New User- My Smoking Story

[bellerophon90]

Hi all,

 

So, yesterday I "quit" smoking and thought that joining a message board to discuss the struggles of smoking cessation would help reduce the stress. 

 

I am 24 years old and had my first cigarette at the age of 12. By the time I was 14, I was smoking off-and-on throughout the year. My smoking gradually increased to everyday up until the age of 20, when I finally decided to quit. I was quit for a full year (with the help of the patch starting off) but started up again the following year when I went on vacation. I thought to myself, "I'm on vacation, of course I can smoke!" Sadly, even a single cigarette can pull you back in, and it did. Since I started again, I unsuccessfully tried to quit probably a dozen times. I've tried the patch (which I would just rip off when I wanted a cigarette) and gum (gum prolonged the pain and cravings). 

 

Since I started law school last year, my smoking frequency has dramatically increased. I went from smoking 7-8 cigarettes a day to 12-13 a day. For the past few months, I've been smoking up to 15 a day. It made me feel awful, especially in the mornings. I absolutely hate the smell and always obsessively washed my hands and used hand sanitizer constantly. The smell attached to my coat made me sick. I decided several months ago that "cutting down" simply doesn't work- it actually makes quitting worse. It prolongs cravings and, whenever I tried to cut down gradually, I was in a constant state of anxiety while I awaiting my next cigarette. The only way to go is to stop all together. 

 

Yesterday, I was smoking a cigarette per hour (my usual nowadays) and I felt sick. Not only physically, but also mentally. I was sick of my addiction controlling my life. The anxiety of having to go to the store to buy a pack of cigarettes when I was low was reaching the tipping point. Over the past year, I have started to hate myself for smoking and yesterday I finally had enough. So I went to the store and bought 21mg/a day patches. Since I was smoking around 15 a day, I figure step 1 was my best option.

 

Now onto the more negative portion of my story: I had my last cigarette at 4PM yesterday and found my self up ALL night last night (I made the mistake of leaving my patch on overnight) with my heart racing. I laid there all night and watched the sun come up. I have a final exam tomorrow (I know, I've picked the WORST time to quit), and in addition to my lack of sleep, I also have the worst cough of my live since I quit (started last night). I don't know if I coincidentally caught a nasty cold at the same time that I decided to quit, or whether it's a mixture of withdrawal symptoms with my cold. In any event, I will take off my patch tonight before I go to bed.

 

Any advice on getting through this would be great. I am very determined to quit this time for good!

[Nancy]

Welcome to the board, bellerophon!  There is a lot of wonderful information in the Quit Smoking Discussions forum...many of us have found that being educated about the addiction and what to expect is a key to quitting.  There are also a lot of wonderful people here, who all started where you are now and are anxious to help in any way they can.  Quitting is not always easy, but it is doable.  Congratulations on your decision to quit!  How I wish I had quit at age 24...

[Sazerac]

You are a non smoker now.  

Reward yourself.  

Protect your quit. 

Take some Vitamin C.  

Take a hot shower.  

Eat some nourishing Soup.

Get some sleep.

BREATHE.

Your Exam will be fine.  You will pass or you won't pass.  Smoking will not change the outcome of the test.

 

You are a non smoker now.

Congratulations !  How exciting !

[Humbled]

Welcome B90 - congrats on your decision to quit - I smoked a pack sometimes more everyday for 25 years so I can relate to a sleepless night.

Saz is quite correct smoking a cigarette will neither help or hurt the outcome of your exam (that is an excuse or even a trigger of some sorts) you have to 

rewire your brain now that you are a non-smoker - you quit before for a long time so you know you can do it again  - the only difference is now that you 

want to stay quit for a different reason -whatever it is a commend you. It is not easy but it is certainly achievable. Say close to the board there is always someone on

here to talk to. Good luck on your exam and better luck on your quit.

[MarylandQuitter]

Welcome!!

 

You didn't pick the worse time to quit.  You picked the best time!!  Cigarettes cannot calm you down or help you deal with stress; they cause stress.

 

Nicotine addiction makes you believe the idea that you enjoyed smoking...that's the memory we all have when we think back to when we smoked and we relieved our withdrawal pangs.  The same thing will occur if you wear super tight shoes all day...and then you finally remove them.  Of course there will be relief and a feeling of "ahhhhhh"  But how about not having worn the tight shoes in the first place?   It's all an illusion that we enjoyed it.  Once you truly understand and believe that the cigarette does absolutely nothing for you....you achieve freedom.  You are happier...you are healthier..and not smoking becomes....well....easy.  Every day. 

 

That's the biggest battle..the mindset.--babs609

 

I'll Quit When...

Why NOW is the best time to quit smoking no matter when NOW is.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZEiUAFnoqo&list=PLCDB8BA311D538113

[Pippa]

Welcome to the board and congrats on a great decision to quiit :-). Read up and stay close to the board - you will find great support here.

 

Good luck with your exam ... And remember that facing that smoke free is one trigger faced and beaten :-)

[Fay]

Bellerophon, welcome to the Quit Train and congratulations on your quit!  I used the patches to quit and the first couple of days kept them on 24 hours a day.  My night times were terrible!  So I decided to take the patch off for the night and that worked somewhat.  Then I started putting it on later in the day and taking it off earlier in the evening.  After 2 weeks I decided to see how long I could wait to put it on one morning and that was the end of the patches!  When I would get a crave, I would sip water and take deep breaths!  (I used the 14 mg patches as I normally smoked about 10 cigarettes a day)

 

Good luck on your exam!

[BAT]

Welcome to the QT  :)

[action]

Hello, nice to meet you! And congratulations on your quit!

 

You really sound like you know a lot already, so you will be off to a flying start here; you already know that there is absolutely no such thing as 'just one'.

 

And I don't believe that there is a WORST time to quit! Quitting smoking may be one of the biggest decisions you ever make on your whole life, and you will never regret it as long as you live :)

 

Sorry to hear that you have a bad cough, but smoking will only make that worse now - you need to just let your lungs try to repair themselves, which they will.

 

Quitting smoking has completely transformed my life for the better and I am thankful everyday for my newfound freedom :)

 

Hope to hear more from you soon - post as often as you like :)

[sherry]

Welcome to the QT!

[Doreensfree]

Welcome aboard....so glad you are here.....

How smart to quit so young......not to end up a life long smoker like me.....

Stay close to the board.....we will support you all the way....

Its so doable....

Congrats on being free.....

[Still winning]

Hey Belle, Fabulous choice. Now your study and exam time will not be destroyed by you trying to get out for a cigarette that you don't really want to smoke anyway! Get some things to help distract yourself, that and education are your key starting points.

 

I would think the sleep is patch related, although expect some sleepless times now and then, I think quitting can make us feel anxious. But you do sleep when you're tired, it doesn't force us awake if that makes sense. Maybe it will more when you come off the patch and the nicotine leaves your system, even then it's a week or so, shorter lived then current colds this time of year.

 

Delighted to read your commitment levels, that's fabulous!!  Maybe write them down so that if you doubt yourself you can read your own reasons to quit, that helped when my mindset got wobbly.x

[Devil Doll]

Welcome to the QT!

[Sazerac]

Good Luck on your Exam today !

Hope you are feeling better

and

holding tight to your beautiful quit.

Love,

S

[Frezflops]

Welcome!!! remember deep breathes, drink lots of water, exercise and whatever distracts you. Post here often you got this!

[bellerophon90]

Thanks everyone for the support!

 

I'm into my second full day of NO smoking... Last night, I took off the patch at around 8:30 PM and I had no trouble sleeping. When I woke up this morning, I felt refreshed. I put a new patch on this morning and am finding that I don't like the feeling of it... My heart is always racing and it makes me feel dizzy (like I just smoked a cigarette). However, I know that if I take the patch off now the craving will come back at full force.... so I will ride this out.. 

 

I've been drinking a hot cup of neo citran every night, which helps with my cough. Luckily, although I'm a coffee drinker who'd like to always have a cigarette with my coffee, I am enjoying coffee even without a cigarette!

 

Is there anything else that you guys suggest would be a good medication/vitamin/regiment to help with my cough or to counteract with the constant nicotine effects as a result of my patch?

 

I will post again tomorrow.

[Sazerac]

The more you read/ watch here and the more you post,

the stronger you're quit will be.

By posting about your journey...others will surely benefit and your accountability is a useful tool in your Quit Tool Box

So, please check in a lot ! and let us know how you are doing.

 

You can commit to Not One Puff Ever -  NOPE - with us HERE daily.

 

and remember that education insures a successful quit

so, go HERE

and learn all you can about your addiction. 

 

Happy Freedom For YOU !

[Tink]

Hi belle welcome to the train, I had to Google neo citran lol if I have a cold I drink green tea and honey or lemon, hot water and honey

 

You will have a few symptoms from quitting but that's the body healing and trying to find its normal without all the chemicals from tobacco

 

Drink plenty of water and fruit juice and get out in the fresh air have a good walk or run but get outside

 

Whatever happens you are young most people here would love to have quit at your age and not leave it until we were in our forties or older when the effects of smoking has already shown itself

 

I am routing for you belle

 

Post and read, education and support will be your best friend and tools, you will discover fear and nicotine is your enemy

 

I hope your exam went ' well and I look forward to sharing your journey

[El Bandito]

No expert on managing patches B. I can't help too much there.

 

However, as far as I am aware, a crave has never killed anyone.

 

When a crave comes, the addict either smokes or doesn't.

 

One way or another, the crave goes away.

 

All of your time as a smoker, you have managed to sleep through your cravings without a patch. Not much of a "full force" is it?

 

It may be that as smokers we build up the 'power' of the crave.

 

It sounds like the patches are too strong?

 

But personally - I would say 

 

You have made the best decision of your life. You have made it at a much younger age than most. Well done you! Read everything on this site, post and commit to your quit.

 

Rejoice - you have quit.

 

Great work.

[Sazerac]

Today, your THIRD day of not smoking.

Congratulations !  

trumpets blare and the crowd cheers.

[bellerophon90]

Hey everyone. Today was my third full day quit. 

 

So, I woke up, got ready and left my house for work.... it turns out, I forgot to put on my patch. 

 

I have generally been irritable all day and am having strong cravings. On the bright side, my cough is MUCH better and I've slept very well the past two nights.

 

Will keep you guys updated!

[Still winning]

I can't help much on the use or not of patches.

 

I want to say I think you're doing amazing getting to day 3, sounds like you really want this journey and I am delighted for you!!  

 

With regards to advice and help, I think our bodies all go a little crazy when we first quit, I thought of it as healing from the inside out, there may be some bits and pieces. Everything was helped by fruit juice, water and exercise for me.  Also by learning and reading, a number of us kept posting too. It helped to get encouragement as sometimes it was just a needing distraction time.  We all learnt fairly quickly that it was a simple thought and a choice of whether to distract ourselves or smoke. Made clear for me when someone said you can do anything you like except put something in your mouth and set fire to it. 

 

I hope the exams went well too!!

[Still winning]

How was today Belle?

[bellerophon90]

Hey guys:

 

So, tomorrow at 4:30 PM marks 7 days quit! 

 

My cough is much better, and when I do cough, it feels like I'm getting something up. I cough especially in the mornings.

 

I have to say, last night, I had a glass of wine and i really, really craved a cigarette, even with the patch. Since I am feeling better, my mind thinks its OK to smoke again. 

 

The thing about all of this is: if i could smoke 1 cigarette a day, I would! It is actually enjoyable having one occasionally. Unfortunately, it's just not possible. I wasn't even enjoying smoking at the end, because I smoked so much. If I started smoking again, I would never enjoy it b/c i will be back to 15 a day!  

 

Today, I went without the patch and I was generally irritable and my cravings were moderate all day. With the patch, I certainly miss the habit, but I don't really feel the physical need for one.

 

Nonetheless, I haven't had a single puff since last Wednesday  :)

[El Bandito]

Great work Belle.

 

I have to challenge you though. Why is one cigarette a day enjoyable? What is it specifically that you enjoy?

 

For me, I thought it was that feeling of pure relaxation. The day is done, a glass of my favourite wine with a lovely cool smoke. Aaaaah.

 

Thing is that after 7 days, my body has begun its journey back to normality. I light a cigarette and the cancerous choking smoke catches in my throat. The rancid stink flood my nostrils. My eyes involuntarily screw up against the poisonous smoke.

 

S h i t ! Turns out that I only enjoyed the smoke when it was relieving a nicotine crave.

 

The good news is that in a few weeks or maybe even sooner, your nose and tastebuds are going to start lighting up. You are going to taste the wine much more. You will be able to drink the best wine on the list because of the money you have saved, you will be able to sit in the swankiest chair in the hippest bar because you don't need to be outside choking yourself and you won't need to gulp it down because you NEED to get out for a smoke break.

 

You my friend will be the most laid back person in the joint, full of self confidence because you quit, relaxed in the new you, savouring the excellent taste of a great wine unsullied by thousands of toxic chemicals.

 

Welcome to freedom Belle! Great work.

 

If you do get a chance, it can be really helpful to check in and briefly note how things are going. A post like yours above can really encourage someone about to put on their patch.

 

I Look forward to celebrating one week tomorrow!