Well, this oughta be a fun day (kicking nicotine's butt content),

[Katastrophe]

So, I'm heading into work tonight with little sleep, and 24 hours with no smoking. This oughta be a fun, yet slightly crabby, adventure.

I've posted here before about quitting, and always continue to fail. So, here it is... I don't know if I will smoke tomorrow, but I haven't today. Last night my guitar and Netflix got me through the worst of the cravings. Whenever I got a craving I would either put on something to watch, or play the Strat unplugged. 1 more day or so and the nicotine will be out of my system. Looking forward to that.

[Bookkeeper's Son]

The surest way to stop smoking is to NEVER put another cig in your mouth. Never, never, ever. The whole "well I'll just have one...." thing screws the whole thing up. Keep on keepin' on!

Signed,

Six Years and Counting

[riverrick]

Good luck on your giving up the butts Katastrophe. It's one VERY hard thing to do. I've smoked most of my life. And have tried quitting many times. I'd be off them for a short time then back on again. Over and over and over!!! Well I've been off them this time for a year and a half. Even went to Vegas (the acid test for me). And didn't break down and buy a pack. So all the best to you my friend. It's the right thing to do.

[Tig***]

Stay strong.

Oh, and good luck, we're all counting on you...

[deeaa*]

I think the trick is not to tell yourself it is hard but easy, and it will be. I have quit many times, sometimes for years, and I haven't smoked consistently since 2005. but I do smoke especially in the summer. It may turn into pack or more a day even for a while, but thats when I quit completely again for at least a few weeks. I'll be cranky for a day and feel like life makes no sense the next, depressed and such, but then it is fine.

I just don't want to quit entirely...i enjoy a smoke now and then too much. Plus it really helps me sing better, I always smoke heavily before a gig or studio session and I'll be able to really rip it all nigh. without cigarettes I feel I sound wimpy and it is much harder to sing powerfully and hit the notes with precision.

Sent from my HTC HD2 using Tapatalk 2

[R_of_G]

One piece of advice my doctor gave me that I think helps a lot is to not just declare yourself a failure if you have a one cigarette. Of course the objective is to quit and not make excuses to ever have one again, but in the event you do have one that doesn't mean you've failed and now you may as well just keep smoking. Yeah, you had the one, now don't have another because you feel bad about it.

Best of luck to you Kat. I hope it works for you this time around.

[piebaldpython***]

Good luck with quitting smoking Kat. While modifying eating habits isn't the same as quitting smoking, I certainly know what you're going through.

I sit at a computer all day long and 1 floor down from me is a splendidly stocked snack shop that carries ALL of my addictions: TastyKakes, Cheez Curls, Goldenberg's Peanut Chews, etc. I can hear them calling my name.....like a Siren's song from mythology.

Stay strong brother.

[Katastrophe]

Holding fast today, brothers...

Day 2 w/ no smoking... I'm not sleeping all that well, and the cravings are still a beeyotch. But, I'm still not smoking, despite temptations to have one of those electronic cigarettes. I'd rather gut it out and get past the physical addiction part than prolong the process.

Incidentally, I am taking some medication to help with the process. It ain't doing anything to curb the cravings, but I will manage on my own as well.

Tig, the Airplane references are timeless. Lloyd Bridges cracked me up! "Looks like I picked the wrong week to stop sniffing glue."

Thanks for the continued support, guys.

[riverrick]

WTG Kat!!! Keep up the good work. Just don't take that 1st one.

[Katastrophe]

Still going strong... No smoking today.

[riverrick]

Excellent!!!

[deeaa*]

I decided not to smoke for a while now too. I smoke a full pack a few days ago, the last working day, which we celebrated by bathing w/the wife for hours drinking cold ciders & me smoking too.

I'll refrain from it at least until I get back on my feet after the work year.

It's funny, despite you might think teaching isn't such a hard job etc. still every start of the summer I get this period where I'm completely useless. The first days of holiday I'm active and start some overdue work projects etc. but before long, it all comes crashing down, maybe because all those stress hormones release or whatever...in any case, the day before yesterday I slept like 9 hours straight, then yesterday I could not get up from the bed basically the whole day. I was completely dizzy and out of breath (I have BPPV now and then) and all over just sore and listless. Just spent the whole day indoors trying not to move much. Today, not gonna do anything either, but feeling much better already, slowly recuperating.

The first week of holiday goes like this usually. Don't want to smoke, not even have beer, just sleep and feel weak and sore all over. But it'll pass. I now know better than to get going the moment the holiday starts, I've done that a few times, i.e. gone out to a big party somewhere or a rock gig...and it always ends with me literally going unconscious at some point, regardless of the level of alcohol intake. A few years ago I had just a few beers but still passed out, became a real zombie and woke up 16 hours later(!). One needs to be careful of that; I read somewhere of a study that teachers almost always get their heart attacks when the holidays start and the stress releases finally. They also said the stress hormone levels of teachers reach the levels of average population only after approximately six weeks of holiday, which only leaves ~2 weeks of stress-free holiday :-) I dunno about that but if it weren't for at least this long holidays, I'd pick another profession for sure.

So at least for a couple of weeks I shall do nothing, just sleep, lay in the house and watch TV some, get rid of the stress hormones, and not smoke or drink either. Just sleep lots. Then I'll be in good enough condition to start enjoying the holidays.

[Katastrophe]

Dude, take care of yourself! Apparently you are stressing yourself out waaaaaaaaaaay too much if your body is crashing like that... Pace yourself, man!

[Katastrophe]

BTW... The "you smoked like an idiot for 20 years, now your lungs are gonna have to get used to room air" hacking has begun... Since I've been through this process before, it should last a few days to a week (quit for about 6 years in the 90s).

Fun times. Fuuuuun times.

[deeaa*]

Yeah I really feel for U kat...I used to have these coughs every fall. I'd smoke like a chimney thru the spring and summer, and when the work starts it's a no-smoking workplace so there's no chance of going for a fag at any time...so I always quit in the fall...and always got this dreadful cough that usually turned to bronchitis too. Which I never minded much because that meant a week's sick leave and some quality downtime on the Xbox in the middle of the most hectic time of work year :-) I was actually always quite happy when it it so I could take a little rest :-)

At some point I realized menthol cigs are the worst...they make you cough this white foam basically for weeks on end once you quit.

[Commodore 64***]

It's a big building with patients. But that's not important right now.

If you start thinking you are Ethel Merman, you are in deep trouble.

And, deeaa, my mother is a retired teacher and my mother in law is still teaching. Tough, tough job.

[Katastrophe]

Surely you aren't serious...

I am serious, and don't call me Shirley!