New member. Trying to change, ahh, everything!

[Octain]

Hello folks. About me.

Daily smoker for 37 years, I'm a young 52(lol) (holy shit it just dawned on me)

I don't smoke in the house but I can "free" smoke at work. I spend a lot of time driving a box truck. My wife smokes but she is considerate of my situation.

Not a heavy drinker, Maybe a six pack a mos. healthy but about 40 lbs over weight, Love coffee, and I smoke/vape cannabis daily. Not a lot, but often when not working. 

I don't use any other drugs other than the occasional over the counter pain med and heartburn tablet etc.

My job is pretty physical other than driving about 500 miles a week.

 

 

December 22-25 was a tough time. Got the cold/flu bug and was knocked on my butt. Worst I've felt in more than a decade. The cough was absolutely terrible. I could literally hear the clatter in my lungs. I'm a workaholic and I couldn't work or enjoy time with family and friends during the Christmas holidays.

I spent my holiday in bed drinking carbs, lol.

While I was sick my smoking was limited from  1.5- 2 packs a day to 5 or 6 cigarettes per day. When I started feeling better(much better) I came to the notion that if I can do this while sick then I should be able to do it when well. My dad( a quitter for 25 years) has been encouraging me to quit for years. While explaining to him why I couldn't attend Christmas dinner and listening to him blame my ailment on smoking(of course lol) he suggested I get the nicotine patch, his aid in quitting. I sad nonchalantly, no biggie. I can do it without. Oh how wrong I was. My mind was plying trickery on me. Actually, It was flat out lying. Did good with smoking less than 10 cigarettes  per day following Christmas through New Years but when the work routine got back to normal it got tough. Huge anxiety, sleeplessness, bad dreams. It was torture  Talked to my dad on the 4th as I do most every day and he said he ordered a nicotine patch kit for me and I should get it Friday, the 6th. I thought, Oh shit, I'm really going to do this. This is the real deal. So I decided I would start on Saturday. As my addicted mind said, I can smoke more till then but I only ended up smoking 11 cigarettes Friday with my last one being 10:30pm. It was absolutely HUGE to leave for work Saturday morning without a pack. Been doing a 21mg patch since. 10:30 this evening will be three days smoke free. Longest I have ever quit.

Seems that the patch helps with the anxiety but my mind tells me there is something missing without specifying exactly what. The reward system is missing something. Its absolutely amazing how much of my daily routine revolves around cigarettes. Everything changes. This challenge is going to be more than just not smoking.  I try to avoid things that remind me of smoking but most everything does. I use to spend a lot of time in the garage but not lately. I used to smoke a lot while driving. Messing around with motorcycles and smoking cannabis in the garage, I smoked a whole lot there.. My favorite room in the house

The temptation comes and goes but mostly stays. Its tough even with the patch. Harder than I thought it would be and trying not to satisfy the reward system in my head with food.

Please forgive me for rambling all over the place but this is something I can do that doesn't remind me of smoking.

 

Am I over thinking it?

 

 

 

Edited January 8, 2018 by Octain

[PeaceTrain]

Hi Octain (pardon the pun), welcome to the QuitTrain!  Congratulations on your decision to quit smoking.  Everyone here has gone through their own version of your last 3 days, so you'll get lots of support and understanding here.  In answer to your question, are you overthinking it, I would say possibly yes, but I found it really hard not to think about smoking, quitting and all that was going along with it, especially in the early days.  I would say do whatever you need to do to refrain from smoking and rest assured in I the knowledge that whatever you're feeling or thinking now, those feelings and thoughts are temporary.  Try not to take them too seriously and hold tight to your quit.  As time goes by, you'll feel better and better and realize your personal set of unexpected benefits of quitting.  THOSE feelings and thoughts are permanent and grow the further along you go in your quit.  Read as much as you can here, especially the ,pinned" threads. Education about nicotine addiction is super important and helpful when difficult times crop up- cravings or thoughts that you can't do it, why are you doing this, I'll quit another time , after (fill in the blank).  Be aware that at those moments it's the addiction talking, not your own rational mind.  Best of luck. Let us know how you're doing, reach out if you need a hand. 

[Devil Doll]

Welcome and congratulations Octain. 3 days smoke free is fantastic, and you aren’t overthinking it. We all have used different methods to quit. I found that, for me, cold turkey was the easiest way. Easy in the sense of there was no ripping off of the band aid a second time, once the withdrawal was over, it was over. 

 

We are happy to have you hear and look forward to getting to know you on your journey! Welcome to the QT. 

[JB 883]

Getting sick was how I ended up quitting.

The next step is to make sure you have no cigarettes handy. That way, if a crave hits real hard and you are considering going to buy a pack, it gives you a chance to think twice.

 

Look up hazards of long term smoking. Then think, "Do I want to end up like that?"

I am a little younger than you but old enough to say that at our ages, it is time to start thinking of our future health.

[Octain]

Thanks for all the words of encouragement. Health does indeed play a factor.  Then there’s the cost.  Feel pretty good anyway but I just want to feel better. I’ve seen all the charts that show daily weekly and yearly progress of a quitter. So there’s that…Having cigarettes around me is not an option. My wife smokes. That is difficult for me.

Day four underway… 

Edited January 9, 2018 by Octain

[Doreensfree]

Hi and welcome aboard...

Congrats on the great decision to rid yourself of this killer addiction..

Education...this is the tool you will succeed with..

On the main page,you will find green pinned posts..there bis alot of useful information there...

We have a daily NOPE thread...not one puff ever...it's a promise to your self ,you  wont smoke just for that day....t really helps..

Looking forward to getting  to know you better..

[Octain]

Heh,  y’all are really in trouble now. I have you on my iPhone LOL. 

I really and truly want to make this happen.

[Doreensfree]

Trouble is our middle name...whahaha.....good for you !!!!

If you want it bad enough..the magic happens !!!

[Octain]

 I could use some magic about right now. 

[Doreensfree]

Have you read ..Stop Smoking the easy way..by Allen Carr...this gem of a book has helped millions...you can download it for free...

After smoking 52 years...this book and this train...helped me quit for good.............get downloading.. Now !!!!!!

[Octain]

29 minutes ago, Doreensfree said:

Have you read ..Stop Smoking the easy way..by Allen Carr...this gem of a book has helped millions...you can download it for free...

After smoking 52 years...this book and this train...helped me quit for good.............get downloading.. Now !!!!!!

I have not. But I will look into it. Thanks.

Edited January 9, 2018 by Octain

[NADA]

1 hour ago, Octain said:

 

I really and truly want to make this happen.

 

^^^^That's the key!  Welcome Octain.  You can do this!

[Tyme2B]

You’re in good hands with the great support on this site Octain! I am a Newbie too & nearly 2 weeks Quit now. You will find Newbies all the way through to Experienced people with many years of success on this site as you start your journey! Quitting Smoking for good is a goal we all share. The support here is amazing! Good luck to you! People are here to help you Quit for good! You can do it!! 

Edited January 9, 2018 by Tyme2B

[Boo]

Welcome aboard Octain.  Congratulations on making a great decision.

 

19 hours ago, Octain said:

Am I over thinking it?

 

Most likely.  Very few new quitters don't have some degree of overthinking and obsessive thoughts going on during those initial days of the process.  I certainly did.  Read the articles and watch the videos available here.  If you're going to think about cigarettes anyway, you might as well direct your thoughts in the right direction.

 

Rest assured, this is just the initial phase of the process.  Eventually the cravings become fewer and further between.  You will cease thinking about cigarettes all day.  Eventually, you reach that place where not smoking feels far more normal that it would to light one up.  Choose freedom over addiction daily and in time freedom becomes your new normal.  It's a great feeling.  Worth every ounce of commitment you can throw at it.

 

5 hours ago, Octain said:

I really and truly want to make this happen.

 

It's as good as done then.  The choice is yours and yours alone.  Cigarettes only have as much power as you give them.

[Reciprocity]

Welcome Octain! Sorry I'm late to your quit party but I had some sh*t I had to sort out past day or so.

 

Great decision to quit! I did the same last January because I too got horribly sick for quite a spell. Just dawned on me that It really was time to quit the smokes. I started on the patch but dropped it a few days later and just went cold turkey. It doesn't really matter as long as whatever you do works for YOU.

 

Yes, this quitting is pretty hard at times especially in the early days but it's totally doable if you set you mind to it, educate yourself about this addiction so you can outsmart it and then rely on the support from others that are doing the same thing you are.  Thos are the key components and then your daily commitment to NOPE! That's the only MUST DO. Not One Puff Ever and you are free

 

[Octain]

7 minutes ago, reciprocity said:

Welcome Octain! Sorry I'm late to your quit party but I had some sh*t I had to sort out past day or so.

 

Great decision to quit! I did the same last January because I too got horribly sick for quite a spell. Just dawned on me that It really was time to quit the smokes. I started on the patch but dropped it a few days later and just went cold turkey. It doesn't really matter as long as whatever you do works for YOU.

 

Yes, this quitting is pretty hard at times especially in the early days but it's totally doable if you set you mind to it, educate yourself about this addiction so you can outsmart it and then rely on the support from others that are doing the same thing you are.  Thos are the key components and then your daily commitment to NOPE! That's the only MUST DO. Not One Puff Ever and you are free

 

 

Thanks!

You're coming up on a year!! Now that's HUGE. Congrats to you!!

I want that!!

I could see where a quit date would be much more significant than a birthday.

 

Thanks everyone for the warm welcome. It truly does help.

 

[Reciprocity]

Thanks and yeah .... I too was thinking the exact same thing a year ago. I looked at Boo and Mr. Titwank (Stewie) and saw them coming up on 1 year and thought .... holy crap that's awesome. Guess what? Now it's my turn because I hung in there and did the heavy lifting when it needed to be done. That's all it takes from any of us. A little bit of crap for a lifetime of freedom so just promise yourself that you're gonna do it no matter what and you'll get there too before you know it. By the way, my wife quit years before I did and it never stopped her when I continued to smoke so that should be no issue for you. You may even "inspire" her

Edited January 10, 2018 by reciprocity

[Octain]

My dad did the same thing. My mom smoked for years after he quit. If he can, I can too. She finally quit when she had a heart attack.

She quit on something/someone else's terms. He quit on his own terms.

I want to quit on my terms. NOt because I have a plethora of tubes in my chest. 

 

Again, congrats!

Edited January 10, 2018 by Octain

[Doreensfree]

Keep up with that determination... And freedom will be yours for the taking...

Just stay away from the chicks and sticks game...it gives you boils !!!!..youv,e been warned ...

[JB 883]

On 1/9/2018 at 10:21 AM, Doreensfree said:

Have you read ..Stop Smoking the easy way..by Allen Carr...this gem of a book has helped millions...you can download it for free...

After smoking 52 years...this book and this train...helped me quit for good.............get downloading.. Now !!!!!!

 

Looks like it isn't exactly free. Of course even at cost it is less than three packs of smokes, good investment.

 

MOST people do want an "easy way" to quit smoking but what about that rare person who wants to stop smoking the hard way? What options might they have?

[Reciprocity]

1 hour ago, Octain said:

My dad did the same thing. My mom smoked for years after he quit. If he can, I can too. She finally quit when she had a heart attack.

She quit on something/someone else's terms. He quit on his own terms.

I want to quit on my terms. NOt because I have a plethora of tubes in my chest. 

 

Again, congrats!

Yes - THIS! Take control of your addiction. It feels so much better being in charge rather than the slave to a deadly addiction Once you have stopped (and you already have) YOU are in complete control. You and only you decide to stay quit or to smoke again. We can only encourage and advise based on our experiences.

[Octain]

 

I'm on chapter 5.

[Reciprocity]

That's great! I'd tell you the ending but then ..... don't want to spoil it for ya

[Tyme2B]

1 hour ago, Octain said:

 

I'm on chapter 5.

This book helps Octain!!! Most (All?) of us here have read it...so glad you are too! Just take one day at a time to get through the early days...try not to overthink it...it’s hard not to at first but that too will pass. I think you have to do what you have to do to Quit. And good luck! Lots of help here to support you. 

Edited January 11, 2018 by Tyme2B

[Octain]

Thank you