What Happens to Your body if you stop smoking Right now?
July 19, 2006 by Liz Lewis
Filed under Cancer, Greatest Hits, Prevention, Your Body
I think one of the main reasons it’s so hard to quit smoking is because all the benefits of quitting and all the dangers of continuing seem very far away. Well, here’s a little timeline about some of the more immediate effects of quitting smoking and how that will affect your body RIGHT NOW.
- In 20 minutes your blood pressure will drop back down to normal.
- In 8 hours the carbon monoxide (a toxic gas) levels in your blood stream will drop by half, and oxygen levels will return to normal.
- In 48 hours your chance of having a heart attack will have decreased. All nicotine will have left your body. Your sense of taste and smell will return to a normal level.
- In 72 hours your bronchial tubes will relax, and your energy levels will increase.
- In 2 weeks your circulation will increase, and it will continue to improve for the next 10 weeks.
- In three to nine months coughs, wheezing and breathing problems will dissipate as your lung capacity improves by 10%.
- In 1 year your risk of having a heart attack will have dropped by half.
- In 5 years your risk of having a stroke returns to that of a non-smoker.
- In 10 years your risk of lung cancer will have returned to that of a non-smoker.
- In 15 years your risk of heart attack will have returned to that of a non-smoker.
So, you have more immediate things to look forward to if you quit now besides just freaking out about not being able to smoke. Quit now!
Update: 6/11/07
You can view a high-quality Graphic representation of this post right here.
Update: This make you think it’s time to quit. Check out these 5 Smoking Gadgets That Might Help You Quit Smoking.
Really want to be serious about quitting? Click Here!
[tags] smoking, cancer, quit smoking [/tags]
Kelly Townsend
“the thought of a cigarette after quitting”. how perfect would be that cigarette after so many days past without it. A wonnderful preperation for a nice cigarette.
yea, thats why i started after 1 year and 1,5 years of quitting.
you cant beat that thought, not at all. Eventually one ordinary day it cacthes you and you light that magic 1 cigar.
You have the start up concentration and determination but by time over-increased self confidence. Units with the unbeaten thoughts and takes you to the begining.
I really need to quit this shit forever. I very well know that, i musnt envy or think about it at allllll because i know that i will have a weak second and it will catch me there.
Now its 15 days. I have the experience of long-short quits and starts. I know that it tastes like shit when you start after a quit. The real taste of nicotin is the taste with fresh mouth and tongue which you cant understand when regular smoker. ıykk…
i wont have cigarettes sometimes , anytime, never again. else im really dying of those plant. at age 37 im feeling that on my body- hard to breath etc.
challenging still, yea. but my challenge is a no more smoke any more challenge. not a single 1 not a breath, NOMORE.
my challenge is, i wont write here, i wont read these, i wont think about it at all, wont remember, no thoughts at all, no challenge at all. total freedom
Well, after 38 years of 1-2 packs a day, and about 20 attempts to quite, I went to Allan Carr & took Champix. That was 8 weeks ago and I feel FANTASTIC, I am a non smoker and feel and smell great & who would have thought my toungue pink under the yellow fur
During any tough moments, and there really weren’t that many - my mantra was:
Hollow tummy feeling for 5 minutes … or Chemo
bit cranky for 5 minutes … or Chemo
feeling like i am missing out when I see someone smoke … or Chemo
A bit of a no brainer and It really helped
Well done to all the other new non smokers out there, a lifetime of freedom is your reward
Carla, that sounds like a great idea!! Posts like yours are what keeps me coming back to this site. I am on day 4 now (should be day 10 but had a little slip last weekend). This time for the first time in my adult life I am in it to win it.. Never Take another Puff.. Good luck to Ya. Dustin
Hey there,
Dustin, i was a smoker for 21 years.Thats more than half my life.I had tried many times to give it up.But alas fell short everytime.This time i have beaten the crave!!!I took no drugs and have come through like a champion.My chest feels great.I am on the road to freedom-
Its like you said your in it to win it.Positive stuff.
I know how hard it is, keep your head down and keep going.You can do it!!!
Go well
Wayne
Hi Carla,
I have stopped for 15 days now and I too feel great! It is amazing how your colour becomes more glowy:)
I have quit cold turkey for 34 days now. I have always had very little cravings. Everytime I crave a cigarette i see ugly images of sick people in my mind. My sister in particular that has stage 3b lung cancer. Which leads me to believe that this is 50% a mind thing and 50% a body thing. Go to hospice somewhere and see the people dying from lung cancer, bet you will love to quit. better yet count the cigarettes that you didn’t smoke everyday i think i am past 650. I never remember myself as a non-smoker becuase i smoked so long. Good luck everybody. THE BOTTOM LINE- THE MIND IS POWERFUL- USE IT.
Sandy, if you are still around or happen to pop in at any time - CONGRATULATIONS ON TWO YEARS OF FREEDOM!!!!!!!
To all the rest, stay strong and post often.
Good luck.
Cheers
Ed
Free and Healing for Nine Months, Ten Days, 22 Hours and 51 Minutes, while extending my life expectancy 19 Days and 17 Hours, by avoiding the use of 5679 nicotine delivery devices that would have cost me $1,292.81.
Hello to all…and what wonderful stories everyone is telling. Congrats to all of you.
I’m writing of my story to warn all of you to be careful. Don’t make the mistake I made two weeks ago. I thought I could have just one. Well, that one innocent cigarette brought me right back to where I started…smoking a pack a day. I’m so ashamed; I had almost 3 months under my belt. All that hard hard hard work…I fell off the wagon. I thought I had it beat..I thought I had finished.
So tonight as I was driving home, I realized I had 2 cigarettes left in the pack. I thought about stopping and getting some more, but I didn’t. I thought “this is enough…I deserve to be smoke free…I know I have the strenghth to do this again”. Not to mention I can’t afford to spend $8.50 a day on these things.
So I haven’t had a cigarette in about 2 hours. I’m okay and hope to be okay for the rest of my life.
So everyone reading this ….just know that there is no such thing as just having 1 and getting right back to the quit….It might just grab you and suck you right back in…..
So move over guys…do you have room for one more “newbie” ?
Good luck Debra. I am praying for you. I also love your story.
I hear ya Debra! I “quit” smoking a year ago….. unfortunately, I quit quitting about ten months ago:(
I too thought that I could have just one….
To make a long story short, here I am quitting for the second time!
And to make it worse, I have been hiding it from my boyfriend ( I think he knew though) and now I have to quit again with no support from him:(
I am now 9 hours without a cigarette and I have to just remember to take deep breaths and drink lots of ice water.
Anyone have any tips on avoiding MAJOR mood swings?…..
Hello all I am 31 days smoke free today and I feel great. I am really happy I decided to quit and I love coming to this site reading everyone’s stories. This is what helped me stay smoke-free. It is amazing to me of how I can go outside and smell that someone has just finished smoking. I really never knew how strong the smell was. Also smelling the smell on someones clothes, or when they talk to me and you can smell it. I can’t believe that is how I smelled. I never want to go back to that. I have more energy now and I started to gain weight because I would eat and eat but I began to purchase healthy foods and I am not noticing a difference in my weight. Plus exercise. Good luck to everyone..
thanks Lori ! I’m hangin in there. I spent the day shopping with a non-smoker. I think that helped me a lot. I kept dragging her from store to store…cuz you can’t smoke inside a store !!!
Funny, though…when I feel off the wagon, I never did have that cigarette during the workday. I was the only smoker in the office building; and I just refused to stand outside and smoke, so I never did. I was only smoking on the way to work, and on the way (and yes during the evening as well) but not once did I even think about having one during the workday. I think that has a lot to do with the theroy of “habits”. I haven’t had a cigarette (while working) since March 7th….because I really believe that I broke that habit. Today is Saturday, and I am finding it really hard.
I know that those 4 days are just about the worse. I’m eating low carb right now which really helps you stay full. Eating high carb foods tend to lead me into sugar cravings and that can really pile the weight on when you quit. I know this to be true (for me) because I gained 13 pounds when I quit smoking. I have since lost 11 of those pounds.
I just hate the whole thing - I had almost 3 months and I blew it. I thought I had it beat…and that I was stronger than the drug/nicotine. Wow, what a slap in the face. I must come to the realization that I’m a nicotine junkie…just one puff will bring me right back.
Gosh…I wish I had never ever had that one cigarette…It’s like I’ve got this huge mountain in front of me that I have to climb again….Grrrrr
So anyone reading this lengthy blog…don’t make the mistake I made. It wasn’t worth it. Not at all.
Its been 20 days smoke free, 30 some years of doing the nasty, i could’nt remember the stink on smokers clothes its gross. its all about deciding to quit not wanting to quit good luck to us, its a goog thing what were doing, lets do this for us.
Thanks, Debra, for sharing your story. It sounds like you not only smoked one cigarette, or maybe two, but bought a pack (or maybe more than one pack over time) and went back on “scheduled” smoking. Which is understandable of course - I can see myself doing same.
So I asked myself: Where’s the danger? Is it dangerous to sneak two or three puffs once a month (provided of course you don’t go out to buy a pack and stash it away like Ray Milland did with bottles of booze in the movie “Lost weekend”)? How about once a week? Surely it’s dangerous to sneak a few puffs every day— I’ve tried that myself and it does NOT work! It didn’t work for me because I began to look forward to that “special time of day” when I would get those puffs on a cigarette - and it became the focus of my entire afternoon. That’s addiction all over again. So I stopped playing with THAT idea.
Okay: I concluded that a few puffs every day is dangerous. But I want to propose (for discussion) that a few puffs once a month is NOT dangerous - PROVIDED of course that after those two or three puffs you DO NOT go out a buy a pack. Going out to buy a pack is starting to smoke again, and we don’t want to do that.
To put it differently, I’ve seen websites that tell you that EVEN ONE PUFF will get you addicted all over again. Do you believe that? I don’t. It is obviously manipulative bullshit put forward by people/organizations with an agenda. So where is the truth? And what REALISTIC rules are there for us ordinary imperfect people to continue our quit through slips and other imperfect manifestations? And by “continue our quit” I mean to AVOID going back on habitual cigarette smoking - the whole point of what we are doing.
I have definite ideas about this, but I’d be very interested to hear what others think. I mean real opinions - not ideology or self-serving stuff. So the truth is somewhere - but where?
;=)
–Bill
Bill:
If you have just a “few” puffs of a cigarette every month…that would indicate that a pack had to be purchased does it ? Unless you live somewhere where you can buy only 1 cigarette.
The truth ? Who knows. I think it’s probably different for everyone. I’ve smoked for over 25 years, and for me…it’s that one puff that brings me right back. I bought a pack and slipped; but I spent $8.30 on that pack, and I wasn’t willing to throw my money away ! It took me a good 4 days to go through it. By the 5th day, I was hooked all over again.
For me the truth is this: Addiction is addiction. Doesn’t matter what it is, whether it’s booze, nicotine, or narcotics. That one slip is a dangerous slip. I don’t know any alcoholics that can only have a drink once a month, or a crack house that is only open on Thursdays (don’t know much about crack though) so why would the addiction to nicotine be any different ?
I personally don’t get caught up in “people/organizations”, or what statistics say. But here’s what I do know:
While on my “slip”, I was smoking a cigarette on my porch. My 21 year old son came out and said ” Now, I thought you had quit”. I immediately became angry and resented him telling me what I should or shouldn’t do. So I said to my son ” YOU DO NOT GET TO DO THAT TO ME”. ( Thinking, how dare he say that to me).
With a saddened face, my son said ” No, Mom…you don’t get to do that to me”.
That was truth slapping me right in the face.
Wow Debra, you still continue to have wonderful stories that stop me from thinking of that one puff or that one cigarette. I have 2 young daughters who have asked me over and over again to quit smoking. I continued until I was ready to quit. One day I was having a real bad day and I texted my 15 year old daughter telling her that it was really hard for me that day. The cravings were overwhelming. The first thing she did was texted back and said “MOM DON’T DO IT. I MEAN IT”. I had not planned on smoking that day but just those words from her made it where I knew I was not going to smoke. My husband continues his smoking habit, but he does not smoke in our home. The air is so much cleaner in the house. My girls now can smell when someone else is or has smoked because they are not breathing it in anymore. They do not smell like ciagarettes. So Debra please continue with your stories. I love them so…
That’s some anecdote, Debra. And you make a very strong point. Good luck on your new quit!!
–Bill
p.s. What I meant by “stealing a puff” was to buy a pack, take out one of them, run the faucet on the rest, and toss the resulting mess into the trash. Then and ONLY then, puff away (three times) on the survivor.
Please don’t misunderstand: I am NOT recommending this as a strategy for quitting smoking! It’s risky or even dangerous to think this way if you’re a new quitter, it seems to me - at least it would have been for me in my first five “cold-turkey” days. I only want to put it up for discussion and see what others think - as a way for people who are ALREADY on a productive quit who slip, for one reason or another, to STAY on their quit. Most important for this to work: keep only one out of that pack and soak the rest. The point is: limit your slip to at most one cigarette.
Sure, it’s an expensive and wasteful option; but we’re dealing with much more important health issues here. Compare the cost of an occasional pack to the cost of alternatives (CAT scans, X-rays, chemo, ….). And the expense angle also works to keep the frequency down - In CA, this method would cost me $120 per day to restore my previous pack-a-day habit.
It’s worked for me so far (through three slip-ups) on my 10-week quit; and I’m beginning to think that I may actually make it - though I still have quite a way to go. We will see about that. I don’t know if it can work for anyone else, but (?) it might.
Cheers and good luck to all!
Wow. It’s been a while for me and I can see that a lot has changed here. Everything is still the same with me but I won’t go into that.
The only thought I have is this, “in for a penny, in for a pound.”
One puff, one cig, once a month, once a year…any way you look at it…YOU ARE SMOKING. It just sounds like a whole bunch of semantics and justification. It’s NOT ok to do those things. You are basically setting yourself up to fail.
I have yet to meet the smoker who has “quit” and can just smoke once in a while. Folks, that person does NOT exist. Don’t think that you can be the one. You can’t.
I’m not trying to pee in your cornflakes…I am just being honest. I have now been smoke free for about 4 months. I did it cold turkey. I haven’t had even one since I quit. Sure, I would like one every now and again but I know better. If I have even one, just one, I will start smoking again. It may not happen right away but it will happen.
Anyway, let me step down from my pedestal. Sorry if I came off bitter or pissy. I just hate to see people take one step forward and two steps back.
Hi Andrew,
I quit for 2 1/2 months and a few weeks ago I thought I could have just one cigarette. Now two weeks into that one cigarette, I am smoking every day about 1/2 pack. I did quit 15 years ago cold turkey and didn’t smoke at all until two years ago when there was a death in the family. How stupid of me to think I could have that one cigarette! In fact, I didn’t even want it but someone told me to have that one cigarette because I would feel better! Again, what a dope.
It took me two years to finally quit again cold turkey and believe me, I wanted that quit so bad that it was the easiest thing I ever did. Now I am so mad at myself and am beating me up for smoking a few weeks ago. I tried so hard today, but deep down, I knew I was going to smoke.
Tomorrow is another day to quit. I refuse to smoke ever again! You are so right though about one puff. It is an addiction, the devil who grabs you into his evil clutches. It really feels so much better to be smoke free.
Again, I have a brand new day in just a few hours and I will quit simply because I want to!
Thanks so much for writing.
Marilyn
Hi Bill,
Just thought I’d add my two cents worth.
You come across as a pretty sensible guy. I also think you have a great deal of self discipline. I don’t think you are trying to justify a few random ‘hits’ of nicotine, I think you are saying that if you can manage your intake, why not?
You can read volumes on the dangers of smoking and I’m sure that may be the reason (or part of the reason) for your quit. So that aspect is a given and doesn’t require debate. The fact that this is primarily a smoking cessation forum poses a small moral dilemna, as ‘newer’ quitters are very susceptible to any justification for a smoke and I wouldn’t want this to be seen that way.
I’m no scientist, but I must agree that “a few puffs once a month” is probably not that dangerous. I think a couple of hours in Bangkok or Beijing would be much worse. We are however treading very dangerous ground now, because I’ve always thought “a few” meant ‘about’ three. But is that correct? Who decides? Is it a few loooooong drags or a few short ones?
My opinion on the matter is that everyone is different. You very possibly can manage/control/regulate a few puffs a month, but there are so many who can’t and for them the N.O.P.E (Not One Puff Ever) principal applies. How about looking at it this way:- Did you quit to become a non-smoker or do you just want to smoke less? If it is the former, then the answer is pretty simple - none/nada/nyet - non-smokers don’t have a few puffs a month…non-smokers don’t smoke, period.
You seem like a really nice guy and I certainly don’t want to ‘preach’ to you, but don’t you think that trying to justify a few puffs a month is very much junkie thinking? I’m sure I won’t convince you, but you did ask for opinions on the topic. I know you have been here a while and I’m certain you will see this through - you have the personality and the strength to do it, so I’m certain that at between 3 and 5 months you will post again with a different opinion.
In any event - smoking makes your breath smell and your tongue all furry.
Cheers Bill and stay strong. Debate is good, it keeps you from smoking.
Ed
Hi Bill
I could not take a few puffs every month or so. My body would remember the nicotine. My addicted brain would immediately begin talking me into buying “just one pack” or “just one cig” because where I live you can still buy single cigarettes for like .25 each (OMG DID I JUST TYPE THAT? NOW THE STORE OWNERS WILL BE IN TROUBLE FOR BREAKING THE LAW).
I can never have “just a few puffs” if I want to remain a non-smoker. My brain will always be addicted to nicotine, the trick is to not ingest any nicotine then my brain pretty much forgets that it is addicted to nicotine. I agree that non-smokers dont smoke, PERIOD.
Anyway, good luck with your quit.
Thanks Ed for still being here too. I was wondering if anyone who I started out with or who joined when I was a frequent poster here was still around. I just hope that all who have disappeared are still hanging in there with us non-smokers!
Have a happy 4th of July everyone!
Well said Ed. I am one of those who the N.O.P.E. aply to. I have been smoke free for 33 days now and I see people smoking everday. I make myself think about how horrible they look with that cigarette in their mouth. Then there are time that I think ummm would be nice to have just one cigarette. I don’t believe for me that one would be just one. I believe it would be more. Then I also don’t want to feel the feeling that I know I am going to experience just from that one puff. So again Very well said Ed.
Hi Ed.
Thanks for the comments. Let me begin by saying that CERTAINLY I want to quit - not just smoke less! What I’m proposing (for discussion, not as a “rule” for anyone) is that for people who have somehow gotten their own successful quit going for a while and who have a slip-up, here is a method for keeping your quit going. I didn’t present it that way (probably I should have, but I wanted to get opinions from as many of you as possible). See my reply to Debra just above for the details of it.
I’ll also confess that I find “all-or-nothing” rules - like ideologies - off-putting because they’re unrealistic; they’re impossible for imperfect people like me to live up to. Sure, one should TRY to do things like N.O.P.E. as you put it, but I KNOW from my own experience that I am going to have occasional slips; so that for me to say these four words over and over to myself is repeating a falsehood - I know there is no way I can live up to “not one puff ever” in the real world with real stresses. So how can I keep saying such a phrase over and over again to myself?
Some time ago, I concluded that if I am going to really give up the smoking habit, I have to learn how to manage my slips - which I view as inevitable from time to time - so that I can keep my quit going. When something happens to trigger a slip, I don’t want to re-start my old pack-a-day habit with all the health scariness, etc. etc. What I’m proposing (for consideration only) is a way to deal with a slip and still maintain the progress you’ve made. It’s simple, and it does NOT require super-powers or super-virtuosity (as living up to N.O.P.E. would for me). Maybe best of all, you can come away from a slip without beating yourself up - and maybe even feel that in some sense you’ve prevailed!
Anyway, this (Let me call it M.A.D.S. = BILL’S ADMITTEDLY DANGEROUS SUGGESTION) has worked for me these past ten weeks - and I’m hoping I can maintain my quit indefinitely, one day at a time, honestly, without promising or attempting the impossible. For sure, I’ve had slip-ups - but the slip-ups haven’t gotten in the way of the BIG prize that I see - namely that I stay off the habit indefinitely. At least so far. I don’t claim that M.A.D.S. will help anyone else, I’m not even 100% sure it will help me in the long run, but it’s possible that it can/will. If YOU think it’s a bad idea, please say so!
Best to all,
–Bill
Correction: M.A.D.S. above should of course be B.A.D.S.
Cheers
Congratulations to all the recent quitters! I had a smoking dream again and I can not believe how REAL those dreams seem. I just stopped by to share that about the dream and to encourage everyone to keep moving forward one day at a time. I am coming up on my 18 month anniversary this weekend and I am so glad I quit smoking! People sure do STINK after they smoke! I keep wondering” dang is that how I really smelled to everyone else?” GROSS!!
Sweet, lovely Vai,
It is so nice to hear from one of the “old” crowd ….. it is so wonderful to see that you are coming up for 18 months - WELL DONE TO U!!!!
Everyone else seems to have disappeared. I realise that it is only natural to post less and less as the need for psychological support diminishes, but it is still nice to know how each one is keeping. I posted recently to Sandy and Tony H, on their anniversaries, but they seem to have disappeared. Oh well! maybe they will pop in some time soon.
Smoking dreams at 18 months - will the demon never let go? It’s really incredible how we are affected by this dreadful habit. I’ve had my fair share of smoking dreams as well and fully expect to have more.
Cheers wonderful Vai, and do pop in again soon.
Ed
Hi Vai, Oh those smoking dreams! They are the worse nightmares, aren’t they? But I rather have those smoking dreams than to smoke in real life. I started again two weeks ago after stopping for about 3 months. UGH. My new quit day is tomorrow. I am one who cannot have just one puff because I am addicted to nicotine. I had my last one tonight and I pray that it is my last one. I cannot beat myself up for smoking these past few weeks, but I could help myself again by quitting now!
You’re right, smoke stinks horribly! I was enjoying my few months of smelling pretty, ha ha….So here I go again. No more butts!
Hi everyone, I am so glad that I found you. I quit smoking two months ago, and wouldn’t you know, I took a puff a few weeks ago and found myself buying cigs last week. Tonight, though, I smoked my last one again. I am so angry at myself for picking up again. I quit for fifteen years but two years ago I had that one cigarette and didn’t quit for two years. So, on April 8 this year, I stopped cold turkey again and it was very easy all because I wanted to quit!
Now, here I am again going on day one tomorrow. I want so much to quit as I really don’t like the smell, and I felt very good when I quit for the couple of months. I know that one puff will destroy all my efforts.
For all of you new to quitting with some hesitation, as long as you know that you definitely want to quit, there is nothing to be afraid of. Life goes on normally or even better without the cigarette. You’ll find after the first couple of days that you will do things and keep forgetting that you want a cig. Good luck to you!
Now, I need to practice what I preach (lol). I’ll write again tomorrow to let you know how I did.
Thanks so much for all your support.
Marilyn
Congrats on the decision to quit again. Praying for you Marilyn.
Hi Lori,
Thank you so much for your prayers, but I did smoke today. I smoked 5 cigarettes from 12:30 - 5:30. Let’s continue to pray that I do not smoke anymore tonight. I am so sick of smoking. They cost about $8 a pack! I really did enjoy not smoking for a few months. Why did I start again! It’s killing me.
I think of tomorrow being another day to quit. I have to want to quit, not just think about it or talk about it. You know, I don’t really even want one it’s just constantly in my mind, “what if I have just one.” And wouldn’t you know, I had five stinky cigs.
I will pray harder this evening that tomorrow will bring a brighter day my way so that I can think clearly and concentrate on my quit.
Thanks for writing.
Hi Marilyn,
Tomorrow is DEFINITELY another day. After two months, your body isn’t used to that nicotine anymore - so you have a running start on continuing your quit. Stay with it: Throw away the rest of that pack you bought and keep your quit going.
If you slip again and buy another pack, take one out, wet down his nineteen friends and throw them into the trash. This will limit your slip - and keep your quit going. It won’t be “perfect” anymore, but it will STILL be a quit (despite what some may say). This might not work for everyone, but it has worked for me (several times during my ten-week quit) and it might work for you too. Most important: if you do slip and buy a pack - tell yourself that you’ll smoke just one or two and destroy the rest (don’t make the mistake of stashing them around the house!) - and then do just that. It hurts a bit to throw all those expensive cigarettes away - but hey, compared to the main thing you are doing, does this expense even matter?
If you can control occasional slips in this way, you won’t be able to say you are 100% smoke free anymore. BUT who cares about that? You CAN tell yourself that a) you’re not doing any significant damage to your body, b) you’re keeping your quit going, and c) you’re controlling your occasional lapses by NOT smoking that pack. It’s SMOKING THAT PACK that will get you - and that’s what you need to avoid.
Keep it going one day at a time, and you’ll become a non-smoker. And most important: Keep your eye on the prize!!!
Hi Bill,
Thank you so much for your response. I did buy a pack yesterday and I am now down to the last one. This is the first pack that I smoked in three months. Like you say, I did buy just two packs previously and took one or two out of the pack, but I didn’t throw them away. Instead I gave them to other people. But the problem there is that when I see those people I feel that they owe me a cigarette!
Please pray that tomorrow will be another quit for me. I really do despise smoking. When I have a cig my chest hurts from inhaling. I have a beautiful little two year old grandson who moved right next door to me this weekend and he loves me so much. I kills me to think that because of cigarettes I will not be around for him when he grows up. He would be devastated if his “ma” was not around for him each day.
Please keep monitoring me as I enjoy reading your site.
God bless you my friend.
Marilyn
The main thing is to keep it going. One way or another. Just keep your imperfect quit going - because you’re giving up smoking and doing yourself a great big favor. It’s the long term prize that is important - not the details.
Hello all. It’s been quite some time since I came here because I was not able to quit smoking. NOW…I am scheduled to have an ACDF procedure, a disc removed from my neck with a bone fusion, with the bone taken from my hip, on July 27, 2009. I ABSOLUTELY MUST STOP SMOKING NOW as continuing to do so with interfere with the bone fusing properly and general healing, and I will be prone to pneumonia and other problems. SO, please, I earnestly ask you for your prayers in a successful surgery and quick recovery, and to please be the best support I could ever find in not smoking. If you wish to be more private in communicating, my email is ddemczyk@gmail.com Thank all of you for sharing your experiences in not smoking, congratulations to all who have been successful, and hang in there to those who still struggle. Most importantly, God Bless all of you.
Good luck to you Diane and keep posting. It helps.
Also, after your surgery please do not start smoking again. You will just have to go through this all over again.
Hello Everyone.
Your stories are amazing and its nice to see that there are people struggling in the same way I am. I am on day 4. I really just want to go get a pack and smoke because I know that it will make me feel human again. I know all the withdrawels and the non smokers that say it should be easy you make it through the first day. I have tried quitting several times. I actually made it three months the last time. I enjoy smoking I can’t believe something so good is so bad for you. Anyway I am glad I found this site. I am hoping i can be inspired to stay quit.
Is there a reason why since 11:24 a.m. yesterday the last comment is still “Your comment is awaiting moderaton” ?
Day 3. Still going strong although I think about ciggs quite often. Last night I worked out for an hour, and this was the first time of working out in a long time. I am chewing the gum at a rate of about 1 every 3 hours. Working out later at night seems to be helping me with that “I need a cigg before bed” hump.
Hi everyone,
I found you all by accident, but anyway I an have been off the smokes for two years come this Sunday. Stay focus and best wishes yo you all.
Doug
Day 4. Still doing well, but the thoughts of smoking are still there. Last night I went to throw the trash away and in the drawer there was one lonely ciggy. I actually held it in my hand for that “moment of truth” only to toss it in the trash can. It was a really close call.
Hi there! So good to read all your posts. I’ve quit after almost 15 years of smoking. It’s been 24 days…and counting! It’s oh-so-hard but i’m determined to get through this!
Good luck to you all and keep writing! I believe it helps more people than we’re aware of….
Dear All,
I’ve noticed with regret that my posts seem to be generating negative reactions. My own quit is ten weeks old, and I have had several “slips” - some of which I’ve described in detail. I’ve “managed” those three (or four?) slips by limiting them to just one cigarette - and I’ve described how I did that in concrete terms (see my reply to Marilyn above). But my saying those things seems to have bothered a good number of people - some (most?) of whom report that they have maintained their own quits in a “clean” cigarette-free way. If this is you, then I say congratulations, and more power to you!
However, I am unable to “just say no” to every one of those cravings that comes along! Maybe it’s because I smoked a pack a day for so many years (more than 50), or maybe it’s because I am weak. In any case I had a problem to solve for myself: How do I keep my quit going, given my own realities?
I believe I have found my solution. It may not be for everyone, but hey, it’s worked for me. When I say that, I don’t mean I’ve been 100% cigarette-free, but rather that I have NOT TAKEN UP SMOKING AGAIN. What’s more, after thinking it through as honestly as I can, I also think it’s going to work for me long-term because it gives me a way of keeping my quit going through inevitable occasional slips. Perhaps it might work for others too - despite the fact that it goes against the grain for purists and it is certainly not standard orthodoxy.
Some have even suggested (gently and politely but firmly) that I might be doing harm by making such suggestions here. Others just seem bothered by the idea of it. For sure, I don’t want to contribute in a negative way to this useful forum, so I’ve decided that the right thing for me to do is to shut up. Thanks to those who offered feedback even if it was negative (I mean that), and to all: Best wishes for keeping your own quit going in your own way!
I do hope you keep posting here. I enjoy your posts. You are a very intelligent person and I personally see nothing harmful with what you suggest. It is simply your opinion on what works for you to maintain your quit. We are all different people and what works for you may not work for others but it just might work for a few and so there for it is worth posting. Not everyone can do an all or nothing life.
Lori
Thanks for your comments, Lori. Actually, I was pretty discouraged. You’ve made me feel better, and isn’t that what this blog is all about? Namely - keeping all of us focused on the POSITIVE aspects of getting rid of smoking from our lives!
Best to all,
–Bill
Bill,
Thank you again for your positive approach to my quitting smoking. I have smoked again today, 3 cigarettes and it is 3:00 PM. I didn’t have any this morning and once again quitting was my plan until my husband left me a couple of his cigs. There they were, staring at me, telling me to pick them up and smoke them! UGH, the cigarettes won yet another battle. But! I do promise that I will win the war, if not today, I will try again tomorrow until I succeed again.
Thank You!
Marilyn
I had my last smoked over 24 hours ago. To date I have smoked for 9 years (pack-a-day) and now I am ready to quit. Keep posting as it is really helping me to read all these great stories.