Quiting smoking

[econnelly]

I know all of you out there are really going to be mad at me. I didn't start smoking until well into my twenties.
After my dad died (he always told me, he'd kick my butt if I smoked), and my less than amicable divorce (from an extremely bad alcoholic), and a very brief stint in jail; due to mistaken identity, they thought I was a "Weatherman's" girlfriend. (The Weathermen were an underground revolutionary group in the 60s70s.) When I was in jail is when I started. The charges were dismissed and I tried to go back to life.
However, the smoking stayed. I had quit several times (usually when I had bronchitis), but always started again.

The last time I smoked was over 5 years ago. I had been to the doctor and he said, you know you wouldn't get colds and bronchitis if you didn't smoke.

I went home and that night I smoked the last cigarette in the pack and never touched them again.

Quitting cold turkey worked for me, but then I was not that long term a smoker. Off and on for approximately 20 years.

My recommendation, is to just put them down and don't take them up again.

The Human Will is a powerful thing, you just have to do it!!!

Good luck to all who are trying. Keep this in mind,
"ONLY YOU CAN DO THIS FOR YOURSELF"
Elaine

[Zero]

Thanks, Elaine..... I really don't think I'll ever smoke again. It's only been 9 weeks, but I've finally got the mental part of it licked.

[minniepauz]

Dr. Andrew Weil on quitting and STAYING a quitter!!

I am always amazed that medical researchers overlook the vital role that expectation can play in drug effectiveness and drug dependency. For example, people who intentionally ingest psychoactive mushrooms typically report positive experiences, while those who eat them accidentally often rush to emergency rooms convinced that they are dying. The same psychoactive substances often produce radically different effects.

But researchers are finally paying attention to people’s expectations. A study published in the April 5, 2006, Neuropsychopharmacology found that when people expect to smoke cigarettes in the near future, external cues - such as watching someone else smoke - have a powerful effect on the brain. Twenty smokers were divided into two groups: “expectant” ones who could smoke right after the test, and “non-expectant” ones who could smoke only four hours after the test. While watching videotapes of people smoking, the “expectant” group showed activity in parts of the brain devoted to arousal, attention and cognitive control. In the “non-expectant” group, there was almost no response to the smoking cues.

In other words, [b]people in the expectant group were more likely to relapse because they expected an opportunity to do so.

The implications are many, but one important one is that doctors must be very careful to create positive expectations in their patients. In this litigious age, many physicians feel compelled to run through every possible disaster to avoid a lawsuit, but overdoing this can be very destructive. If your physician specializes in lowering expectations, I suggest firing him or her and finding one who understands the healing power of positive suggestion.

And by the way, if you smoke, stop.[/b]
This is exactly what I was talking about in one of my posts that we need to quit telling people "this is the hardest thing you'll ever do!" or that "nicotine is more addictive than heroin!" It's NOT....it's mostly mental. For once it's TRUE that it's "all in our heads". How I wish I could help all of you quit smoking. I'm SO happy I quit and I'm saving SO much money and my Grandkids say I don't stink any more!

I've got to say this to the Grandmas on this board..... even though you don't ever smoke around your Grandkids, they get to know you by your smell and it's not pleasant for them. As smokers we can't smell what everyone else smells, but once you quit you realize how bad it really was. You can DO it.... I KNOW you can!!

What do you think it will take for you to be able to quit? Come on...be honest with yourself.

[noentry]

i quit smoking already 2 months now and i dnt really feel the need to light a cigarette, guess i was not that addicted after all.