It's been 24 Hours since.......

I've had a cigarette!

And WOW is it hard!

I decided it's time to quit... not slow down and gradually stop.. just go cold turkey!

I want one sooooooooooooooooooo bad! But then I stop and realize I haven't had one in 24 hours... why do I want one now? And then I don't want one anymore...

I figured that by qutting smoking I will save over $1,277.00 per year!

Any tips from anyone?

I've heard you gain weight when you quit... Is that true?

Weight gain isn't true for everyone, but generally, yes.
If you don't have one already, invest in a blood preasure cuff and check it frequently.
One of the biggest problems with cold turkey is that it can cause very high spikes in your BP.

Originally Posted by Arlyn

Weight gain isn't true for everyone, but generally, yes.
If you don't have one already, invest in a blood preasure cuff and check it frequently.
One of the biggest problems with cold turkey is that it can cause very high spikes in your BP.

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I don't have one but I think my mom does. Maybe she will let me borrow it?

What are the signs of your BP spiking?

I wouldn't know, I have rather low/normal BP.
I'd ask my mom, but she left for the day, but hers spiked when she quit.

Congratulations!!! And way to go for making the decision to quit
My mother was a pack a day smoker until I was 16. She tried various quitting methods (gum, patch, some pill, some hypnotherapy) with little success, but one day when I was 16 she "had it!" and threw out her pack of smokes. Going cold turkey was the only way she was able to quit, and while she was pretty miserable for about a week, she was quickly back to normal. A lot of people gain weight when they quit smoking for 2 reasons 1) nicotine is an appetite suppressant, so the whole time as a smoker your "normal" appetite has been suppressed and 2) the oral fixation thing - need to have something in your mouth and straws (at the other end high calorie drink!) and candies (pure sugar!) are what most people go for. If you pay attention to your eating habits, and do not replace a nicotine obsession with a food obsession, your weight should be fine. You may also notice a reduction in weight if you enjoy being active - as smoking limits lung capacity, and immediatly after stopping you will have better lung function, making it easier for you to stay active longer, become active more often, or reach new heights in how you "push" yourself.
Also, in my experience, it will not take long as a new non-smoker to be really turned off by smoking. Suddenly, as your sense of smell returns to its proper level, you will realize what non-smokers complain about re: smell (as an example).
Whatever you do, if you slip up, dont consider this failure and go back to smoking. Even if you have a bad day, and chain smoke for that day, reaffirm to yourself the next morning that it was a mistake in your plan, we all make mistakes, and today is perfect to get back on track.
I wish you all the luck and success!!!!

Congrats on the decision...And yes it's certainly not the easiest thing you'll ever do but it is well worth it..
I quit 12 years ago after smoking for 20 years..cold turkey as you are doing..
Yes I gained 15 lbs in the process, which I loss again after about a year and even if I hadn't I would have been 1000 times healthier then if I had continued to smoke..
I found the first 2 weeks were the worse for me then gradually it got easier and easier until I reached the point were I am now, I can't even be around people who are smoking because my noses get all stuffed up, and my eyes burn.
And yes the craving does go away.
So hang in there, drink lots of water, chew gum, snack if you have to it will get easier...

Be sure to drink lots of water. Also, expect foods to taste different as your taste buds "come alive". You can also expect to feel a bit sick, possibly nauseaus, tired, etc. Its simply the detox process and can take several weeks, but you will feel MUCH better when its done.

Congratulations!

And good luck!

Congratulations!!

Originally Posted by AlleyGirl

Be sure to drink lots of water. Also, expect foods to taste different as your taste buds "come alive". You can also expect to feel a bit sick, possibly nauseaus, tired, etc. Its simply the detox process and can take several weeks, but you will feel MUCH better when its done.

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That's what I'm going through now..Headaches and sick to my stomach

my doctor told me that people often gain weight after quitting for several reasons, some of which you can control, some of which you can't. found this online:

Nicotine suppresses the appetite and causes the liver to release glycogen, which raises the blood sugar level slightly. With nicotine out of your system, you may feel hungry more often. Smoking artificially elevates heart rate and increases metabolism. When you stop smoking, your body has to readjust to a lower metabolic rate. If you eat the same as you did when you were smoking, your body will end up using less and storing more (as fat) of the food. Smoking dulls the taste buds. Food begins to taste better to new nonsmokers; this can increase food intake. And then there's oral fixation -- some ex-smokers may want something to fill the void of cigarettes.

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however, even a weight gain [most people don't gain more than 10-20 pounds] is not as bad for your health as the smoking is - so even if you do gain some, it should be considered something you can deal with at a later date.

And, one of the most important things - don't start preaching to other smokers about how they should quit and how wonderful you are because you did.

I have an aunt like that and she pretty much just annoys everyone with her holier than thou attitude and that attitude isn't restricted to just smoking.

Alicia, I hope you are successful in quitting - it will be better for you and your boys. Good luck.

Congratulations! That's amazing!

This is probably one of the best things you've done for yourself and your family! I admire that a lot.

Just take every day, and every craving one at a time. Do what you did already- ask yourself, "I haven't had one in ages, why do I need one now?"

We're all cheering for you, go girl go!

Go you, congrats,
I have never smoked so cant really comment on weight gain or health, but I can imagine its really hard to give up so go you!!!!

My mum quit cold turkey after 35 years of smoking 30 a day.

She had bad phnumonia and almost died so she quit. cold turky.

She is now on loads of blood pressure medication and the doctor said its because she has lost her stress reflief..

And yes she did gain 3 stone in a year lol.. but dont let that put you off , she has now gained a stronger chest , and is more healthier in other ways , apart from bp and weight.

Well done apparently if you get through 3 days of NO smoking it starts getting easier.
Jess x

Congratulations on your first 24 hours! I quit about 20 years ago and it was the hardest thing I've ever done. Here's some tips that I used:

Get yourself a big ole jar or cannister and everyday, put the amount of money in the jar that you would have used to buy ciggarettes. At the end of the year, you should have a good chunk of money to go toward a vacation or to buy yourself something really special. I used mine for a vacation.

Wash all your walls, carpets, clothes. Everything! Hire someone to do it if you have to. Have your friends come and help you and make a party of it. You'd be amazed at where cig smoke lingers.

Throw away all ash trays and make sure all your family and friends know that your house is now a no smoking zone.

Keep yourself busy. Excercise is most important. It keeps you active and can take your mind off the moment.

Stay away from places where people smoke.

If you smoked and drank coffee, try buying some old fashioned pepermint sticks and hold that while drinking your morning coffee. You can also use cinnamon sticks and stir your coffee with them.

Keep healthy snacks around and avoid having junk in the house. (This is more to prevent weight gain.) Instead keep lots of fruit and fresh veggies. Carrot sticks, celery, sliced apples and such.

This is the hardest thing you may ever do. Be kind to yourself and reward yourself when you are successfull. If you slip, don't beat yourself up. Just never quit quitting! Oh... and don't worry about the blood pressure thing. That is not a common thing. If someone's blood pressure goes up after quitting, they would have already had high blood pressure and smoking was keeping it down falsely. The benefits of quitting far outweigh a little weight gain or slightly higher blood pressure.

Very happy for you! Keep it up!

I have a trucker friend who quit after being in an accident. He had a punctured lung, and it just hurt too much, which was a good reinforcement.

These days, quitting a 2-pack-a-day habit will save you enough money to take a nice cruise every year, and take a friend along for free!

the most wise decisicion that you took my friend!
Congratulations!..
Y O U ...... C A N ...... DO ...... IT!

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Hey, hows it going? Congrats on making the big decision Don`t panic if you slip up, you can still do it!

It`s been 9 months for me but I used patches and it`s one of the best things I`ve done for myself.

Keep up the good work!