Quitting smoking, by Timbo! 10/31/13
I decided to quit smoking because of the following reasons:
1) Too expensive and I can't afford to keep smoking
2) Tired of having smokers cough
3) Tired of coughing up phlegm
4) Want to live a healthier lifestyle
5) Smoking is not "cool" anymore.
I set a date of 11/1/13 to quit. It fell on a Friday so I thought it would be easier. I tried planning ahead. I surfed the net trying to learn as much as I could about what to expect. I wanted to know how my body was going to react, what pitfalls I would face, and what could I do to be ready to tackle them head on.
I thought of replacements for the cigarettes. Suckers, mints and the patch. I'm not much of a carrot or celery guy. I also thought of straws, rubber bands and a stress ball to keep my hands busy. I tried to get a mind set, ready for "the big day". I've smoked since I was 16, for over 37 years.
Friday
Day 1 - I put the patch on Thursday night. Got up Friday morning with no craving for a cigarette. I did not have an urge to smoke the whole day. The patch seems to work for the nicotine. Cigarettes still smell good. I sat by a smoker on break today so I could smell his cigarette. Lesa's trying to avoid me when she smokes, this kinda irks me. I want to be able to quit and still be around tobacco users. I want to prove to myself that i can do it. I was a little light headed all day. Didn't sleep well last night worrying about whether or not I can do it I think.
Saturday
Day 2 - Had a really weird dream last night. The patch does this to some people. Also did not sleep well. Tossed and turned all night. Lesa's still avoiding smoking around me. I'm still irked about it. If I have another sleepless night tonight, I’m not putting the patch on until I wake up tomorrow. Gotta get some sleep. Cigarettes still smell good. Starting to cough a little more, and my nose is running. These are good things from what I’ve read. I decided to not wear the patch at night.
Sunday
Day 3 - Slept good last night. Not wearing the patch overnight and I don't have the morning urge for nicotine so I’m not going to wear it at night anymore. Cigarettes still smell good. I can taste and smell things better now and it's only been 3 days. Doing better with not wanting a cigarette.
Monday
Day 4 - Not wearing patch at night is working out. A little light headed a few times today. Had a little stress at work today and got a headache from it. I usually don't get headaches. The urge to smoke after eating is starting to go away. So far it looks like i might be able to do this. Still going out at break time to smell a co-workers cigarette. Smells good! I seem to have a little more energy now too. I'm starting to smell things I never noticed before.
Friday
Day 8 - Things are going good. Seem to have more energy every day.
Wednesday
Day 13 - Had a very stressful day at work today and had a headache almost all day. It's hard trying to learn to deal with stress without smoking. Other than that things are going good.
Friday
Day 15 - Didn't sleep good Wednesday and Thursday night. Had a bad headache all day both days. Must be the withdraw from the lack of nicotine. Wearing the patch only for 14 hours a day means I'm only getting about 60% of the nicotine i was getting by smoking. This is a little harder than I thought it'd be. Everything else is going good. No urges after I eat, or in the mornings. Went to bed early and slept for 12 hours. Got up Saturday and felt real good.
Saturday
Day 23 - Headaches went away since Tuesday. Must have been the withdraw from the nicotine. Things are going good. Still haven't had an urge to smoke.
Friday
Day 29 - No issues. Looks like this is going to work out for me.
Tuesday
Day 33 - Great, now it looks like I’m having a skin reaction to the patch. Breaking out in a deep red and itching badly where the patch was applied. Since there's only 9 days left on step 1, I'm going to use the step 2 patches. We'll see.
Wednesday
Day 34 - The step 2 is also irritating my skin, but not as bad as the step 1. Fingers crossed.
Friday
Day 36 - Decided to not wear a patch today. Stuck one in my pocket just in case.
Saturday
Day 37 - Was a little light headed yesterday all day, but I made it through without a patch. Decided to not wear one today too. I'm tired of itching, and the burn marks. I didn't have an urge yesterday and so far today even though no patch is being used.
Monday
Day 39 - Been cold turkey for four days now. Not too bad. Slight lightheaded and a small headache most of the day. Eyes feel hot, but doing okay. Still haven't had an urge to smoke.
Wednesday
Day 41 - The itch is gone!!! Cold turkey's going good. Still get a slight headache once in awhile. Did some research and discovered that some of my headaches "could" be caused by TOO MUCH OXYGEN getting to my brain. Whod'a thunk??? Another side effect of quitting smoking that I didn't know about. The patch manufacturer wanted the step one patches back so they could test them.
Sunday
Day 45 - Still have a slight itch once in awhile, but not bad. It's still better than smoking. Sent the rest of the step 1 patches back to the manufacturer. Cold turkeys is going good. Looks like this is going to work without the patch.
Wednesday
Day 48 - The itch is almost gone now. No urge to smoke. Still get lightheaded once in awhile. Had to shovel snow on Sunday and that broke up some phlegm. Had a bad cough Monday and Tuesday. Just a slight hack now once in awhile. I hope it goes this good for Lesa if she decides to quit. Haven't had a headache for days now. I think all of the nicotine is out of my system now.
Wednesday
Day 62 - Well it's a new year, and it looks like I did it! I still haven't had an urge to smoke. I still have 3 red patches on my skin where the last patches were applied. They don't itch, but they are still noticeable. I thought they'd be gone by now since it's been almost a month. The manufacturer sent me a check for the patches I sent back to them. Haven't heard anything though. Lesa's cut back on her smoking. I don't think she's ready to quit yet though. When I quit I did some things that I was not supposed to do, to help ensure my quit. I did not throw out the remaining cigarettes I had in the house. I had 7 packs on the frig and the half pack I was on when I quit. I kept the half pack on a shelf in the bathroom along with my lighter. They were in plane sight so I would have to look at them every day. 1st thing in the morning and last thing at night. I really wanted to prove to myself that I could do this, no matter what, and it seems to have worked. By the end of the 1st month I smiled to myself every time I looked at the open pack. I was doing it!!!
Friday
Day 71 - Still get light headed once in awhile. Had a bad snow storm this week. Got down to minus 18. Wind chill was -40. Had a lot of snow too. 13" in two days. Had to shovel out the driveway 3 times thanks to the plow trucks. Hardly coughed at all! I feel giddy at times....I've did it!!!!!!!!! I'm a non smoker now. I still haven't had an urge to smoke. Been stressed out at times, and would loved to have fired one up, but did not crave it. So far this is easier than I thought it would be. We'll see how long it lasts now. Now I need to reward myself. I'm supposed to do it at each milestone. Day 1, 3, 7, 14, 30, 60, 90, six months, and then yearly on the quit day. Haven't rewarded myself any yet. Saving up for a nice reward.
Monday
Day 81 - Things are going great! I will not be writing in this journal much anymore, that is unless I can get Lesa to quit smoking. Can't believe that I did it!!!!! Had another side effect from quitting smoking. Constipation! Read about it but didn't think I would get it, guess I was wrong.
Saturday
Day 100 - Good news. Lesa is planing on quitting next week! She has 2 packs left and is not going to buy anymore. She is going to try the patch and see how it works out. I really hope she can do it. I also told her it's okay if she can't and that most people have to try a number of times before they quit. Fingers crossed....
Thursday
Day 127 - Well Lesa's not ready yet. She has cut back big time, but is not ready to take the plunge. I turned myself in for a wellness pledge at work for quitting smoking last year and I won. I got a trophy and a check for $500 before taxes. At least that paid for the patches! :)
Thursday
Day 168 - Still waiting for Lesa to take the plunge. As for me things are great. Sure wish I would have did this years ago. I think that I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to do it so I didn't even try to. Live and learn I guess. The constipation is under control now. Drinking prune juice. Dang I'm getting old. Never thought I'd be drinking prune juice. :(
Tuesday
Day 236 - Still waiting. I don't think she's ever going to try and quit. My weight gain has stabilized now. I've gained 10 pounds since quitting smoking. I can live with it. I'd still like to lose 15 pounds though for my ideal weight. No urges to smoke, but they still smell good. Went out mushroom hunting last weekend in the woods. Ohhh, the honeysuckle was in bloom and it smelled SOOO GOOD! Just thinking about all of the wonderful aromas makes me tingle with joy. :) Sure like being a NON-SMOKER.
Thursday
Day 301 - No problems. Almost a year now!
Sunday
Day 318 - I finally rewarded myself. I went out and bought a new computer system, monitor, and wireless mouse and keyboard. I also bought a HDMI cable so we can watch movies from the computer through the tv. Can't believe it's been almost a year already. They still smell good, but no urges!
Sunday
Day 360 - Almost a year now. I should've did this a loooong time ago. No issues.
Friday
Day 365 - A whole year has went by already. They say you're not a real quitter until you've experienced the four seasons smoke free.
Wednesday
Day 440 - Got it whipped. Went out and bought a brand new car!!! Has 11 miles on it. Making payments on it with the money
I used to spend on cigarettes. Another great reward for being a quitter. :)
Tuesday
Day 502 - Nothing new and no problems.
Friday
Day 638 - Sure is nice not having your life revolve around cigarettes.
Sunday
Day 731 - Had my 2 year anniversary yesterday. Life sure is better without smoking. Only wished I'd did this a long time ago.
Monday
Day 1124 - 3 years and 28 days smoke free. No more entries in my journal. I'm an official quitter now and I don't think she's ever going to quit. Can't force her though,she has to want it for herself.
Thursday
Day 1527 - Holy cow! It's been 4 years, 2 months and 4 days since my last cigarette. Saved over $9238.00, not smoked 33,594 cigarettes and gained 291 days of LIFE all because I quit. If I can do it anybody can, they just have to want it more than anything.
Not One Puff Ever
