am I the only one out there having trouble quitting smoking? Yes I know it’s bad . Yes I know it’s bad for diabetics…
Jan
it is tough
I quit cold turkey for about 35 days and then went back
there are drugs out there to help, next check up I think I am going to go down that path
One day at a time and dont beat yourself up too much, just keep on plugging
Arthur
Thank you so much Christy!
Thanks Arthur. I’ve tried an antidepressant (only because it was prescribed for depression) and it didn’t work for either one. I am currently trying to switch from my 5 minute dr. to a real dr. (that,s another story) . When I find a real dr. I will expect better help with this.
I have NO trouble giving up smoking -I do it ALL the time!
puff puff
lol - ok, I lied. It’s sooooo hard. I’m hooked. I hate the things, and I so wish I never started - I can’t believe it’s really that hard to stop!
I have given up many times. Sometimes only for a few hours. Often for days. Once I gave up for nearly 6 months but caved in when a friend died.
I can handle the quitting part - it’s kinda exciting, and I do love a challenge. But it takes a lot of staying power to STAY quit, and that’s where I cave in 
That’s true for me too. When something negative happens, like getting out of the hospital with all these diabetic issues and equipment, the second thing I wanted to do was to get to my smokes. Which was actually better than the first thing I wanted to do , which was to take all of the insulin they gave me and just go to sleep and never wake up.
Your not alone. I quit a few years ago with the patch. Didn’t last more than 2 weeks. Last November I quit, again, for 4 months with Chantix. Made me very nauseous, but I stuck it out until a family member took ill.
I went back to the Dr. to try it again on a lower dosage, still got sick to my stomach. It is a terrible addiction but I don’t think the Chantix is worth the risk. I’m planning on trying to quit again very soon. Good luck to you and anyone else is is trying to quit.
Thanks 4 the heads up on Chantix, Mia!
I quit smoking, cold turkey, three years ago after 32 years of sucking on those things. I owe a great deal of credit to the education, help and support I got from an on-line support community at www.whyquit.com.
You don’t have to join to read the excellent materials on-hand about the mechanics, physiology and psychology of quitting, written in plain english by people who have done it.
However, if you join, it is not for the faint hearted. The group has a strict ‘no relapse’ policy.
It took me two years after my diagnosis as a diabetic to work up the nerve to seriously try to quit. I have to tell you two important things about the process.
- It was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done and
- It was easier than I thought it would be.
Remember, it’s not a habit - it’s an addiction. Be careful of just substituting one form of nicotine for another. I used inhalers for a year. I couldn’t give them up.
Anyway, give Whyquit.com a shot. You’ve got nothing to lose.
Best of luck,
Terry
If I can do it, you can do it.
Thanks Terry-- I’ll con sider looking at this…the no relapse policy is a little scary, but maybe that’s what it takes to really quit.
Jan,
Don’t get too hung on the no relapse policy. That’s only for people who want to post messages as members. The site’s educational resources are freely available to anyone who wants to quit smoking.
Just try visiting and reading the material. You can even download it. I was there practically 24/7 for the first three days of my quit.
Terry
well, 14 months ago the place I work went smoke free and put the nonsmoking gestapo employees watching who left the place to go smoke and/or took a break in their car. So now you have to punch out and leave the grounds entirely. I was very I am not gonna give them the satisfaction of seeing me leave at lunch and gutted it out from 6:30 am to 3pm…to the point that people were saying we dont see you leaving…isnt it hard ? I was like all airy and nonchalant, oh no not really when all I wanted to do was tie them up and blow smoke in their face till they choked…ok, so my point is, now I have cut down to about a half pack per day, unless stressedand it really wasnt hard…one thing you can do is just carry 10 with you…mine come in a box so that is kind of easy…and I leave them in the truck so I dont have to look at them in my purse…now stress is a whole nother ball game…and quite frankly you better not get in my way at 3 pm either…but I have cut down and along with exercise, quitting is one of my goals now that I have this bleeping disease…and the antidepressanrs will make you quite calm (or suicidal, or a compulsive gambler depending on the drug and its side effects on your body) but they do not take away the psychologicalneed, just make the phsysiological more bearable…you can try the prayers or groups or whatever seems to work for you personally…its all good means to a good end…it just has to work with your mind set…just know that you are not alone in this…and you can holler for support any time!
Thanks for the reassurances… I’ll take a look at the materials
Thanks Judith
Holla!!!
hang in there child!! I was thinking bout this today at lunch when I was wishing I could !!! Have you tried changing brands…like going to menthol if you smoke regular ? Of course, in my case once I got used to having my head explode when I inhaled, it was not exactly a cure…
I have tried switching to menthol, but it stained my fingers with its yellow filter. And I’m a secret smoker-- no one in my family or my friends know I smoke because it’s sooo un cool and they would be all over me about my health and all. My kids, who are adults and very healthy vegans would kill me
After 15 years if trying I finally quit a year and a half ago. I used the patch and it worked. What also worked was finding a tangible reason to quit.
People would say, “Quit for you kids” or “for you wife” but none of those things seemed like they were in immediate danger. I never smoked in the house or around my family.
Then one day I read how smoking contricts blood vessels and makes it harder for blood to get to our extremities. this freaked me out becuase losing my toes and/or feet is my biggest fear.
Now, and every day since I quit smoking, I wake up and before I get out of bed I take a second and look at my toes. Each time I do I remember why I quit and why I am chosing to stay smoke free every day.
I hope that helps and honestly, i had tried a bunch of times before this one but I think I really found something that I could hold on to.
Jan,
You’re only fooling yourself if you think they don’t know . . .
Since I quit I can smell a smoker from 20 feet away. You can’t hide the odor. You may not be able to smell it yourself - I couldn’t - but it’s there.
Terry
George,
Congratulations on beating the beast.
When I was quitting I would sit up, take a deep breath and repeat “I’m not going to smoke today.” I did it for about a year.
You are right about another thing - you have to quit for yourself.
Congrats again,
Terry