Who has Quit Smoking with Success?
 

So, I had a LONG post written out with step by step details of what led me to the moment in time that I was typing last night at 7:30pm and when I hit submit - I think I crashed YT. :eek:

All I know is it said I didn't have permissions. Tried a couple of times and then went to navigate the forum to see if there was an issue and I couldn't get anything to load (til after midnight). I posted on FB but never heard from anyone so was it just me that couldn't get on??

Anyway, long story short: I have smoked for 26 years. I've tried a gazillion things/ways to quit over the years but nothing in the last 7. I swore I wasn't even going to try again until I had proof - living breathing proof - that something works.

In walks Vapor Stix. 4 guys from the other trucking company have been using it. One started 30 days ago and has not smoked or dipped since. 2 started 3 weeks ago and they both admit to having 1 or 2 cigs but nothing in the past week (that was like the first week for both of them).

What really got me was the 4th, who is actually a truck driver and the one that introduced these to all of us. He was a 2 pack a day smoker (I smoke more than anyone around here in the office at 1 pack so he sold me on this). He had smoked for over 20 years. He hasn't had a cigarette in 3 months.

I said, what the heck. So I'm nervous, scared of failure, and excited all at the same time. I got my PINK Vapor Stix :cool: and started this last night (yes, at 7:30pm Central Time when my YT world vanished - AAARRRGGHHH!!!) lol

So, here is my status. I haven't had a cigarette in 13 hours. I know that doesn't seem long especially with those hours being overnight, but I couldn't sleep (storms) last night and I didn't get to sleep until 2am and then had to get up for work this morning at 6:30am. So, I've been awake most of those 13. I won't lie - there have been several moments when I think that it's not working and I need just one cig. The worse time so far was right when I woke up this morning and on the drive to work.

All I know is I'm trying. If I fail, I fail...but I plan on succeeding this time. All I can do is try right?

Has anyone out there successfully quit smoking after years of it? If so, how did you do it and how long has it been?

I have never smoked but I wanted to tell you I am proud of you:) Believe in yourself and you can make anything happen or not happen hehe. I know you can do it!:D

Thanks, Morgan!! I am a lot more optimistic right now than I have ever been with anything else I have tried (and trust me, I have tried lol)

I quite when my dh's previous boss passed away from it....the day of his services. I wanted to be sure I was here to see my daughter's life.

congrats to you for your 13 hours. terri if u fail you can keep trying until you succeed. I actually hated the smell after I quit and it grossed me out so much so I never looked back. I didn't have a beer for 3 months cause I knew that would be my true test! wishing you much luck and success........either way you are taking the steps and that is what is most important.

Yes. 20 yr smoker. Quit cold turkey 8 yrs ago. You can do it! Do not take one puff, do not use any "aids" and I promise you it will get better.

I never really tried to SINCERELY quit. So I'm still a smoker. It's such a nasty word these days :( When I started, a pack was $1.50. Now it's up to $12 in NYC!!! And Bloomberg is really making it difficult for us. I tried hypnosis when I lived in Dallas. Didn't work. The again, I didn't really WANT it to work. I'm getting older now & I'm really sick of having to go in my backyard when I want a smoke. Plus, I could really use that money for something more positive. So your post is actually make me think. Both of my parents quit. So why can't I?

CONGRATULATIONS on going 13 hours. Being a smoker, I do know how long that is. The first step is really wantig to make that change. You've got that down. I wish you the very best of luck!!!!! Maybe your will power will rub off on me ;)

You just have to believe it! I know coming from a non smoker you just want to slap me but I truly believe we can do anything we put our minds to:)

After smoking for many years i quit over 17 years ago cold turkey :eek: not easy but you need to have a made up mind, and it sounds as if you do this time i went through dozens of crossword puzzle books maybe it helped to hold a pencil and packs of gum and i don't like gum :) i also gained about 15 pounds but i have felt so much better it was so worth it..you can do it

I quit a 1+ppd habit > 15 years cold turkey 10 years ago with the nicotine patches. As a nurse, I was able to convince myself that I would nicotine overdose if I smoke with the patch on. 6 months later my husband also quit & we stayed cigarette free for 5 years. It was horrible and I cried for weeks. People threatened to hold me down and force a cigarette into my mouth. I think I was on several hit lists...but I quit, and then wondered what the big deal was that I thought I was gonna die without them. After 5 years my dh started smoking again and my choice was divorce him or join him, so I joined him. (He stunk of smoke..). I am only at 2 packs a week and wellbutrin is my friend. If I stop taking the wellbutrin, then I want to smoke much, much more. I rarely smoke at home and smoke at work out of habit, because for those 5 years I didn't smoke, I didnt get a break in a 12 hour shift. Now, at least I have an excuse to walk away a few times a shift. My days off, I go1-2 days with no ciggy and have yet to die. Good luck and best wishes for a successful quitting. It can be done, and later you will wonder what the big deal was. A mental health professional friend of mine said cigarettes are more addictive than heroin, so for every "junkie" that puts them down, KUDOS! !!!

I always used "I might gain weight" as an excuse. C'mon! I'm already overweight (not self-bashing, just know the truth lol). So, really, if I gain 10 or 15 lbs - big frickin deal right? :D

Oooh, and I just texted someone this - think of what I could do with the money I save - like Teresiana was saying!! Let's see at $180 a month x 12 months..that is $2160 a year! I think Ima go to Gatlinburg next Spring!! :)

LOL @ the holding you down to make you smoke! I was told if it came to that, my boss lady would in fact do it. lol

I'm glad Wellbutrin is helping you. As I said, I've tried many things. The gum and Wellbutrin were some of those things. I didn't do the patch for the reason you mentioned. I didn't trust myself not to break and I thought I'd kill myself.

A doctor once told my Granddaddy that nicotine is worse than cocaine to come off of. He was told that he had to quit drinking and smoking when I was 12 years old. He quit drinking, which was really hard for him, but he never could quit smoking. He died of liver disease when I was 17 years old but he smoked until the day he died. It is that hard to quit!

I quit almost 4 years ago, after smoking for more than 30 years. The car was always my weakness, because I started smoking as a way to pass the time on the 5 hour trip to and from college. :eek: I was never a heavy smoker, less than a half a pack a day - sometimes a pack would last me a week. I was definitely a stress smoker and had quit on numerous occasions only to pick one up again under stress. The only thing that worked for me was (1) being ready and (2) Chantix. Most likely it was simply being ready, but the daily check-ins and accountability certainly helped. I can not stand the smell of smoke now and can't believe that I put my friends and family thru that. Good luck!!!

Funny, I still hate the smell, even though I smoke. I have never been able to stand the smell and am constantly yelling at my husband to close the basement door so his smoke does not come inside the house. I am very careful to wash my hands after smoking and I usually cover with something that I can take off when I come back indoors. I have had people I worked with for years tell me they never realized I smoked because I did not smell like it. I brush my teeth or chew gum after a ciggy, too. Nothing worse than counseling a patient with bronchitis against smoking when you smell like an ashtray!:2omg:

Yeah, I am one of those weird smokers who can not stand the smell of smoke anyway. Back in the day when you could smoke in restaurants, I would always sit in the non-smoking section. I can't stand for people to smoke around me while I'm eating.

You know our sense of smell is "off" too. The driver that got these Vapor Stix (I'll post a pic below of my pink one) said, "Oh and get some febreeze now." I asked "huh?" and he said, "In about 3 days, you are going to be nauseous from the smell of your car." Just so you all know (this is something I am very self concious about and I never let anyone ride in my car - and it can be 20 degrees and snowing or raining outside - my window is always down when I smoke).

Here she is :)
Attachment 383709

:D Woo hoo!!! :D They're e-cigs - right? :D

Yep, I quit with these after 30+ years of smoking - two and a half years now since a 'real' ciggie....people will give the anti's of course, but they certainly worked for me (and were the complete saviour for Andy when he was in hospital having his surgery....:)).

All I would suggest is, that you get THE PUREST, verified, everything-tested e-liquid that you can find....:) Oh, I wish you luck, well done so far!!! Sally x

I'll have to ask the guys tomorrow about the e liquid and what you said about purest and tested. I did talk to my Dr last year about the e cigs and he said a lot that was said about them had to be recanted because it wasn't true. He then followed that it is still better than what I was putting in my body with the tar and smoke. Good point. lol

How long did it take you to "come off" the e cigs, Sally?

Former Smoker here
 

20+ years at about a pack a day. Finally tried acupuncture...smoked on theway to the office did first treament...no smoking for 24 hours. Did the second treament...and never ever smoked again. Two and a half years later I still don't crave and the smell is now so offensive I get a little
nauseous(SP)

With you in spirit...It CAN BE DONE!!!! And YOU CAN DO IT!!!:thumbup:

The trouble is, it HASN'T been proven, because they haven't really been around for enough years to substantiate the claims....a bit like when we all first started going on 'the pill', then years later all the 'nasties' started coming out....who knows? :)

But I totally agree with your doctor, it's far better than all the terrible toxins that we put into our bodies with 'normal' ciggies. Please do double-check the e liquid that you're using....a lot of the cheaper ones use anti-freeze :eek: as an ingredient (I can't remember the technical name!) Please please see if any are registered as ok with your health authorities?

Oh, and I'm still on the e-cigs!!!!! :D Got one in my bag and one by my computer....but I only use 1 x 10ml bottle to top them both up - for the whole month! :) That's surely got to be better than 600 ciggies a month?!!? :D Sally x

I quit smoking man years ago cold turkey. I was very sick with a head cold and couldn't smoke for a week (go figure) so I decided I would continue on. I told no one, kept is to myself until people noticed. When someone mentioned it I would say "no promises, just not smoking today". All these years later I still say it because there are times I really miss smoking.

Another thing I had to do was really mix up my schedule, switched when and where I ate. Took a walk after dinner, stopped drinking beer (I really miss that).

Yeah, my schedule is very much tied to smoking breaks. I'm realizing how much today. I take the kiddos outside a lot really for Mommy to smoke lol. I can't take that away from them so I need to find something I can do outside. I have the anti-green thumb, but maybe I should work on that. Who knows - I might could utilize this free hand time to learn how to grow a living plant. :D

Sally - I hope to wean myself off the e cig with the plan they told me about. 2 bottles of the strength I have now, then down the next level - 2 bottles, then down..etc. Until I'm either only doing water or nothing at all. I must admit, it feels like a security blanket already - I am constantly holding it in my hand lol

I had the best luck quiting with the e cigs I quit for 4 months but I started back because I thought I could have the one cigarette. Im in the process of quiting again and Im using the e cigs

Yay! We can do it together! :)

ETA: It's officially been 16 hours! :D

Yay! Good Job! You CAN do it!:D


Just like anything else..." practice makes perfect", so keep on trying to quit... you'll get better at it each time!

I tried to respond to you, with a nice long encouraging response....and got the same thing YOU got....FORBIDDEN! Maybe it was too long? I have sent longer posts....I will keep trying....

Smoking has never been my poison of choice.....obesity is my Satan. Dieting is my cross to bear, and I have carried that cross all my life.....cant put that cross down, cant give up, I will blossom into a 500 lb marvel, so I trudge on, keep trying, falling down, getting up, and getting back on track.....but my mother was a 3-4 pak a day smoker....my father smoked 2-3 paks, as does my brother. My father died in 1988 at 68 years old, from lung cancer.....seemed old to me back then, but now that I am 64, he died WAY too young....he was a brilliant man, had done soooooo much in the field of oil and gas, and could have contributed soooooo much more to this area......the day he was buried, my momma and brother put their cigarettes down, and never smoked again. Now, my mother could make her mind up to do something and NOTHING stopped her, ever. My brother stopped his smoking until momma died, and the day we buried her, he started smoking again. (BTW, momma died of complications from bypass surgery....threw a clot coming off the bypass machine.....but when they did the chest xray prior to surgery, that doctor almost accused us of lying about how much she smoked years ago....he said she had good lungs for a 73 year old woman with asthma.) So now my brother smokes again...until January....for Christmas, I gave him one of the electronic cigarrettes....I cant remember the name of the one I got him...I remember the packaging was black......"Victory", that was it!......and he has done GREAT with it....(trying to send my reply in two posts!!)

Judy, thank you so much for trying so hard to get your reply to me! That means the world to me. I can feel how much you care and how much everyone cares. Makes me tear up for real. Love you guys!

Hey Terri-
Im so proud of you for going through this. I thank god have never smoked. Both of my parents did and it grossed me out to no end. I hope you can do this and back you 100% in doing this! My brother has chewed also on and off his whole life...nicotine is so hard to break but is finally nicotine-free. From watching others quit I think a lot of it is they have had enough, mind over matter and lots of support, whether it be people, new hobbies or quitting aids! Right now, my mother who was the biggest chain smoker I know, is dealing with the emphysema. She told us she quit smoking 10 years ago when she was dealing with breast cancer. We knew otherwise. My mom was a very very active person, gardening, outside work, cleaning, going 100 miles a minute. It is very sad for me to see her not enjoying her retirement years. She can't take care of her beautiful gardens, which she was known for, any more. She has to drag an oxygen tube around the house with her. Its an effort to get a plate from the table to the sink. No more shopping trips which she loved. She has a portable oxygen tank but even with that its an effort to get from the car to the store. Its just sad. She was one of the most independent women I knew and now she is very dependent. I am so thankful everytime I see her that i was one of the lucky ones that did not get caught in the smoking addiction.

Congratulations :thumbup: on the the time you've put in not smoking so far....it gets easier and easier with each passing day. I quit 7 1/2 years ago with the help of Welbutrin, a positive attitude and support website (pm me if you would like the name of it) I smoked a pack a day for about 32 years. I prepared myself with loads of sunflower seeds, red licorace, water, straws and just about anything else I could think of to put in my mouth instead of a cig. I admit that quitting is one of the hardest things I have ever done, but also the BEST thing I have ever done :) Now I can't stand the smell of a smoker or being around anyone who smokes.....Continue staying focused on your quit, if you need any help, or just need to vent/talk just send me a pm and I would be happy to help in anyway I can.

After 24 years of heavy smoking, I quit in August of 1990. At that time I was smoking 2.5 - 3 packs/day.
I had tried every way imaginable to quit from cold turkey to every cessation program out there except for the one I found that I swear by: Smokenders!
There were 11 of us in our class (don't know if they still do those) and all but one quit. I stayed in touch with the others for a couple of years after. The one decided in the last week that he did not want to quit so he did not really finish.
Anyway....I LOVE their program and always share with people who are having a hard time quitting:
Welcome to SmokEnders

Good luck to you! You will be successful...anyone who tries, will eventually get it. It is the wanting to do it that is the key imho. It's a tough addiction...don't let anyone tell you it is a weakness...it is addiction, plain and simple!

I also quit cold turkey. It was 2 years Feb 17th. I haven't had a puff or anything just got up one day and said thats it. My husband bought a vapor cig this weekend but is doing both the vapor and reg cig. I hope it works for him