I quit!!!!

[Meadow]

Gold Maven - I know about being a stubborn mule and nobody ever enjoyed smoking as much as I did. Part of it for me though was that basically I'm a stodgy upright person in the middle of a bunch of other stodgy upright people and smoking was my way of saying 'hey guys, lookit me, I'm a bad girl, yeah, I'm baaaad'. But even beyond that I just really loved smoking. Some people don't get that part. But obviously there are things not that lovable about smoking, any die-hard anti-smoker will be happy to tell you what they are so I won't. Anyway, eventually that rebellious thing actually worked in my favor because I was able to turn it around and become that tough girl...err, old bat...who just went cold turkey (it wasn't cold turkey since I used patches but don't spoil this for me) and quit smoking one day, and people still remark on it - yay me. Most of that's in my own mind but as Muddyhandz will probably tell you your own mind is your most powerful ally.

Anyway - money. Yeah, money, it's nice to have extra money and to blow some on yourself when you quit. And just to be free of the habit. It starts off by feeling like ' I'm free and can do whatever I want' but it results in your being a slave to something that's an ignoble addiction.

And remember even if you try and fail it's still good practice for the next time - but don't fail!

Muddyhandz - lots of congratulations to you, guy!

 

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[Limitool]

Great post Meadow...

 

[texasred777]

Gold Maven, now, not tomorrow, is the time! If I had quit maybe 5 years earlier than I did, I might not be in the condition that I'm in now. I'll never know when I should have quit to avoid the COPD that I now have. As I'm sure you've seen, I smoked for 40 years, got to having acute bronchitis 5 or 6 times a year, finally got a case that kept me from smoking for several weeks, kept trying, and then finally decided that now was the time if I ever was to quit. Also what helped were the thoughts of 'how stupid can you be, trying to smoke, and can't even inhale a small puff'.

I'll admit that I really enjoyed smoking. Nothing like leaning back in your chair after a great meal and lighting up one. No, I don't miss it any more; but still vividly remember it. But, I also remember all the coughing, wheezing, out of breath, and all the money it cost to keep on doing it. I also remember how great things smelled and tasted about a month after I quit. I thought I'd probably gain about 50 pounds within 4 or 5 months after I quit; but didn't. I gained about 6 or 8 pounds during the first year. I quit in 2000, on August 29th. I'm now about 18 pounds heavier than when I quit. That's from not exercising and overeating in my 'old age'. lol Gotta get back in shape!

Gold Maven, we'd all really like to hear about you quitting! As Meadow said, if you quit and fall off the wagon, it's at least good practice for the future of quitting. I am probably one of the worst of those who were 'habitual' quitters. I quit so many times I couldn't even guess at the number. I remember several times getting mad at myself and throwing my Zippo and cigs out the car/truck window and vowing to never smoke again; but have a new lighter and a new pack of cigs before the day was over. Several times I quit for several months and started again. I really wonder what makes us so 'stupid' when it comes to quitting something like smoking, drinking, etc. We'll probably never know for certain. I sometime feel like was just a way to rebel against myself! Just one of my thoughts.

Again, Muddy, keep it up. Atta boy! We're really proud of you! And keep us posted, at least occasionally on your progress.

 

[sponge]

What about that Muddy... I'm just curious. (Anybody) I never smoked so I never had to quit. What does happen?

I have quit for 5 months. So glad I did. U get cravings, but the extra strength and endurance you get from quiting crushes the craving. Cigarettes suck.

sponge using smoke signals.

 

[Muddyhandz]

Great posts Meadow, texasred777, and of course Limitool (as always)
I was just thinking about how Gold Maven can quit for 6 to 8 weeks in preparation for his elk hunts.
To have that ability is something pretty special as I just come onto 6 weeks myself.
This is the first time I have ever quit (more than 8 hours) and think that if you can quit for such a long period of time like that and have done it several times before.........
All it takes is not having any cigars to light up on the way home from your next elk hunt!
At that point, it's well out of your bloodstream and becomes purely mental. You already have the experience in quitting and can go quite the distance.
You seem like the perfect candidate to quit for good!
I'm rooting for you bud!
Cheers,
Dave.

 

[Limitool]

Alright Mr. Muddy.... Lets get an update (good or bad). Nobody's rode your butt for awhile because you were doing GREAT on your own.... So call me an ass... (ASS!) but I'm calling you OUT for an update! I think I already know buddy... your doing fine with this endeavor. Right...?

 

[SADS 669]

He better be, his life depends on it??

 

[BigWaveDave]

Hey guys, may I jump in?....
Last Friday getting out of work, I enjoyed what I didn't know would be my last cigarette ever. Had been a 2-3 pack a day, heavy smoker for 27 years, and loved it, enjoyed it, needed it, I had known nothing else since I was 16 or so. That night, started feeling short of breath, wheezing a little, got better briefly if I tried to cough it out, then back to the wheezing, getting worse, real deep labored breathing, felt like I was not getting any oxygen. Slept for maybe an hour that nite, Sat am was hurting, still wheezing, chest hurt from the hours of deep air sucking. I came up with the awesome idea of buying ephedrine from the pharmacy, maybe it will open up my lungs...not only did that not work, I am now on some sort of list for potential meth lab activitiesSat nite I lie down for bed and I could literally feel liquid filling my lungs, cough it out, heavy wheezing, uh-oh, here I go again, but this seems worse than last nite. 10:30pm, announce to wifey that I am going to the ER, I am sorry, but I need you and I am sorry for this. So the Dr. wants to admit me for 24 hrs, was able to talk him out of it "IF" I do the following:
Quit smoking immediately,
Take antibiotics,
Take Steroids,
Use my new inhaler,
Get a pnuemologist (lung Dr.),
Go through breathing therapy and exercises,
and for the kicker....You are 43 years old, and you have COPD.


Never thought I would be able to quit cold turkey, but it has been 5 days, and while it has sucked, I already feel better. My meds have got me calmed down, and I already have a better outlook on my life. COPD will not go away, it will always be a part of my life, but quitting now will greatly reduce the chances of future "exacerbations", and other smoking related problems.

If you smoke, don't let a 'scare the crap out of you' experience make you quit. Sad to say, that is what did it for me, but then again, I am glad it did. Shame on me.

 

[SADS 669]

Hey guys, may I jump in?.... Last Friday getting out of work, I enjoyed what I didn't know would be my last cigarette ever. Had been a 2-3 pack a day, heavy smoker for 27 years, and loved it, enjoyed it, needed it, I had known nothing else since I was 16 or so. That night, started feeling short of breath, wheezing a little, got better briefly if I tried to cough it out, then back to the wheezing, getting worse, real deep labored breathing, felt like I was not getting any oxygen. Slept for maybe an hour that nite, Sat am was hurting, still wheezing, chest hurt from the hours of deep air sucking. I came up with the awesome idea of buying ephedrine from the pharmacy, maybe it will open up my lungs...not only did that not work, I am now on some sort of list for potential meth lab activitiesSat nite I lie down for bed and I could literally feel liquid filling my lungs, cough it out, heavy wheezing, uh-oh, here I go again, but this seems worse than last nite. 10:30pm, announce to wifey that I am going to the ER, I am sorry, but I need you and I am sorry for this. So the Dr. wants to admit me for 24 hrs, was able to talk him out of it "IF" I do the following: Quit smoking immediately, Take antibiotics, Take Steroids, Use my new inhaler, Get a pnuemologist (lung Dr.), Go through breathing therapy and exercises, and for the kicker....You are 43 years old, and you have COPD. Never thought I would be able to quit cold turkey, but it has been 5 days, and while it has sucked, I already feel better. My meds have got me calmed down, and I already have a better outlook on my life. COPD will not go away, it will always be a part of my life, but quitting now will greatly reduce the chances of future "exacerbations", and other smoking related problems. If you smoke, don't let a 'scare the crap out of you' experience make you quit. Sad to say, that is what did it for me, but then again, I am glad it did. Shame on me.

Dave,

You're the best!! Keep at it and best of luck with the next 43 yrs..........

 

[sponge]

Hell yea keep it up. I just past 5 months Dave. I smoked 2 packs same time frame. I use a vape at 3% nicotine. Sometimes no nicotine. Just keep it goin and think about the family. Thats what inspired me family friends and treasure.

sponge using smoke signals.

 

[texasred777]

BigWaveDave, congratulations on quitting. Sorry it had to happen this way. I'll never know how long I would have smoked if I hadn't kept developing acute bronchitis. I got it so bad the time that caused me to quit, that it took me over a month before I was 'really over it'. During that time, I could just think about a cigarette and I would start coughing. I've been quit since 9/29/2000. But about 4 or 5 years ago, I began to have breathing problems. I'm now using a 'nebulizer' to inhale some meds when I get up in the morning, then inhale the strongest diskus that Advair produces, and have a couple of inhalers that I carry with me. I also have oxygen bottles that I carry with me for 'just in case'. At night, and sometime during the day if I need it, I have an oxygen concentrator by my bedside. I use it almost every night.

Most people don't believe it can or will happen to them. I was one of those people. One of my wife's uncles smoked the same amount of years that I did (40), quit when he was 58 yo, as I did, and although he is about 8 years older than I am, he still jogs! I guess everybody's bodies are different.

Ok, Muddy, where are you? We need to hear from you! Let us know how you're doing. If still smoke free, excellent! If you've 'fell off the wagon', well, you went smoke free for quite a while. Either way, we need/want to know. (And of course we're all hoping that you're still smoke-free!)

 

[Limitool]

Hey guys, may I jump in?....
Last Friday getting out of work, I enjoyed what I didn't know would be my last cigarette ever. Had been a 2-3 pack a day, heavy smoker for 27 years, and loved it, enjoyed it, needed it, I had known nothing else since I was 16 or so. That night, started feeling short of breath, wheezing a little, got better briefly if I tried to cough it out, then back to the wheezing, getting worse, real deep labored breathing, felt like I was not getting any oxygen. Slept for maybe an hour that nite, Sat am was hurting, still wheezing, chest hurt from the hours of deep air sucking. I came up with the awesome idea of buying ephedrine from the pharmacy, maybe it will open up my lungs...not only did that not work, I am now on some sort of list for potential meth lab activitiesSat nite I lie down for bed and I could literally feel liquid filling my lungs, cough it out, heavy wheezing, uh-oh, here I go again, but this seems worse than last nite. 10:30pm, announce to wifey that I am going to the ER, I am sorry, but I need you and I am sorry for this. So the Dr. wants to admit me for 24 hrs, was able to talk him out of it "IF" I do the following:
Quit smoking immediately,
Take antibiotics,
Take Steroids,
Use my new inhaler,
Get a pnuemologist (lung Dr.),
Go through breathing therapy and exercises,
and for the kicker....You are 43 years old, and you have COPD.


Never thought I would be able to quit cold turkey, but it has been 5 days, and while it has sucked, I already feel better. My meds have got me calmed down, and I already have a better outlook on my life. COPD will not go away, it will always be a part of my life, but quitting now will greatly reduce the chances of future "exacerbations", and other smoking related problems.

If you smoke, don't let a 'scare the crap out of you' experience make you quit. Sad to say, that is what did it for me, but then again, I am glad it did. Shame on me.

Good for you Dave.... I'm glad you shared your smoking story. I'm hoping this thread of Muddys and his postings will inspire others to quit. Please keep us updated on your progress and I wish you the best of luck on this endeavor. I'm sure Muddy won't mind if we turn this into a "Dave" thread for awhile.... NEXT QUITTER.... Later, Brad

 

[Limitool]

Hell yea keep it up. I just past 5 months Dave. I smoked 2 packs same time frame. I use a vape at 3% nicotine. Sometimes no nicotine. Just keep it goin and think about the family. Thats what inspired me family friends and treasure.

sponge using smoke signals.

Congrats to you also sponge.... I'm sure you, Muddy, Dave and Tex777 can all appreciate each step in the quitting stages.

And I see your taste buds have fully matured because of the Coors Light can in your avatar. Final step will be bottles only.....

 

[Muddyhandz]

I'm here! Still smoke free! I was going to update this thread next week (Aug.26th) for my two month anniversary.
I feel like my half a pack a day is nothing compared to a lot of you who have quit several packs a day! Well, Canadian packs have 5 smokes more! He he.
Still miss that bedtime cigarette but otherwise things are good. Sometimes there's a little spoiled brat voice in my head saying "Smoking is all you had to ease the emptiness."
"So what if you die, if you enjoy it then do it!" "What point is there to life anyway?"
I laugh it off. Like Worldtalker would say "Where do your thoughts come from?" Well, I just let those thoughts pass on by. Sometimes I respond back with an Italian mafia voice.......
Shuta your moutha!
BigwaveDave, Congrats on quitting! 43 years old is a perfect time to quit as you have many years to get healthy again and live a full life.
Hey, it's the human condition to wait until a big scare before change was made. The main thing is that you quit!
Please, use this thread. That goes for anyone else too. It's still helpful for me to read about all your experiences and I got a few of my own to share as well.
We're all in this together.
Cheers,
Dave.

 

[BigWaveDave]

Didn't mean to jack the thread, had been reading since Muddy's OP...but I must say that the kind words and support are helping me, along with the outlook I have on the rest of my life, free of those little bastids.. I miss my routines, but am getting used to it, 6 days and counting....!Thanks guys

 

[sponge]

Keep it goin BWD

sponge using smoke signals.

 

[Limitool]

Dave #1 is Muddy and Dave #2 is BWD.... Looks like all the Dave's are now QUITTING.... Good for you guys.

Muddy.... Good for you guy and I'm personally proud of ya buddy. And I knew you wouldn't care about somebody "hijacking" your thread for this endeavor.... Who's next...?

 

[Muddyhandz]

Didn't mean to jack the thread, had been reading since Muddy's OP...but I must say that the kind words and support are helping me, along with the outlook I have on the rest of my life, free of those little bastids.. I miss my routines, but am getting used to it, 6 days and counting....!Thanks guys

You did not jack this thread in any way!
7 days and the nicotine is well out of the bloodstream. Now it's purely mental and the routines are the anchor that will keep the notion of smoking alive in your head.
It's now a chess match and you can counter the cravings by reprogramming your brain. Even though the physical issue (COPD) is the biggest motivator, it still may not be enough.
I say this because a few close people who died from lung cancer and were gasping for air on their death beds, still wanted another smoke! That's how nasty the habit can be.
Sure, I loved smoking but it took making a list and going over in my head all the things that I didn't love about smoking.
Believe me....there were a lot more dislikes than likes. It's been a month since I looked at my list because all of that comes up in my head every time there's a craving.
Every day gets easier in dealing with the cravings but don't underestimate the mind and all of it's tricks. My brain came up with every angle it could to keep that addiction alive for so many years.
Be on guard for the enemy within!
You can do this! Just think about all the people in this world that have lived their whole lives without ever smoking.
They don't feel lost without cigarettes because they have never known what it's like to have them.
Think about all the people who quit and have spent years without ever having one again.
Speaking of routines, because I smoked outside for 15 out of my 25 years, when cravings were bad in the beginning, I would still go outside and walk around the house until it passed.
All part of the routine. Those cravings go away fairly quick once you counter them or just occupy yourself with something else.
Keep it up Dave!
We're all rooting for you.
Please use this thread whenever you want.

 

[texasred777]

Glad to hear from you, Muddy! Also glad to hear of others quitting. This is great!

If you report on the 26th, that'll be the day after I turn 72 years old! lol

I'll be smoke free for 14 years on the 29th of September!

Ok, everybody, keep up the 'quitting' thing! We're all rooting for you!

 

[Limitool]

Muddy.... You state your past problems and struggles with quitting better than ANYBODY could. I can't hold to candle to you buddy. I'm just a glorified "cheerleader" to others .... but your the best guy. I don't know what you do for a living but you would be a great motivational speaker on this topic. Proud of ya dude....

And I wish the others quitting the best also.... Please let us know either good or bad! I really do care personally about helping all those who need it. Later, Brad