wow...over $10/pack?! that is a lot! I remember when i first started smoking (at the age of 13) back in 1994, i think a pack of marlboro were only about $1 or $1.25 or something like that.....but with TX passing that new cigarette tax law last year, they raised the tax price paid on the packs by $1 more per pack and $10 more per carton. so here on the army base we used to pay about $26/carton....and right after that passed we started paying almost $40/carton (luckily hubby was deployed and i was only buy 3 cartons/month instead of the current 7 cartons/month)....but prices are slowing down again to where it's usually between $33-$36/carton. still gets expensive. hubby left on a camping trip with our neighbors today and he had to go get another carton, because we were only down to 2 packs for both of us, and i JUST bought a carton a few days ago?! OMG! it's outragous!
thanks susan for sending me that e-book. i am reading it now (while i'm supposed to be working out) lol i'm on page 20 something now....trying to get a few more pages in then i'll walk on the treadmill and get a shower, and read some more before my son wakes up....hope to finish the book before the weekend. i need all the help i can get. Thanks so much!!!!

Thank-you...oh, and heck I don't know what happened to that money! But...that really doesn't matter...I do know what I didn't spend it on!

Susan, years ago I was in a program called SMOKENDERS...I don't even think they have it anymore. Anyway my first wife did the program and completed it with flying colors...still smoke free today...26 years! I completed it but started again...I did it several years later...completed it...but started again....The one phrase I always remembered was "You are just a puff away...from a pack a day!" ....that was so true in my life....

thanks so much susan for that ebook....i printed most of it off into booklet form (to save on some paper) and have been able to keep reading it while not on the laptop...i am at chapter 25 (pg 69) now...so i'm over half way thru....hope to finish it by tonight....was considering trying to quit over this weekend since hubby and the neighbors are gone (3 of 5 are smokers, to include hubby and one set of neighbors)....we'll see how i do next week esp with another 5 packs (half carton) still in the house...but i've gotten to wear i'm slowing down on them. been trying to focus that energy on cleaning my house (nothing makes my hubby happier than a clean house)...so it might be a better trade - clean house and cleaner lungs and more money for things we enjoy more (and good cleaning supplies) LOL

Still keeping a eye on this thread and setting mind on giving up.
Susan can I have a copy on that e book? Please.
Anything that will help, would be gratefully appreciated
Armywife, I guess my house is going to get cleaned as well. lol

good luck maryl! she sent it to me in PM good luck...i'm already on pg 80something....

I'm so happy you all are even considering quitting. It's so much better for us all!

i'm about to start pg 94....so only a few more pages left...very motivated too....might quit before the end of today will suprise hubby when he gets home tomorrow afternoon to still find over 5 packs fo cigs here in the house lol he took 6 packs with him yesterday....but i think he might only make it back home with 1-2 packs....considering he'll be outside for 2 days camping (and we only smoke outside, or in his truck) and out fishing on his boat....and they were all drinking last night, so i know he went thru plenty then too....this ought to be an interesting test once they all return and i'm around them again....hubby smokes, and out of the two couples (our neighbors) we hang out with - one couple smokes and the other couple are non-smokers.
we shall see lol

ok, i finished reading the book......I finished my last cig at 620pm CST.....and hubby called before then wanting me and the kids to come out to the lake (where they're all camping/fishing)...but my son was asleep. but he's now awake...i am to call hubby when he wakes up to see if hubby is out on his boat and even around for us to see him....but he'll be home by noon tomorrow, and that's a lot of gas i am not sure i can afford to refill right now (it's nearing $3.509/gal here)....plus i think if i did go out there i would just light up again.....this way i stay home and will be without cigs for almost 24 hours before the 3 smokers (hubby and 2 friends) get back home....i'm gonna try to make it work this time....

I'm intrested in joining this thread! Here is a little background. I worked on quitting while my DH was at a 30 day training in Janurary and I did pretty good. DH smokes and being in the Army, he is having a hard time quitting since everyone seems to smoke at work. So with him having them around, I'd have one here and there and over the past week have ended up picking the habit back up. Everytime I am exercising I keep thinking how can I be doing this and still smoking. I want to be healthy, inside and out. So I am planning on no more starting Monday. I have a problem with putting on weight when I quit smoking. I pretty much put on 15 lbs in the past 3 months with my quit. So hopefully I can find something else to relieve my stress, instead of smoking. I was stressed when I woke up this morning, just a hectic morning in the house, and I felt so good after exercising. I am currently doing WATP so maybe just doing the 1 mile when the stress gets too bad during the day.

Good luck everyone who decides to quit and hopefully this thread can be motivation to others to quit. I know it is hard to quit and just to think about never having another one again can seem like too much, so I'm just going to take it one day at a time.

well i did have two more after that before going to bed...it's hard to quit until bedtime for me...so i had my last one late last night, then came in and brushed my teeth and played my electronic yahtzee game before falling asleep. at least i didnt feel the need to finish the pack, like i normally would (when hubby's gone), since hubby will be home today to finish them....he may or may not decide to quit soon, dunno. he quit in iraq and never wanted another, till he got home and a week later i was beggin for one and i started back which ultimately got him started back.
but i now i was waiting for him to be ready to quit [again] before i tried....cuz it's hard being married when one smokes and the other is trying to quit. either he'll quit too or i'll start back up and wait til he is ready.....hopfully the first option...
i've been up for about 30 minutes now (thanks to my two lil alarm clocks waking up) LOL and i have so far brought more hangers downstairs to put on the laundry sorter so i can start hanging and folding laundry while my pinks load dries...and need to get all that put away then when i go upstairs to put clothes away i plan to clean those two bathrooms and when thats done, i will clean the kids rooms before letting them come downstairs (into my clean living room, at least till they pull all the toys outta the toy box) LOL and once downstairs again, i need to clean this bathroom and unload/reload the dishwasher and straighten up the kitchen and dining room.....
all before hubby gets home....but this is my plan to stay busy for the next few hours to fill my 'void' of smoking, and i will in return have a clean and uncluttered house (and lungs that are trying to become cleaner by the hour)....

This morning is really hard for some reason.

I know that lady across the street smokes and I'm eyeing her up just like a piece of meat

Best go to church and think on something else.

Hi ladies,

Wishing you the best with your committment to quit. It certainly isn't easy but surely is worth it.

Today is my 4 year quit anniversary. It really was hard because I was a person who was always with a cigarette tho I tried to be a considerate smoker around others including my DH who quit shortly after we met.

Some tips that helped me -
They say smokers are deeper breathers and when you quit you still long for that deep breath in. I found that when I had a craving, I cut soda straws in half and would suck on those and mimic smoking.

Remember that a craving only lasts for 3 minutes. Now at first you'll get a craving 5 times an hour, but they do pass and they do diminish in time. One of my huge milestones was when I realized an entire day had passed without a craving.

Do find something to substitute when you have a craving, after all you will be trading out one habit for another. At first I sipped water, or I'd go climb the flight of stairs in the house 3 times - just try not to use food as a tradeoff. You are trying to distract your brain.

I do recommend the quitnet dot com site. They have a ticker you can set up with how many cigarettes you smoked and the amount you spent and it tallies for you. After a while I found it motivating just to see those numbers roll up.

Susan - I can completely relate to you "eyeing up" the lady across the street. I got to a point when I "romanced" smoking - kind of like having a bad relationship that breaks up. As time passes, you get an occasional weak moment and you forget the bad things about the relationship and think to yourself - gee that wasn't so bad, was it? Well it was, you're just looking for an excuse. So it's good if you haven't already to write down a list of the things you don't like about smoking, keep it with you and read it when you get tempted.

For me, I had a persistent cough that I attributed to allergies (the lies we tell ourselves). Several people had told me over time that they knew I was walking down the hall at work because they recognised my cough. I was so embarrassed to hear that - and from different people. Within 2 weeks of quitting my cough was almost completely gone - so much for allergies.

Anyway - stick with it and be strong! And remember that some days will be easy and some will be harder - sometimes for no apparent reason. Just tell yourself - just for today, I'm not going to smoke. Don't worry about today, deal with this day, this moment.

well hubby came home earlier than i had planned on it....oh well....i'll try to quit soon, as i can convince him of it again too oops.

You'll be happy to know that I didn't accost the neighbour lady.

Happy2bme is right. The actually rush of 'wishing' I had a smoke is very short.

Don't give up Mandey. Know that you can go periods of time without one. That is strong stuff and good to know.

So I went to bed last night with the mind set of quitting...well, I did very poorly today. ugghh, i really wish I wouldn't have started back up.