OT - Wish me luck ...

Good for you!!!!

Eric Hedberg

>Smoking is the toughest addiction there is to break. It has the three components of the perfect addiction. Nicotine (with a bit of sugar added) is more addictive than cocaine. Holding cigarettes and repeating the behavior of handling the cigarette and placing it in your mouth physically/nuerologically compounds the addiction. Finally, there is the social peer pressure that reinforces smoking as a behavior. The bad news is that if you are like most, you will never kick the addiction fully. 10 years later a smoker can think about smoking and still have the anticipatory physiological response. The good news is you are quitting and improving your (and those around you) health and quality of life. Since it is easier to replace a behavior than end a behavior, replace your urge with something else. Sharpen blades, smooth curly maple, take up lathe work (highly medatative I'm finding) and eat lots of carrots. Also reward yourself along the way not just at the end. It's a journey not just a destination. Good luck! Eric (Never a cigarette smoker, but spent lots of time in classes with people who deal with addiction issues)

Re: OT - Wish me luck ...

Don Thompson - Cutler Ridge, Florida

>Good luck, Clay!

I know that it will not work for everyone, but the milestone/reward thing you suggested helped me out with something else in the recent past.

Are you going to use any patches/gum/therapy, etc.?

Don, in Cutler Ridge (or maybe Old Cutler Bay).

Good luck Clay

Bob Hackett

>When it really gets rough think about all the extra days you`ll be tacking on to the end of your lifespan and all the extra memories with loved ones.

The health benefits for the here and now also far outweigh the urges.

Here`s hoping that smoking quickly becomes a thing of the past for you.

Mainely,Bob

Congratulations, Clay

Ted Owen, Pittsburgh

>I know it will work out well for you.

Best, Ted

Re: OT - Wish me luck ...

Rob Overton,Houston, Texas

>Clay, It took me two years to stop chewing tobacco. I would go a month without it, break down and buy some, then not buy any for a while. But it was always in my mind, "I have quit, this is a slip." I quit. Good luck, but it will take more than luck. Good "determination". Rob

You can do it!

Tony Sade (Charleston, WV)

>It's been almost 18 years since I quit my pack and a half of unfiltered Camels habit (boy was I tough), and while I still occasionally get the urge, it does get a whole lot easier, relatively quickly. (The development of a mild form of asthma about 5 years ago rapidly puts the damper on any urge.) Once you go through the withdrawal phase, you'll be amazed at how better food tastes and the air smells (out in the country anyway). To boot-you won't smell like an ashtray anymore.

Hang tough. It is well worth it.

Tony

GOOD LUCK!! You Can Do It

Hank Knight from SC

>Quitting smoking is way up there on my short list of life accomplishments. Hang in there, it's worth the agony!

Re: OT - Wish me luck ...

Atta boy and NOTE

>Been there done that!!

Hard.. and the real kicker is it is up to you!

You are in charge. Going public is a good sign!!

Stick with it... One real reward is how much better food is gonna taste after a few weeks.

Might want to do some moderate exercise for a while.. because you WILL gain weight. Your digestive syetem begins to work more efficiently in about three days ans the cilia in the small intestine will absorb nutrient better.

If you routinely smoke and drink codfee together it might be easier if you quit both.. because the codffee will carry with it a very powerful association.

Ron clean for 17 years

Re: Good luck Clay

Steve Denvir

>It's not easy, but it can be done. I went from a 2 pack/day smoker to nothing 4 years ago.

One hint. You're not quitting smoking, you're getting healthier. You're saving money. You're going to live longer. Always try to frame the issue in positive terms, otherwise you're just obsessing about smoking.

Good luck.

Re: OT - Wish me luck ...

Ernie Miller Topeka

>I'm here for you I know you can do it if you want. Call me if you need some one to talk you out of smoking or just for support.

Re: OT - Wish me luck ...

Wendell @ Murphy, TX

>Good luck Clay. We know you can do it!!!

I don't have any direct experience with quitting, but I have a friend who had to stop cold turkey for health reasons. He told me that everything really tasted and smelled better after he quit. He wished he had quit sooner.

Wendell

Re: OT - Wish me luck ...

Alan Hamilton

>Clay,

I think that for everyone who has quit there is one, and only one way to succeed: his or her way. So I'll tell you the way I quit. It may help.

I smoked two and a half packs of Marlboros every day. I thought I ought to quit, but I couldn't. It was beyond me for whatever reasons. I stopped, and started, several times.

I made another vow, and adopted a method that worked for my brother in-law. I decided upon a day that I would quit, and psyched myself up for what I figured would be a struggle. Having a particular day, marked on the calendar, helped me marshall my energies. This time!

One evening, some weeks before my scheduled stop day, I was sitting up, reading a book, and of course, smoking a cigarette. I had most of the pack left, and a nearly full carton in the drawer. After all, my stop day was many days hence. But for some reason it hit me. I looked at the cigarette in my hand--about half smoked--said to myself "I don't want to smoke any more," and stubbed it out.

I haven't smoked a cigarette since. But what's more important is that I haven't wanted to smoke a cigarette. Really. I've had no cravings, not even any temptation. I don't want to smoke any more.

What's so different that this time I could quit so painlessly after so many failed attempts? Easy: before this time I always thought I ought to quit; this time I actually wanted to quit. Thinking I ought to quit wasn't strong enough; it didn't help me at all when it was time for a smoke. Not wanting to smoke meant there were no times for a smoke. I wasn't an ex-smoker; I was a non-smoker.

It's my theory that people are rarely successful quitting unless they really, strongly, definitely want to quit. There is a physical addiction, I know, but that can be easily overcome if you really don't want another cigarette.

I hope some part of this helps you. Be comforted that so many have been able to quit. It can be done!

Alan (going on and on and on and....)

Best of luck....

Tony - Memphis

>I quit about 13 years ago. Sure, it was tough, but I'm so glad I did. Hang in there. Its all in your head (not really). I ate a lot of popscicles, toothpicks, straws, etc. Glad you decided to quit.

Tony