Scared to throw them away

[willybilly30]

I read so many things about quitting that says throw away everything. I even wrote about it as my first blog post. I was wondering what others had to say on this. I have done it before and next thing you know I am going nuts and I have walked in the middle of the night going to buy them and other ways. Did all of you throw them away? How would I deal with things? Can I get along with people? I don’t know that is a challenge even when smoking. Mental issues…I go to a therapy class. Of course they teach coping skills. I don’t know I am still thinking on this. 

[yourmajesty]

i always throw them away, over and over again.  i tear them up into small pieces so i know i can't dig them out of the trash and reconstruct them.  i woke up early, smoked my last 2 with a coffee and tore up the rest into tiny pieces.  i am determined to quit.  i quit once for 10 years.  i started again, occassionally, 4 years ago.  i was in europe.  a friend of mine, older with copd, said, while we were drinking...lets have a cigarette.  he is a friend but he has an evil streak.  he likes throwing bombs up.  he could have just had a cigarette without enticing me to join him.  well, he must've had some support system because he quit.  and then he just sat back and watched me struggle for 4 years.  i haven't had a cigarette in one year, but i responded to some stress and i spent a week smoking and now here i am quitting again.  i spent the day resting in bed and i can't afford to do that.  that friend who got me smoking again, he calls all the time, i think he secretly wants to know if i have gotten cancer or copd yet.  what an evil **bleep** that guy is.

[willybilly30]

I would not be in this mess if i did not have a friend that pressured me to smoke. At a foot ball game 30years ago. I did not want to smoke but for some reason he could not stand doing it with out me. Ever time I tried to quit he would just laugh at me.  He moved away tho. Your friend sounds horrible I think you should get rid of him. Can you block him? I got friends who smoke and a neighbor who does. I kinda wonder what they would say if I quit. Maybe, if they don’t respect my decision maybe I should decide they are not worth my time 

[GrammySue]

When my Mom quit smoking she bought a small shadow box with a glass front. She glued her last pack of cigs in it, hung it on the wall and hung a hammer next to it and a sign that naturally said.... In case of emergency break glass. She passed away last year and that was the one thing I got from her house that oddly I really wanted. When I quit last month I opened it up and glued my last pack of cigs in it and rehung it on my dining room wall. 

The one thing I didn't know was for every craving She had she took that shadow box off the wall and with red polish she put a small dot on the back of it. It was just covered in little dots. 

Every time I see it I'm reminded I'm not giving up my cigarettes. They are right there on my wall and it's my choice to not smoke anymore. 

[MarilynH]

Thanks for sharing @GrammySue that's beautiful! 

[Snowdoggie]

@GrammySue What a sweet story. God bless your Mother. (((Hugs)))

[yourmajesty]

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@willybilly30 wrote:

I read so many things about quitting that says throw away everything. I even wrote about it as my first blog post. I was wondering what others had to say on this. I have done it before and next thing you know I am going nuts and I have walked in the middle of the night going to buy them and other ways. Did all of you throw them away? How would I deal with things? Can I get along with people? I don’t know that is a challenge even when smoking. Mental issues…I go to a therapy class. Of course they teach coping skills. I don’t know I am still thinking on this. 

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7 months is amazing.  what is your biggest tip.

[Snowdoggie]

@yourmajesty Hi, my biggest tip is to be well prepared for a crave and what you will do about it. I personally used coleslaw, pickles, gum, and candy to bust craves. I also put my head in the freezer and breathed deeply. I stayed very busy. 

[SuzyQ411]

@willybilly30  Regarding the issue as to whether or not to throw away all of your smokes, etc. when you quit: my response is you can't smoke what you don't have so I say get rid of everything~ it will make it more difficult to relapse and could at least buy you some time.  I hope you have worked through your questions and concerns a bit more since you posted and are giving more thought to quitting. To help you decide, read as much as you can on this site to learn all you can about tobacco addiction and various approaches to use when quitting. Wishing you the best~ Suzy.