George G
(Quit Smoking 03/08/2001)
I’m not really sure when I first started smoking (too long ago to remember) but my best guess would be somewhere between the ages of twelve and thirteen. My brother, sister & father smoked at that time so there was always someone to steal or borrow one from and a plentiful supply of butts in the ashtrays around the house. By the time I was sixteen I was on a pack a day and stayed that way for the next twenty-two years.
I left school at sixteen and a half and spent the next 10 years in the army. Smoking seemed to be a part of my army life; we even had official smoke breaks every half hour when we were doing any classroom work. I was young fit and the smoking didn’t seem to slow me down much, so I never really had any serious quit attempts during this time.
After completing my service I got a job in sales and have spent the last 13 years in sales or sales management. I started to notice the effects of smoking more and more and I’ve had plenty of quit attempts during this time some lasting 2 or 3 weeks but most only 2 or 3 hours (The pressures of the job were always too great Hah!). When patches first came out I did have one quit that lasted a few months but blew that when I went out drinking without a patch on.
About 1 year and 2 weeks ago I had to demonstrate a machine at a customers, they were on the second floor of the building and there was no lift. The machine wasn’t too heavy but by the time I got to the second floor I could hardly breath, I had to literally wait 10 minutes before I could speak without panting. Part of this was due to my lifestyle, not enough exercise etc but the biggest part was smoking and I knew it. I’d had some mild chest pains on and off for the last few months as well so I thought right this is it, I really am going to quit.
Over the next few days I tried to analyse why I’d failed in all my previous quit attempts and it all seemed to boil down to one simple thing “I’ll just have one”. "Just one to get me through this craving", "Just one cos I’m so stressed at the moment", "Just one when I have a drink", "Just one..", "Just one…". Just one always led to just a pack within a couple of days. So that was it I set my date and I made a mantra “There is no such thing as just one, if I smoke one I may as well smoke the pack, because that’s what I’ll be doing within a few days if I smoke just one now”.
I don’t remember why now, but I’d decided that I was going to do this quit cold turkey. I think it was probably because all of my other recent quit attempts had been with patches or tabs and this one was going to be different. (Note: quit whichever way, using whatever aids are best for you, there is no right or wrong just so long as you quit)
Well the big day came & I seemed to breeze through day 1, then day 2 and day 3 the force was with me, my willpower and strength were still strong. Day 4 Mmmmm, Day5 urgghhhh, Day 6 Aaaarrrgggghhh. Day 6 was a killer and the following two weeks were not much better. My mantra was going into overtime I was not just saying it now I was visualising it. When I craved a smoke instead of seeing that lovely wonderful "Just one" I visualised HAVING to have the next, and the next and the next.
By four weeks the cravings weren’t as bad but they were still there and I was starting to get a bit run down, tired and depressed by it all. So one day at work I went on the Internet and typed “Stop Smoking” In among all the search results was Blairsville. I’d never been in a chat room or on a bulletin board before so it was all new to me. I didn’t get any work done that day I just lurked and watched and read posts. It was fantastic, people at the same stage of the quit as me experiencing the same things, people who’d been quit for ages offering encouragement and support; I was soon addicted to Blairsville (hey it’s in my nature). So for the next two weeks whenever I could I lurked at Blairsville until one day I picked up the courage and typed something like “ Hi I’m new here” within minutes people were welcoming me to the board. The first person to answer was Forge, followed by John Miller, Bob Hart, MarkS, Mike & Jim, don’t know if they remember but I certainly do, thanks guys your words made me want to keep typing instead of lurking.
I soon found out that as our time zones were slightly out of sync with the rest of Blairsville, I was to join some wonderful people from Europe and the antipodes (sp) and become part of the Morning Crew. I am so grateful to these people they saved my quit on a number of occasions.
It is a year on and thanks to Blairsville my quit is pretty solid. Oh I’ve had some down times during the last year but I managed to get through them because I kept three things close to me, my mantra, my reasons for quitting and Blairsville. I don’t really have cravings anymore I just have what I call mild wantings or missings. What I have found out though is once I’ve gone through a situation or done something without smoking the next time becomes easier and the next time easier still.
I’ll finish by saying I’ve met some very special people during my time here although I’m not going to name them all, because there are far too many and I’m frightened of forgetting someone, though I would like to give the morning crew past & present a big ((((((((((((((((((MC))))))))))))))))). Thank you Blair for creating it and Thank you citizens of (((Blairsville))) for being here.
Quitting smoking is easy, staying quit isn’t - but it’s sure worth it.
Mark
Eddi's Ramble"
My name in big letters today!!
Well a year ago it was sitting on Gatwick airport railway station when I decided not to wait until national no smoking day to stop which was the next day because I was sick of the dirty habit.
I've had so much help from this board. I would never have been able to stop without your support and now I'm beginning to lose some of the weight I put on and I've had a winter without bronchitis and I'm much healthier, I can run after the small kids in the park.(I mean my friends kids I haven't turned into a weirdo!)
Well done all you people who are out there still trying. I'm sucking a nicotine tab as I write but I'm not smoking!!!!
So what helped? Looking back, it was this board above everything else then
Thanks and keep on quitting,
Eddi
UK.
Just one more ramble and I'll leave this 1 year thing alone... I think I was addicted to cigarettes from the very first one I had. I was in college and 18 years old (you’d think I’d know better by then!). After taking a really tough Physics test (designed to cut down the class size, I believe), I stepped outside. My brain felt like all the wrinkles had been worn off of it and it was rolling about in my skull like a marble. A good friend finished at about the same time and came out rubbing his head, too. He sat down on a step and lit up a Camel. Taking a huge draw, he let out the most contented sounding sigh I had ever heard. Hey, if it helped him, it’d help me. I bummed a smoke and the rest is history. I bought my first pack an hour later.
I have a lot of reasons to keep my quit. I have 3 children, one doctor, one lawyer and a shortstop for the Royals. They’re gonna need my guidance (or at least my money) if they’re to achieve their (my) goals. I have a wife, who would prefer not to be a widow. I am athletic and would like to stay that way. All of those things made me want to quit…but none of it was enough to make me quit. Wanting to and doing it are entirely different.My epiphany occurred a couple weeks before I quit. I got to thinking about what I believed myself to be as compared to what smoking had made me...
I had to ask myself. Which am I? The person I tell myself I am? The person I want to be? Or am I the person who is doing all this nonsense? Is that who I really am?
The answer was clear and my course of action was set. I just needed my last straw to jump-start my lazy ass. That came during the NCAA Tournament this March. KU was playing a game Friday night, the 23rd. I think it was an Elite 8 game, but I’m not sure. Tip off was at 9:30 CST. At 9:25 I stepped outside to have a cigarette before the game…oops! I had forgotten to buy a pack on my way home and I was out! Got to run to the store! That’s when it hit me…the last straw. I was NOT going to miss tip-off because I was a slave to Philip Morris! I said some choice words and went back in the house.
That night found me searching the web for advice…and there was Blairsville. The list of people who have helped me is too long for my brain to recall, and I know I’ll miss some, but I want to mention John Miller, DaveS, Bob, Bob-Hart, Forge, Scott and Nik. Their advice and info has been invaluable.
There’s another factor that has made my quit possible. In Blairsville, I met my QB, Tess. She has been a lifesaver on numerous occasions. For the first few months, I was a complete basket case. Paranoid, stupid and just plain mean. Tess puts up with all the things I can’t post on the board. She doesn’t take offense and she’s not afraid to kick my a$$ or tell me to pull my head out of same. I would’ve been just another life-long smoking casualty of the quit without her.
With the help of God (with whom I’ve had numerous conversations on the topic), Blairsville (where more conversations took place) and Tess (who got all the stuff I couldn’t say to the first two) I can honestly call myself a non-practicing smoker. And to quote the lovely Miss Etta James…”At last….”
I haven’t quit for 1 year. I’ve quit for one day…over and over again.
Pain is weakness leaving the body.