EZMONEY

Jay

Gary, I am so sorry to hear of this.

I quit cold turkey in 1994. I had quit seriously three previous times. I am not going to say that I will never smoke again, but I think there is a good chance for me at this point.

I gained weight each time I quit, but at the time, I didn't even think about not gaining weight. If I had been reading 3fc, it would have occured to me that I could at least limit the weight gain.

I am a former drinker and smoker. In my case, the addiction to nicotine and alcohol transferred only weakly to food. I overeat to soothe myself sometimes, but it just isn't the same as alcohol and ciggies. The cigs are harder than the booze, IMHO.

Thank you all for the encouragment and support. In my heart, I don't feel I am ready for this. But I want to be ready. It's kind of like with this weight loss thing. I wasn't really ready for a long time. I tried dieting so many times. Never worked. Then something just changed in me..my attitude. And I need to feel the same way towards smoking. I am scared changing my momentum to getting rid of tobacco will cause me to fail at both quiting smoking and dieting. I am using my smoking now as a crutch to get me over snacking unhealthily at times. I want a candybar, I grab a cig instead. Even though I KNOW I need to stop. I KNOW the dangers. I don't WANT to die of lung cancer of heart disease. I am scared to death of finding out at my next physical that something is wrong with me. (I've haven't smoked steadily but 2.5 years..socially for 8)

Gary I am SO sorry , and you can lecture me anytime. I need it. I need something. I really am striving to quit before I start being a nurse. That gives me two more years of school, but I don't want to wait that long.

Here are my delusions of why I can keep smoking and be ok: My grandmother and great aunt both died very young of ovarian and breast cancers respectively..Both were healthy, non drinkers and non smokers with no drug habits. Their other sister had drank and smoked 2 packs a day since she was 16. She's 80 and still kicking.

I just feel like I might as well smoke, because I could just as easily get hit by a car tomorrow as get lung cancer in 10 years..I am a stupid girl

I tend to feel the same way, Mary. I'm a 2 pack a day smoker, and while I know intellectually that I'm slowly and painfully killing myself, part of me just doesn't believe it. On the other hand, I have VERY ugly lungs. I can feel them. I've had a persistent smoker's cough for a couple of years now, I have lots of yucky phlegm in the mornings and I cough lots up when I start exercising (ugh!); I also know that I can't make much more improvement with my fitness activities until I give up the cigarettes. The thing is that I really love them. They are a complete crutch for me; I feel like they bring joy to my universe. It's stupid.

I too am trying to want to quit. I think I want to go on Zyban and cold turkey it. Bf is thinking about hypnosis. Apparently it worked for his dad, but I'm dubious.

sockmonkey, if I the choice to die of lung cancer or get hit by a car, but only between those two, then I'd go for the car. I've had friends die of lung cancer and it is not pretty and takes a long time.

baffled111, I'm sorry. One's drug of choice often feels that way.

I quit for five years and then started again, and I knew the whole time it was stupid. I quit again, but it took me three more years to do it. I haven't smoked for 18 years now.

Jay

My uncle died of lung cancer. He was a long time smoker. Although I wish he couldv'e been a LONGER time smoker. He didn't have the opportunity though to. He died quite young, because of the cigarettes. He suffered terribly.

Sockmonkey, this is the quote from your last post that really stuck out for me. You said "I wasn't really ready for a long time. I tried dieting so many times. Never worked." I can't help but think how thankful you are that you finally decided, when you did, to change you attitude, get ready, and make it happen re weightloss. And you have done so wonderfully. Just think where you would be had you not committed to this weight loss effort...you would be at 224. BUT YOU'RE NOT at 224, now you are at a much healthier 184, and aren't you much happier? Smoking is the same, it is a battle, it will be hard, but you have to start to quit, make that effort, before it happens. And if you start now, who knows, in a few months you may have quit. Or try now and you may hit some bumps and you may still be smoking, but none the less you will be no worse off than had you just kept smoking (and I think you are stronger than you think, if you do truly decide to kick it I think you will). If you want to quit, I say give it a shot ASAP. It may take a couple of tries, but if there is one thing this weight loss thing has taught me it's that waiting to change our lives gets us nowhere. Give it a go, you may surprise yourself. A healthy weight, healthy lungs, a healthy heart, it will be great (but incredibly hard, don't get me wrong). Sorry this was so long, I got to rambling.

Pretty much all the advice I would have given has already been said - I just wanted to send a big to EZMONEY and to say quitting sux but it can be done. I quit cold turkey in 1997 (from 2 packs a day for almost 15 years)....it's funny but now I see someone smoking and I think..smoking? So last millenium... :P

IMHO - quitting smoking is more important than losing more weight at 184. If you had to choose...which you don't really. You can DO IT!!! We are all rooting for ya.

You just never know, but I will say that the quality of life you live as a non-smoker will be worth it!

Thank you JAY and ROBIN.


So did my favorite uncle Robin.

My mom passed away last night. She is now with our Lord and breating easy for the first time in at least 15 years....for this I am truly happy.

I am doing ok........

continued prayers for you MARY and all the other smokers to succeed in your plans to stop.

Gary

Blessings, Gary. She is free of suffering.

Jay

I am so sorry Gary. May she rest in peace.

How I wish there was something we could do for you here at 3FC to help you and your family through this difficult time. Robin

Mary, as of the 19th of this month, I will be smoke free for two years. I smoked for 23 years. I now have these lovely smoker's wrinkles all around my mouth. I will always have to get periodic cat scans of my lungs to make sure I don't develop lung cancer. Although quitting smoking greatly reduces the risk of getting lung cancer, we still have a much greater risk than people who have never smoked or been exposed to second hand smoke.

I won't lie to you...quitting was tough. I remember walking the floors and crying because I just didn't know how to relax. But, after the first two weeks, it got easier and easier each day. Now, I rarely think of a cigarette. I only think of one maybe once every 3 or 4 months. In the past, I had tried many many times to slowly reduce the number of cigarettes I smoked, with the goal of eventually smoking none. This just did not work for me. I would start to slow down, but, the next thing I knew, I was up to 1 1/2 packs a day again. I had to quit by going cold turkey and by playing mind games with myself. Each time I thought about a cigarette, I would not allow myself to dwell on the fact that I couldnt smoke one. I would tell myself "you are not a smoker" and then make myself think of something else. I had to repeat this process over and over and over again. Also, I think it is very important to find a replacement for whatever reason it is that you smoke. Mine was to relieve stress. At the time, I did turn to food to relax and I gained an additional 44 pounds in one year, however, I was also going through surgical menopause. Now, I post on 3FC, I take a bubble bath with a good book, I watch TV, I play a free game on Pogo.

I always used the need to lose weight as a reason not to quit smoking. The reality is that many of the reasons why we smoke are the same reasons why we overeat. It just makes much more sense to create alternate ways of handling both issues at one time.

PS. Gary, I am so sorry to hear about the passing of your Mom.

I quit cold turkey 6/16/01. And I always wanted something in my mouth after that. Yes, your tastebuds do come back...helps to reduce your sodium too since you don't need so much salt once you quit. But I think it has more to do with the need to have something in your mouth, or to be putting something in your mouth...using your hands. So you start reaching for chips, or whatever and you have the old ciggie hand to mouth again, but this time it's not a ciggie.

I watched my aunt balloon up huge after she quit, then she lost it again once she started up again. The cigs replaced the food again. So when I quit, I stocked up on sugar free hard candy and gum. If it wasn't mealtime, I would stave off the feeling of wanting something to eat with those. And I kept my weight the same.