Okay, I don't know where else to vent

[eal Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close eal]

After years of struggling to quit, and not managing it very well, I quit cold turkey on Dec 6 1999. It was relatively easy.

It wasn't until a year later, when I was celebrating my first anniversary of being smoke-free, that I realized that I had quit on the 10th anniversary of my mother's passing. She died of complications related to Parkinson's, and she smoked almost her whole life. I believe that my mom came back to shake her finger at me and say STOP NOW!

[richardr Member Find all posts View Profile Close richardr]

Sadly for most quitting the smoking habit is not easy since it is both a habit and an addiction.Very few are like the one resident in our small retirement home who simply stopped when the cold weather made it uncomfortable for him to sit outside on the porch and smoke, Thankfully here in ontario there is virtually no smoking allowed in any building open to the public.There is now lobbying to outlaw smoking in vehicles where children are passengers.While smoking may be legal, I agree that society has a right to limit smokers right to smoke to protect the rest of us.

[Bobo Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Bobo]

Hello all. Here's my story....
I wrote this shortly after I quit smoking in April 2000 and have updated it regularly so I could remember what it was really like and what I went through and what I did. It's only my opinion, but it did and does work for me..

My Story - Quit date 4/1/2000

Stay away from the first puff

For me, I knew that the first few days were going to be the very
hardest, while I was withdrawing from the nicotine addiction. Down the
road didn't worry me as I knew if I could just get through the first
days and week, I could make it. The Patch, the Gum, and any other kind
of nicotine replacement therapy did not seem like a good idea to me.
How could I get off of it if I was still taking it? I know the theory
- slowly withdraw..... This does not seem like a good idea to me - I'm
sure this has worked for many people but it seems so very
counter-productive to me. Especially because I do understand addiction
- I've got another major one that I dealt with 17 years ago.

I was apprehensive at first, as I don't like taking any kind of
medications or pills for anything, but what I did was go to my doctor
and get a prescription for Wellbutrin. It also goes by the brand name
of Zyban (which is far more expensive). It is the only drug known (at
that time) to actually lessen the cravings of nicotine withdrawal. It
was discovered while the drug was being tested on veteran's hospital
patients as an antidepressant. Funny thing - these patients started
quitting smoking! So from this, they knew they had something that was
potentially very special.

You do have to be careful in taking this drug to quit smoking because
the drug company wants you to take it for a long time and take quite a
dose of it ($$). For me, I had to cut the recommended dose to about ¼
of what was prescribed. I am not the depressive type and their
recommended dose made me a more than a little jittery, in fact on
their recommended dosage I was nearly climbing the walls. It's OK to
take less. You are supposed to start taking it for a week before your
"quit date", so it's in your system, and then quit cold on that date.
Then it's recommended you continue on for several months with it until
you are "stabilized", whatever that means. It was strange, I was
actually smoking more at the end of the first week of taking it and
was wondering how in the he.. this was going to work.

Well the quit date came, I quit, was a little uncomfortable, but not
all that bad. I couldn't believe I wasn't climbing the walls! After
two or three days I knew I was going to make it. I took the drug for
about 10 days after I quit smoking and that was 6+ years ago. It was
really far easier than what I remembered of other times far, far in
the past when I had tried to quit and didn't make it. I did that a
number of times and felt defeated and gave up trying to quit smoking
because it was too hard.

My wife also quit at the same time using the same strategy. This
really helped to not have any other person smoking around you, but
also for the support. She also needed to cut back from the prescribed
dose. We used in total about ½ of what was supposed to be one month's
prescription of the Wellbutrin for one person. In case you're
wondering, we didn't kill each other and are still married!
A couple of other things, when we did this, we were both very
motivated. We both wanted to quit - badly. For years I kept thinking
about quitting smoking and knew I could not continue to smoke for the
rest of my life without some very severe consequences. Like early
death! I started smoking in my teens and smoked about a pack or a
little more per day for years. I'm a little past 50 now, so that is a
very, very long time. I was ready. We both were. That is the most
important ingredient. You can't quit for someone else or because of
some outside pressure and stay quit. You will more than likely start
smoking again. In fact it's almost guaranteed. It's got to be for you
and the decision has to be yours. Half measures will avail you nothing
in this battle. It's all or nothing and you have got to be committed
to get through the tough stuff that will come.

My number one rule - Stay away from the first puff. I used this and it
worked well - especially in the very early days. When the craving hit,
I just thought that all I needed to do at that time is not to smoke
the first puff. Put my attention on something else, anything really.
It didn't matter what it was. The first puff will lead to the first
cigarette which will lead you back to smoking just like you used to
do. No first puff - no first cigarette - no habit restarted. These
addictions are very powerful and your brain will do things like tell
you it's OK to smoke one cigarette - just to see if you can. This is
very dangerous thinking. Just stay away from the first puff - this
keeps it simple. It does take quite a while for all the smoking
related thoughts to get out of your head but they do all eventually
leave. It took about a year or more. I do not miss any of it at all -
I think it is disgusting and the most completely worthless addiction
known to man. I don't harangue anyone else about it though.

I would recommend the Wellbutrin method to anyone who sincerely wants
to quit and is scared to death of the first few days without
cigarettes. It does work - I can vouch for it. Then the rest is up to
you.

[janapur Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close janapur]

I have found this thread profoundly moving.

As an exchange student when I was only sixteen, I was rushing through the airport to make my connection. I was alone and this was my first time in New York. I stopped to ask a stranger for the time, and the second the words left my mouth I noticed the gentleman's tracheotomy. Not wanting to offend him . . . and frankly, horrified by the sight I waited politely while he got out his microphone and gave me the time in his computer-like voice. I was so sad for him. It would never occur to me to take that first puff after witnessing that.

In my early twenties, it was common for the young men in my peer group to jokingly use the expression "chicks dig . . . insert one of their attributes". To the smokers, I always added "Yeah, but chicks never dig tracheotomies."

My aunt died of lung cancer. It is a painfull and merciless way to go.

Jana

[katiemack Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close katiemack]

Bobo,
Thanks for sharing your journal notes. I am sure your sharing your journey with us here will help someone else.

[tonyg Goomba & Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close tonyg]

not just cigarettes

This darn topic slowed my smoking down fro several days and today I spotted another dangerous thing to smoke: BBC NEWS | Health | Cannabis smoke 'has more toxins'

[kbletzer Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close kbletzer]

Friends,
I have found this thread to be so moving. I had a hard time posting a reply as I lost my Mom just one year ago to complications from smoking. It's been the toughest year of my life! I lost my best friend to cigarettes! I have no one to call when my daughter loses a tooth or aces a spelling test or when my son does something silly. I have no one to call when I'm missing that secret ingredient from her famous spaghetti sauce and company is coming over. I have no one to visit at that little cottage at White Horse Beach in Plymouth that we owned for 40 years because someone else lives there now. All because of cigarettes! I thought taking care of her during that last year of her life was torture. There were times when she was angry or she wanted to give up and call in hospice. There were times when she wanted to drink or smoke herself into oblivion to take the pain away. There were times when she didn't know who I was or any of her family or friends. She was only 65. She could have had many more years to be with her family. My children will probably not remember her. I will never forget what cigarettes did to her. She tried everything to stop and couldn't.
If you are reading this and have the will. Quit Now! Don't Smoke.
Living without her is torture.
Kathleen