day two

[outonalimb]

well...here I am...trying to quit AGAIN. I'm on day two. This must be my 6th attempt in the last 2 years. This time I tried something different...I'm using the commit lozenges instead of the patch.

I'm trying not to focus on how hard it is...because...really...even the hardest moments (like after I eat or when I get in the car) aren't really that hard to get thru. Its all mental. When the urge to smoke hits, I just tell myself that I can drive up to the store and buy cigs if thats what I really want but thats NOT what I want. I want to be a non-smoker again. I want to be healthy. I want to set a good example for my son. He has begged me to quit so many times and he is so proud of me for getting thru the day yesterday without a cigarette. I want to smell good...I want my skin to look good and not all wrinkled and pasty from smoking. I have a million reasons why I want to quit and I just try to focus on them when a craving hits.

Thanks everyone...for being here...and for your support.

[Cynay]

Congrads to you... does not matter if it is the first time, 6th time or 100 times... what matters is you keep trying....

I look forward to seeing you on the daily check in....

[bookie12]

Outonalimb - go to WWW.WHYQUIT.COM. Excellent Videos you can watch and some very excellent explanations about why we smoke, and why we started in the first place, etc. There is so much helpful information on the site, and it's all FREE.

And please oh please, get away from anything that allows you to continue to put nicotine in your body, such as those lozenges.

Bookie

[historyteach]

(((OOAL))))

Kudos on your quit!
I'm so thrilled you are once more going for the gold. Remember, we are not failures until we quit trying!

I quit so many times... lol! But, today, I am now One year, five months, two weeks, three days, 13 hours, 43 minutes and 19 seconds nicotine free. That's 21342 cigarettes not smoked, saving $5,868.83. Life saved: 10 weeks, 4 days, 2 hours, 30 minutes. So, it CAN be done!

I used the patch, the gum, group counseling, telephone counseling, a mantra, and every and any thing I could to help me get over my 2 pack a day addiction. I smoked for 36 years. At the worst, I was over 3 packs. I was and AM an addict. I know I can not have one little drag. I've done it too many times, and the results are always the same -- I'm back to two packs a day again. So, it's actually helping me now. I know that I will NEVER quit again, so, I can NEVER smoke again! LOL! It may be convoluted logic, but, it's working for me now.

ANd I say - use whatever works! I understand the idea of going cold turkey. But, there IS truth to harm reduction too. The patch; gum; losengers do NOT contain the 500+ chemicals that cigarettes do. And for many, including myself, the step down method helped me to quit. So, don't be afraid to do what works for you. Just be sure that you QUIT SMOKING!

Here is the only place where the quitters are winners.

Keep the quit and post before you puff!

Shalom!

[jlo34]

OOAL,
Great going...I have always had a hard time getting past the evening of day 2. From all of my quits I was able to KNOW and CHANGE a lot of things this last time.

I quit mostly, because I FINALLY noticed how my daughter looked at me when I lit up a cigarette. She had this awful pained look, like I was really inflicting a lot of pain on her. That wasn't quite enough, though it broke my heart, my addiction couldn't just look at that and quit. Then I got to thinking about the insanity I subjected both of my kids to (and myself) like marathon walks in the midsts of blizzards....many more, but why bother explaining them. Well that helped me see how unmanagable my life had become due to smoking (step 1 and 2). So since I was powerless over my nicotine addiction, my life was unmanagable due to my nicotine addiction, and I was living insanity...I decided to seek help from my HP (step 3).

I have learned so much about turning my will and life over to my HP since I quit smoking, so much more than I did when I stopped drinking!! I began telling myself repeatedly that I didn't want to smoke today. I continuously asked my HP to help me not to smoke today. Whenever an urge/desire/thought hit, I asked Him to please take it away. I can't believe it, but a day at a time (and the first 2 weeks were by far, the very hardest) I've been smoke free for over a year, almost 14 months now!

You can do it OOAL. I know you can. It's very do-able. I got a different counter than the silkquit that most of the ones here have. I got mine from Whyquit.com, called the quit counter. It reminds me daily that I am a nicotine addict, which I need to see those words to help ingrain it in my dense brain!!!

Blessings and take those cravings/thoughts/desires one at a time...you can beat it. Rather than thinking about going to buy more smokes, think about your son's pleading face and how much you don't want to disappoint him, how proud he is of you. That really helped me a whole bunch too. Never, in my wildest dreams did I think it was possible for me to stop smoking this long. I've never been quit this long since I started smoking.

Keep up the great work, OOAL...just keep it up...know it DOES GET BETTER!!!
Jen