Me stop smoking?

[arbon]

I used to think it was imposible to quit but it can be done - 7 months now!  Yep.  It is uncomfortable as hell - and even now I find myself obsesing a bit about them still. But the thing I kept in my mind was that that first cig would never satisfy the craving - that I would not get away with just 1, so I stayed away completely.

Good job so far hope you keep it up - it is so worthwhile not to be a slave to that addiction.

[Raven]

Thank you, I appreciate that I'm still trying hader now cause when I had some breakdowns from something entirly different I caved in big time as one means to soothe myself I guess that's the word I'm looking for. Not proud of it at all but just got to pick up the pieces and carry on and try harder.

[arbon]

And keep on trying because eventually you will be able to do it.

[Emmanuelle]

I know the thread is "cold" at this point, but thought: hey maybe some good news from the smoking front:

I smoked heavily (nearly 2 packs a day at the end) for 30 years (I started at the age of 12) and stopped 10 weeks ago. It was not fun and once or twice a day I still get an urge to have the flavor of a cigarette, but it subsides as quickly as it hits me.

I also realized that the most painful moments (these are the ones where it still hurts) are moments of boredom. This is something I never expected. I thought I smoked because of stress, or after dinner, or when out with friends... and it turns out that smoking for me was not more than a solution to boredom. A filler for a small gap of time.

Stopping as such was not too difficult. I took some medication (a kind of a nicotine-blocker) to get the confidence I needed and switched my life-style around a bit (I started to run to keep my mind free and confront myself with how my lungs were evolving). Mentally I switched the mindset around: I wasn't trying to stop. It was not a trial. I had quited. Full.stop. And it's strange to see people around you not understanding. They're like: "Oh I hope you can hold on" and "I hope you'll succeed" while I'm like: "I have succeeded already, there's no hope, it's a fact" It sounds strange, but it turns the tables and gave me strength. After all I wasn't a failure in the making anymore, I had succeeded from the first minute.

Anyway, 10 weeks ago I dropped out of enriching shareholders of corporations who willingly and knowingly destroy the lives of children.

Love,
Emma