OT - trying to quit smoking

[2flamingos]

Well, it has been four weeks and no "real" cigarette! I have e-cigs that I use when the craving hits, or when I am out with friends. I think I am doing pretty good, espcially since I live with a smoker (rarely smokes in the house) and could have the access to a cigarette any time.

I can tell some differences, but not as significant as I would have thought.

[Lizistired]

4 weeks is great! Stick with it!

[Tino2You]

Congrats! Hate to say it, but take one day at a time. You will (eventually) feel a great deal better since your lungs will clear up.
My last cig was in October of '99 (I used to know the exact date, but I haven't thought of it for so long now, I forgot!).
-tino

[nanwilson]

Way to go!!!! My son used the patch and it worked....he now hates the smell of cig smoke .

[cqfd93]

Congrats 2flamingos!

I quit smoking 12 years ago, I was a heavy smoker (45 cigarettes a day), it took me about 3 months with the patch to stop craving for smoking, and a year to stop dreaming that I was smoking. No need to say that I feel much better now and I can spend my money in a much better way

[rimp]

I quit smoking 3 yrs ago and couldn't have done it without my personal vaporizer(e-cig) give it time

[2flamingos]

Passed a MAJOR test last night - I was at a meeting and then a bar - and did not even want a real cigarette. I only used my e-cig 3 times in the 4 hours I was there.

[BlackSpinner]

Passed a MAJOR test last night - I was at a meeting and then a bar - and did not even want a real cigarette. I only used my e-cig 3 times in the 4 hours I was there.

They still allow smoking in bars there? Wow.

[Sloop]

Flamingo

You are well on your way to kicking the habit. The biggest part of quitting is up in your head. When you have finally gotten scared about your habit -- when things go bump in the night -- then quitting is quite easy. I did it 20 years ago after heavy smoking for some 30 years, cold turkey and only had 3 days of mild discomfort. After which I knew I would never pick one up again. And I too was 2+ packs a day and had never tried to quit before. But I started waking up in the middle of the night talking to myself ... "self, you are 48 years old, just what in the hell do you think you are doing smoking like a chimney?".

3 types of addition with this scourge
Nicotine addiction -- which if you go cold turkey, is out of your system in 3 days.
Habitual addiction -- takes a couple of years to conquer. This is where you reach for a cigarette when you climb in a car or drinking a cup of coffee, etc. I chewed on a pen for 2 years as a pacifier. I didn't want a cigarette, but I needed something in my mouth.
Finally the psychological addiction -- this one you have to be on guard for the rest of your life. It is acceptance that you will NEVER pick up one again. You've heard the old saying "I am one puff away from a pack a day". I've known several people who, after having been smoke free for 10 or 15 years, pick up one and whammo -- they are hooked again.

[notyorz]

You've heard the old saying "I am one puff away from a pack a day". I've known several people who, after having been smoke free for 10 or 15 years, pick up one and whammo -- they are hooked again.

*raises hand* That's me. Started smoking when I was about 13 (1980). Smoked 1-2 packs a day until I quit in 1994. I made the horrible mistake of picking up one cigarette after a bad breakup in August 2007 and I'm still smoking.

I NEED to quit again and have cut back to a pack on an average 18 hour day. I have asthma since I moved into the mountains from FL flatland, so between that and APAP, I must quit soon. Like yesterday. It's just so hard when you live with a smoker. I know the temptation will be there. Not sure if I'm strong enough to quit again cold turkey, but the patch/meds are not something I'm comfortable with even trying (side effects - I'm always in that low percentage with major reactions).

I wish you the best of luck and hope I can post on here very soon that I've made the jump to being a non-smoker again.

[chunkyfrog]

Way to go, 2flamingos! You are doing a wonderful thing for yourself and your loved ones.
Hubby quit smoking on Good Friday, 1972. I'm fairly sure I would not still have him if he hadn't quit.
(he started smoking when he was 10)

[2flamingos]

only used my e-cig for 4 puffs this morning. And that was only because I was sitting on the deck with my partner who was smoking.

[Lizistired]

Hang in there.... even when your partner stinks!

[BlackSpinner]

Hang in there.... even when your partner stinks!

That was my daughters comment after she stopped smoking. "Everything stinks of stale smoke in my apartment! I can't believe I walked around smelling like that for years!"

[Lizistired]

Vinegar, ammonia, citrus oil... They all help with the lingering odors. Add a little vinegar to the laundry.