Nope, don't smoke; never did. Glad I didn't after I saw my uncles suffer from emphysema later in life and just have a miserable time of it.
I smoked from the time I was 14 until the age of 62 when I began to realize what I was doing to the state of my health. I quit, cold turkey one day while sitting at the bar of the Chattanooga choo choo hotel in Chattanooga Tennessee. Every time I took a drag on my cigarette, it was accompanied by that little hiccup of a cough. I finally reached into the pocket of my shirt, withdrew the cigarette package and gave it to the bartender. (incidentally, that is where I learned of the south’s best kept secret, maker’s mark bourbon). From that day forward, I never looked back.
I don’t have much faith in all those commercial smoking cures. All they are successful in is extracting dollars from susceptible suckers. I believe that if you REALLY want to quit smoking, all that is required is a strong belief in yourself. You all have that power. One aid that helped me, tremendously was the substitution of one good habit for a bad. You probably have a particular place where you keep your cigs for easy access. Mine was the pocket in my dress shirt that we all used to wear in the business world. The most frustrating thing is to reach for a cigarette and come back with nothing so I kept a roll of life savers in that pocket and when I instinctively reached for a cig, I came back with a life saver to put in my mouth. I don’t say that this will work for everybody but it’s a start.
You can do it, but you’ve got to have the will power. Forget the patches and injections, they only work if you want them to and then you don’t need the props.
Much to my chagrin, I am still smoking. I have had many quits, but obviously, they weren't successful. I finally got the word from my doctor that I'm headed for COPD and my smoking days are over. I quit last week and made it 4 days. I know for some people, they do it and never look back and I applaud that. I am addicted to nicotine and just haven't been strong enough, up until now.
I am swearing that I am not going into 2010 as a smoker. I have cut down to 2-3 a day, which is still bad, but a significant decrease.
Gee, I'm sorry you asked that question. LOL, there went my halo....POOF!
i smoked from age 14 to 41...lost both parents to lung cancer due to smoking many years...
my husband still smokes...it's a terrible addiction...i pray he stops...
My last quit was my last quit--six years ago. I do. however, crave on often, too often, and the craving hits at the most unusual times.
I quit because it smells bad--it had nothing to do with health for me.
Yeah, still smoke 1/2 a pack a day. Tried at least a dozen times to quit.
Wanna try again on New Year's Eve, Andiamo? Gives you almost 3 weeks to get used to the idea and try cutting out one cigarette a day. Let's cold turkey this nasty addiction! :-)
Your on. Midnight? Or a more realistic time like 10:00 AM New Years Day?
I never pictured any of you smoking. I think it's mostly psychological. After two weeks, the nic addiction is gone, but mentally you crave it for years. I remember searching for my pack when I put the key in the ignition, or the phone rang. After dinner was another time I'd reach for the pack and it wouldn't be there. I started at age 12. I'd steal a few out of my dad's (Chesterfield) pack and a few out of my mom's (Kent) pack. My dad didn't know I smoked until I was in my 20s. I hid it well. When he did catch me, it was at my apartment after Mike and I argued and Mike went home to "my" parents. Dad came over to try and make peace. There I was with a cigarette in my mouth. I told him it was Mike's fault I started smoking because the idiot was constantly pissing me off. lol I don't know if he bought that, but he never said anything. I felt like I disappointed him. He was always bragging how proud he was that I never took up that nasty habit. Unfortunately he died before I quit. Of course he claimed to have quit when his doctor ordered him to. Dad had a bad ticker and back then, they didn't have the technology they do now. I found a half a pack of cigs in his coat pocket the day he died. Mike said he knew dad still smoked, but was sworn to secrecy.
Deb, you still have your halo. It's just not as bright right now. Quitting an addiction has got to be the hardest thing. I really hate how society treats smokers. Ohio is a no smoking state. Not many fines are handed out because only the health dept. can hand them out. I remember my first day working at a local hospital. One of the girls was going to take a break and asked if I wanted to join her. I followed her to the elevator, then down to the basement, where we walked through this enormous area that was completely empty. Then we came to a small door. She opened the door and about ten or so people were crowded under the awning over the door, puffing away. It was a cold rainy day. That was long before they made Ohio non smoking. What ticked me off was they had to walk through this large empty basement area to get outside. Why a small portion of this area couldn't be used as a break room for smokers was beyond me. I'd quit years before that, so it didn't effect me, but I was ticked off for them.
I know I'll never smoke again, but sometimes I do miss it. Next question: After those of you who quit gave it up, did you gain any weight?
