I dont know if this is the right place for this post, but oh, well.
I am ready to quit smoking. I don't know how to do it. I just put down my cigs when I found out I was pregnant, but that hasn't worked when I tried it recently. Neither has the patch, the inhaler, or the gum. I am on wellbutrin which is supposed to curb your smoking appetite, and that has worked somewhat, but I have only cut back by a couple of cigarettes a day.
I am in school, fighting the welfare system, fighting my mother-in-law (albeit civilly, than goodness), and trying to maintain a healthy marriage, as well as trying my damndest to raise my son to have all the love and cherishment he could want and more.
Needless to say, I have a lot on my plate. Add that to the fact that I have a highly addictive personality (blame it on astrology or genetics, it's still a fact) and I don't know if I can do it at all. I truly enjoy smoking, but it is starting to take its toll on my health. (I have been smoking on and off, mostly on, for 6 years). My husband just quit. He used patches for a week, and then never looked back.
I've looked at the booklets of what to expect when you quit smoking, and I know if I go three days without a smoke, then the physical addiction will have worked its way out of my system, but I also know it will be taking its toll on my body for over a month.
Has anyone else quit smoking? How did you do it? Do you think going to a support group would really help, or just frustrate me? I DON'T KNOW! ARG!
Just thinking about all of this makes me want to smoke. I promised myself I would quit before fall so I wouldnt have to stand outside in the cold, shivering, just to get a nicotine fix. That obviously hasn't worked. I really am afraid I will smoke for the rest of my life, which could conceivable end in my late 30s, ealry 40s, based on the research I have seen. That scares the crap out of me. I want to see my son graduate college and get married. i want to meet my grandkids, and I don't want to be hauling around an oxygen tank eveywhere I go.
If anyone reads this who doesn't smoke: NEVER START SMOKING! It might make you feel cool for awhile, but ultimately it will just make you feel lousy.
i started smoking when i was 12, basically cuz everyone was doing it. Im 17 now, and the only time I quit was when I was pregnant. I started smoking again about 3 weeks ago (Ryans 5 weeks old) , when BD started being an asshat. I dont want to smoke, but it makes me feel good, like calm or whatever. anyway i understand ur fears, and good luck!!
I quit smoking when I first became pregnant 5 yrs ago, and never looked back, but I still have cravings when I'm stressed sometimes (like lately). I would reccommend cutting out one or two cigs a day (or every few days) until you are down to one, then quit completely. It's important to quit gradually, because any withdrawels you go through your fetus will also go through. Also, stay away from people who smoke as much as you can. For me, being away from it and not having cigarettes was the most important thing. I would suggest not using any kind of nicotene med, but just cutting down gradually. Another thing that helps: keep a rubber band around your wrist and every time you feel a craving snap yourself with it (I've heard this works) or do something else, like eat a tic tac or something. Good luck! I know it's hard.
woohoo, good for you! i quit the first of this month, and i'm still doing okay!
i signed up at www.quitnet.com, and it gives me this little gadget that it emails to me everyday, along with a quitting tip. my stats so far are:
"Your Quit Date is: 11/1/2004 12:00:01 AM
Time Smoke-Free: 16 days, 15 hours, 15 minutes and 52 seconds
Cigarettes NOT smoked: 116
Lifetime Saved: 21 hours
Money Saved: $21.00"
no clue if it's accurate or how they gauge it, but that doesn't really matter. what's important is that it makes me feel good to see the money and hours add up.
I got off easy because i quit at the beginning of a week long bout with strep throat. i felt like total shit, so quitting smoking symptoms got thrown in there and i didn't notice. i HAVE been hacking up massive amounts of green and brown stuff, as my lungs cleanse themselves, and i got a couple big zits, which the quit tips warned me about. the whole body ridding itself of toxins thing kinda sucks, i'll be honest.
BUT i feel better! and i even feel like a better mom! and i notice how bad smokers smell when they come in from outside and i'm glad i'm not like that. my teeth feel clean! my clothes still smell like fresh laundry! i'm saving money! i don't have to worry about having stinky breath when i kiss my kid or my girl! i don't have to drop four bucks every other day for cigarettes! i don't have to feel like everyone else is looking at me like i'm a dumbass who is literally killing herself! i get to feel proud when those Truth commercials I used to hate come on TV! (was that enough reinforcement?)
good luck! :)
I quit a little over three years ago, just before I found out I was pregnant. Andrew and I were saving money to get married and get our own place, so we were pretty broke that Christmas. Out of the blue he announced that his Christmas present to me would be he'd quit smoking. While I was proud of him, I also realized that if he was going to quit, I probably should, too. So we both stopped the same day. I went cold turkey, and it helped that I worked in a non-smoking workplace. As long as I stayed at my desk during the day, I kept busy and didn't really think about smoking. Andrew tried the gum (which cost something like $55) for one day, and decided it was disgusting, and switched to butterscotch candies instead. Neither one of us has looked back since then. I think having a "buddy" to quit with you helps - Andrew and I sort of policed and supported each other during those first three difficult days.
Best of luck to you!!
PS Anyone want to buy some really stale Nicorette gum? :lol:
GOOD LUCK!!! and to everyone that has quit, or is trying to quit Good job!!!!!! I'm glad you've decided to quit!!
Thanks ladies. I read this at 4:30am while working on a really hard research paper and it actaully made me put out my cigarette. I sincerely doubt it will be my last, but I am cutting back and my hubby (who quit two 1/2 months ago) is super supportive. If I can just keep from smoking in the computer room upstairs...
GOOD JOB for all u ladies who are quitting. I am proud of you!