Slinking back to this forum ;)

[SelfSeeking]

I think I've pushed it as long as I could. I was smoking 2 cigs/day on a light day, 5-6 on a heavier, which I know doesn't sound like much. But then I got the flu... and some upper respiratory bug... and I laid off the smokes for 1 week, then picked em back up. Now I think I have bronchitis. Even grosser, I have a constant tight feeling in my chest. Not quite wheezing but kissing-close to it. This is it! I don't have time to go to the doctor, get worked up and get an inhaler, so I am quitting smoking instead. It's been, hmm, 36 hours?

I just got off the night shift. It is my traditional time to get some "fresh air". Luckily I'm really sleepy and I brushed my teeth AND I gave away my pack of cigarettes. Yesterday I took my coat to the laundromat so it didn't smell smokey anymore. I think I'm set for today.

Happy to be back amongst the non-smokers!

[historyteach]

selfSeeking,
No need to slink back in.
You should be standing proud, walking in with your head held high!
Congratulations!!!

Be sure to join us on the daily support thread. YOu'll find lots of people there to support you in your quit. And there's lots of good information at the top of the forum, in the stickies, too.

Glad to have you here. I look forward to sharing our stories of success and supporting each other during difficult times.

Remember to keep the quit and post before you puff!

Shalom!

[greeteachday]

Congrats self seeking! How is it going? I found the first few days the most challenging. I'm sure there will be more challenges ahead, but the more days I don't smoke, the more I know I don't want that nasty habit again. I feel like I even look different and I know I feel different!

[SelfSeeking]

Now I really do feel bad. I smoked at an AA meeting yesterday and today.

I REALLY don't want AA to trigger me to do a bad thing to myself, ie smoke! It's the healthiest thing I do, going to AA, I want it to be good for me physically as well as spiritually/emotionally.

[iou1na]

Originally Posted by SelfSeeking

Now I really do feel bad. I smoked at an AA meeting yesterday and today.
I REALLY don't want AA to trigger me to do a bad thing to myself, ie smoke! It's the healthiest thing I do, going to AA, I want it to be good for me physically as well as spiritually/emotionally.

When I first started recovery back in the late 80's, smoking was allowed in most meeting places. {{{shudder}}} Even as a smoker, those rooms could get r-e-a-l nasty at times. Today, tho', all the meetings that I go to have a "healthy" number of people who do not go outside for a butt. For me (and I'm gearing to a 14 April 09 quit date), this will allow me to stay away from, ummm... "people, places, and things" that might help trigger me.

Grab someone at your home group who has quit smoking and ask them to help "sponsor" you during this time. Or grab 2. Or 3!! The more the better!!!

Ha! And all that from someone who quit so many times during his career, he did a 2 year bender of quitting quitting!! hehe, and lived to tell of it! .. ..

[cess101]

Congratulation selfseeking! Keep in mind that quitting is a process. Take it one step at a time. Take a good long look through the Quit Wizard smoking cessation tool at Make Smoking History

Getting through all the first's after the initial quit day is hard to do. Try to keep track of upcoming events on a calendar or keep a little notebook with you and jot down situations that cause strong cravings. The Quit Wizard calls these: Triggers. You can have emotional triggers (moods which urge you to smoke), situational triggers, and physical triggers (typically known as withdrawal symptoms) and offers many solutions.

Try to identify your primary "triggers," such as these AA group meetings, and plan ahead so you'll be psyched up (so to say) to resist the temptation to smoke or light up. Bring something with you to hold/play with such as a rubberband or a straw to chew on and roll around in your hand. Think of other ways to help you cope in difficult situations ahead of time.

Hope that helps and just holler at me, if you ever need another peptalk or good cheer of "Congratulations--" a wing or a prayer. Quitting is exhausting both physically and mentally/emotionally. Reward yourself in some small way too, every day. You deserve it! Step by step, inch by inch......You Can do this.