I just quit smoking ask me anything

[jeter]

I've tried a couple of times before. But never had the will. Now, i'm an ironman. I will never smoke again. I will never smoke again. I will never smoke again. Ask me anything, i'm inpenetrable.

My immune system is so low that it's not funny. I have a tough time beating off infections and virus'. The Doc told to me excercise, eat right and quit smoking. So here I am...19 hours into cigarette soberity.

I hear the first three days are the worst. But today wasn't as bad as I thought it would be...Because I am an ironman. I will never smoke again. Ask me anything, i'm inpenetrable.

[tom_paine]

1. Allright. You quit smoking but are you still SMOKING?

:smoke: :smoke:

[jeter]

2. No.

I quit. Everything. New life. I feel great.

[BigBigBigBear]

3. I quit in June

after 30 years. The first 2-3 weeks were pretty hard - I was no fun to be around.

I puff an occasional cigar (never inhale, obviously), and get almost no cravings anymore.

I think I succeeded this time because I cut back to 1/2 normal habit for 10 days before my quit day - I mader my self accustomed to cravings. Prolongs the agony a bit, but makes it overall easier to take. IMO, anyway.

Good luck!

[lefty_mcduff]

24. You're absolutely right. I quit three weeks ago with similar 'plan'.

Before that, I cut back to three a day, come hell or high water. Then I just went cold turkey.

[Terwilliger]

4. got a cigarette?

thanks

[democracyindanger]

5. edit: somebody beat me to the joke

Just kidding. What alternative oral fixation are you going to use? Gum? Pencil erasers?

[jeter]

8. Today it was food.

But to be honest. I just don't think about it. Whenever I think about smoking I do something else.

For example today, I was craving this afternoon. So I took my dogs for a walk.

That sort of thing.

[david_vincent]

6. You're a rock star!

I just had my hair cut by this old guy who has emphysema from smoking. He had the tubes leading up his nose and he had to stop halfway through to take a breather - literally, he was so winded from cutting my hair that he had to stop and breathe from some kinda gizmo for a few minutes.
Just keep thinking about how your lungs will start recovering their former rosiness in just a few short months from now. Throw away the smokes and keep ROCKIN!

[shance]

20. No actually hes the ironman. Hes impenetrable. You can ask him anything.

:)

Congratulations!! (And youre right. You really can do this.)

[alphafemale]

7. The first three days are just the most "interesting"

That tingling feeling you are feeling is actually your body repairing itself.

It's starting to happen that quickly.

I quit cold turkey too about three years ago.

Just got really pissed at having all that money being sucked out of my pocket while the life was sucked out of my body.

Humble and 12 steps doesn't work with quitting cigs. You gotta be pissed and angry.

[jeter]

11. I figured today

That it's really motivation. I mean, like I wrote above, I have tried before. But I always quit for the wrong reasons. I always did it because I was asked to or thought well cigs are too expensive. But I never really wanted to. Today, I wanted to. It makes a huge difference.

Like I wrote, whenever I feel like I need one. I do something else. I occupy myself. That's it. I don't want to smoke anymore.

You see, it's attitude above all else.

[alphafemale]

15. Attitude...you got it.

You're bigger than those damn things.

[Emboldened Chimp]

9. Have you found something to replace it?

I quit almost nine years ago. Find something to take its place, like exercise or gum or something.

[jeter]

12. Excercise might work

[Catch22Dem]

10. Have you taken to sunflower seeds yet?

[jeter]

13. Sunflower seeds?

Why?

[LoZoccolo]

14. It's worth it.

I started having heart problems when I was 27; people think they'll be 60-something before anything starts and just have to quit before then. Premature ventricular contractions (no biggie but it freaks you out that your heart is skipping beats), woke up one morning with atrial fibrillation (bad - had to go to the hospital), and then they found I had slight ideopathic dilated cardiomyopathy (my heart was weak and dilated and would pump out 35-40% of the blood inside it - it's supposed to be something like 50-60%; they often don't know why it happens but smoking is one thing that could make it happen).

I got put on a heart monitor for a 24-hour period to see if weird things happen when I sleep, so I had to walk around with the box for a day. My boss saw me right outside the building with a cigarette and the box with the wires leading into my shirt and thought it looked funny.

But I quit 7/2002 and I feel much much better! No more feeling like my body's trashed and about to break. Plus within a few days you'll start being able to taste things better, just in time for Thanksgiving!

One thing I'd advise is keep yourself busy with fun. It's weird, but that persistent nervousness can be turned into giddy happiness if you're doing something you enjoy.

[jeter]

16. LoZoccolo, that's right

I forgot that. I heard that when you quit smoking everything tastes so much better. Yum. Yum. It will be a good Holiday season indeed.

A festifas for the rest of us.

[LoZoccolo]

19. I forgot to mention...

...my "ejection fraction" is normal now - 55%!

:bounce:

[jeter]

23. Cool.

Good work.

[RandomUser]

17. If you ever feel the craving

come on DU and ask us to tell you to STOP SMOKING.

Congrats on your decision and I hope you make it through the withdrawals.

:yourock:

[jeter]

18. Yes. Another good idea. Thanks.

[terrya]

21. You're doing it cold turkey?

Are you on the patch?

My congratulations to you, my friend. Giving up smoking is probably the best decision you could ever make.

[jeter]

22. Cold Turkey

I'm in a state of zen. Either you do or you don't. Patches and gums are crutches for the weak minded.

The question is who is stronger, me or the cigarette?

I say me.

[IADEMO2004]

25. Go Man GO

I quit over 20 years ago and it was a bitch. You Can doooooo it.

[tridim]

26. I quit 13 days ago

I was coughing up little nasties every morning for the first time in my life. It took about a week for it to stop, and it did stop, completely. :) Nicotine lozenges are a big help getting over the withdrawl, they work much better than the patches. Although I do miss "patch" dreams, they were like dreams I had as a kid.

[Cha]

27. I'm not gonna ask but I will say

Congratulations, "ironman"! :yourock:

[Terwilliger]

28. I think jeter has me on ignore

I gave the best question of the day