Public Warning

I'm giving up smoking. It's currently been 14 hours since I've had one and I have an appointment at the NHS smoking clinic today.

Hence I am liable to be rude, touchy, abrasive, intolerent and unpleasant.

If you meet me in world and I've started smoking again please triple neg me. I'll give you the $75. Thanks.

Everyone... back away slowly... very slowly.




Good luck, Roberta! It's a hard habit to kick, but worth it in the end. I will be quitting this year (again) and starting up again when I'm 65.

Nobody likes a quitter.

Best of luck Roberta. I have tried to quit a few times and have found the Nicotine patch will help take the edge off. Doesn't make you stop wanting a cigarette, but will keep you from killing anyone.

Good luck! It does get better really it does

If you can get past the first 4 months you've pretty much done it if you hang in there. I've just passed my 2 year aniversary of giving up and I realised I couldn't remember the last time I thought about ciggys. And wow ! I can run upstairs, and breath deeply and smell things and taste things again !

Big ups, Roberta. I just quit this past February. Highly second Ursula's suggestion on the nicotine patches - it doesn't seem like they would work, and they do tingle a bit, but they take that "GOTTAHAVEITNOW" craving away so you can focus on breaking the psychological habit (having something in your hand, the oral fixation, etc.). I am now addicted to Orbit bubblemint gum, however, but at least I'm not coughing up a lung in the morning. (Also try: Tic Tacs)

If only more people were like you, Roberta. Three thumbs up.

A hearty second on the best wishes.

If you do decide to use the nicotine patch, carefully note the time you apply it and try to arrange to be locked in a bomb shelter at T + 15:15. At precisely fifteen hours and thirty minutes after the application, the nicotine feed will drop below an acceptable threshold, and you'll suddenly have the overwhelming urge to ignite everything within a five foot radius and jam it into your mouth, including unwary coworkers.

The preceding has been a public service announcement.

BTW, if you try some of the newer nicotine gum, pls. post feedback? Maybe you can motivate me to try again. The last batch I sampled was a couple of years ago, and it tasted like, um, cigarette-flavored chewing gum...

-- yoshi

I quit over a year ago Roberta and there were only a few casualties, fortunately, I drive a car that has a trunk big enough to put the bodies....

I did find that for me the nicotine lozenges altered with nicotine gum helped, probably saved hubby's life.

Don't give up, it is worth it. The thing I like best about not smoking is not having to go through the hassle of trying to find a place where I'm allowed to smoke.

Eventually, you do start to feel better too.

Good Luck!

edited to say that there is new nicotine gum out there that is much softer and tastes better. Get the spearment - it's MUCH better. I just got the name brand Wallgreens Spearment Nicotine gum. Start at 4 mg and then move to 2 mg.

.

Good luck Roberta!

I quit smoking tobacco May 24, 1999 (almost 6 years ago!). It was one of the hardest things I've ever done.

-Ghoti

I also am in the process of trying to quit. I made it through yesterday, almost cracked this morning but so far I am holding up. If my boss does not shut the F up I just might throw something at him though.

Good luck Roberta!! I decided to do the same. Have been a non smoker for 8 days...it isn't easy..

Do you know what really takes away your cravings and will deal with your oral fixation?

No, no that you perverts!

Sunflower seeds. Get them in the shell. Having a few of those to pop in your mouth and then crack open really helps. Also, for some reason the salt kind of gives yo that nice nicotene sting that you get from cigarettes.

On top of that, you are eating but you won't gain a ton of weight off of sunflower seeds.

My best friend’s mother was just diagnosed with lung cancer (small cell) and emphysema. She use to yell at me telling me that smoking can’t give you cancer. She told me people got sick because they were just sick. She would point to her self as proof. She is in the hospital crying because she is dieing and there is nothing they can do for her BEGGING her kids to stop smoking.

I wish you luck and I hope every one out there quiets. I love a quiter!

I tried to give up smoking. Not easy specially when it was a replacement for an activity that involved someone of the opposite sex and there is none around to help you. LOL

So now I guess you're experiencing the fact that, although they warned you plenty about the dangers of smoking, they didn't warn you nearly enough about the dangers of quitting!


Good luck!

4 days so far

Decided to use the inhalator not the patches. Its like a tampax applicator which takes cartridges. It's nicotine and menthol and you have more control of it - as well as it being good for the hand habit stuff.

Good to see you're still going strong

For me it's not a habit at all, it's totally the chemical addiction I tried giving up with patches last time, helps to 'ween' you off of the nicotine of course, but the course lasts for 3 months. This time I decided to go completely 'cold turkey'. Apparently it takes 2 weeks to get past the withdrawal this way. I gave up the 5th, and I still feel like I am on the verge of launching a monitor into orbit

I've heard ay 4 is one of the toughest but that after that you start feeling the good effects of quitting smoking.

This is a good list that tells you what starts improving in your body after you quit. Might be helpful.

20 minutes
Blood pressure and pulse rate return to normal.

8 hours
Nicotine and carbon monoxide levels in blood reduce by half, oxygen levels return to normal.

24 hours
Carbon monoxide will be eliminated from the body.
Lungs start to clear out mucus and other smoking debris.

48 hours
There is no nicotine left in the body.
Ability to taste and smell is greatly improved.

72 hours
Breathing becomes easier.
Bronchial tubes begin to relax and energy levels increase.

2 - 12 weeks
Circulation improves.

3 - 9 months
Coughs, wheezing and breathing problems improve as lung function is increased by up to 10%.

1 year
Risk of a heart attack falls to about half that of a smoker.

10 years
Risk of lung cancer falls to half that of a smoker.

15 years
Risk of heart attack falls to the same as someone who has never smoked.

Is this a repost? I thought this was your normal personality