I quit smoking today...

[Leslie]

I have been considering it for a good while, and finally decided yesterday to quit this morning.

2 hours and countng... :frown2:

I would like to take this opportunity to apologize in advance for any potential crankiness which might ensue, as I already have done for my family and friends.

 

[greenfreak]

Good for you Leslie!! Are you using any of that nicorette gum or patches? I quit cold turkey and even though every once in a while I still want one, it does get easier over time. This is some information I had when I quit, and it was good to mark my improvement over time. The things that I noticed (less coughing, sense of smell coming back, etc.) helped me to stay quit.


Changes Your Body Goes Through When You Quit Smoking


Within 20 minutes of last cigarette:

-Blood pressure and pulse rate begin to return to normal
-Circulation to hands and feet improves
-Fibers in the bronchial tubes (cilia) begin to move again, removing irritants and bacteria from the lungs.

8 hours:

-Carbon monoxide level in the blood drops to normal
-Oxygen level in the blood increases to normal.

24 hours:

-Risk for heart attack decreases.

48 hours:

-Nerve endings begin to regrow

72 hours:

-Bronchial tubes relax, making breathing easier
-Lung capacity starts increasing.

2 weeks to 2 months:

-Circulation improves
-Walking becomes easier
-Lung functions increase up to 30%

1 to 9 months:

-Coughing, sinus congestion, fatigue and shortness of breath decrease
-Cilia regrow in the lungs, increasing the ability to handle mucus, clean lungs, and reduce infection
-Body's overall energy level increases.

3 to 5 years:

-Risk of dying of a heart attack decreases to that of a nonsmoker.

10 years:

-Risk of dying of lung cancer decreases to that of a nonsmoker
-Precancerous cells are replaced with healthy cells
-Other cancer occurrences, such as those of the mouth, larynx, esophagus, bladder, kidney and pancreas, decrease. (There are at least 30 chemicals in tobacco smoke that cause cancer.)

[/siz]

 

[Leslie]

Thanks greenfreak, that's great, it's exactly what I've been telling myself, I can't wait to see what things really taste like again, can't wait to actually feel like I'm getting a lungful of air. I am excited about that.

I just gotta get through this first

 

[Justintime]

Good luck Leslie!

 

[ris]

good luck!

 

[ris]

one piece of advice - find something to do with your hands, knitting or somehting.

 

[Leslie]

4 hours. I've got a needle point kit here I'll be pulling out shortly, and going out to buy gum, crackers and will be making lots and lot of popcorn

gotta stop thinking about it...gotta stop thinking about it...gotta stop thinking about it...gotta stop thinking about it...gotta stop thinking about it...

 

[Guest]

Good luck! You made the right decision not only for you but for your family. Years from now you will be looking back thinking it is one of the best things you ever did.

I quit drinking a few years ago and feel 100% better than I did back then.

Once you have the desire to quit, you can do it. People are often amazed by what they can do if they put their minds to doing something. You can do it!

 

[Luis G]

All i can say is good luck, i would not like to sound like i'm not believing you, but i would like to see you bringing up this thread in a year, and say that haven't smoked a single cigarrete.

 

[Leslie]

I hope so too, Luis, and in ten years too

Thanks for the pep talk, s4, I needed that then. Feeling better about things now, almost 7 since I last smoked and things are so far, so good :hadbang:

 

[Luis G]

I was a heavy smoker, just before i quit, i was smoking 3 packs (60 cigarretes) per day.

Now it's been more than 2 years since i quit, i have never smoked in that time, but occasionally i still feel that i should smoke just a single cigarrete thinking that it will do no harm, before i quit i tried to quit several times and i always got back to smoke because i always thought that and i was convinced that i will stop whenever i want to, i was wrong. The only way to quit, is to just quit and forget about putting a cigarrete in your mouth...

blah....blah....blah

 

[Luis G]

BTW, the first day is hard....

The first week is awful.....

The first month is even worse.....

But after six months or a year you're almost cured

 

[Leslie]

3 packs??!! I thought my to 1 was bad! :ek:

Cold turkey, and never a cigarette again is the only way I'll be able to do it I think. Today I am a non-smoker. If I have one, it'll set me back where I started, so no more for me.

 

[Gonz]

48 hours & the nicotine is no longer a problem. Last that long & you've almost made it. Everytime I quit the nicotine isn't the problem, it's the habit of 28 years of hand to mouth. Leslie, remember all the money you'll save in taxes alone. And paying US states for suing big tobacco.

good luck

 

[unclehobart]

You missed something between at the 36 hour mark. Theres the suicial/assaultive/stabbing beast that breaks out and breaks the bones of anything at hand.

 

[greenfreak]

A few words of caution--the next few weeks, you are going to feel like shit. You're going to cough more than you did when you were smoking (I didn't have a smoker's hack till I quit) but look at that as your lungs ridding themselves of the toxins that are leftover. You're going to feel tired, but you can substitute coffee for that (just don't get addicted to coffee!). I bought a bunch of rubber bands which I kept on my wrist and I would play with them when I felt I needed to do something with my hands. (I didn't have a boyfriend then or else I would have found something else to do ). I also stopped putting so much salt on my food because I could taste it better but the greatest thing was getting my sense of smell back full force. Flowers never smelled so good!

You will gain weight. You can't stop it from happening-it has to do with metabolism changing and cigarettes being an appetite surpressant. I don't know how vain you are, but weight can be lost-lung cancer can't be cured. When I decided to lose weight after quitting, I found I could exercise harder because I could breathe better.

I wish you the best of luck Leslie.

 

[Luis G]

Yeap, all those brown yellowish things that you're going to spit out when you cough are nasty, real nasty, after i quit i got "sick", a lot of coughing and a lot of nasal flow....

BTW, your stomach will feel better too, since smoking also damages it.

 

[MitchSchaft]

a pack a day here. more power to you!

 

[Guest]

I quit drinking beer almost 5 years ago. I loved beer and drank as much as I could get. It was very tough to quit cold turkey. Nobody helped me. You have to want it for yourself.

If you are determined, you can quit smoking and it not only make you proud of yourself for doing it but other people will appreciate it too.

I was a beast when I drank. Now, I can walk past the booze isle and never even give it a second thought. If I can quit beer, you can quit cigarrettes. You can do it!

 

[Leslie]

Still going! 9 hours now.

Good for you, s4. I think that's almost harder than smoking to quit.