Quit smoking today , need your prayers and thoughts....

Hi Guys

I quit smoking today and I am on a patch #1 , since I smoke 30 - 40 cigarettes a day depenting how long the day is . My husbands health is not good and he really need to quit smoking . The Dr. recomented I need to help him and it would be good if we stop smoking together . Well I want to quit any way and said sure why not . So we set our day today to quit and hat some time to think about it . I have to say that I try befor with the patch and failed after over a week or two , including my hubby . But I was smoke free 2 years ago for 7 years , yeah I know dump me . But I really want to quit this time for sure and need your help please . I have seen how this board magic helps in here many times . So if you can spare a prayer or good thoughts for both me and my husband would be really great . Thank you guys .

Hedi,

Keeping you and your hubby in my prayers. Hope you both kick this awful habit. Not only is it expensive as far as money goes, but expensive in the sense that so many illnesses come from cigarettes.
My best to the both of you and congratulations on your decision!

Nora

I'm sending good, strong thoughts your way! Just do it a day at a time, an hour at a time, a minute at a time if that helps. Say, I won't have a cigarette right now. All those right nows will add up to forever!

Hedi! You have my prayers completely!! This is wonderful news and I am sure you will do just fine. I wish my stepfather would have quit a lot sooner than he did...he quit 1 hour before he died of lung and liver cancer. (he passed away in June, 1990)He smoked for 38 years (about a carton a day)...please do this for you and your furrbabies

Thank you Nora . Yes you are so wright with that with the money and the health problems what come along with smoking .

Thank you guys

Caprice I am so sorry about your stepdad . That sure was a lot of cigarettes . My husband smoke about 3 packs a day , no wonder his health is bad . My neighbour and friend Lidia has emphosimia (sp) and is waiting on a lung in Alabama for the last 7 month . Yes she smoked

Hey Hedi, I'm glad that you have taken the very first step to quit smoking.. I will definitely keep you in my prayers, hoping that no doubt this path is gonna be long and tough, God will always be there for you, showing you the path and helping you to tide over this period. Keep it up, hedi!

Thanks Kate , you are so nice .

Hedi - I started smoking at 15 and found quitting to be the most difficult thing I've ever tried. I still smoke sometimes (which I'm ashamed to admit).

Many many studies have shown that nicotine is more addictive than heroine and other morphine-based drugs, which were at one time thought to be the most addictive. In mouse studies, mice addicted to nicotine would subject themselves to death by burning in order to get at nicotine.

My thoughts, prayers and good vibes are coming at you! I've found that on the patch the first three days are the hardest. I always found the 21mg patch to be itchy and too much, so I used the 14mg patch. It was less nicotine, I guess than I'd been smoking, so I did experience mood swings, being real short tempered - the things associated with withdrawl. I also found that I was tired all the time. I think that's because your body is readjusting itself, and as you ratchet down the nicotine, your body is working hard to expel the toxins. Get a LOT of sleep - as much as possible. Drink as much water as you can - it will help flush it all out of your system.

Many people gain weight when they quit smoking. When smoking more than a pack a day, on average you burn about 400 calories just in the act of smoking and processing the smoke, nicotine, etc. Even if you do not eat additional nibblies to make up for the loss of the habit of smoking, you will gain weight (3500 calories is one pound, so until you make up for the loss of smoking in either exercise or reduced calories, you will gain about one pound every eight days. I went from 115 pounds to 135 pounds and a size four to a size 12 before I started to address the problem. It catches up with you much more quickly than you can imagine. The weight is a far lower health risk than the smoke and toxins from cigarettes, but it can become its own health risk. Knowing in advance that this is going to happen might help you combat the problem.

Keep lots of no-sugar candies around. They still have calories - usually 10 calories per candy - but that is MUCH better than munching on cookies or chips or whatever you have around. And you will find yourself wanting to eat a lot more.

Once Gary and I started in on diets and had taken off that first 10 - 15 pounds and were exercising regularly, we really felt better and more energetic than we could remember feeling for a long, long time. That was about.... 10 months after we'd quit.

For me, the hardest part of quitting was the habit. I got over the nicotine addiction - the worst of it - in that first few days. I could go patchless within two weeks and feel no difference. I started at 14 mg and never bothered to go down to 7mg. But the struggle for me was having something to do with my hands and mouth. I'm not a gum chewer, but that helped. Chewing sugarless gum helps burn the calories that you aren't burning by smoking and can help keep weight gain in check. It occupies your mouth, and really helps fight the problem of overcoming the habit of smoking.

Prepare lots of celery and carrot sticks. Anytime you're freaking for a cigarette, have one - or some. It's a very similar motion to smoking - nibbling on a carrot stick a little at a time.

But mostly - if you freak out, tear off the patch and have a cig - don't resign yourself to the fact that you "can't quit." Break all the cigarettes in that pack, put a new patch back on, and just keep trying, no matter how many times you "interrupt" the process. Wasting all that money and time having to get ANOTHER pack of cigarettes just for one smoke will help you keep trying to quit. The most important thing is to not see yourself as a "failure" when that happens - because it is going to, unless you are someone of tremendous willpower and self discipline. I am not. I probably ripped that patch off every day for the first week. But I kept trying. Instead of focusing on the failure, focus on how many cigarettes you haven't smoked today. One cigarette compared to 30 or 40 is negligible. You are still in the process of learning to live without nicotine. Look at it that way, and it will help you put that next patch back on.

Remember - lots of sleep. Lots of water. (Ice water will help you burn more calories than room temperature water. Water, whatever temperature, will help you feel full and could help you not eat as much). Keep lots of sugarless candy, gum, and celery and carrot sticks around. And don't give up even if it's two steps forward one step back!!!!!!!!

Feel free to PM or e-mail me! This is a very difficult thing you're doing, and I really admire you for it. Feel free to reach out for all the support you need.

GOOD LUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hedi,
I'm so pleased to hear that you're trying to quit! *hugs*

My brother and father used to be heavy smokers. My brother quit first- he told me that he prayed a lot, and asked God for release from his addiction, and it really helped him - he hasn't smoked since then. He encouraged my dad to try it too, and it worked for him as well.

Sending prayers for you

Good luck Hedi!!! I've been smoking for 15 years and have not even tried to quit because I dont think I can

I wish you all the best.

Gosh guys , you are all soooo sweet . Thank you all so much .

LDG , I know what you mean with gaining weight . The first time I really quit for 7 years I went from a size 5 to a size 12 . Talking here about being depressed . Even when people said that I look good and don't look fat . But all my life I was skinny and I went through depression just like every body else was when gaining weight . I weight like 120 pounds dressed up and went all the way to 165 pounds and counting . I just did not go on a scale any more to see how much I weight . Thats one of the reason after starting smoking again after a party having a few Drinks to much waiting so long to quit . I am so afraid to gain all the weight back . Thank you for you offer LDG for your suport . You a so sweet .

I will keep you al up dated how things will go . So far I already had a few fits . But this also will pass , hopefully .

Good luck quitting smoking!

I have no good advice since I am a smoker(17 years) also. I quit once for a week because I was pressured to do so after my fiances mother died of lung cancer at 45 years old.
I am terrified of the thought of quitting. Shoot, I am scared of not having a pack of cigarettes with me at all times.

Keep us updated on your progress, maybe it will inspire Sicy and me to at least think about quitting

Thanks Coco Maui . I know what you are talking about with always having a pack of cigarettes with me in case I would run out . The thought of it just freaked me out .

To all who still smoke in here don't ever give up hope b/c one day you will make it . Most of the time it is all mind set . I had to prepare myself to say ok I will quit . If you cant do that , don't even try . Thats how I failed many times .

Well so far so good . Hat some cigarettes fit and then I walked the dog and got lots of fresh air . Now stomage is kind of upsad from withdrawls . But also this will pass , hopefully

I hope you both can quit. Smoking is unhealthy and even deadly. My Fiancee's Grandmother died from lung cancer about 2 years ago and to this day he's still not over losing her. I'm not even able to help him feel better. I know you both can do it. Get the strength to do it by thinking of the hurt it would cause you're family if you died because of smoking. I hear smokers all the time say they do it to relax...well there are plenty of other ways to relax. Finding those other ways to relax while you smoke will actually help u stop. I've heard music, books, long baths/showers and especially meditating can and does help. There are many other things too you can do to distract you. Find whatever you can. Since you are both attempting this together you need to do these things together. I cant really say much more about the issue because I am a major anti-smoke advocate and allergic to it. It's also a topic I dont like to delve into. All I can say is you CAN stop. It's all in your head that you cant. Remember those things are full of chemicals that are experts at confusing your body and mind into thinking you need to smoke them. Everytime you have a craving picture the nasty stuff you are breathing in...do something like that so you can make you're mind associate them with something bad and nasty and not something good. How can something be good if it causes you to be addicted?
Anyway I wish you both luck, prayers, and vibes and I KNOW you can stop.

~~~~~~Mega powerful super duper positive quit smoking vibes~~~~~~~ coming your way!!

Way to go Hedi! I've been smoking far to long also and am psyching myself to quit once again. I am very proud of you and I hope I can get inspiration from you!!

Having gone thru smoke-cessation clinics, they do say that even if you can't make it this time around, keep trying. You will never quit unless you quit trying to quit (if that makes sense). I've done the clinics, nicorette gum and Zyban in the past and decided that next time I'm just going cold turkey. I was miserable on nicorette and allergic to Zyban. The clinic kept me off for 2 years, then I moved and changed jobs at the same time and started once again.

Thanks guys , very nice of you .

Momofmany , I try the gum did not work for me eather . And I have to say I also trink coffe , so the gum is a big no no in order to drink some coffe . I try the NicoDerm patch the last time , my mistake was I quit using the patch to early and failed . This time I am using from equate Nicotine Transdermal System . It is the same thing like NicoDerm but cheaper and I do need the 21mg due to I used to smoke 30 - 40 cigarettes a day .
Well the time I quit smoking for 7 years I also quit cold turkey and did really good beside the rip and bone pain and stomage pain I had from withdrawls and headtage of course and lets not talk about the mood swings .

I've been smoking 34 years and nothing has worked, so far. The patch made me itch and I almost threw a cat across the kitchen (my ex bought me a pack of cigarettes right away). Zyban was a waste - good thing that my insurance paid for it.

Have been thinking about the Commit lozenges. If I do finally try again, I know one thing - Bill will have to lock up my gun!

Good luck, you're a tougher gal than I am.

Awesome Hedi I am proud of you guys. I wish that I had the will power to stop. Maybe I need to try the patches, Haven't tried them yet. Couldn't hurt anyway right? Well you and Mike have all the "Quit Smoking" magic I can send you.

I'm very proud of you. I quit last year. DH refuses to quit.

It's hard, but worth it. PM me if you need encouragement or just to talk.