Mattcake

Following my doctor's suggestion, I (unsuccessfully) tried quitting cigarettes on Sunday. Holy Crap!!

Less than 24 hours after my last cigarette, I woke up in a cold sweat and panicked; I then proceeded to eat everything in sight, before jumping back into bed, freaking out again, and sleeping for another 14 hours. I woke up feeling so miserable and deprived that, without a second thought and *completely* ignoring the assortment of lozenges and gum I'd laid out, I rushed to the store to get my fix. UGH!

Seems like I'm going to have to prepare my quit very carefully - starting by reading the Carr book to change my attitude, and by stocking up on candy and junkfood

Astro

Matt, please join our quitters on the Daily Check-In, I used a forum to keep me accountable when I gave up chewing tobacco. And yes, it was much harder than staying sober. Read all the stickies too, lots of helpful info.

You'll be adding years to your life Matt, trust me this is soooo worth it. I can't believe how much better I feel and look now. It disgusts me to look back and think of what I was doing to my body.

Good luck to you in keeping up the quit. You can do it!

suki44883

Haven't you said that the book suggests that you keep smoking while you read it? So, do that. Having a plan is paramount. Set a date in the not too distant future and then work toward that goal. It can be done, but don't force it all at once if you aren't ready. Read the book.

Mattcake

Thanks for the encouragement, Sook and Astro I'll definitely read the check-in thread and the stickies.

My main motivation to quit is wanting to take up jogging and long distance running again; I used to be so fit in my early 20s. It's not a "looks" thing, though - with my doc's approval, I've recently decided to quit my meds and try something else instead to shake off my depression. I miss my runner's high so much! But yeah, one step at a time *grumble*

Astro

My legs are pretty well shot, so running is out of the question, but I can hike and ride a bike for hours on end and not end up hunched over and wheezing. Give it time, I think you'll be amazed at how physically fit you feel. Watch your diet too, it's easy to cross-addict to bad habits.

Wascally Wabbit

It's insanity to fear a few pounds yet invite lung cancer.
The feelings don't last for ever thank goodness.
Keep your quit. Get an NRT if you need it. Anything is better than smoking.

Mattcake

I don't fear gaining a few pounds. Thanks for the tips, though

Sikkisirus

You can do it Matt. If I can do it (I LOVED cigarettes) so can you. I can safely say I will NEVER smoke again. Im 5 years smoke free in October

Dime

Hi Matt!!!

Great to see you here because good things happen here. I think it is wise to buckle your seatbelt for the first few days and expect to be uncomfortable but in my case there was a very rapid relief starting at around day four. Before I knew it those urges were far and few between and when they occurred they were light and passed quickly. Now it's like I never smoked, virtually no cravings or desires.

I was a little underweight when I started and I did put on weight initially but my appetite has returned to my normal state and I have lost almost all the weight I put on. I did use hard candy for the first few days but switched to fruits and vegetables after that.

As Astro mentioned posting in the daily check in section really helps. I posted for a few days there before I was ready to quit and the process of hanging out here gave me the "Pump" I needed to quit for good. I got tons of excellence advice from the wonderful folks here.


You can do it Matty!!

Astro

I quit the smokeless crap back in '04 Matt, there was a group of us on an amateur astronomy forum that supported each other and worked together on cessation. We'd keep track of how much money we were saving and used it to buy new telescopes and other gear.

I think it's good to use motivational tools like that, something you might want to think about.