Ashamed but need some advice please?

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Sheila2old

I'm ashamed to admit this considering my health history but I'm a smoker and I HAVE to quit ASAP! The heart surgeon that is doing my surgery did tell me that it seems that I have not done too much damage at this point and none of my health history seems to be from the cigs yet (key word 'yet').

I've quit several times in the past and I'm considering them as practice runs but this has to be for good! I WANT another chance at living longer and this heart surgery will give me that.

Surely some of you (tell me I'm not the only one?) can give me some advice on what you did?? How you did it?? I've been awake several hours today and only had 2 smokes but I've also had a bag of Lemonhead candy, 2 Little Debbie snakcakes, a handful of Doritos, a Jolly rancher sucker......I'm avoiding a true meal at this point cause I know it will make the craving worse.

When I've quit before, I've used all the other cessations aids like the patch, the pills, the gum, etc and none of them helped and some of them had some side effects that weren't pleasant.

Like I said, I'm not proud of this but would really appreciate some help and it could save my hubby's life ;) Thank you in advance!
 
Hi Sheila,

It is a pure bitch to quit. Some things work for some and not others. I found the gum to help but I just had to make up my mind and stick with it.
If you fall just get up again and keep trying. Don't be ashamed. If anyone wants to pass judgement and you don't feel like dealing with them, send them to me. I would share one aid that helped me but that will be best shared in a PM.....don't want to get the crew upset again:D

I wish you the best. It took me 2 years and I still have one from time to time:eek:

Good Luck!!

Tom
 
I have no helpful suggestions, nor do I have any criticism. Just want to congratulate you on your decision. I'll be pulling for you.
 
This may seem a bit cheesy so bear with me - but I learned it in Weight Watchers. I will add that I am not a smoker - and hope this does not seem like I am downplaying the difficulty of changing the habit. (I did lose 40 pound though - so it must work a bit:) )

(notice I said changing - I have learned that it is mostly counterprductive to try to just end unwanted behavior - you need to replace it with a more productive behavior. I do suggest that you chose something other than snacks ;) ;) )

I found it helpful to really concentrate (eyes closed - the whole bit) on "the picture" of my goal. I can picture details - my hair, my skin, my outfit, my actions - once I acheived my goal. If I hit a roadblock - like eating when I was stressed - I would actively find an action to replace snacking (reading, walking, computing:cool: )- and add some details to my desired result.

Best of luck to you - you have this whole new chance - I pray that your will overpowers your desire - to eliminate this threat to your happiness and health!!!!!!!!!!
 
Sheial..
I congratulate you on your decision to quit:) that is the first step!!

The truth is It won't be easy..and the first 3 days are truly the worst:(
The body needs 3 full days to detox from the nicotene.. and you will probably feel like crap.. be a grump..irritable, restless.. hungry or not hungry.. just a gammit of crazy feelings.. First of all know that they are normal and you aren't losing your mind:eek:

Do what every works during that time.. chew gum..eat..walk.. get away from where you smoke.. if it is in the car..stay out of the car.. if it is in a certain chair..don't sit there.. etc.

I quit smoking 13 years ago.. and it sucked!
I did it cold turkey and never looked back.
Some people need to use prescriptions or patches or whatever.. I would discuss it with your doc and do what works best for you.. GET SUPPORT!!
Make sure everyone around you knows that you are quiting and are willign to support you! if they don't suport you (like continue smoking around you) dont' hang with them right now.

My friend made 2 jars.. One was full of old butts and ashes.. and a bit of water.. It REALLY SMELLED BAD:eek: she put a lid on it.. the other jar was where every cent she spent on cigarettes went.. on the front of the jar was a vacation spot (jamaca).. when she was feeling weak she would take a whiff from the nasty jar.. GAG.. and look at the money piling up in the vacation jar.. That incentive alone was worth it to her..and she quit and in 3 months had enough money for her husband and her to take a great vacation to jamaca..
Whatever works for you..
take care.. and Congrats!
 
I tried everything under the sun and the only thing that worked was to just plain walk away from them. I faltered many many times, so if you don't make it (again) just keep working at it and one day, you will succeed.
 
I smoked for 34 years. I was able to quit when I spent a week in the hospital with indocard. in Jan. and then was on drugs for 2 months. The only way I was able to quit is understanding that I cant smoke anymore, I is suicidal for me. I know what you are saying, I still miss it sometimes, my wife still smokes around me, Im not going to say anything as I was worse than she ever thought about being. Shes a closet smoker. You just have to decide that it is suicidal for you to continue and quit. Try lortabs 3 times daily for 3 or 4 months. Just kidding. You are the only one that can put them down, no none can help you or make that decision for you.

GOOD LUCK
 
I know, it makes your veins itch when you get a craving. It's not easy. Keep thinking that "I've gotten this far, and I don't want to waste all I've put into it" and use it to get by.

I'm not a fan of crutches, and didn't use one myself. A lot of my friends who tried to quit and failed kept saying things like, "The gum didn't work," "Prayer didn't work," and lots of other stuff, "didn't work." Well, the only part that has to "work" is you. If you can use an aid to help you, and not think it will do the whole job for you, and not think you can blame it if you fail, then go ahead. However, I know several people who stopped smoking over a year ago, but who still chew nicotine gum. Less damaging overall, but still bad for the heart (vasoconstrictor).

Distract yourself, just as you would a misbehaving two-year-old. Getting your attention onto something else keeps you busy until the main craving passes. Then it reinforces, as you're proud you got through another one.

Get mad. Rage against the fact that this owns you. Think of all the rude or stupid things you've done to get a cigarette.

Think of the money.

Best, find someone else to do it for. I did it for my son. He lost his mother to leukemia.

Maintaine forte,
 
Probably not the healthiest choice, but when I quit smoking about five years ago, I basically carried around a bag of Jolly Ranchers. No idea why, but for some reason that helped every time I had a craving.
 
I enjoyed being a smoker and dug my heels in when friends and family tried to make me quit. I always said that I knew smoking was bad for the health BUT until it was specific to me I would smoke. I said that if there was a good reason with my health which made it important to stop then that is the time that I would do it.

In March 2000 I was diagnosed as type 2 diabetic and my doctor asked if I smoked. He then said that he wasn't ordering me to quit but with diabetes the risk of a heart attack or stroke were higher than for the average person, and smoking doubled the risk.

So now the smoking risk was specific to me and it was time to quit. So I did, I never had a single cigarette from that moment onwards. The way that I did it was to tell myself that I hadn't given up smoking, I was just delaying having the next one. I still have the half empty packet of cigarettes in the cupboard, with a lighter. IF I want to smoke one I can, I haven't given up, I just have delayed that next cigarette - for six and a half years so far.

I did not use any substitutes and I didn't snack, I was told to lose weight, and as a diabetic sucking mints wasn't an option. I managed not to gain a single pound.

I still wouldn't like a cigarette at times, but I will continue to delay.

The bottom line is that you have to WANT to give it up, not just think that you ought to give it up. I bit my fingernails from being a toddler until I was about forty-five, then stopped just like that, I haven't nibbled them since - I had bought some nice rings and wanted to wear them so wanted nice nails.
 
Smoking

Smoking

Congratulations on taking the first step and deciding to give up. This sort of surgery provides that type of motivation for a lot of people. You are fortunate to have a surgeon that will operate, in Australia some refuse to operate on smokers except in an emergency. :)
 
Congrats on getting this far Sheila...now just keep going, find something-else to do and soon you will be 1 whole day without smoking then 2,3 etc.... Let us be your cheersquad.

I was told I couldnt have my surgery 'til I had been free of the smokes for 6-8 weeks. That was what finally did it for me.

I quit a few times before I managed to get it right as well. I kept thinking "its only been 1 day, so I will start quitting again tomorrow", well after doing that for a few weeks I woke up to myself and realised I could have been 3 weeks quitted by now and I would be over the worst of it as well. So I threw them (the ciggys) at my hubby and told him he could have the stinkin' things. I havent smoked since.

I did get Valium from my Doc to help me stay calm. I used to grab my water-bottle and go for a walk everytime I craved a smoke that way I avoided the fridge :rolleyes: and got a bit healthier & fitter as well. I am now 8 months free of smokes, I am proud of myself!:D .
 
I have smoked since I was 16. 1 year ago this month, after having my AVR meeting with my surgeon, I knew it was time to give up the habit. I got a prescription for Zyban(takes the nervous edge off) and started the patch. It's been a year and I have not had a ciggerette. There has been times that I have wanted one but as time passes it gets easier and easier. Today I rarely feel the desire for one.Cold turkey is very hard,so get some help with whatever crutch you need patches,gum,etc. Having your surgery will help you get through some of the rough times, tough to smoke in the hospital and afterwards coughing is will remind you why you need to give the ciggs. Good Luck
 
Good Luck Sheila:

Good Luck Sheila:

I am really proud of the people on this forum. I never smoked, but I have often struggled to get down to the weight I wanted. It is a funny thing why we do what we do to ourselves, isn't it. When I started getting significant symptoms from my bad aorta valve, I knew surgery was in my immediate future. Thinking about hauling around that extra weight after having my chest split open just plain scared me. I lost 26 pounds in 40 days, and have kept 20 of them off for the last year. But now I want to keep going, and try to get back to the weight I carried when I was a very fit cyclist. I think I have found some ideas that will work for me after reading the thread you got started.

What do you say we try to check back (by private message) in two weeks, and I promise to tell you truthfully if I have lost those 6 pounds, and you tell me if you are off smoking? If two weeks is too long, let me know. If this sounds like a dumb idea, let me know that as well. I think I have an idea of how it hurt for you to bring up the whole smoking thing. It would make me feel good to lose those six pounds-what do you say?

(By the way, I know smoking is way hard, but I have Thanksgiving & Christmas looming ahead-that's how I got those six pounds back in the first place).
 
So what do ya think.....

So what do ya think.....

Smoking harder to quit or chewing, rub, snuff, leaf tabacco????? (whatever you want to call it)

I've been, bassically rubbing since I was 12 years old. I quit for about 1.25 years and made the major mistake of taking it up again. That was 1998 when I started again. Have been chewing ever since.

Some say that quittting chewing is harder, others dissagree. When I quit the first time, I set it down and walked away.....cold turkey FOR A YEAR AND THREE MONTHS. What the hell was I thinking to start again. Well way past that.

I give you all of the support I can muster and trust you will be completely successfull in the venture of quitting. The hardest part is to just simply make the decision to QUIT!

One day, I'll wise up and quit rubbing for good !!!!!

Good luck

Ben
 
What about an online quit-smoking support forum? That's how my sister stopped. Much like here, she made many close friends.

Best wishes!!!
 
Ben,
They say that chewing,rubbing,etc. is harder to quit than smoking. Good Luck if you decide to quit again.
 
MikeHeim said:
Probably not the healthiest choice, but when I quit smoking about five years ago, I basically carried around a bag of Jolly Ranchers. No idea why, but for some reason that helped every time I had a craving.
Click to expand...
There must be something to it Mike, my dad used Werthers original butterscotch candies when he quit and lots of chewing gum.
 
Sheila,
Congratulations on you quest. It isn't easy but it is worth the effort.
As you can tell from the other posts, there isn't one secret method.
After 25 years of smoking I was mostly able to go cold turkey (used a few pieces of gum but they made me sick to my stomach). Going on 10 years now.
I can tell you all you have to do is beat it one smoke at a time. All you have to do is beat the next urge. Sounds easy huh? I know it isn't easy and so do you but stay after it.
Failures are common, and not really failures, just chances to start fresh. Keep it up.
You have my thoughts, wishes and prayers.

greg
 
I recommend you try EVERYTHING to quit smoking. When I quit, I tried one thing, if it doesn't work, I moved on to something else until I found what all works. For me it was a variety of things:

1. Admit it's an addition, not just a habit. Someone once told me it's harder to quit smoking than to quit heroin.

2. Cut out all caffeine and alcohol for at least the first 2 weeks.

3. Seek help from others. Get a support group. Talk to your dr. about the patch, prescriptions, etc. Hypnosis, tapes, music. Treat the reason you're smoking (weight loss, stress, boredom, etc.)

4. Walk, walk, walk to give you something else to do, burn energy, and rid your body of the nicotine.

5. Pray for strength and assistance.

6. Chew gum.

7. Lots & lots of positive feedback everytime you pass on lighting up.

8. Keep your last pack of cigs in your purse. You'll know you can have it but you won't 'cause you don't want to. Before long, they'll be yucky stale.

9. Know deep down that you want to do this and you can do this.

10. I agree with Ross, something really satisfying about Werthers Butterscotch Original candies.

11. Know that you're going to have a full plate recovering from heart surgery. Do you really want to go thru nicotine withdrawals at the same time?
 
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