Smoking..

Hey, Nicole, my sister Niner... Don't MAKE me come there and slap you for "...feel(ing) stupid...". You're a human! You're entitled to slip on occasion! The good part is that you're going to do it again. I printed up a little 'saying' and I have it hanging on the bulletin board at my desk. It says: "Courage does not always roar. Courage is often that quiet voice at the end of the say saying "I will wake up tomorrow and try again"." Just pick yourself up and go for it again. You're gonna be fine. These are trying days, and you're gettin' thru 'em with grace and style. Kimmer Smoke Free By The Grace Of God Zero-minus-16 and counting!

Hey, Toots! Good decision to stop. I've been smoke-free since Labor Day. I'll never be one of those "REFORMED" smokers who glares at people as they walk thru a group of smokers, who hacks and coughs exaggeratedly to prove a point. People like that just annoy me. But I will tell ya that I'm so glad I did it now, and I'd've NEVER thought I'd ever say that. I had to be smoke-free for a minimum of 6 weeks for my 1st surgeon, no choice. So I didn't whine or fight him, I just said "okey-dokey", and went home and thought that nite. The next morning I went to my PCP and got a prescription for Nicotrol Inhalers. He said they're THE BEST, and I have to agree. I gave myself a week of some behavioral modification before I actually stopped, I progressively made it more and more difficult for myself to smoke - by the end of the week, I was laughing at how mean I was being to myself! I hadn't smoked at work for about 5 years anyway 'cuz it was way too far to walk to the "Designated Leper Area", so I chewed Nicorette gum during the day. But I made up for it while I was off the clock. First thing I did was I didn't take my smokes up to my bedroom at nite. I didn't allow myself a cig until I was in the car leaving for work - none while getting ready for work. The first 2 days, I allowed myself 2 smokes to/from work, a regular 5-6 smoke ride. That brought me up to Wednesday. On Wednesday, I took all my ashtrays out of the house, packed up all my lighters (some expensive ones, too) and gave them to all my buddies at work. I then allowed myself only 1 cig to/from work. I put an ashtray on my patio, and I forced myself to go outside to smoke from that point on...I banished myself from my own home! (I live alone...you've GOT to appreciate the irony there!). Then I started making myself stretch the time in between cigarettes longer and longer. The weekend hit, I was going 2-2.5 hours between cigarettes, and was "holding". At 7:12 p.m. on Labor Day 2003, I smoked my last cigarette; I actually more like "made love" to that last cig. I smoked that thing right DOWN to the filter, tasted the burning filter, and finally put it out and proclaimed "Well, that the end of an era", and have not had one since. I immediately started with the Nicotrol Inhalers, and it's been a literal walk thru the park for me. Oh...I forgot to mention...I prayed. I prayed, my family prayed, my friends prayed, my dogs prayed, everyone prayed. We prayed a LOT and we prayed HARD. I gave it to God and asked Him to deliver me from it, and He did -- HE gets "the win" on it. But I also did my part...thought it out, made my gameplan, stuck to it, and did it. I'll add ya to my list of "trying to quit smoking" folks to pray for. Prayer works wonders! If I can do it, anybody can...I smoked 2.5+ packs a day for 29+ years 'til last Labor Day. Kimmer Smoke Free and Feeling Good! Zero-minus-16 and counting!

WOW Kimmer...2.5 packs...dang woman how was ya breathing.? I'll put them down tonight....if I keep myself busy at work I won't want to smoke,but I'm gonna look into the inhalers myself for the just in case times. This is gonna be a very stressful week for me, so much to do before surgery and not enough time in the day to do it. I have to give up 2 of my fav things...COKE and SMOKING...(coke in a can that is ) didn't want ya to think I had a snortin problem too. Thanks for puttin me on the prayer list and for your response. I will give it a go starting first thing Monday a.m. HAve a great week. MJ

Melissa, Good luck with the cigs. It's a TOUGH one but ya really gotta do it!! I was lucky enough to quit in November 1991, AFTER I had some minor surgery. (I had been in for a D & C and a polypectomy). I had more discomfort from the trach tube and the anethesia than I did from the procedure itself. I put the smokes down, but never really said I had quit. I just wasn't smoking. Probably about 6 or 8 weeks into it, I finally admitted to myself that I had 'quit'. Now 12 plus years later, I don't have any room in my budget for smokes, but ya know there are times when they still call out to me. Hugs & smoooches, Mo (doin' the 29 day boogie )

Listen to my angelette.. Kimmer kicks butt.... You're the 1st WV girl I have seen on here.. Hubby is from Greenbriar County!! Good Luck!!

HAY Kathy, I work in Greenbrier County..beautiful country if ya like the farm life. MJ

I made it two weeks. I crochet to keep my hands busy and in that week I made three scarfs, a purse to match one of them and a six place setting of placemats & coasters and finished the set with trivets (hot pads for the table) (the table set was 100% cotton) oh yeah and matching pot holders, four of them! I was pathetic! Happy and grouchy at the same time! Then my hubby quit his job of 27 years in an unhappy note and my stress shot through the roof that day. I thought "I'll go to a liquor store and get one of those flavored ones" that are sold one at a time. Unfortunately I choose a store that didn't have those so I bought a pack, smoked two and threw them out. Of course it was real easy to buy more and I did. I threw the second and third partial packs out the window into a dumpster....same dumpster too! The fourth pack I smoked, hiding out behind the garage hoping my hubby didn't see me or smell it on me. I used lots of toothpaste and perfume that week! Well, I'm back to smoking. The biggest problem is that I'm one who enjoys a smoke. Is there any way to break the habit????

Oh I crochet maybe I should try that to keep myself busy, my crochet stuff is just sitting in the closet! ~Nicole

Gayle -- I LOVED smoking. I didn't quit 'cuz I wanted to, I quit 'cuz in order to have the surgery, I had to (with my 1st surgeon....this surgeon doesn't care if ya smoke or not). I still get cravings for a smoke. That's when I grab my inhaler, like, RIGHT now, and then I make myself THINK of something else, and do something to take my mind off of it. So far, none of my cravings have been unbearable. But I know that if I bought just ONE pack of smokes, I'd be back again 100% in no time flat, so I've just made a decision to stay the heck away from 'em. Period. Kimmer Queen of the Niners, Instigator to All Marchers, High Priestess of Giggles Zero-minus-15 and counting!