Sunday, April 06, 2008

Here We Go Again

I am ready to quit smoking. I am ready again to make it a goal to quit smoking.

I have been thinking about it seriously for the last couple of months and now that things are more calm I feel this is something I can do. In August 2006 I quit for 3 weeks and it was tough. The first couple of days were easy, but it was after that where it got hard and when we went on vacation I gave up and started smoking.

But I need to quit for my physical health. I feel like crap most of the time and I know it is because of all the poisons I am putting in my body. It has caused me so many dental problems and I am sick of it.

I will be saving at least $100/month being a non-smoker. The money I will be saving I can put towards the camera I really want.

I am thinking that while I am home, every time I want a cigarette I will take Sophie for a walk. I think that will help me get my mind off of smoking and I know Sophie will love it. But my work can be very stressful, so I am trying to come up with things to do when I am at work and really want a smoke. Do you guys have any suggestions?

I am going to start reading the book The Easy Way to Quit Smoking again and hopefully by the end of the week I will be smoking my last cigarette.

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

yay you!.....healthy pink lungs to look forward to. I have passed the six month mark and just want to say, you can do this and you are worth this....just look at all you have come through. keeping an icy glass of water near by helped me a lot. For every drag I wanted, I would sip...it really helped curb the oral fixation with something healthy.....

Unknown said...

I know this is a hard one -- my dad battled with it most of his life! I know he was on some sort of prescription at one point that did help him, but I don't know what it was. He did the gum, too. The cigarettes are what killed him -- imagine only having 15 years left! (He died at 49.)

That is a super nice camera. I'd like one of those. :)

I gave up soda at home about a week ago (I'll only have it when eating out). I figure that will save us $50 a month (we drink a lot of soda). I know it is nothing like cigarettes, but as you know, I was raised on A LOT of soda. So it is hard for me not to have it. I've been drinking a ton of water.

peterquixote said...

the good news is good, the severe cravings diminish rapidly, that is within days,
it is best to build up a level of self esteem before you start, a determination and a method, I found that i needed to have no emotional difficulty or financial difficulty,
it is an hour by hour thing for the first few days, get prepared for success, think of the cravings as the
monster you can beat, and you can,
48 hours is the first post, after that the mirror of yourself is,

SassyFemme said...

Lots and lots of white tic-tacs. Crazy as it sounds, it worked for both Fran and me, using nothing else. Fran had been a smoker for 25ish years, too.

A social worker in the making. said...

my hubby did chantix it really helped took the edge of the cravings he has been some free for 6 months you go girl

Monogram Queen said...

I really really really wish you luck on this. I think other than losing weight it is one of the toughest things to do. Both my parents did it and I wish my sisters and brother would too. Glad to say I never started.

Trinity2 said...

Sweetheart, I have tried them all -wellbutrin, the patch and nicotine gum but the only thing that's ever worked for me is plain old cold turkey! The idea of walking sophie everytime you have a craving is good. Physical exercise to get the endorphins moving is a good nicotine replacement. Hang tough!

Anonymous said...

Good luck to you, and remember...YOU CAN DO THIS. I quit 2 years ago after being a smoker for longer than I care to remember. The only help I had was a friend who quit the same time so we spent a lot of time consoling each other. It requires a lot of stubborness and nerves of steel for the first while. I too did it cold turkey, with no aides...why get hooked on something else. With the patch and the gum you are still getting a trace of nicotine. I like the idea of the white tic tacs. Wish I had known about that. I found I had to change my whole routine. Good luck, it will be worth it in the end and you will feel so much better. Ruth in Canada

Anonymous said...

Here is why I don't smoke. I quit the day I found out I was unexpectedly pregnant with my daughter. I found out five months later she had birth defects that are linked to smoking, among many other things. I will probably live with that guilt for the rest of my life. Whether the smoking is the reason or not is irrelevant. I put toxins in my body for years before getting pregnant. I'm sure they were built up in my body as hers was trying to form.

If you want to have a child, quit smoking now and give your body a couple years to detoxify. I know I wish I had. I will never pick up another cigarette again.

Lynilu said...

That's a cool camera. I looked at it, too, but decided against it for a couple reasons.

Since you are using exercise with Sophie as your behavior change at home, can you do that at work, too? It actually takes only a few seconds for the craving to pass, I think less than 30, as memory serves. If you could just step outside and walk around for one or two minutes, it might help by keeping the behavioral replacement consistent. I know it can be more difficult to do it at work, but as I said, consistency helps.

Good luck! And Yay, YOU!!! :D

Audra said...

great for you!

yankeegirl said...

Caroline- Lost both my parents to smoking related illnesses- so I think quitting is AWESOME!!!
I liked Lynilu's suggestion to take a walk, but also what about one of those foam stress-ball things that you can squeeze? That might help

Sonya said...

Good luck! I don't have any advice for you. Just hang in there and you can do it.

That camera is awesome!

Minnesota Nice said...

Caroline, I'd like to join you in this. I quit last year, then I had a breakup and started again, then I calmed down and quit again, then I had another breakup in February and started again. Stress brings on the cravings, that is for sure. Have you chosen a quit date?