Stopped smoking!

[DayDreamer]

Thanks Pam,

I'm sure the young lady also realises what a special and caring person YOU are otherwise she would have not confided in you.

Take care.

[minniepauz]

How are all you "quitters" doing???? Thought I'd check in on you and also those of you who are trying to quit. How's it going? Is there anything we can do for you?


If you haven't been able to quit yet, have you figured out why? Sometimes it helps to try to rationalize with yourself because it's impossible to honestly find a reason to continue.

I'm 14 months since my last cigarette and still so happy I quit!

Mother's Day would be a great day to make the decision, don't you think?

[lynndi]

I am still smoke free and feeling great.


for those of you try to quite.... well i did it cold turkery, I still have days where is sounds good they are few and far between now. I have quit on super bowl sunday.

The other day I went to a yard sale and their was a smoker their it smelled good but i told myself I Do Not Need This Anymore and i am health wise so much better off.

Have a great smoke free day.

[minniepauz]

That's strange lynndi, because when I quit I thought smelling smoke was sickening! Never once thought it smelled good, but I have had a few seconds where I thought "this would be when I'd be having a smoke!".

Good for you for sticking to it!! There are so many out there who just can't make the commitment to quit...really quite a mental thing more than a physical thing.

[Lindy]

It's been 16 months for me and I'm still smoke free and feeling great. I really liked the smell of smoke for the first little while too but now the smell makes me feel sick. We borrowed my brother-in-law's truck and he is a heavy smoker. Just driving in it for 15 minutes made me so sick that I couldn't get back in it. And I always swore that I would never be one of "those" ex-smokers.

[minniepauz]

17 mo. for me as of Aug 1....I'm not tempted to ever have another cigarette, although once in awhile I have a quick thought that "this would be when I would light up". It still makes more sense not to smoke.

The hardest part for me now is being around my friends and relatives who smoke. I feel so bad that they are still hooked on something that is so bad for them, plus I just don't enjoy being around them because of the smell and I get frustrated with them for not even trying to quit.

When I'm shopping and walk by someone (or if it's the cashier I smell), I want to say "you're a smoker, huh?" and just walk away. Do you think that would help them realize how they smell?

I've definitely turned into "one of those former smokers"!!

[colopam]

I tried cigarettes a few times when I was in HS but just never caught it (whew!!) but when I have a stressful day at work I always tell the smokers (on their way to smoke) that they have to have one for me too!! Keeps me from smoking and saves me money too!!!

Hugs Pam

[minniepauz]

Pam, as a non-smoker, how do you feel about waiting on customers that smoke? I certainly never thought of it when I smoked for 43 years! I really didn't have a clue that it was clinging to me all the time because I couldn't smell it.

I don't want to put smokers down, I just want to help them believe that there IS life after you quit smoking!! I really do know how it feels to even think about giving it up...it feels like the only friend you have in the world a lot of times. I always smoked when I cried, when I was sad or depressed, when I was frustrated and when I was angry. When I think about it though, cigarettes weren't the first thing I reached for when I was happy about something! Wow...what a realization. I never thought of that before. Don't really know what it means, but I AM happier now that I've quit. Happier, healthier and wealthier! I still have my down times and I cry and feel sad, but I don't rely on cigarettes to get me through those times and I still get through them.

I encourage all of you who want to quit to keep trying and keep reading stuff that will help you realize that it's more a mental change than you realize. It only takes 72 hours to get the nicotine out of your body and then there's no physical urge for it, only the mental habit of wanting one.

I love you all anyway!!

[colopam]

Dee

I'm very sensitive to the stale smoke smell that alot of customers have (it's REALLY nasty to do massage on them) but then again they don't smell it. I come from CO and there is very little tolerance for smokers. I think it was Boulder that even banned smoking at the outside malls!! and they were putting an end to establishments even having smoking areas. My own experience has been that I can only remember a couple of instances where I felt that people were inconsiderate with their smoking, most smokers are very considerate if not verging on paranoid because of the social pressure now. I am glad to not be subjected to smoke (exacerbates the headaches) and I do think that it's wrong to engineer tobacco so as to be more addictive and dangerous. I always encourage our customers that are purchasing the Nicoderm etc... as smoking is such a hard thing to kick, I always followup with them and give them attaboys/girls! I've dated people that smoked and no matter what you do those close to you WILL know!! (little did my stepdaughter realize THAT!! along with all other teenagers LOL). I have brother and an uncle that smoke as well as many friends but they all insist on going outside downwind to smoke. We recently lost a wonderful cashier due to her not carding an underage police sting "customer" (she'd thought that she had waited on him before) the only thing that kept her from going to jail in handcuffs (as well as a $500 fine, court appearance and classes) was that she was going to college this fall on a scholarship (Honor student and very active in the community) and the police officer (who NEVER gives breaks) felt she had made just youthful error. Our store and many others have signed an agreement with the federal government for no tolerance meaning instant dismissal ironically THAT very day! Hugs Pam

[DayDreamer]

Hi everyone, it's been sixteen months since I gave up. Thankfully, I don't crave any either anymore. When I see colleagues 'nipping' out for one, I just feel......well sad for them.....and to be honest a little smug too

I really don't know how I found time to find somewhere to smoke, never mind the affording it.

Never mind worrying over being menopausal............
I must have been plain crazy for thirty years


To anyone out there contemplating giving up DO IT

If I can, anyone can

[colopam]

Daydreamer
congrats on the 16 months!!!! I admire that ability to stick with it!!!!! Yeah!!!

Hugs Pam