BBS OWN Stop Smoking SUPPORT thread:)

[sheila_361]

I started smoking probably at the age of 13 and smoked for many years, I'm 43, I did the quitting and starting back up 4 times. This very last time I quit and will never ever again light up again, was due to seeing my beloved mother, who had quit smoking 22 years before, lying in a hospital bed in a ICU unit with a respirator breathing for her was all it took for me to quit, I unfortunately lost her 2 days later, but I am still smoke-free. On the 17 of Dec will be 23 months, I'm so very proud of myself, I definitely feel better and probably did gain some weight but that's fine, I know it won't be me laying in a hospital bed having a machine breathing for me.. Sad to say it took something such as that to make me quit. I did it cold turkey and didn't even have a single craving for one. I was smoking about 2 1/2 packs a day.

One year, ten months, one week, six days, 1 hour, 22 minutes and 25 seconds. 30692 cigarettes not smoked, saving $5,371.20. Life saved: 15 weeks, 1 day, 13 hours, 40 minutes.

[Advertisement]

[chatteringfemale]

Hey all,

Please count me in!!! I've tried and tried to stop smoking. I came on here tonight and was reading and for some reason decided to check this out. I do really good for like a week then something usually happens and BAM, I'm at it again. Not good I know. But any help, support, encouragement, would be great. My husband smokes and I'm going to try and get him to stop too. Where do I send my addy too? Thanks and good luck to each and everyone that is trying to stop.

Chatteringfemale

[EMSnurse]

ChatteringFemale, PM me if you want some one on one encouragement, and I'm sure anyone else in this thread will do the same. We are just kind of all supporting one another. I hasn't been very long since I quit, but I figured one thing out: I will NOT suffer through withdrawal again just to satisfy a craving that will be gone in five minutes if I ignore it. I will NOT die from a lung disease just to satisfy a craving that will be gone in five minutes if I ignore it. I will NOT waste thousands of dollars of money I worked hard to get just to satisfy a craving that will be gone in five minutes if I ignore it. I remind myself of these things every time I have a craving. If I start rationalizing that just one won't hurt, I remind myself that I am an addict, and this is how addicts think, and this is how addicts continue to use. I have faced the fact that I may still have cravings five years from now, but this is the price I will have to pay for choosing to smoke for 30 years. It's a small price to pay, considering those who don't quit often pay with their lives.

---
3w 2d 5:27 smoke-free, 816 cigs not smoked, $128.93 saved, 2d 20:00 life saved

[EMSnurse]

Sheila_361, you go girl!

[sheila_361]

Thanks EMS, and Congrats to you!!!
And Congrats to all!!!


One year, ten months, one week, six days, 6 hours, 45 minutes and 41 seconds. 30702 cigarettes not smoked, saving $5,372.96. Life saved: 15 weeks, 1 day, 14 hours, 30 minutes.

[heartlvrs]

i am so very very proud of EACH of you whether you just quit today or quit years or months ago YOU and I are the proof....IT CAN BE DONE!!! You have to resist....remember THERE CAN NEVER BE JUST ONE!!!

[EMSnurse]

Heartlvrs is such a great cheerleader! Thanks so much!

[heartlvrs]

More reasons to quit
Time since quitting
Beneficial health changes that take place

20 minutes
Blood pressure and pulse rate return to normal.

8 hours
Nicotine and carbon monoxide levels in blood reduce by half, oxygen levels return to normal.

24 hours
Carbon monoxide will be eliminated from the body.
Lungs start to clear out mucus and other smoking debris.

48 hours
There is no nicotine left in the body.
Ability to taste and smell is greatly improved.

72 hours
Breathing becomes easier.
Bronchial tubes begin to relax and energy levels increase.

2 - 12 weeks
Circulation improves.

3 - 9 months
Coughs, wheezing and breathing problems improve as lung function is increased by up to 10%.

1 year
Risk of a heart attack falls to about half that of a smoker.

10 years
Risk of lung cancer falls to half that of a smoker.

15 years
Risk of heart attack falls to the same as someone who has never smoked

[EMSnurse]

How are all the new non-smokers out there? Remember, if you fall off the wagon, dust your pants off and climb back on.

[heartlvrs]

1. Decide Right Now to Believe that You CAN Quit Smoking

Studies of smokers who successfully quit smoking show that one of the most important traits of a successful quitter is their belief that they have the ability to quit smoking.

Do you believe that you can quit? If you don’t, you will have a much harder time trying to quit. The best action you can take right now to start the quitting process is to fix in your mind the belief that you have the ability to quit smoking. You might say that you can’t change your belief, but you can.

Believing you can quit is so important because your belief will guide everything you do in your attempt to quit. The way you think, the research you do, the steps you take, the people you talk to, the help you seek--all these will be influenced by the belief you have in your ability to give up cigarettes.

If you don’t truly believe you can quit, you’ll probably find yourself saying, "What’s one little cigarette? I’ve got a headache. I just can’t quit like other people." If you believe you can quit, instead you’ll be saying "My head is hurting from withdrawal, but I can make it through this. I know the headache and other withdrawal symptoms will go away in a few days. My life is more important than a stupid cigarette."

Believing shapes everything you do. So does not believing. If you believe something strongly enough your mind will give you the correct thoughts to help your body take you in the direction of your belief.

Can you imagine what life would be like if Thomas Edison hadn’t believed that he could invent the incandescent light bulb? If Edison had begun his search for the solution without really believing he could create a light bulb that worked, he would have quit long before finding the answer. Edison tested more than 10,000 combinations of materials before finding the right one to create a light bulb! You must believe that you can quit smoking, even if it takes 10,000 attempts.

Fixing in your mind a belief that you can quit smoking may sound impossible if you now believe that you don’t have the ability. Here are some tips to help you change your beliefs:

Realize that your old belief was founded on old ideas and circumstances and that your new belief is based on new information and your newfound desire to quit smoking now.
On 3X5 cards, write out several positive statements about your ability to quit. Read your cards three times a day: morning, noon and bedtime. Some statements to use: "I believe that I have the ability to quit smoking," "I am a non-smoker," "I no longer need cigarettes in my life," "I happily quit smoking," "It’s easy to quit smoking," "I am a powerful, self-directed person," "I control my own life." Make up some of your own statements. Make them positive, as if you have already completed the task.
Post a sign on your bathroom mirror with one of the above statements on it.
Repeat the above statements to yourself, whenever you have a free moment.
Use visualization techniques to visualize yourself mastering your smoking habit and winning the fight.
Ask your family and friends to encourage you with positive statements about your ability to quit smoking

[heartlvrs]

WOW~!~~ I just realized today what I forgot about!! Between being so busy with My MS Walk and now my foot/leg injury I forgot my anniversary!! Here are My stats: Quit date was May 6
Five years, one week, 5 minutes and 48 seconds. 183300 cigarettes not smoked, saving $23,737.39. Life saved: 1 year, 38 weeks, 6 days, 11 hours, 0 minutes.

Post yours!!