Do any of you smokers out there want to quit?
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free skin care · Tue Jun 23, 2009 10:33 pm

You guys are all so encouraging...

I have tried everything under the sun including meds, hypnosis, all manner of audio + video help, patches, + accupuncture.. I also try to stay away from *triggers*, never smoke in the house or car (Ick!) and do all of the things "Tess" talked about.. (Believe me when I tell you, I'm bloody hopeless.)

The longest I stuck with it was a couple of months, and I was a grizzly bear all the while.. Poor Mr Kassy thought he had seen me at my worst after menopause... Bad Grin

Ha, did he have a rude awakening... I didn't even want to be with myself.. Rolling Eyes

One of these days, I'll *pack* it in again... Pray

free skin care · Thu Jun 25, 2009 7:12 am

Kassy_A wrote:

You guys are all so encouraging...

I have tried everything under the sun including meds, hypnosis, all manner of audio + video help, patches, + accupuncture.. I also try to stay away from *triggers*, never smoke in the house or car (Ick!) and do all of the things "Tess" talked about.. (Believe me when I tell you, I'm bloody hopeless.)

You poor thing! I have to admit, I had a powerful incentive to quit which helped a lot- I was getting married to a man who is allergic to cigarette smoke, and I was hoping to get pregnant soon thereafter. But it seems to me that your last post contains the solution. Since you never smoke in the house or car, the answer is never go outside! Yes! Have your family & friends carry you from house to car and back, so you don't have time/opportunity to be tempted. (You didn't say anything about restaurants, etc., so I'm afraid you'll have to avoid those...) Laughing

free skin care · Thu Jun 25, 2009 7:59 am

appletini wrote:

Embarrassed to admit I'm still smoking, despite my earlier attempts to quit way back in this thread.

Well, I don't smoke a lot, less than half a pack a day now, and I know it's not good...

But, the contrary old woman in me almost wants to keep smoking after a recent discussion with an insurance agent ...

I was informed that, as a "smoker" (and I stated only max 5-10 per day) I would have to pay a substantially higher premium than "non-smokers". In fact some days I don't smoke at all, but I was just being honest.

Now, I would be fine with that, if other "risky" lifestyle choices also incurred a higher premium. But apparently you can be 100 lb overweight, never exercise, exist on a diet of lard, sugar, and Jack Daniels, lay in the sun 24 hours a day inviting skin cancer, and still pay the normal premium. Whereas I, who swims 1 km per day, does an hour cardio/weights in the gym, skinny as a stick, eats only fruits/veg and non-processed food, never expose myself to sunlight, ... I have to pay a higher premium as I'm a "smoker" and supposedly not in good health. Blahhhh.. Just thinking about it makes me want to light up ...

Seriously, I am with you. I smoke about as much as you do by the sounds of it. I am in better physical shape, cardo, muscles etc than all of my non-smoking friends. My blood pressure is "perfect", my cholesterol is normal, my bones are like titanium I could do on...
I run a min of 3 miles 3x's a week, along with other activities and I eat so healthy I make myself sick; but I am the high risk unhealthy one Rolling Eyes

bite me

Don't get me wrong I know smoking is bad for you but that same "unhealthy" standard needs to be applied to other "lifestyle" choices.

free skin care · Sun Aug 02, 2009 1:15 pm

Hello fellow quitters & wannabe-quitters!
Very few of you will remember me, but I was in the original group of this thread that decided to quit back in July of 2006.

I am very proud to say that last week I celebrated 3 years smoke-free and... 2 years alcohol-free. Very Happy

A special thanks to Rileygirl for starting this thread... little did I know back then that this would be the start of a life-long journey of self-improvement & self-discovery!

This past year I embarked on a whole new eating plan, lost the 15 pounds that I have yo-yo'd with for all my adult life.. and now eating healthy & maintaining my ideal weight has become a reality and a way of life. Smile

I now choose 1 goal to concentrate on each year. Although I may have many things that I want to do or change, I keep only one as my top priority & track my progress throughout the year. What a great feeling it is to look back after 12 months & see a new established positive habit firmly embedded in one's lifestyle...it gives new strength & momentum to a person's life! Smile

For those of you thinking about quitting...
Carpe Diem! (seize the day)
Your decision to quit smoking might very well be your first step on a wondrous life-transforming journey!

Peace to all.

free skin care · Sun Aug 02, 2009 5:15 pm

Congratulations on all your wonderful accomplishments, and thank you for inspiring me, that it's never to late to make positive changes.

BIG hugs to you!

free skin care · Sun Aug 02, 2009 8:32 pm

kls wrote:

Hello fellow quitters & wannabe-quitters!
Very few of you will remember me, but I was in the original group of this thread that decided to quit back in July of 2006.

I am very proud to say that last week I celebrated 3 years smoke-free and... 2 years alcohol-free. Very Happy

A special thanks to Rileygirl for starting this thread... little did I know back then that this would be the start of a life-long journey of self-improvement & self-discovery!

This past year I embarked on a whole new eating plan, lost the 15 pounds that I have yo-yo'd with for all my adult life.. and now eating healthy & maintaining my ideal weight has become a reality and a way of life. Smile

I now choose 1 goal to concentrate on each year. Although I may have many things that I want to do or change, I keep only one as my top priority & track my progress throughout the year. What a great feeling it is to look back after 12 months & see a new established positive habit firmly embedded in one's lifestyle...it gives new strength & momentum to a person's life! Smile

For those of you thinking about quitting...
Carpe Diem! (seize the day)
Your decision to quit smoking might very well be your first step on a wondrous life-transforming journey!

Peace to all.

Kls, I am so impressed with you! Congratulations and way to go! You must be so proud of yourself!! I still have not quit smoking, but I am working on it (slow and steady this time - per my doctor).

free skin care · Mon Aug 03, 2009 9:38 am

Kassy_A wrote:

that it's never to late to make positive changes.

You are so right Kassy...it's never too late to start making changes...
I turned 50 this past year, and I was very excited about it... I decided that this was going to be my best decade yet! Smile

This is actually the first decade of my adult life that I have entered into smoke & alcohol free... talk about re-inventing oneself! LOL
But seriously, I do feel like a whole new person, and life feels more alive & fresh than I have ever known it before...there are days when I feel like a child experiencing something for the first time... what a wonderful exhilarating feeling that is! Smile

Hugs back to you... have yourself a great day!

free skin care · Mon Aug 03, 2009 11:02 am

rileygirl wrote:

You must be so proud of yourself!! I still have not quit smoking, but I am working on it (slow and steady this time - per my doctor).

Hello rileygirl...it was great seeing your reply!
I'm so glad to hear that you are still trying to quit... as they say, "don't quit quitting"... and that is so true...we have to keep trying until we get it right... something needs to 'click', and when it does, we know that the time is right & that we can do it, regardless of how hard it may be.
I believe that my time finally came 3 years ago...I was scared to quit, it was hard to imagine living without smoking, but at the same time I couldn't continue on with my nicotine * spam alert *..it was killing me physically, and emotionally. I had hit 'the wall'... there was really no other choice at that point... and so as frightened as I was to never have another cigarette in my life, I put them down, made a solemn pledge to never smoke again... and then prepared myself for whatever was going to be thrown my way. There were tough times at the beginning... our * spam alert * demons will do everything in their power to keep control over us, so there are many internal battles that have to be fought before we can claim victory.
But victory & peace do come when we persevere.

Yes, I am proud of what I have achieved up to this point, but it is a humbled pride... I realize now that I have to be vigilant at all times... because I know that I am only one puff away from becoming a smoker again. This is the price I pay for my former * spam alert *, which I accept. I not only accept the daily responsibility of what it takes to stay clean, I am also thankful to have been given the strength to take on these challenges... to discover the strength that lies within myself.

We all have the strength... I think that sometimes we feel we don't because we don't know how to focus & access it. Once we learn how to channel this energy in the right direction, it starts to feel like we can do whatever we set our minds to doing. Our addictions take energy to stay active... if you take time to think about it, you can really see how they drain us of the positive & fill us with negatives (fear, hopelessness, anxiety, self-loathing,..the list goes on & on). Once we stop the ball rolling in the wrong direction, get it stopped, and then start getting it to roll the other way....
and yes, it seems to take all the strength we have at the beginning...but as it slowly starts to move, it becomes easier, and before we know it, it has a momentum all its own Smile

3 years ago I was very unhappy about many things in my life... all self-inflicted I might add. I had been pushing my ball with all my energy in the wrong direction for so many years. When I finally took a long hard look at myself, where my actions & behavior were going to take me if I continued, this is when I stopped the ball. July 24, 2006 was the day I gave that big old ball the hardest push I could muster... and whatdaya know... it started moving in the opposite direction, and has been picking up speed ever since! In fact... with its new direction on this chosen path, it's starting to look all shiny & new again! Very Happy

(Oh...and for some rewards along the way (we ALL need rewards! Very Happy

...and to make that ball look even better, I've had a Thermage treatment, lip injections, and Botox) Laughing

free skin care · Mon Aug 03, 2009 11:34 am

kls wrote:

(Oh...and for some rewards along the way (we ALL need rewards! Very Happy

...and to make that ball look even better, I've had a Thermage treatment, lip injections, and Botox) Laughing

Ooh, lucky lady! I bet you look great! Really, kls, you are very inspiring. I won't stop trying this time. It is working. I am hoping to report in a few months that I am smoke free, as well! Thanks for the encouragement! I am glad you posted an update for us! Very Happy

free skin care · Fri Aug 14, 2009 1:38 pm

Ok ladies. This is going to be difficult to write, but still I feel the need to.

First, for those of you who have quit I congratulate you. I am proud of you and your body thanks you. For those of you who have not been able to quit, let me please encourage you that you CAN DO IT!!!

5 months ago I lost my precious husband and father to our 14 yr. old daughter to lung cancer. He was the most loving, wonderful man I have ever known. He gave all he had to his family, but one thing he couldn't do was stop smoking. That is until he was diagnosed with terminal cancer. The day after his diagnoses, he laid down the cigarettes and never looked back. It was that easy. Over 30 yrs. of smoking and it was that easy. If it had only been soon enough to save him Crying or Very sad

I have never been a smoker so I can't fully understand the * spam alert *. All I know is that for years my daughter and I tried to get him to quit and he just could not give them up. Not until his life was on the line. I'm sure most of you have had a story like this screamed in your face a few times to try to scare you to quit. I don't want to scare you (or maybe I do). I don't want to see another family have to suffer like this. A child shouldn't have to lose her father this way. A mother shouldn't
have to answer questions like "Who's going to walk me down the aisle when I get married now"? Yes I'm still grieving. Very much so. But when I think that perhaps this could have been prevented, it makes me want to stop every person I see with a cigarette and tell my story. Trust me, you do not want to go through what my huband went though and you do not want your families to go through what we are going through. I'm sure it must be incredibly hard to quit, but here you are on this forum trying to learn everything you possibly can to keep yourselves looking and feeling younger. You can do everything you know, but if you keep smoking it's just an exercise in futility. I'm not trying to be harsh. I'm not trying to be rude. I'm just trying to spare others an indescribable amount of pain. I know you ladies care about yourselves and your families. I know you want to quit and I know you can. Look at the faces of your loved ones and think about how lost they would be without you. You ladies are stronger than you know. My prayers are with you all that you will have the strength and courage it takes to lay those things down....for good!! Please forgive me for my rant. I just felt I needed to do this.

Mon Oct 12, 2009 10:12 pm

Hi Everyone.

I'm new to this and have enjoyed reading everyone's comments and reviews.

I haven't had a cigarette for 3 days and am looking forward to calling myself a non-smoker in a few months time!

I will be able to use the money I'm not spending on cigarettes for skin products and improve my looks rather than destroying them.

Good luck to you all! Wink

Tue Oct 13, 2009 12:16 am

Hi girls! This is just to say that if I can quit smoking, everybody can Very Happy

I quit 6 years ago, after being a heavy smoker for many years (started when I was 16 Embarassed

). I started the day with black coffee and two (!) cigarettes before having a shower, and smoked around 20 a day!!!

But as my patient husband wasn't smoking and we were planing on getting pregnant I knew I had to stop. As I am an "All or nothing" kind of gal I know I can never ever ever have as much as a puff of a cigarette as long as I live!

And now I can say that I do not miss the horrible smell of cigarettes Very Happy

Another thing is that when you look at women in their late 50s and 60s you can easily tell which is a smoker and not! Smokers get a much more wrinkly face when they age! (sorry, I don't want to insult anyone, just my hones opinion Embarassed

)

For me the book by Alan Carr: Finally a non-smoker (I think it is called) and nicotine chewing gum helped me in the initial faces (and I am NOT one for self-help books Wink

Best of luck to all of you who want to stop! For your looks, I think this is the best thing you can do (Not to mention your health and smell Very Happy

)

free skin care · Tue Oct 13, 2009 6:56 am

One thing that is helping me - I take the money (cash) that I would have used to buy a pack of smokes and put it into a savings account that i have earmarked for special items. $5.06 a day adds up! I was doing this on a daily basis , now I put the money into savings once a week.
oh and when I was coming out of my skin, my son made me a glass of water, with two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar, and a tablespoon of honey and said drink it down without stopping.
I did. And my most horrid cravings of that moment were gone.
But so far, sticking the money into savings and watching the savings account grow JUST from the amount of money NOT being spent on cigarettes is helping. I have quit for many years at a time- longest time I quit before was over 12 years- the next time was three years- then for a few months- this time no smoking is since Aug 22.
My recommendation is do not go to las vegas for your anniversary...
lol...

free skin care · Tue Oct 13, 2009 8:32 am

Hopefully the 3rd time will be the charm for me + DH.. (10-11-09)

Loved your post Cathy.. I'll definitely try the ACV! As for Vegas, I hear ya, I caved on one of my quit times in A.C.... (A few drinks and reckless abandon in the casino, just goes hand in hand with a ciggy.. Laughing

)

I really hope to stick it out this time, because if the health issues aren't enough reason or motivation to quit, the $5,132 we would be saving (1 year), could be put to much better use..

...Vegas anyone.. Bad Grin

free skin care · Tue Oct 13, 2009 10:03 am

five thousand.... wow....
wow... Shock

We really need to stick to this !!!!
I hope the ACV helps you- it helped me!
Smile

Tue Oct 13, 2009 2:48 pm

it is 4 days for me since I quit. I am findin it hard tho.
I went on th patch but had to stop that. I was and still am taking pains in my left arm and in my back. I think the nictotine patch stirred this up

I saw my doc today and now he is ending me for stress test. I hahd a heart attack 13 years ago and don't want another and it feels like one is coming on and I am scared

I smoked for 47 years and this is not easy. I had to stop the patch and go cold turkey

I really enjoyed my smokes but I have COPD now so I don't have a choice plus $110 a carton is too much for me

Good luck and all the best to all of you

Bunting

free skin care · Tue Oct 13, 2009 3:12 pm

good luck to you too! I hope your stress test shows good results for you.

Tue Oct 13, 2009 3:49 pm

Thank you Cathy

I hope so too

Bunting/aka Carolyn

Tue Oct 13, 2009 3:54 pm

IMCathy wrote:

One thing that is helping me - I take the money (cash) that I would have used to buy a pack of smokes and put it into a savings account that i have earmarked for special items. $5.06 a day adds up! I was doing this on a daily basis , now I put the money into savings once a week.
oh and when I was coming out of my skin, my son made me a glass of water, with two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar, and a tablespoon of honey and said drink it down without stopping.
I did. And my most horrid cravings of that moment were gone.
But so far, sticking the money into savings and watching the savings account grow JUST from the amount of money NOT being spent on cigarettes is helping. I have quit for many years at a time- longest time I quit before was over 12 years- the next time was three years- then for a few months- this time no smoking is since Aug 22.
My recommendation is do not go to las vegas for your anniversary...
lol...

Gosh Cathy

Our cigs are over $13.00 Canadian a pkg or $110.00 a carton of 8 Pkg

Guess if you can do it this way, then I can.

WE don't know how much we have been spending on cigs.

Geeesss that is over $6000 a year on cigs. I just realized this. Too much for me. What a trip I could have with this

thanks Bunting/Carolyn

free skin care · Wed Oct 14, 2009 6:33 am

I was buying one or two packs at a time (always telling myself not to buy a carton because I was going to quit again) so putting the money into savings a pack's worth at a time reinforces for me how much money i am not spending - They raised the taxes here in Feb or Mar and the price went from 3.50 a pack to 5.06 a pack locally.My frinds went to New York and they paid $10 a pack.
How much were you smoking? if it was a pack a day, then you can put 91 a week into savings. Or even doing it daily for awhile- it really helped with the cravings - online banking transfer - a pack's worth at a time - and seeing the money grow and sippng your apple cider vinegar and honey concoction knowing THEY are not getting your money! At least not today!

free skin care · Mon Nov 02, 2009 8:24 am

I have smoked for the last 4 years of my life. REALLY upset that I even started in the first place. I don't smoke A LOT each day, maybe about 8 cigarettes a day. But any amount of cigs is bad. You'd think we wouldn't smoke since we are so conscious and caring about OUR SKIN! Smoking is one of the worst things you can do. It prematurely ages you, wrinkles you, and not only that, is HORRIBLE for your body, obviously.

I am at the point now, where I am fully ready to quit. Every time I light up, I ask myself, WHY? Why am I lighting up this cigarette? I love life so much, so it doesn't make sense that I am doing the opposite of PROLONGING life.

I plan on quitting cold turkey. It's the hardest way to quit, but I honestly don't want to spend a fortune on nicotine gums and lozenges just to try and quit, and THEN end up starting back up. It's going to be extremely hard to quit cold turkey, but it's a test. Mind over matter! If you know you can do it, you can!

Cigarettes should be illegal!

QUIT, not only for your skin, but for your LIFE and your WALLET!

free skin care · Fri Jan 15, 2010 8:42 am

I quit smoking 7 months ago, just went cold turkey!

must admit it took my youngest son to make me quit, he's twelve and we are extremely close, and everytime I lit a cigarette he looked at me soooo sadly. One night when I was tucking him in, he asked me so sadly " what would I do if anything happened you? please don't smoke"..well, it sunk in.

I couldn't seem to do it for myself, so I did it for him, and the rest of my family.
Its not easy, I just take one day at a time, but I am really determined.
I still hate how some people can be so 'anti smoking' though, I know its a horrible * spam alert *, but thats exactly what it is...'an * spam alert *'. People who smoke these days are nearly treated like lepers, I just think thats harsh, IMHO.

free skin care · Thu Feb 04, 2010 11:55 am

I guess I'm not the only one struggling to quit smoking. I've been smoking for 15 years and I'm 33 now. Starting to get worry about aging and health, but still is so hard.
What worries me the most is that I'm going to gain a lot of weight. Anybody had that problem after quitting???
I don't really know what to do with myself in the morning when I'm drinking my coffee.... Laughing

free skin care · Thu Feb 04, 2010 5:35 pm

Okay, just chiming in to say "I give up!".....

Been there, done that, and tried everything under the sun.... It all comes down to having the *desire* to quit... And ya know what? If you have the desire, you don't need all the gimicks!

I'm done for now, and will just be happy with my 6 (ish) ciggy's a day..... I just can't do better than that, and I'm okay with it!]

Good luck to all, and I hope you do better than moi'... Crying or Very sad

free skin care · Thu Feb 04, 2010 5:47 pm

Kassy if you can only smoke 6 cigs a day then I wouldn't even worry about it. I know if I coulda done that I'd have happily smoked the 6 a day. But I was more like 36 and just couldn't cut down. It's all or nothing with me unfortunately.

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