because we have it all from educating through posts and videos to Socializing for when you want to stay close to your support but get your mind off it for a while.

 

Edited September 24, 2021 by jillar

[Gus]

Hello Justin! Welcome aboard! It seems that you have educated yourself and are very well prepared for the mental games our addiction likes to play with us! I’m 6 months in! There are some of the best people on the planet here to help you along in your quit. I would not have made it this far without them nor from all of the posts made here over the years! I wish you the best and please do hang around for awhile!

[Mee]

Welcome @JustinHoot99.  Glad you have decided to quit smoking.  You have a good start on quitting but you truly have to stay away from the cigarettes on your own.  Smoking has been your pattern for 40 years and it is going to take a while to retrain your thoughts to avoid the cravings.  You can do it.  I smoked for 42 years and have been quit for three now.  Stay close to the forum, educate yourself and get to know us.  We are here to support you on your journey. 

[Mac#23]

Congratulations Justin, you have just made the smartest decision in your life. Plus, you have come to the best place for support and knowledge to kick the habit. So, grab a seat and enjoy the ride to a happier and healthier life.

[JustinHoot99]

Thanks everyone.  Great to hear there is a lot of support hear.  Plus, typing is something to do when times get tough, rather than reach for a smoke.  I already walk around the block about 10 times a day now.  Neighbors probably starting to think I'm scoping the neighborhood for a breakin. lol

[MLMR]

Hi Justin, good to have you here. Hows today going?

[JustinHoot99]

@MLMR Doing good. Surviving. Thanks for asking.
Got my red X on my calendar.
Drank a code red, ate a donut and piece of candy so far (in addition to bacon and egg for breakfast).  Gaining wt, but frankly, I don't give a dang right now.
Spent some time (a lot of time) surfing quit smoking blogs and articles.
Walked around the block 5 different times.
Used my visualizations several times.

My next steps I need to take is to start working on my productivity a bit.  I mean, I have probably gained 3 hrs a day if time.  Right now I fill that in w/ whatever fills in the time and gets me through a craving, but I can do better than that.  I already exercise 45min/day, everyday, so I can't use that.  There are a lot of "adulting" projects I need to start doing, that should be my priority.

Appreciate your asking.  Hope your day is going well.

[Doreensfree]

Well done J....

You have the right attitude to succeed.....all positive thoughts....no negatives.....

[MLMR]

2 hours ago, JustinHoot99 said:

@MLMR Doing good. Surviving. Thanks for asking.
Got my red X on my calendar.
Drank a code red, ate a donut and piece of candy so far (in addition to bacon and egg for breakfast).  Gaining wt, but frankly, I don't give a dang right now.
Spent some time (a lot of time) surfing quit smoking blogs and articles.
Walked around the block 5 different times.
Used my visualizations several times.

My next steps I need to take is to start working on my productivity a bit.  I mean, I have probably gained 3 hrs a day if time.  Right now I fill that in w/ whatever fills in the time and gets me through a craving, but I can do better than that.  I already exercise 45min/day, everyday, so I can't use that.  There are a lot of "adulting" projects I need to start doing, that should be my priority.

Appreciate your asking.  Hope your day is going well.

Surfing blogs and articles and stuff about addiction on YouTube definitely got me through the first months, along with writing here. Make quitting your Most Important Project, for a while. For as long as you need!

 

Which ‘adulting’ project will you be tackling first?

 

[JustinHoot99]

Probably changing the oil in my car.

Then replace a storm door.
Need to go to landscaping place and buy a tree.
And a bunch of smaller stuff.

 

[Boo]

Welcome aboard the Quit Train Justin.  Good call on giving up the smokes.

 

23 hours ago, JustinHoot99 said:

Now I have to get through the more long term issue the constant cravings.  They aren't huge cravings, more like having a child poke his finger into the back of your head every hour to remind you that you haven't had that nicotene you've been taking 20 times a day for the last 40yrs.

 

Nicotine addiction is like having a petulant child living in your head.  The good news is: those temper tantrums diminish with time and eventually are little more than a distant memory.

 

Enjoy the ride.

[johnny5]

Welcome aboard, Justin.  You are doing a great thing in quitting smoking.  Stick close here, there is a lot of support you can get.

 

 

Edited September 23, 2021 by johnny5

[Linda]

Good job @JustinHoot99  Glad your day went well, hope your evening is good too!!

[Lust4Life]

@JustinHoot99   Welcome!!! I loved reading in your intro that you acknowledged the waves of craves that will creep in.  You’ve taken charge already!   We’re glad to have you!  Tons of support here!!! 
 

L4L

[garry mhudson]

Welcome aboard Justin. Smart decision to get off the smokes. lots of know how and support here so don`t be hesitant to seek if need be. Also, smart move to not worry about the weight right now. You can deal with it in time. Stay strong and hang tough. best wishes.

[Rozuki]

Welcome, @JustinHoot99! As a 40+ year former smoker myself, I know just how strong those cravings can be and I purposely changed my daily routine to disassociate whatever would be a trigger to "have a smoke"....and there were many!  As a result, I never sat on my front porch or my back patio for the 1st year after I quit...drank lots of water and played a million games of Solitaire on my phone/pc.....and did so much research online about getting help in quitting...

 

You have started your own process to deal with your cravings and have come to a great place here at QT for support.....read and view all the forums and videos here esp Joel's library because knowledge is power. You can do this!

[d2e8b8]

Welcome @JustinHoot99.  You've got a great start on your quit.  Feel free to post a lot here - we're all ex-smokers and will appreciate and understand what you're going through.  Most times someone will jump in to share their own similar experience.

[AceWhite]

Welcome to the train

Everyone here knows the pain you speak of

It can be conquered-

Stick around  a while with some cool wise folks

[MLMR]

Hey @JustinHoot99 how are you doing?

 

How’s your article search going, want to share some of the things you are reading/watching? 

Edited September 25, 2021 by MLMR

[JustinHoot99]

@MLMR Doing good thank you.  End of today will mark 18 days free.  I'm feeling comfortable enough I'm going to start watching the diet and bringing my wt back down to norm. I've gone up from 176 to 180, which is quite a bit for me since my wt does not fluctuate a lot.  And 176 was already higher than the 170 max I feel my best at.  So it's enter the diet phase now.  I workout daily anyway, but joined the Daily Exercise log where I will be logging both exercise and diet until I get back down below 170.  ETA is 2mths.  I see you are closing in on 3 mths free.  Hows the cravings going.  Honestly.

[MLMR]

3 hours ago, JustinHoot99 said:

@MLMR Doing good thank you.  End of today will mark 18 days free.  I'm feeling comfortable enough I'm going to start watching the diet and bringing my wt back down to norm. I've gone up from 176 to 180, which is quite a bit for me since my wt does not fluctuate a lot.  And 176 was already higher than the 170 max I feel my best at.  So it's enter the diet phase now.  I workout daily anyway, but joined the Daily Exercise log where I will be logging both exercise and diet until I get back down below 170.  ETA is 2mths.  I see you are closing in on 3 mths free.  Hows the cravings going.  Honestly.

Sounds like you are in it for real, well done. Keep that attitude up, it will help you big time.

 

I dont have cravings. I quit smoking three years ago and then messed up one weekend. Put my ticker back at day one and had to start all over. Hence the three month quit. The first week was tough, but I had the same approach as before, maybe even more  ferocious: watching, reading, writing (did you see that enormous diary Introsucktion, its mine )about quitting. It was a close call. Never again. 

 

 

 

 

Edited September 25, 2021 by MLMR