still a newbie on stop smoking

[skypeople]

 will turn 62 years old at end of month and have smoked off and on since i was 18 and went into the Marine Corps in July 1966 where I learned to smoke and got hooked the first time; then after having rapid heart beat problems and just never felt good; shortness of breath, chest pains, and could go on; I quit the first time around April of 1984;  I did not smoke again for 15 years; I took a nasty fall down 11 or 12 concrete steps and had concussion and do not remember how or why I started smoking again; smoked until after a friend of mine, Tom, a vietnam veterans died of cancer in November 2004 and several months after that i gave away all my cigarettes and quit Feb. 2005;  I did ok and then got around other smokers and was under a lot of stress as having medical issues and a lot of pain; so started smoking in october 2006 and smoked until April 12, 2010 and have not smoked since.  I will admit I have been using nicotine gum as used that once before and was able to stop smoking and then stopped using the gum.  I was diagnosed with moderate COPD and have even more medical issues and know I have to quit now and this is like my last chance to get off cigarettes; tired of feeling miserable, coughing, shortness of breath and know if I continue I will end up like a lot of veterans I have seen at VA nursing homes that have gone thorugh amputatons; on oxygen twenty seven etc andjust do not want to be there in future.  Plus just lost my older brother (he was 10 months older then me) who was a heav smoker most of his ife to stage four throat cancer and by time he died it had spread to his chest, and also in bones as well.  He had to have a trach and also a feeding tube as he could not eat and got to where he could not even drink fluids; he died March 30, 2010.

[rj_]

Sky...you can do it, education +determination = success

no matter how long, how many or how much anyone can be free...

Best to You, and Thank you For Your Service....RJ free after 32 yrs

[rickf]

I just got all choked up, Skypeople. I can really empathize with you. I'm 63, recently retired, and smoked for over 45 years. Yes, I quite -- in fact, on six different occasions over the years -- and now I'm on my 7th quit attempt. The longest I went without smoking was one year. It was a terrible trigger that got me started again after that year.

Now I've got to have this be my last attempt at quitting before it becomes permanent. I like this idea of "relearning how to live without cigarettes." A very interesting perspective. But it's murder; no question about it. You don't do something for 45 years and then just walk away from it. It was too integral a part of my life. Damn! It was like a good friend! So this is tough.

I didn't know that you're supposed to go through the steps for becoming an ex before you quit. I've been off cigarettes for two weeks now. What makes it even more difficult for me is that I'm also on a very calorie-restricted diet. I'm also obese (another life-long problem!) and even two doctors told me they thought quitting smoking and dieting strictly would be too hard to do at the same time. Well, I'm going to try to prove them wrong! Funny . . . when I watch a TV show like Intervention, I can really relate to the subject of each episode. Whether the addiction is heroin or cocain or crack or alcohol or cigarettes, it's still a horrible, strong addiction. That's why I can relate to those people so well.

There's been no cancer on either side of my family, so that's comforting for me in a way. My mother smoked like a chimney about the same number of years I did, but she never had pulmonary complications and lived to be 84. By the way, researchers have proven now (and this is NOT an Internet "urban legend") that drinking 3 cups of green tea per day or the equivalent in capsule form and taking inositol tablets (one tablet after breakfast and one after dinner) can go a long way in helping a smoker or ex-smoker avoid lung cancer in the future. Check out the research for yourself. I use both things now, so even though I don't plan on smoking again, I want to use those substances to lessen my chance of developing something nasty down the road.

Good luck to you, Skypeople. Good luck to everybody else who reads my posting. And good luck to me as well!

RickF 

[skypeople]

yes, Ricky, it seems to me to be harder this time around then before; it seems way to easy to pick up a smoke and know I cannot afford to do that no matter how strong the craving; just do not want to do these almost 19 days over again; not sure I could manage this first part.  Spence, I hope you were able to start your quit; do not wait until you are old and gray and all kinds of damage done; I have early stage of COPD and know some damage is done but can avoid being like some of those who continue to smoke regardless of the medical problems they have; and some like my brother, died from cancer but suffered quite a while before they finally figured out what was wrong with him and was too late for him.  I can sure relate to how cigarettes became so intimate in my life as spent too many years alone and in pain and used ti for a variety of reasons; I like smoking some of the time as did it in middle of night (still hard for me then) as would not be able to sleep as in pain and would sit in dark and smoke but no more of that; just go moment by moment and then day by day; sure seems liked I have lived three or four years in these past 19 days; so any of you, just now I will be on as much as I can; or you can write to my regular email which I think I posted; I do use the gum to help tied me over and staying under four with most days being around three pieces of gum.good luck to all of you,  Lynda

[katielynn]

HI, another newbie here. I quit for 50 days, then had to test myself while under tremendous stress and sure enough, one wasn't enough, though I have only smoked 2 a day for about 3 days I sure notice the difference and now I feel like I'm starting over with the withdrawal.  I have severe COPD,  on tons of meds, oxygen therapy when exercising, it feels like what does it matter at this point. I have started a pulmo rehab program which is helpful for the exercising which I've not been a big fan of for many years. Depression is a big part of where I'm at now, it's not the quit it's the severity of my condition and nothing really can take that away, quitting will make the last of my life easier is what they say but in the long run, how long do I want to live like this? So I'm up and moving, trying to find something positive about the day to keep me from lighting up again, chewing on straws, pretzels and chocolate, wearing the patch, chewing gum, drinking tons of water and praying.

[sactown]

Hello All!

I just quit smoking on 05/01/10 and i will say it has been the hardest thing i've had to do in my life. I have been smoking for almost 7 years and live with my two best friends, who ALSO smoke. we have all decided to quit together and have been holding on strong for the last 3 days.. It is not getting any easier though.. I wasnt sure about nicotine replacement but i ended up getting the GUM And i think it really helps curb the cravings especially while i am at work. I think this site is great and good luck to all of you too! We can do it! we can be strong!

[skypeople]

I sure agree about the gum and how it does help with the cravings; as of last night; I have gone now three weeks, yeh, without smokjing; hang in there everyone!!

[lymphomaniac]

Skypeople, I really know how you feel about it.  I was diagnosed with Lymphoma 11 months ago, went thru chemo, and I still smoke.  I saw my dad waste away from cancer.  He was a WWII veteran and they used to put cigs in the c-rations.  I guess a sign of the times.  I am doing quite well, except for the smoking.  I need to quit and have set my target date as 5/31.  It's H-E-double hockey sticks. 

[countrygrl2]

I found this website a few months ago and signed up but have not quit yet.  I am 44 and have smoked off and on since I was about 16.  I have quit several times just to go back.  I want to be healthy.  I do not want to get cancer but sometimes tell myself the damage is probably already done.  I am hoping that finding this community is what I need to quit for good this time. 

[skypeople]

I hope that this site will help and so far, of all the sites I have been too, this has much better response in others contacting and wanting to be there for you.  Just remember the most important thing is that  your motivation to quit has to be for you and most important in your abiity to quit smoking.  My biggest reason is the money angle as cost of cigarettes keeps going up and up and so hard to believe that my research showed that a pack of cigarettes in Washington D.C. are twenty two dollars a pack, seems almost unbelievable and in Chicago they are almost ten dollars a pack.  Here we are at five dollars a pack and I was spending three hundred dollars a month and getting to where I can not or do not want to afford them.  Then the saddest reason is that my older brother, (by ten months), Tom, died of stage four throat cancer March 31st; and it was not a nice way to go as he had to have trach right after they discovered his cancer in November of 2009; had to go through nast bout of chemo and radiation at the same time December and part of January; also had to have an eating tube put in as he got to where he even had trouble drinking fluids and not able to eat; but they did not get all the cancer and it had spread to his other organs and bones.  The difficult thing about oral and throat cancer is that they usually do not discover it right away so usually advanced by the time it is diagnosed.  I do not want to be there, go through that and bad enough that I was diagnosed with early stages of COPD last year and do not want that to get worse.  Our family has high rate of mouth (oral), and throat cancer  (all in my mother's family) with my Uncle (who was diagnosed around 22 years old and he never smoked or chewed tobacco and he fought disease for over twenty years by the time he was considered cured; but lost a lot of his tongue, and mouth so his face is disfigured; my aunt was dagnosed with oral cancer and had to go throgh surgery and radiation (do not know if she had chemo) but she is missing part of her tongue also; and finally my brother.....so really need to do this and so far I have 34 days of not smoking under my belt.  I suggest to others to consider using the nicotine gum because I feel (at least with me) the most successful way to quit as we can chew the gum when we need a "fix" unlike (to me) the patch.  so if you want when you are ready or before, to be in contact with me to be your buddy (though really helps also to find buddy or buddies who quit about same time you do.  my prayers are with you.

[neonlinguist]

Sorry to hear about the COPD I hear alot of people show up with that after stopping smoking, has something to do with the effects of it being hidden by the tobacoo.  Hey guys, this post might get deleted so if you are lucky enough to see it, then take note.  I've effectively quit smoking.  I tried the gum, the patch, cold turkey, some crap drug that made me hallucinate, nothign else worked.  A couple of months ago I found out about electronic cigarettes, and gave them a try.  Lo and behold I've weened myself off nicotine and cigarettes for 3 months now and It feels great.  The reason I think this will be deleted is because there is a massive effort by pharmacuetical and tobacco companies to shut down the electronic cigarette market becaue it WORKS!!!!! unlike their products.  So GO GET AN ECIGARETTE, check out the E cig forum just google it.  If you've already quit by other means CONGRATS.  If not no need to thank me, just doing my civic duty.  BTW ALL brands are not equal do the research before you buy, they are cheaper than you think. 510 is the best 😛