Officially Commiting to Quitting Cancer Sticks

[Cristal Lilly]

hi everyone,

I have just had my last cigarette, here with you guys. the idea of quitting has actually been on my mind for about 6 months now, which is an unusually long time for me since I was not one of those smokers who constantly think about quitting, I was one of those who do it because they enjoy it as sin.

I started smoking for my own reasons, none of which had anything to do with image, and at the time it was actually the smartest thing I could've done (with the resources I had available). I can elaborate, if anyone is indeed so curious, but atm I really wouldn't like to linger on starting the old habit, I want to focus on starting a cigarette free life.

so I picked today. I didn't plan on picking today when I woke up, but during the course of the day a funny situation appeared and I decided I'm going to use it as an opportunity.

I was sitting in a cafe with a friend and a member of my family. this member of my family is what you'd call the opposite of kind and loving. could even say prone to petty feelings and such. the cafe was in a mall, where this person previously dragged me to for shopping purposes (in fact, this person knows that I hate shopping and I was only bringing my friend along because I was a bit scared of what verbal scars I'll be coming home tonight if I don't have a shield compelling it to atleast play a bit more nice there. audience does that to people btw. I recommend it for those of you who can't get a break from that not so nice someone.)

so before sitting down for coffee we were all in shop. now I am currently in a not so good financial spot (nice term for being basically broke) due to working for free to help someone with their business. and there is this suit in the shop.. I don't even dare to look at it, since it's a suit and suits tend to not be cheap merchandize, and I have this almost fetish thing for nice fitted suits. this person obviously noticed the puppy eyes and me almost running away from it, so they keep dragging me over to it. 'come look at this'.. 'isn't this your style.. well, I mean your style if you would decide to dress classy and elegant' ..'wouldn't you like to have this'.. 'come, feel this fabric..omg it's so nice and soft'.. and everything else along those lines.

I finally get suckered into trying it on 'for fun only', because I was hoping it would reveal some terrible lack of accordance with my body (I have a very distinct hourglass figure.. most suits usually end up in a fight with those features so this was supposed to work on me not pining for that damn suit). as you can probably hint by now, it was the opposite. that suit is one stealthy peace of work. completely messed with my defenses. it fitted almost perfectly.

so we go out of that shop and have coffee. and I'm puffing away smoke and dreaming about that suit. and the family member constantly keeps saying things to hype me up, even though I'm trying my best to look not dreamy and rationally explain that while a new one would be really useful, I'm commited to living on a budget and there is just no room for this. maybe some other suit. the family member then goes on a tour de glee and tells me they have the money.
but.. there is a condition. I think to myself naturally, there always is. they will in fact buy this suit for me if I stop one of the things I enjoy so much. but to make it really hard, it has to be something I'm not just psychologically addicted to. and they of course pick cigarettes. (may I mention that this person also smokes and I seriously doubt their genuine concern for my wellbeing?). they say I can't do it. they dangle the suit in front of me and try to put me in a 'dance, monkey, dance' position.

so I looked at the situation and figured I have two choices here. I can feel humiliatedd, give them what they want and light another cigarette, stubbornly delaying execution of my actual wish to be a non smoker just because someone is pushing all my buttons. or I can look at this as a manifestation of an opportunity to do what I wanted to do anyways and get a suit out of it. so I picked doors number two. and said 'deal. I'm taking your bet on'. the sheer expression on their face when they realised I'm not kidding was priceless.. some glee that turned into a clash of confusion and almost disappointment or fear. not sure.

oh yeah, and then I negotiated also getting the suit tailor fitted (to be even better).

and keeping this one last cigarette, which I smoked here with you. as a symbol of an end of an 'era' and birth of my own personal commitment to this goal, so that I view it as a step in my personal development, and completely dettach it from any pompous disrespectful resistance-causing people whatsoever.

so I thought about opening this thread to commit more so.. and have you people as my personal auditors of this smoke free diary. I may need some help along the way, all support will be appreciated, and if anyone here wants to jump on the ride with me, please feel welcome.

next I may post some of my reasons for being a non smoker.. and I would really like to start with work on some positive beliefs on not smoking. would anyone happen to have some advice in this particular area, since I'm finding it hard to form something about not being a smoker, because it's just too similar to focusing on what I don't want. so this part is confusing me alittle. also, all other advice is more than wellcome.

and also, please forgive me if I start to whine here. remember, for every whine you read here somebody's head doesn't get bitten off! (jk)

[bluemoon]

Congrats to you! I quit on June 3 of this year, kind of on the spot, cold turkey. It's the way to go. I would definitely recommend having some kind of support system in place, whether a friend or an online support group or whatever. Also, write down reasons why you want to quit and keep them with you

They said the physical cravings last 3 days, but I didn't have too bad a time. It was worse going out with friends who smoked or going to a bar. I took a break from the bar scene, though, and now it doesn't really bother me at all.

I wouldn't recommend it to anyone, but one of the reasons I stayed quit was because I slipped up once after a month and a half. The cig tasted so nasty, and I was so upset at having broken my quit that I am even less tempted than before to smoke another one. It's just not worth it.

Anyways, I'm cheering for you!

[Cristal Lilly]

Thank you

as far as the support system goes, I'm trying to create one right here. having one in physical presence would probably make more sense, but I had no luck with that when I tried. but, I'm a stubborn determined thing, and I can pull this off. and with the support being offered around this place.. hey, the sky's the limit

now this is day one.. I stocked up on the nicotine chewing gum thingies and on sunflower and pumpkin seeds and cut up plenty of fruit because a part of my smoking habit is the oral fixation. I've been munching on those all day.
do you think those seeds are a good choice? I would hate to get fat because of an oral fixation and a misconception that I'm eating right.

I'm hoping the nicotine gum will ease the edge of the addiction. I was only 'forced' to chew one gum so far, I'm trying to stick out as much as I can with willpower and only chew gum when I feel the strongest urge to quit quitting smoking and those puffs seem like a pleasure enough to justify that silly thought.THEN I start chewing and keep myself out of trouble. I'm hoping with this hardcore approach (I'll give the body its fix when it would otherwise make me yield, but anything below that level is ignored) my body will be free from the mere nicotine addiction quickest.

if anyone else here has experience with this, would you advise pro or contra this? I don't want to accidentally bring myself in a position of almost certain failure.

one thing I've noticed is.. my god, my head hurts so bad. seriously seriously bad.. I'm gonna have a large cup of coffee and a chewing gum now.. see if anything helps.

good news is that everyone's head is still where it should be (and also, for future generations: it turns out quitting smoking is apparently attractive to men)

[Honeywith4bees]

Way to go Cristal Lilly!

My Dad used to keep a big jar of water filled with old cigarette butts on his desk. Whenever he had the urge for a smoke he'd unscrew the cover and take a whiff. Ewww.

I smoked for about 7 years when I was younger. I quit cold turkey and took up running instead.

Seeds are good but are pretty calorie dense. Maybe carrots and celery instead?


Good luck! I really am rooting for your success.

[danas]

thats great! now you have a new suit for your new smoke free life!
I think smoking adds smoke to you life (duh), meaning many things you dont want to deal with, are hidden in the haze of smoke.
When you stop smoking, things that were somewhere in the blur, become infocus and you have to deal with them. it may be a bit overwhelming but its much better then living in a smoky haze of course.

[Dan.Linehan]

My advice is to eat something every time you want a cigarette.

Carry snack food with you just for this purpose. The healthier the better. Apples, trailmix, etc. Replace the smoking habit with food.

Because you'll be getting cravings. And you'll need something to do when you get them.

With this method you might gain a little weight in the short term, but maybe not if you just eat fruit constantly. Changing your diet is so easy to fix though long term. The nicotine addiction is much harder to beat in the grand scheme of things.

[bluemoon]

You definitely need to do what's right for you, and it sounds like you're off to a great start! If I may make one suggestion, I would REALLY encourage you to go cold turkey rather than messing with nicotine replacements. When my bf quit, he used nicotine replacements briefly, but they made him sick and kept him addicted to the stuff (I mean, when it comes right down to it, you need to go cold turkey at SOME point, right?) Just keep telling yourself how badass you are for kicking the chains of addiction!

And don't even worry about the food replacing cigs thing. 1. You will have sooo much more energy and breath to exercise in a month or so (I LOVE how much better I sleep and how fast I can run!) and 2. It's better to gain a few pounds than to smoke, I promise.

I am usually not this rabidly enthusiastic about things, but I remember a few times how close I came to slipping were it not for me reading about how AMAZING it was to be smoke free. And it is! Please keep us updated, and don't be afraid to post if you're feeling a craving and need some help.

[Cristal Lilly]

Thank you all for your advice and support, it's really appreciated.

@honeywith4bees: carrots are a great suggestion, I don't know how I didn't think of it *facepalms* thank you . they work great for the oral fixation part (for some reason crunchy stuff satisfies it better).

@dan.linehan: I am replacing it food. I thought that was bad of me, but I guess if you all say it works.. then it's good. I already previously managed to beat the habit of sodas and unhealthy snacking on a regular basis, so snackies are healthy unless I ran out of the house in a rush and forgot to pack some with me and then I have no choice. seeds were useful for this purpose, cause I could have them in my purse all the time, but as honeywith4bees suggested, I'm gonna switch to veggies. especially cause my appetite has been growing...
BUT. I'd like to see my body managing to get fat if I nibble on carrots and cucumbers all the time! ha body! I trick you into being healthy!

@danas: I've been dealing before quitting actually.. that's what made me realise smoking is my crutch and now I believe I've worked on myself enough to be able to ditch the crutch and stumble around the world on my own
but if this brings even more clarity, AWESOME.

while we're on clarity, one of the reasons on my list is to do with that..the list is titled 'why I am a non smoker' (figured present time usage would be more inspiring) and reason no#3 states that I am a non smoker to achieve optimal clarity of mind. (also I want to achieve maximum of my spirituality, and I realised I can't really convince the universe I'm ready for the ultimate love and truths if I'm at the same time engaged in a self destructive behaviour. now, is fixing that congruent of me or what

@bluemoon: thanks for the advice, but I think I'll be sticking with the nicotine gum for a week atleast. see, smoking has gotten to be such a freaking habit, and so many people around me smoke, that it's seriously hard enough to not light up out of habit&social aspect&everything else.. I honestly think that's as far as I'm able to deal with right now.
but I am keeping in mind the gum is only a temporary replacement crutch to get me through the worst of it (first week atleast), and I'm using the weaker gum cause I wasn't a too heavy smoker (it would be up to one pack a day, but never more, and usually less). yesterday I had 3 pieces of gum for the worst moments, and the intructions say 8-12 per day is usual..so I think I'm doing good and that this whole sticking it out with willpower as much as I can thingie is working.

if I'm deluding myself here, I invite you all to gang up on me.

now for the daily report... yesterday I did good, only 3 gum, and I stuck it out despite a huge headache.. I also noticed increased sweating.

today I noticed I can smell a bit better, so i had to dump my whole closet in the washing machine before going to work because I can smell traces of smoke EVERYWHERE. and it BUGS me SO MUCH. no headache so far, so I'm grateful. and also, I had no idea I make such a kickass coffee.
and also, the office coffee sucks. SERIOUSLY sucks. so basically I'm trying to tell you I'm tasting things differently, as well as smelling them now.
I'm rather surprised by that because I thought more time would need to pass for this to start happening.
did anyone else get this so quickly after quitting?

[Honeywith4bees]

Good luck today Cristal Lilly.

Cool that you noticed the smell. I was amazed how bad smokers REEK after I quit smoking. I can't believe I used to smell that way!!!

I gained quite a bit of weight after quitting, but like Dan said, after the nicotine urges were gone, I worked on the weight.

Once again, good luck!!

[bluemoon]

Oh, ok, I'm glad that you're not relying too heavily on the gum thing. I'd still recommend giving it up asap, though, it might lead to feelings of nausea and cravings. At least it did with the bf.

I actually got into to cooking during my spare time once I quit- money saved on smokes + time saved on not smoking + oral fixation = a great reason to cook. I tried to keep it healthy, so it's a good way to divert yourself for awhile and stock up on tasty things to keep around. I also drank a lot of juice, I heard it's good for replacing vitamins and reducing cravings. The best thing to do during a craving is just keep yourself occupied somehow.

[colint]

I strongly advise you to buy one of those squishy stress balls. Keep it in your bag, pocket or wherever you kept your cigs.

When you sit down with a drink (or on the phone, or watching TV), you'll be used to doing something with the other hand - get out the ball and play with it!

A neighbour found she put on weight by eating everytime she wanted a cigarette - who wouldn't with 20+ snacks a day?, although she was using sweets! She needed to replace the feeling of having something in her mouth, so she bought herself a couple of dummies (pacifiers)! She kept one in the house and another in the car. Whenever she felt the need to put something in her mouth, she put the dummy in.

All was going fine, until one day she parked the car and was about to walk into a store! She said, "Thank goodness you're not allowed to smoke in these places! It was second nature to put out the cigarette by the door, so I took out the dummy and then just stared at what was in my hand!"

Remember: you need resist ONLY the FIRST cigarette.


Colin

[Kate Saltfleet]

I am a smoker who hasn't lit up in nearly 7 years (I'm not an ex-smoker, they are so smug and self righteous ) I found herbal tea useful in the early days, I replaced the cig ritual with a make a cuppa ritual.

I guess it depends on your primary motivation for smoking. For me it was an excellent procrastination device, as in, "I'll have a cigarette and then I'll do whatever".

Well done Crystal Lily on making one of the best choices for improving your overall health!

[Cristal Lilly]

yay thank you all

I was a bit worried about this weekend, because I was going to spend it at Boyfriend's place, and Boyfriend is a smoker. so, I packed up my stuff and triplechecked that I have enough gum, and then ambushed his place with a healthy shopping spree.
Boyfriend watched in silent horror as the bags of veggies I was armed with kept taking up girly healthy space in his manly fridge. there were mushrooms, there were green beans, there were carrots.. oh the horror. Boyfriend was very good (especially considering his mindset), I have to praise him alittle

but a funny thing happened... there I was,all prepared to leave the room when he smokes so I don't give into temptation, all armed with things to bite, expecting some extremely difficult struggle with my own ego..and there was none of that. there was peace. the nicotine in the air actually influenced me, so I decided I won't chew gum while I'm there.

it was actually quite beautiful, the whole thing. I wasn't nervous, I wasn't fighting. I actually made some emotional breakthroughs that I started a while ago, and they finally reached a ripe stage and led to that aha moment in my mind.. and I did it by just laying there. I was HAPPY. which is quite funny, since I fully prepared for a miserable time of handling my own ego, controling myself not to be snappy and running away from a cigarette. now that I say it like that, it sounds way too negative..I was preparing for difficulties, but not in such a negative way. it was actually focusing on what I do want, and that is to stay aligned with my higher values no matter what (and I felt the need to explain it since I just realised how negative my description seems, and in fact, I really doubt I'd be able to produce the results I got with being that negative)

and then there was the eating...which I see is quite normal. so yeah, I'm still nibbling on something every five minutes. I really try and make it a point for those some things to be carrot sticks, olives, etc. which does NOT mean you want to leave chocolate around me.
you do not.
I did however make that chocolate atleast a dark one


so the weekend was lovely, the experience is actually quite amazing... but now I'm back to work and it's time to not get carried away by this elan of a fresh start (those can be tricky and I'm not falling for it so HA), instead I'll need to reinforce my alignment daily to stay true.. I'm nowhere near being out of the woods yet. I'm fully aware of that. but with all that taken in consideration, this is feeling really really good. it's not just the quitting smoking, it's the whole experience of aligning with true values.. damn I'm gonna be a hippy chick

thank you all for supporting my tree hugging puppy saving flower power

[bluemoon]

Congrats! Yeah, it's not so bad once you get over all the hype. Just so you know, the physical addiction ends after only 3 days, so you're officially done with that...

[Cristal Lilly]

officially done? GREAT!

I'm really surprised by how this is going.. and not just me, everyone around me too. though I believe my surprise is bigger, and of a different origin. I really thought this was something so amazingly hard and difficult that I am almost a fool for trying to do this without a professional.

now don't get me wrong, I still have cravings. I had a very strong one today, while having coffee with a smoker friend. I didn't light up. and now that I can say these cravings are purely of the mind I guess it will be easier on me . truth be told, even when I didn't know physical aspect of the addiction is over, I could identify this craving today as psychological. which isn't always the case, so I was double proud today - for not lighting up and for identifying. and now you tell me this, which confirms my diagnosis. so YAY

once again, thanks to everyone for your support. it has been and I believe it will continue to be a great aid in doing this. you people could be one of the keys of why this isn't monumentally hard (and is rather just plain old boring hard). it's really nice to have someone to talk to about this and who is actually encouraging. I'd give y'all a collective hug if I could, and I'm not the touchy type.

(*chuckles* I guess it's another aspect of me turning into a hippy chick. oh well. I did always love them nature things. I however promise to keep away from patchouli and keep a close relationship with my shower )

(oh and I'm still aware I'm not nearly done with this just because I'm over the physical part. I've been a non smoker only under a week now, I know it's not much but this whole thing just feels so right and natural to me so I get really happy. I decided happy is good and I'm not gonna ignore the happy because of fears/limiting beliefs)

[Clo]

Hi Cristal, just wanted to say congrats on the decision to quit smoking. I have just passed the 2 week mark, I am almost exactly one week ahead of you and let me tell you it gets a lot easier each day that passes. The past 3 days I did not once think about smoking a cig, which was the first time that had happened. I am loving the walks I take my dog on every day more and more now, I can smell tons of aromas that I never noticed before. My food has started tasting better to me, and I think I am addicted to the small carrots now.
This is my first post on this board after being a reader for a long time, and I figure this is the best place I can offer up some words. Keep with it, I promise you it will only get better and better. After a month or so you will notice a difference in the feel of your lungs and the way they are working, the cilia regrowing and doing what they are supposed to after being absent for such a long time is a feeling I am looking forward to!
Perhaps this is not the approved method by many, or any, and it might gross out some people, but I have decided to remove the picture of my dog for the meantime as the picture on my cell phone and replace it with a picture of a smokers lung found on the internet. This picture in particular. It is a nice reminder to me and I am using that as my motivation to help keep me on the "improving rather than destroying my life" path. I am thinking that after a month I will have that image burned into my brain and never wish to go there, and my poor pooch can go back on the phone.
I wish you ultimate success, keep us updated!

[Cristal Lilly]

after my last post, my enthusiasm was punished last night.. had a terrible cloud of nervous angry energy refusing to go anywhere. so my energy and I sat down after trying all sorts of stuff that didn't work. I was wondering if there's something that happens on one week mark, but later on it occured to me it didn't have to be just the no smoking thing.. I'm going through a hormonal change that is magnifying my emotions (and I completely forgot about it LOL *slaps her forehead*).
got me some nice violent d&d gaming lined up tonight for working all of that off.

clo, thanks for the support . you have my congratulations too! I also got another poor sob to hop onto this train of ours so all three of us will be a week apart. I just find that funny for some reason. I'm also sort of happy my topic got your very first post here, for some reason .

I fully support anything that works for you, even if it means removing the doggie portrait from your cellphone, but honestly that wouldn't work for me. I've seen plenty gore-y stuff, and this does nothing for me. my kittycats are staying right where they are. but hey, to each her own .

oh yeah, and feel free to use this topic to post your own updates too , I'll keep mine coming as well.

[bluemoon]

Congrats to you too Clo! I'm only a few days away from 4 months... and I can tell you both that it gets a lot easier after the first month. I used to get pretty bad cravings where I'd just go crazy wanting one, but I don't get those anymore- after the first month or so, they were pretty much gone. I'm not sure where you live, but where I am (Philly) we get some baaad winters and PA just passed a law that pretty much bans smoking in all restaurants and bars. This winter I'm going to be so cozy thinking about how I don't have to drag my ass out in the freezing cold for a smoke

[Stephen]

Good on everyone who has succeeded and is trying to succeed in giving up this awful habit.

Peace and Respect.

[Idaka]

I just wanted to write congrats to you! You are fighting through a very hard addiction and besides the health benefits of not smoking, you are finding out what a strong person you are. I know in my life when I can accomplish the hard things, esecially ones that seem almost impossible, I come out a better person.

So if you need any support let us know! We'll be here for you, to remind you why you want to do it, and that you can do it (even during those hard times!)

Great job.

[Jeni]

I have copied this directly from my blog. Feel free to visit it if you like what you read.

Using the Law of Attraction to quit smoking
Congratulations and kudos are in order. I have not smoked a ciggarette in one month. I made the decision to quit smoking for many reasons, but no matter how amazing my reasons were, they were not the secret of my success. The law of attraction was the secret to my successful transition into non-smoker.

In the hit movie the secret, you learn the basic steps to manifesting your desires using the law of attraction: ask, beleive, recieve. These steps worked for me, and they will work for you too, if you give them a chance.

First of all I wrote out my desire. I asked the universe for what I wanted. Using the law of attraction model outlined in the secret I asked the following:

I am so thankful and grateful now that I am a non-smoker.

The second step in the law of attraction is believing. I started beleiving that the last carton of ciggarettes I had bought would be the last ciggarettes I'd ever buy. I believed with my whole heart and mind and soul that when I smoked the last ciggad rette of that last pack that I would never pick up another ciggarette again. It would be the end, period.

The final step was receive. I smoked that last ciggarette with confidence and assurance that it was going to be my last and that I was done with ciggarettes forever. I allowed no negative thought that I might buy more ciggarettes or that I could bum one from someone else to enter my mind. I was steadfast that I was a non-smoker. I accepted and recieved the fact that I was a non-smoker with open arms.

This is not to say that quitting was easy, but I did it. I never once felt that I would cave. I felt assured that I was already a non-smoker, and that every day I would crave ciggarettes less and less and that it would be easier and easier every day. I was moody and tense and I broke into tears 4 times that first week, but I didn't want to smoke a ciggarette. Sure my emotions were a mess because my body was craving nicotene and all the other undesireable things found in a ciggarette, but mentally I didn't want one. I was through with them forever.

So I can say 100% certainty that the law of attraction can be used to quit smoking. The next time I quit an unhealthy habit I think I will include my emotional wellbeing and stress levels in my asking portion so that the transition period for my next big change will be less chaotic for myself and those around me.

For more information about the law of attraction and tons of great products and services to help you receive miracles using the law of attraction on a more consistant basis visit my website.

I am so thankful and grateful for the support of all the people who take the time to visit my website and to read my daily posts!