last cigarette, wish me luck

[dreamer]

I am turning 30 today, and as a gift to myself and my family, I am quitting cigarettes. Please, may your hopes and prayers be with me, I need it. Just a simple request, I don't want my children's last view of me to be with tubes and needles coming out of my cancer riddled body. they deserve better . thanks guys.

[DeDukshyn]

No attention to it, change ALL your routines - make a new life - not just a "quit"

My 2 cents as an ex-smoker.

[Bill Ryan]

I am quitting cigarettes.

What you mean is -- I am now a healthy non-smoker.

:)

Always talk and think positive affirmations. Using negative terms (even unconsciously) keeps what you want to be rid of right there.

If anyone says to me "I'm going to give up smoking", then I know for sure that they won't (at least, at that time). They're still trapped.... by considering that they are "giving it up". (Images of struggle, difficulty, sacrifice, loss.... etc).

Always focus on how healthy and free you will be -- starting right now. You're not giving up something bad. You're embracing and committing yourself to something good.

And it's got nothing to do with 'luck'. No-one should wish you luck! That makes it like a throw of the dice.

You're more powerful than that. You can accomplish absolutely anything that you really want to. Your friends should wish you freedom, health, longevity, and lasting happiness for you and your family.

[D-Day]

Hi dreamer,

If you're ready and you want it bad enough, you'll do it.
After 17 years as a smoker, I finally decided to quit on New Year's Eve just gone.
I haven't had a smoke since... and haven't missed 'em one bit either.
Quitting is mostly psychological IMO... if you can control your mind then you can control the ciggies.
Don't let an inanimate object get the better of you... YOU ARE AN IMMORTAL SPIRIT for Christ's sake!
Now go do what has to be done! ;)

[Christine]

May the force be with you dreamer.....

I smoked from the time I was sixteen up until a couple of years ago. What happen for me was in some ways miraculous. I knew that my body which had tolerated my smoking very well was reaching a point where it couldn't continue to keep up with the detox it needed to do.

I started asking that all desire for cigarettes leave me. I really loved smoking and I didn't have the energy to fight with myself.

What happen was that I developed a dry cough. I couldn't possibly smoke during the week I was coughing. I coughed day and night until I was exhausted. As I started to heal a voice came into my head, probably just as I was thinking I could grab a cigarette. "If you ever pick up a cigarette again you will die from the effects of smoking." I was so startled that I froze. Then I heard " You have a pack of cigarettes in your purse, give them away right now." I did exactly as told.

The miracle is I never ever desired another cigarette. Never, not once and it has been two years. I agree so strongly with what Bill says above... ask for what you want and make an affirmation. For me I asked to have no desire - it took me getting sick but the desire left me 100%.

I am grateful every day for the gift above and I feel like I was never a smoker.

[Anchor]

I am turning 30 today, and as a gift to myself and my family, I am quitting cigarettes. Please, may your hopes and prayers be with me, I need it. Just a simple request, I don't want my children's last view of me to be with tubes and needles coming out of my cancer riddled body. they deserve better . thanks guys.

This certainly gets my vote, and any energetic influence or support I can render, may it be gladly given.

[cacophony]

You're doing a great thing, dreamer. What a wonderful gift to give yourself and family. My dad has been smoking for almost fifty-five years, and has cancer now...Seriously, you're giving your kids the best gift they'll never have to understand you gave em'...It will be two years april 1st since my last smoke (thought I was fooling myself).

[Reaver]

You know, you should really sit alone one day with zero interruptions and ask yourself if you have some psychological issues which are related to your craving for a cigarette. From the looks of it, you just don't smoke for the sake of smoking and I've found that many people can't stop or find it very difficult to stop smoking because they have some psychological issue and smoking relaxes them for a while.

I won't wish you any luck because luck doesn't have anything to do with the actual ability of letting go of cigarettes, nor I will tell you to think positive because that's just a mask, you may stop smoking, but you'll have pretty thoughts as a substitute.

As Manly P. Hall put it:


No man who is sick should be healed merely because he is ailing. He should learn the lesson that accompanies the disease that he has brought upon himself. To affirm health is foolishness; to find out the reason for the ailment, make right the wrong, and become healthy again, is wise and proper. To be so moderate, so wise, so thoughtful as not to become sick, is still better philosophy.

[RunningDeer]

Great decision Dreamer. Good for you. I send you continued health and 100% all natural, fresh air for you and your Family.

[SKIBADABOMSKI]

I just quit also.. 2 months now.. feel great. My biggie was giving up booze 8 years ago. That was when a huge turnaround happened in my life. I always said though that before I'm 41 I'll be straight and that was my timing. Between 30/40 is a great time to simply say "goodbye & thank you" I took a leaf out of a book that a very old friend of mine used.
He just did it and never mentioned it to anyone.. I noticed after a week he wasn't smoking and he just shrugged and said " it's over I don't smoke anymore" I found that very impressive. Although I wasn't as smooth as him I did take on the stern attitude of 'goodbye' as in goodbye forever. Then your head works in ways thats quite interesting as you start to find substitutes and find many great things in life that start to introduce themselves to you.
I never regret it and enjoy the fact that I have grown out of something that didn't suit me.

Freeing yourself from a physiological attachment feels brilliant.

[nomadguy]

I am turning 30 today, and as a gift to myself and my family, I am quitting cigarettes. Please, may your hopes and prayers be with me, I need it. Just a simple request, I don't want my children's last view of me to be with tubes and needles coming out of my cancer riddled body. they deserve better . thanks guys.

You CAN do it! It may help to also ditch sugar. and/or corn syrup.

[jagman]

Drink lots of water ( Fluoride free )Remember the words of Lao Tzu, “The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.”

[sigma6]

I am turning 30 today, and as a gift to myself and my family, I am quitting cigarettes. Please, may your hopes and prayers be with me, I need it. Just a simple request, I don't want my children's last view of me to be with tubes and needles coming out of my cancer riddled body. they deserve better . thanks guys.

Congrats,

My advice to a fellow 'quitter' (lol)

It takes the body 3 days to get the bulk of nicotine out, and I find you must go through the 'mental' struggle at least three times before you can put it 'behind you' ie. you must WIN that struggle 3 times... you know that feeling, the one where you are fighting with yourself at 3am to run down to the store in your pajamas and grab a 'sweeet' butt... you must wrestle with yourself, walk up and down the hall if you have to but DON'T give in to that 'just one time' (or you have to start all over again!)... when you wake up the next morning you will look back and ask yourself 'what the heck was I thinking?! who was that guy?...

The other aspect is the behaviour, try to avoid going to places, or hang with people at certain times, especially if that is what you did as part of a ritual... as one of the most powerful influences that draws you back in is the environmental cues, especially if you were a 'ritual' smoker... Believe it or not drug tolerance is psychologically 'triggered' by your association with repeated environmental cues (ie. the same time of day, the same room, the same people, etc...) these 'cues' initiate physiological responses in your body which are counter or opposite to the 'anticipated' stimuli, very much similar to how a dog will salivate when it has been trained to associate food with a 'dinner bell'... in this case an association is created from a repeated environment to a particular drug, the 'response' is a tolerance buildup, ie your body is creating an opposing or 'compensatory' response in anticipation of the incoming stimuli, hence a 'compensatory conditioned response... (Sheppard Siegal - compensatory conditioned response)

Basically in a nutshell, for example, if you 'partake' an addictive substance at the same time, in the same place, your body learns to associate and anticipate the 'stimuli' and immediately initiates physiological responses in the body that are opposite of the anticipated 'stimuli' Thus the 'compensatory conditioned response' This is what really causes 'tolerance' (I actually had Siegal as my prof!)

Anyhow, it means a couple of things... for one, putting yourself in that 'environment' will trigger that physiological response and can actually make you 'crave' a cigarette to balance the 'response' itself! You may be sitting in that bar, listening to that music, hanging with your friends, sipping on that beer... and for some reason it will seem like the most 'normal and desirable thing right now' to just have a 'nice' smoke... not realizing you are being 'prompted' by your own body reacting to the external environment...

And certainly don't even consider having a smoke in the absence of that environment, that would be even WORSE, (again this is especially true for people who are 'ritual' smokers, or drug users) as the 'absence' of any repeated 'environmental' cues that normally trigger the body to compensate in anticipation (which is essentially what 'drug tolerance' is...) will cause you to have NO tolerance or significantly LESS... and will make whatever substance you take seem 'overpowering' like the first time you ever tried it... again this is caused because you 'tricked' your body by taking away the normal cues it usually 'anticipates' and responds to before you 'light up'...

I hope this helps you, gives you some insight... on how subtle and powerful these 'influences' can be until you 'learn' to substitute them with different behaviours... I wish you the best of luck... keep your focus, avoid places you used to smoke, and figure out alternative activities and behaviours to keep you moving into your new life! and just wanted to add, she certainly is the best reason for your quitting, well done!

[lookbeyond]

Bless you Dreamer- You will succeed!

love lookbeyond

[778 neighbour of some guy]

I am turning 30 today, and as a gift to myself and my family, I am quitting cigarettes. Please, may your hopes and prayers be with me, I need it. Just a simple request, I don't want my children's last view of me to be with tubes and needles coming out of my cancer riddled body. they deserve better . thanks guys.

I....................am now a healthy breather!


And congrats with your 30th birthday too......."old fart you have become young dreamwalker", Yoda

[Simonm]

I stopped smoking over 10 years ago now after trying several times. I read the book by Alan Carr - How to stop smoking. People say that his book is rubbish, but it has worked for everyone I know that has read it. Thing is, you have to want to stop.

I wish you every success in your quitting.

[Zampano]

Congratulations on your decision to quit this nasty cigarettes. Now after smoking for 10 years I decided that I am gonna quit on my 28th birthday. This was last week and bought myself the book "Stop smoking now" from Allen Carr.
I read it in a couple of days and slowly the need to smoke went away. At the end of the book you should smoke your last cigarette and that was an hour ago. Some minutes later, I found the thread :-)

Welcome to the Non-Smoker-Club

[Watching from Cyprus]

I am turning 30 today, and as a gift to myself and my family, I am quitting cigarettes. Please, may your hopes and prayers be with me, I need it. Just a simple request, I don't want my children's last view of me to be with tubes and needles coming out of my cancer riddled body. they deserve better . thanks guys.

Hi there... i will join you for mutual support, and quit smoking myself... easier when we are two ;-) who can support each other and maybe there will be more to join so it can be a mass stop smoking event.

One thing you have to know, smoking does not cause cancer... cancer is only possible to get if your PH is below 7, which it probably is due to bad diet. Smoking causes our lungs to be destroyed by the tar which packs up with time, and further there are over 400 toxins in cigarettes, which effect all the body, and probably also increases risk of cancer, but the main source of cancer is meat (especially fried meat) which increases the acid level in the body and thereby grow-bound for cancer.

In Honesty and Love
Peter

[Chucky]

Its a bad habit alright. I have just been diagnosed with emphysema. So they say in early stages. One doctor said likely asthma and a whole year just to get that from them. Not happy but quitting is hard. My personal Doctor told me I will know when I am ready and like Bill said. Think of the benefit not maybe's or luck. I too feel the need and look forward now so good on you. Be healthy and free!

[Zampano]

Good idea Peter...Count me in...and congratulations to you too!!! Lets do it :-)

[pyrangello]

Dreamer , Just keep a thumb tack under your big toe in your shoe and when the urge arises for a smoke, just step on the tack a little harder, that will take your mind off of it. lol.

Hey much success in your endeavor, I am a welder by trade and have a cigar once and a while , but cigarettes can't handle the smell at all. Just stay the course and remember all of the support you have here. :)

[bogeyman]

I tried a herbal cigarette once, I turned almost a green as the cigarette! Never smoked since.

[Carmody]

Exercise changes the chemical balance. Get your endorphin rush elsewhere. Have something else be a different habit.

As in re-program the brain and mind, instead of it feeling loss in a constant known way..which makes it try to move your body and thoughts back into smoking - as that is what it knows, both chemically and in a known entrenched path.

[Sierra]

Good luck dreamer! When my husband and I quit, we did it over a three day weekend, no coffee, get up and walk first thing in the morning, avoid all situations where you used to have a cig. (after dinner, after sex lol).

BTW, after I quit, I dreamed for years of having a cigarette, and waking up panic stricken that I had started smoking again! Then, at a Renaissance Faire, we tried a clove cigarette ... and it was DISGUSTING.

No more dreams. :)

Sierra

[Artworks]

I loved smoking, the heat, the smell, my hands found it fun, lighting a flame, rolling up.

It took me a year to cough up all that tar. Sometimes it seems easy to begin with,
then you need to be really strong to keep going. Big deep breaths help through out the day.

There is the return of taste buds to celebrate and not smelling like a chimney,and wasting cash!

[genevieve]

dreamer--

If/when you think about having a smoke, immediately deliberately move your thoughts to something else.
Don't continue to think that thought--switch immediately to something else (preferably enjoyable).
Give no attention whatsoever to smoking.
Your brain will rewire quite quickly.

Peace Love Joy & Harmony,
Genevieve

[onawah]

Good choice, Dreamer!
I started smoking when I was 15, quit when I was 30. I'm 64 now.
For me, the thing that helped most was using a juicer and drinking a glass of fresh fruit juice every AM, then a glass of vegie juice every PM.
The energy from the juice affected me so positively, and felt just the opposite from the "charge" that I got from nicotine, that eventually cigarettes became so repugnant to me, I felt like a lunatic every time I lit up, because I was getting no pleasure from it at all, and I realized for the first time what a really filthy habit it was.
I kind of went bonkers for a couple of weeks before I actually quit, but I was ready for it. I just arranged to be home alone, with no commitments, and so it was basically a two week juice fast and meditation on quitting cigarettes that got me over the hump.
(Though I had been drinking fresh juice regularly with meals for quite awhile before that.)
It was only about a week after my last cigarette that I began to feel amazingly better, both better about myself, and better physically as well.
The juicing helped escalate the detoxing process a lot, and about 2 weeks after the last cig, I had no more craving.
I had quit before, once for about a year, but the craving hadn't stopped, so I started again.
Once the craving was gone, though, I knew I would never smoke again, and it was like being reborn.
Quitting can be hell, but it is so WORTH it!

[Conchis]

Good luck. You're going to know that it was among the best decisions you ever made!

[scanner]

Well done non-smoker , join the club .

[4evrneo]

I am turning 30 today, and as a gift to myself and my family, I am quitting cigarettes. Please, may your hopes and prayers be with me, I need it. Just a simple request, I don't want my children's last view of me to be with tubes and needles coming out of my cancer riddled body. they deserve better . thanks guys.

Hi there... i will join you for mutual support, and quit smoking myself... easier when we are two ;-) who can support each other and maybe there will be more to join so it can be a mass stop smoking event.


In Honesty and Love
Peter

How about 3 ? Im on board !!!! Been thinking about this all week. So now there are 3 of us to support each other.
Just so you know, this will be my 3rd attempt to quit. I actually feel that this will be the one, Here's to all our sucess and health : )

Blessings,
Annette

[DeDukshyn]

May the force be with you dreamer.....

I smoked from the time I was sixteen up until a couple of years ago. What happen for me was in some ways miraculous. I knew that my body which had tolerated my smoking very well was reaching a point where it couldn't continue to keep up with the detox it needed to do.

I started asking that all desire for cigarettes leave me. I really loved smoking and I didn't have the energy to fight with myself.

What happen was that I developed a dry cough. I couldn't possibly smoke during the week I was coughing. I coughed day and night until I was exhausted. As I started to heal a voice came into my head, probably just as I was thinking I could grab a cigarette. "If you ever pick up a cigarette again you will die from the effects of smoking." I was so startled that I froze. Then I heard " You have a pack of cigarettes in your purse, give them away right now." I did exactly as told.

The miracle is I never ever desired another cigarette. Never, not once and it has been two years. I agree so strongly with what Bill says above... ask for what you want and make an affirmation. For me I asked to have no desire - it took me getting sick but the desire left me 100%.

I am grateful every day for the gift above and I feel like I was never a smoker.

For me it was a nasty flu that came .. so nasty I could not smoke even if I wanted to. I asked, an oppurtunity was presented, I took advantage -- a simple (but effective) method of conscious manifestation - even athiests can do it!

After I recovered from my flu, I had little interest in starting again after two weeks without - the nasty part of the withdrawal seemed to be superceded by the nasty effects of the flu.

[Strat]

Best of luck to you guys!

Here's what worked for me (been cig free for 2 years now after being a pack a day smoker):

First off I NEEDED a reason to quit. I always hear about how this is bad for you and that is bad for you so I tend to get desensitized. My reason was that I wanted to be healthy again.

I was an athlete in my high school years and continued in martial arts for a couple years after. I fell out of all exercising/active lifestyle for a few years. I also began drinking more and more (hard binges... pedal to the metal... it was very bad) and also picked up the pack a day habit.

I'm not sure what did it, I think I just looked in the mirror and had one of those "You need to pull it together" moments.

I also think big, like where am I going to be 20 years from now if I continue this path?

What really did it is when I started working out for the first time in years. I was having a cardio burn out with weight lifting (this literally had never happened prior). And when I went for a slow 1 mile jog I literally almost passed out (seeing spots, feeling dizzy and nauseous). That was partially due to FL heat/humidity though.

When I got back from that jog I really knew it was time to quit smoking and stop binging.

I didn't go cold turkey though. I tapered off in a peculiar way but man did it work for me. If I were to be out with friends at some point I'd feel the urge to smoke a cig. What I did was I'd wait for the current topic of conversation to change and then allow myself that cig.

Half the time I just wouldn't smoke it. It was like a wave with me, I'd feel an 'urge wave' hit and if I could just get past that wave then I wouldn't crave a cig as much. So it all became kind of a matter of tricking my own brain.

Cold turkey did work for one of my friends, but it failed for like 5 of them

My pops used to smoke and he said the way he stopped is after he ate food (big craving then) he'd just rinse his mouth out with water. I've never heard that before but hell if it works then that's all that matters.

[nottelling]

Well done on making the decision Dreamer.

I quit smoking back in April after smoking a 30 pack per day for 20 years. I had never tried to quit before and I reckon if I can do it, anyone can.

You need to make the decision, then follow your own path to being smoke free. In my case I used a Nicorette inhaler (sold as Nicotrol in the US) to wean myself off the nicotine.

The process took me three weeks of being smoke free (via the inhaler) to being nicotine free. I have had a couple of small urges since then - whenever I'm in stressful situations, but they have been pretty weak urges.

My only other advice - plan a diet and exercise regime BEFORE you quit. I put on a stack of fatty, flabby stuff between April and June which I am only just now getting under control with a paleo-based diet and some regular exercise.

I'm sending out massive amounts of "Smoke-Free" vibes dude, so set your course, stay it and reap the health benefits.

[DouglasDanger]

Positive things to look forward too...
You will smell better,
Your breath will be more pleasant,
Your teeth will become whiter,
You will have more energy for everything,
You will show positive influence on your children to not smoke,
You will have more money for more pleasureable things,
You will live longer,
and others ,
You have the skill, you have the will power, you have a great reason to quit....... :)

[Sidney]

Happy Birthday!! (a day late, sorry about that), and welcome to the world of ex smokers. ; )

[bluestflame]

from day one we are brought up not to be a "quitter " so for many seeking to cease smoking it sets up an immediate conflict , choose your wording wisely

and be prepared to have lots of energy freed up by the change , might be a good time to explore a new hobby , craft, skill upgrade

[Menkaure]

I quit about 30 years ago and there was 2 things that helped me.
1. When it got really bad, I smoked a joint. Laugh if you must but it helped.
2. I burned my bridges behind me. For example, at work, I would confront a smoker friend and said, "I quit smoking, whats the matter with you, no balls?" I knew that if I ever got caught smoking, they would laugh me right out of the building. Lost a few friends but gained my lungs.
True story. Good luck friend.
Menkaure

[moana]

Make that 4, I am joining the non smokers club too! as of now.
I have been smoking since i was 16, and am now 28. The last couple of years i have been in abit of a love/hate relationship with ciggies and have quit a few times. It's started to weigh really heavy on me each time i start smoking again and it's taking a toll on the way i feel about myself. I feel like a slave and i'm sick of it.
Thank you to all who have participated in this thread- You have inspired me to free myself. I am ready to be kind to my body and mind. I am freeing myself from this cycle.
Thankyou again.

[wobbegong]

Best of luck mate! You're gonna do it, I can tell from the determination that transpires from your post, you'll make it. Before you know it, just imagining to smoke a ciggie will be disgusting - I quit 2 years ago and that's my experience.

[HaveBlue]

I quit 7 weeks ago only to start again after my cousin Nick 35, had a head on with a truck and trailer unit and lost a week ago on the 21st aug. That will be the only 'luck' part of which I wish you well. (not having to endure such a shock that is)

It is a decision you make and stick to it, nothing else. I will quit again soon. Even though I was pretty close to Nick and knew him very well I know have used his death as an excuse. It was my first ever attempt at quitting after starting at 14 and stopping for 6 weeks at 42, never more than 24-30 hours between smokes only when I had to due to money or geography.

I'm told most have to try more than once so I'm not beating myself up too badly about my relapse.

It is far too expense here to smoke now at $70 - $80 per week so not doing it again very soon is not really an option. I have untill Xmas at the latest as my daughter starts high school next year and needs the money for bus fare.

When I found myself hooked at 14 I had told myself I would be quit by 30. So I know exactly what you are feeling. The problem being that I do enjoy it and it is only money that is making me quit.
However I am not into cannabis which is far worse for your health nor do I drink alcohol. I will need a new vice! (something more positive to replace it with) I don't have my brains in my you know where either so it won't be that!

All I have to do is 'want' it the same way I wanted to buy my house and I will succeed. Saving up that deposit with no firm knowing I would get financed by a bank of all things was stressful as I know all banks are crooks anyway and hated having to go to one cap in hand! Only 5 years to go now untill they can take the advice of Bills aliens on his mars pics!

I have been told by two different healer types I have a maori entity attached to my aura and it is because he was a smoker too. I plan to go to my local spiritualist church this Sunday evening and if I can I will find out about him. I will not tell anyone there about him so I can see if they too say the same thing.

I am told that I can be rid of him but am not sure how exactly. He may even be gone after the 6 weeks of not smoking but he may have waited me out too, especially if he knew my soon future. At the time the universe threw everything it couild at me and after a few weeks it compounded and Nicks death was the last straw at the time. Did I upset my 'friend and he retaliated? (big orangey red flash of light and I mean a big one!) But was that a yes or a no?

I too have a B/day in 5 weeks so i'll plan to be quit again by then I think. All the best.

[Maia Gabrial]

I'm joining everyone in wishing you congratulations on this decision. You won't regret it.
I'm a former chain smoking, 5 pack a day smoker. No lie. I scoff at all those one-pack a day smokers.... :becky: At the time I would have loved to get down to one pack...!

It had gotten to the point where I couldn't stand smoking anymore; so, I made the decision, too. I told myself that if I could replace the habit of putting a cigarette to my mouth for about a week or so, that I could succeed. I quit for 2 months, but I still wasn't free of the habit. When I'd look at someone's pack of cigarettes, I'd still want one. I told myself, one cigarette couldn't hurt. HA! I was right back to 5 packs a day again!

A very wise man told me that you have to find a REAL reason to successfully quit. Surprisingly, he said health wasn't it. For some, it is, but for most it's not. At the time, I worked at a convenience store and watched customers coming in just out of the hospital, lugging air tanks with them just to buy a pack of cigarettes.

I found my reason not long after (martial arts) and I haven't regretted it once. Money was tight, so I chewed Big Red gum because I like the cinnamon flavor. Every time I thought of a cigarette, I'd put a piece in my mouth. I'd chomp on them with such vigor that customers would tease me. My boss was understanding and allowed me to do this while I worked. I'm proud to say that I've been free of cigarettes since 1999. I can be around any smoker now and not be affected.

If you want to succeed, it has to become a way of life. It sounds as though you've already found your real reason to quit. And this is why you'll succeed....

[Tangri]

I am turning 30 today, and as a gift to myself and my family, I am quitting cigarettes. Please, may your hopes and prayers be with me, I need it. Just a simple request, I don't want my children's last view of me to be with tubes and needles coming out of my cancer riddled body. they deserve better . thanks guys.

I am not there yet but with that pretty girl you should definitely go for good

[dreamer]

That's actually an old pic, she had her first day of kindergarten on Monday, it was awesome.

[nomadguy]

Dig it -
IYvc1IILQMU

[dreamer]

Wow, can't believe how good I am doing, I cheated once or twice, but when I did, I grabbed the oldest stale, nasty half smoked cigarette in the ashtray. that way even when I cheated, it was a nasty reminder.... and it worked. food for thought 4 anyone who is trying.

oh, and thank you all so much for backing me up. one of my best tools to fight off a cig was to think of how many people were pulling for me here at Avalon.

[DeDukshyn]

Good stuff! Always remember, just because you may encounter a stumble is no reason to lay there on the ground and not pick yourself up and keep trying. I like your way of cheating in a way to re-enforce your objective -- very smart!

Keep up the excellent display of willpower!

Also keep away from any associations -- for me I had to refrain from alcohol for a while, as I always smoked when I had a drink - always. That association was the hardest for me to break because even while I was doing good, one drink would make me think of having a cigarette.

That's why I earlier said to change all your routines - to help break those associations. I first realized how strong those where when I went on a vacation where all my routines were changed by force - I found I smoked waaay less and when I did, it was because I reminded myself - less so because of a craving.

Just 2 cents! again, keep up the great work!

[atlantianferret]

Congratulations! I quite on the 26th. It is insane the process you go through mentally. It teaches you a lot about the mind and it's interaction with you.

Seriously, good for you.

Sent from Tapatalk 2

[Anchor]

I have been told that quitting is the easy part. Its the next ten years that present the challenges to a former-smoker to stay a non-smoker.

[kreagle]

This is a very dear topic to my heart, in that I, too, battled this very problem for a lot longer than I care to remember. From the time I was 15 until the age of 26 I smoked, and of course with time, the problem just got worse and worse. I personally had gotten to the point of 1.5 to 2.0 packs per day and was now finding it difficult at times to breathe in a lung full of air without it hurting and causing me to cough violently. Even to this very day, my own father, (now 82), is suffering with COPD because of this very same addiction, which he gave up over 5 years ago. Certainly, my heart goes out to anyone afflicted with this addiction!

As I have read and kept up with this thread, everything said by each of you really jumps out at me for obvious personal reasons,.....especially these following three lines......

per dreamer ( we're praying for you buddy!),......

as a gift to myself and my family, I am quitting cigarettes.

per Maia Gabrial,..........

A very wise man told me that you have to find a REAL reason to successfully quit.

and per Anchor,..........

I have been told that quitting is the easy part. Its the next ten years that present the challenges to a former-smoker to stay a non-smoker.



dreamer,....it certainly appears that you have found a 'REAL reason' to quit smoking, as pointed out by Maia Gabrial. Keep focused on your personal 'REAL reason' and never loose site of it, my dear friend! I'm sure you've at least heard the same thing that Anchor has equally pointed out, in that it can really be tough down the line as well.

With this being said, I just want to share with each of you my personal testimony of being 'delivered' from this addiction, also.

I had personally tried to quit smoking on two or three prior occasions and like so many others had failed miserably. When I was almost 21 years old I suffered a very serious accident where I had fallen off of a platform 30 feet high. I was told by many physicians that I should not have survived the fall, in that I severely fractured my skull, and also bruised my lungs very badly. It just so happened that a 'world renowned' physician was at the hospital and happened to view my x-rays of my skull injuries. When I finally 'came around' he came to visit me and personally asked me if I would grant him permission to 'borrow my personal file', including my x-rays, etc., to take with him to Switzerland for a 'physicians world council' he was attending in the next month or so. He was the main speaker at this medical council which dealt with topics concerning,......'modern day miracles!' Time after time, he shook his head in disbelief as he talked with me and my family, and held my x-rays up to the light to see. His words to me were simple and to the point,....."Young man,....you should not be alive!"
Consequently, I consented to his request to use my personal file in Switzerland.

My injuries kept me sidelined and out of work for approximately 3 months. As I mentioned earlier, my lungs had been badly bruised, which now leads me to the point of our conversation here. Literally, my lungs hurt so bad that it was totally impossible for me to smoke anymore! I thought to myself,....finally, perhaps this would be my personal opportunity, once and for all, to successfully quit smoking! Over the next two and a half months I was totally 'smokeless!' Never before had I gone that long without a cigarette! Surely I was free now........or......was I? Sadly, I will have to admit, that after 3 months of being 'smoke-free' and now beginning to feel my lungs being restored to health,....guess what happened? The overwhelming urge to smoke had hit me, once again, and I lit up! From that point, I was beginning to think that I was hopelessly hooked for the rest of my life. If I didn't, or couldn't, quit then,....just when would I ever?

By the way, all of this that I've explained up to now occurred at a time in my life when my wife and I were expecting our 1st child, (a daughter). Here my wife was in her 7th month of pregnancy with a husband 'barely escaping death!'

After another 4 years went by, and another child, (a son), and of course me still 'smoking like a freight train',......I finally began to 'see the light' and recognized that I, too, was developing a reason,....a 'REAL reason' to quit smoking!



You see, I had a 'REAL reason' myself, just like you, dreamer. I, too, was a young man, with two young children at the time, (....and a third later on). In addition to my family, I had another pressing 'reason' to quit smoking, in that I wanted to be 'clean!' Not just 'clean from smoking',....but I had finally made the decision that I wanted to be 'totally clean!' I had decided to make God,.....my God!


Somewhere around the latter portion of January of 1981, I found myself pouring my heart out to God and asking Him to forgive me of my sins, which He did. From there I went on to be baptized in the name of Jesus' on January 30, 1981,....and then received His Spirit, the Holy Ghost, on February 22, 1981. I had been born again!

The thing that I want to really point out, here, is that on the day I was baptized, I had smoked earlier in the day. As I also pointed out,...I wanted to be 'totally clean!' I literally had a conversation with God, prior to being baptized, and told Him,....."God, you've seen how I've tried to quit smoking before, and failed,....every time!" "God, I cannot do it without You!,......I must have Your help!" "If You will be my Helper, I will serve You for the rest of my life!"

And with that,....I was baptized in the name of Jesus'! And to my complete astonishment, I found that I had to endure '3 hard days' of withdrawals, chewing gum, popping candies in my mouth, etc,....but after those '3 hard days' I literally found that I had been 'totally delivered' from the bondage and 'addiction' of cigarettes, once and for all!! I had done my part,.....and now God had proven Himself to me,....He did His part and set me free!


John 8:36
King James Version (KJV)

36 If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.


You see, dreamer,....and to everyone else,....from that '3rd day on',...I have indeed been totally free from any desire to smoke again. The phrase that Anchor shared with us above is hauntingly true for so many people in this world who have travelled down that particular road. I've personally heard folks say, time after time, that after so many years of being quit from smoking that,.....'they still have cravings to smoke',....perhaps after a meal, etc. It's times like those that make me question,....."what kind of victory is that?" In reality, it is not,......especially when you can be 'totally free!'


I'm praying for you, dreamer,.....may all your 'dreams' come true!


your friend, brother, and servant,.......kreagle

[bennycog]

dreamer, mate!

looks like i'm joining you.. i had a bike accident a couple days ago and broke a rib which punctured my lung and partially collapsed it.. so cigerettes is only going to infect it, like you i would rather see my daughters grow..
so i am giving up from 3 days ago as well.. too much pain to smoke anyways :)
just keep at it mate and i will too..

[nottelling]

I have been told that quitting is the easy part. Its the next ten years that present the challenges to a former-smoker to stay a non-smoker.

I think we'll all take it one step at a time without the requirement to worry whether our resolve will still be solid for the next decade.

One day at a time guys, that's all you have to worry about.

[Fred Steeves]

Quitting smoking is easy, I've done it dozens of times. Going on around 6 months this time. http://nexus.2012info.ca/forum/images/smilies/smokin.gif

By the way dreamer, if you cheat, you're done for. http://nexus.2012info.ca/forum/images/smilies/newadditions/smile.gif Take it from an expert.

[Chucky]

Well Dreamer, You are definitely not alone in your change. I have now been smoke free for 3 days now. On patches but I feel different about it this time. I am sick of it so this I feel is the one. Bill you are right. Just do it!! Hope you are keeping busy and forgetting about the habit. New habits are being made each day.. Healthy ones!!

[Mark]

Ok, time for updates. How's everybody doing? No hiding possible, you made public commitments.

Muhahahahaaaaaa!

J/K, I used to be a smoker I feel your pain. 17 years total, 2 1/2 years off the nicotine. I suppose it's like any addiction. We'll always be smokers.

We're just not smoking right now and for the rest of our lives. Bless.

[EsmaEverheart]

You can do it!!! I just know you will. Just think of all the extra time you can spend with your family now. Many "keeping days" with your children. That is days that you want to keep and hold in your memory of special days with your children. Happy Birthday too!

[Chucky]

Just thought I'd let those on here or this post anyway I am now into my 3rd week no smoking. I am standing strong this time on this and sso far feel ok. Just learning the new habits now but I am ok. Hope anyone else considering this should just jump in and do it ..Maybe my time is right this time. It feels different than the many before times I tried. I just don't want to smoke any more.. :)

[bennycog]

dreamer and chucky it has been over 2 weeks for me now.. i wont say im out of the woodwork yet but very confident..
wishing you guys welll

[Mike Gorman]

It is not even Tobacco that we smoke, if it were it would not be so bad, it is a chemical abomination designed to enslave and kill.
I know this may not be fashionable, but e-cigs have helped me enormously, i still get to puff contentedly on something, but it is not toxic.
You will be fine.

[BrianEn]

Much luck to you. Smoking is a tough addiction.

[Ouroboros]

Congratulations on taking your 1st step to freeing yourself of the clutches of nicotine. I wish you every success in banishing it from your life

[M6*]

Dreamer....

YOU CAN DO THIS! I have two cousins who were VERY heavy smokers.

The one who quit is still with us:-) The one who didn't isn't:-( Good Luck! M6*

[M6*]

SKIBADABOMSKI.....

My very best thoughts for you as well! I also had a cousin who died from the alcohol (right after he looked at me and said, "Don't be Afraid!") :-(

Bill is right about the Luck thing though....so I'm changing my way of thinking on that one! I'd say you are a SUCCESS.... TWICE OVER!!:-) M6*

Interesting: Just now I was "interupted" by a soft knock on my door. It was a He and a She....telling me they were going to celebrate his 33rd Birthday
this afternoon with a Barbecue and lots of LOUD music. I said, "No Problem." (Nothing lasts forever!:-) Then I told him about two people I knew about
who were celebrating by giving their family the gift of not smoking. They both listened intently. She HEARD me. He didn't. M6*

[M6*]

Chucky you gotta be READY!....and only YOU can make a decision about something like that. M6*

[therinkydinktink]

I quit about three years ago but started again 18 months during a traumatic time so here goes......................I am now a healthy non-smoker.
I'll stick to it this time, I'm making quite a few changes lifestyle wise with regards to diet, exercise etc.
Maybe we should start a non-smoking group?
Anyhoo, good for you dreamer and everyone else keep it up!:biggrin:

[M6*]

Watching from Cyprus

This could turn into something really BIG!:-) Good thoughts to and for you as well!!!;-)

[bennycog]

good idea rinky...
hey dreamer how you going buddy?

[therinkydinktink]

Here we go folks; http://projectavalon.net/forum4/group.php?groupid=87:thumb:

trdt.

[therinkydinktink]

Nearly 48 hrs for me folks with only 3 pieces of nicotine gum, how y'all doing? Link for the stop smoking group in post above BTW (Quite exclusive at min as just me and bennycog in it:cool:)

[Fred Steeves]

I haven't had a smoke for about 8 months now, and still jones for one every now and then.http://nexus.2012info.ca/forum/images/smilies/smokin.gif

How's that for encouragement?(LOL)

[therinkydinktink]

My cravings haven't been too bad today, but have kept busy.

[Operator]

Well smoking has never been an issue for me ... coffee however is.
In order to help keeping my blood-pressure acceptable I should give up coffee and so I did 3 days ago.
Headaches and extremely tired/sleepy the first 2 days. Headaches gone now but still lack of energy.
Looking for food now everywhere ... I hope this will settle after a while.

Anyway, good luck everyone giving up on addictions and bad habits :peace:

[therinkydinktink]

A lot of the research on coffee is absolute rubbish and quality coffee (from arabica beans) contains less caffeine than the lesser quality robusta (used in a lot of blends) and caffeine doesn't stay in your system for that long. It also depends on your sensitivity to caffeine. It also may help ward off Alzheimers. Have you been diagnosed with high BP (if you don't mind me asking);)

[Operator]

A lot of the research on coffee is absolute rubbish and quality coffee (from arabica beans) contains less caffeine than the lesser quality robusta (used in a lot of blends) and caffeine doesn't stay in your system for that long. It also depends on your sensitivity to caffeine. It also may help ward off Alzheimers. Have you been diagnosed with high BP (if you don't mind me asking);)

Thanks for your reply ... the diagnosis was hardly necessary after my vanes at both sides in my nose gave way and I needed assistance
from ambulance personnel to stop the bleeding and keep conscious. They concluded after measurement that my BP was pretty high and
when checked one day later by my doctor he came to the same conclusion. After that it's a done deal ... they will get you medication for life.
The doctor doesn't even feel it's necessary to regularly check ... he automatically prescribes a 3 month load of pills each time.

As always, better to stay in control yourself so I bought a good BP measuring device. It seems my BP is pretty much on average now.
So I tried stopping medication which was not successful and later I tried minimizing medication. The medication is a beta blocker
which means it will slow down the rate of your heartbeat (not good of course, makes you docile too).

I think you are right, I've read that coffee has some good sides too. But my current thinking right now is that when TSHTF you'd
better not be dependent on anything. So I have to get rid of the pills AND the coffee. Stopping the coffee is harder than you might
think. Headaches will probably be the result for a lot of coffee drinkers for a couple of days. In my case coffee is also an alleged bad
influence on BP so I may kill 2 birds with one stone. Losing some weight may be another way to improve the situation (+ getting in
better shape again). So working on it but not there yet.

[therinkydinktink]

My 'research' was a book called 'The Joy of Coffee' (I believe) by Corby or Cordy somebody or other (I'll look it up) and he did conclude that pregnant women and people with high BP shouldn't drink coffee, although I think you should do it gradually as it could be traumatic to just go cold turkey but that's just my opinion (I know how bad caffeine withdrawal can be). That being said I have drunk coffee for over 32 years (I'm 36, I know that sounds bad) have had my BP tested regularly (guinea pig for student nurses at work) and I'm fine but I may just be one of the lucky ones that has very little sensitivity to caffeine. Getting in shape and losing some weight should help with the BP, make a plan, start slowly and stick with it, best of luck Operator!

Light and peace.

[dreamer]

Tough days and easy days, keep on a truckin

[therinkydinktink]

You not weakened anymore dreamer? I reckon my cravings are intensified when I have the nicotine gum!

[Kiforall]

For anyone thinking about their bodies as a temple and giving up the demonized tobacco remember it is a natural calmer that mother earth has given us to help. Like everything else moderation is the key. If tobacco helps people to deal with the negativity that is affecting them at the moment then have some. Not cigarettes, roll your own, with a filter if you can.
Only have one when you truly need one. If you can drink a glass of water first to see if that does the trick. Remember when you fill your cup/glass with water place both hands around the glass and have the intention of purification.
Anyone who has some understanding of reiki will know one hand is stronger than the other so place the strong hand on first and then bring the weaker hand onto the cup. Anyone not sure of the identity of the +ve /-ve hand can experiment by closing their eyes and using both hands at the same time, feel which one is drawn stronger to physical objects. The hand you feel first is the stronger one.
Now comes the new age spirit release of the tobacco and your giving thanks to mother earth for her gift of tobacco..........
When you come to stubbing out your rollie, spit a little into your -ve/weak/cold hand and put out the cigarette, hold it in your palm for a few moments and you will be left with the spirit in your hand, a small mark of ash, the released spirit of the nicotine plant. Discard the rollie butt, and rub the ash away.
Don't feel guilty about needing a fag if that will help, we are all here to help each other, just don't abuse it.

[therinkydinktink]

It's a stimulant not a calmer, it can appear to calm but only because it's relieving the effects of withdrawal.

Over 110 hrs now!:painkiller: Not feeling any great withdrawal effects and not compensating with food or anything!:tea: