Day 7!!! After 42 years of smoking

[Laura62]

This is the hardest thing to do.....nights bring on the strongest cravings. I was a pack a day smoker for 42 years and after a friend was diagnosed with lung cancer last week, finally put my cigarettes down and went cold turkey. When will my head clear and when will I stop being obsessed with cigarettes? I open my eyes in the morning and my first thought is yuk, another day without my smokes. I KNOW they are bad for me and I also know that after one week without them, I can breathe again. I'm walking 2-3 miles every other day and using 5 lb weights at night to help fight any weight gain. I'm not coughing or choking anymore. My house smells better and I smell better. I'm saving $$ and don't have the pain in my chest anymore. My blood pressure has gone from 140/90 to 110/60 in less than a week! All good things so why do I still want to smoke? Am I an idiot? Am following the 5 D's - delay, distract, deep breaths, drink water and duh, I forget #5 (told you I'm not clear headed without my nicotine). Thanks for letting me vent and thanks for being here for support. I can do this, I can do this, I can do this.

[anne7]

Laura-I know, I know-it feels like your whole life is falling apart and that you've lost your best friend. I also quit cold turkey and have started to walk about 2 miles a day, which in Los Angeles is a very rare sight indeed. It's taken me 3 weeks to calm down. I can't tell you how much gum I've chewed and butterscotch I've sucked on or how ill-tempered I've been with my husband. But this is the most important work in my life right now-after 40 years of smoking, it's going to take more than 3 weeks to unlearn this automatic habit.Keep us all posted on how you're doing. This group has made me realize it IS possible. Good luck with the craves tonight.

[Laura62]

Anne-thank you. Crave has passed but it's only 9:30 pm here so I have a few more waking hours! I refuse to give in. You sound a lot like me with the gum and hard candy! Am trying not to take it out on hubby but sometimes he just says the wrong thing. He quit 17 years ago and has no memory of any suffering. Says to me, what's the big deal? You can do anything you put your mind to. Well, it's not that easy so I'm just not even talking about it with him. Don't you just feel great when you're walking and breathing better? I'm in NJ so I head to the county park which has a great track on the water. Good luck to you too - 3 weeks is great! I am just so tired of being addicted. Life will be good without feeling the need for a smoke if only we can get past these initial cravings. It will be nice to sit through a movie or fly without worrying about when we can have our next cigarette! We can do this!

[Laura62]

Mahalo Hothula. So I have another 3 weeks in the clouds and then hopefully I will feel more like myself again. Last night was tough but I made it and it's now day 8. Thanks for your support. This site is great and every praise is much appreciated. I went out today and when I came home, my house actually smells nice now. I have to focus on all these positives. How long have you been free of this awful addiction now? This is my 3rd attempt to quit in the last 20 years but the first time I am doing it cold turkey. My relapses both came with a glass of wine so I am staying away from the alcohol trigger which is easy as I'm not a drinker anyway. My first quit lasted 3 months but I wore the patch. Second quit lasted 6 weeks with the gum. Don't they say the third time is the charm so this one will be FOREVER!

[marjorie4]

Hey all, quiting was/is the hardest thing ever. I believe that like alcoholics we will always be on the edge. I am 94 days smoke free and my marriage has taken a hard hit. We quit together. Boy we are both at each other, but I know that it is all worth it. Stay quit! Marjorie

[Laura62]

Thanks for all the support and thanks Cliff for the chuckle. I still feel foggy but boy does food taste better already. The nicodemons (love that one) have been quiet today but shhhh, the night is young. Seriously, though, I'm having one of my powerful - I am strong days so that's a good thing.

Marjorie, congrats on 94 days!!! That is a huge accomplishment and I think quitting with your hubby has to be hard. Just ignore the little annoyances and you'll both get through this rough time. My husband seems to be annoying me since I quit but I'm just walking away because I refuse to be beaten to the point of wanting to light up. It's just not worth it so for now, we're in different rooms! He is encouraging, however, and tells me he's proud of me. He knows how hard it was to do but he's about 16 or 17 years now so it's a distant memory to him. BYW, I live in NJ and my last carton cost me about $62. I was ashamed to tell hubby how much my addiction was costing and he had no clue. Can you believe paying that much to suffocate myself. Stay quit! I wish I was on day 94 but I will get there.

[nanc]

Hi Laura, I had the same problem - at night, for me between 7p-midnight - the worst cravings! I found that I could pretty much get thru the daytime but in the evenings - very difficult. I was Quit for 2 months then started back up and now I back on Chantix and have a new Quit date of June 7th. I will be checking in here for Support. Congrats on your Quit - You CAN do this, You CAN do this, You CAN do this!!!

[Laura62]

Hi Nanc, you can SO do this. My son and DIL are on Chantix right now successfully. My 85 yr old aunt got a prescription for Chantix today. Just hung up with her and she can barely talk without using her inhaler and coughing. She's been smoking 70 years! I'm 57 and do not want to be attached to an oxygen tank when I'm that age. I think the nights are harder because we are sitting still more reading or watching tv so we miss the habit. I just keep reminding myself of the good things about not smoking like not burning myself when a lit ash drops in my lap, not having ashes on my end table because they blew or I missed the ashtray. I opened my coat closet today and almost gagged at how bad all my coats smell. Won't it be nice to not be embarrassed to hug a non-smoking friend for fear of smelling so bad - and we do, we just don't want to admit it. When I was working, my boss didn't know I smoked (or so I believed) and I used to spray myself with Febreeze before going back into the office! Pathetic. Nanc, you CAN do this too and I'll be happy to remind you of all the disgusting things about cigarettes whenever you like.