CarrieLee said:

I'm a menthol smoker and it's getting out of hand. Smoking affects my mood and the way I feel physically. I just want to sleep after smoking so that prevents me from getting out and running or working out. Ughhh. So frustrating.

MIGUELGOMEZ said:

It makes you want to sleep....really? I just started to feel yucky after a smoke so I had to stop. I feel much better now, like I have more energy. But they never made me want to sleep. Sounds like it's time for you to quit now too!

"we're gonna find...more...in.....get me another beer"

Been about 4 (?) years for me. I can't actually remember exactly when I quit.

The sad part is that, even though it's easy not to smoke, there are those moments where I can just feel myself lighting up.

As a matter of fact, I just remembered that I dreamed about it last night! In my dream I asked my girlfriend not to put hers out, that I wanted to finish it for her. It's not that hard to quit, but it does get into you after years of doing it.

CarrieLee said:

Wish me luck. I've quite millions of times.

Congratulations to you!!!!

Nine years and counting for me!

I shouldn't take too much pride in this. I only smoked for about 3 years. During last year and a half of my smoking, I quit for a period of 7 days and and a period of 5 weeks.
The interesting thing is that when I did actually quit, it was completely unplanned. I had told myself that I would do it as a New Year's resolution for 2000. However, I threw that out the window a couple of minutes into the new year. I didnt' even consider quitting for a few days. At about 7:00am on the morning of January 6, 2000 I smoked a handrolled cig with my friend. We had just engaged in a long night of extreme partying. I went home and got a couple hours of sleep. I woke up and was going to hit the store to pick up a pack. My mouth was completely nasty from the night of partying, so I decided to wait a couple of hours before picking up more cigarettes. A couple of hours turned into an afternoon, which turned into a day, then a week, and now 9+ years. I still don't miss it.

JerseyKRS said:

Hey we were the last 4 standing after a looooong day of partying!!! The video still cracks me up though...I look cross eyed!

That last Ha-HAAAAA! Was so lady like. I loved it.

The hubby's about to go on Chantix to quit.

johnart said:

Woohoo!!

Believe or not I started Nicoret last night. I only smoked 2 cigarettes yesterday (before the Nicoret). I would've probably smoked around 10.

MIGUELGOMEZ said:

Good luck!
We didn't even realise that you were a smoker when you stayed with us. I had no clue until the evening when you stepped outside and we put two and two together.
You are the most polite and considerate smoker I have ever known.

MrsMdiver said:

You're commending him for being a polite smoker

Just quit so I won't be alone...

MrsMdiver said:

Yeah, I didn't want to stink up your house. For some reason when you wrote "stepped outside" I thought of the day that I fell down your stairs. It was the morning I was going to Amsterdam.

MIGUELGOMEZ said:

Aww I know and since then Phil and his friend Matt have fallen down the stairs.
We hope to get new carpeting on the stairs before the baby comes so I do not fall down the stairs with him.
Dangerous steps.

I felt so bad, we thought we heard something and confirmed it when we woke up and Phil found toothpaste on the walls.


I hope your knee recovered.

MrsMdiver said:

Yeah, no long term damage.

MIGUELGOMEZ said:

Good.
Anyways. So I quit jacking Carrielee's thread. I wish both of you luck.
I have never been a smoker but my parents were. My mom started when she was 14 and stopped a few times cold turkey then finally for good in her late 30's I believe.
It is a hard habit to break.
She said that she finally got fed up with smelling bad and the cigarettes were aging her.
I am so glad she stopped.

How's it going Carrie? It's 38 hours without a cigarette for me.

Thanks to you and CarrieMpls for inspiring me.


Let's see what happens....

MIGUELGOMEZ said:

Awesome!!!! It's going pretty well so far..I haven't smoked since the party on the 4th!

Keep it up!!!

CarrieLee said:

I'm worried. It kinda hasn't been hard. I know the Nicoret is helping but....I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop. I need to survive the weekend.

MIGUELGOMEZ said:

Miguel, from someone that ALWAYS does that also, listen to me. When it came time for things like that, either concerts, drinking, or other triggers, I would always come up with some things that I would just TELL myself. Like, as soon as I felt the urge, I would tell myself in my head: You don't smoke, or something like Yeah, I'd like to have a cig, but I know I'm not having any this weekend or again, because I don't smoke.

Sounds silly, but it totally helped me. The rational part of my brain just overcame the habit part of my brain. I had to do it consciously, but it worked.

I NEVER even want a smoke anymore.

JerseyKRS said:

Thanks Chris.

It's funny because a couple of times these past 2 days I've had this feeling to smoke. It's weird because the feeling comes and goes in like a second. In my mind I say "nah" when the feeling comes. I know that if I was not using Nicoret I would be scheming to go to the store and get a pack of cigs.

Just bought a friend of mine those Nicorette inhalers. If they were around when I was first trying to quit, I probably would've succeeded.

MIGUELGOMEZ said:

The key is, that if you DO mess up. Just go IMMEDIATELY back to the same way of thinking. It totally became a mantra for me, and it just got easier. A therapist I saw some years ago taught me something that everyone knows, she just somehow managed to make me see it more clearly: ultimately, every decision we make, we're the ones making it. So, just NOT smoking doesn't end up seeming like this hard ass decision. It was easy when all I had to focus on was I am DECIDING not to smoke. Boom. Done.

again, this is what worked for ME. I was smoking a pack of Black cloves a day for a few years there! WTF

Yea Carrie's!

sag10 said:

Mama!!! How are you??!!!! It's been way too long!

CarrieLee said:

Hi my baby girl... To long makes me sad.

sag10 said:

I know!!!! It's been ages!!!

Miguel: How are you doing with the smoking? I've been good since my slip up on the 4th!

JerseyKRS said:

I've tried to DECIDE to quit you but I just can't




As far as smoking, I was smoking cloves for years too--Samporna Extras. Expensive, tasty, and oh so bad for you.

I quit when I noticed my face appearing to have aged.

JerseyKRS said:

Cloves? Who the fuck smokes Cloves these days? Gross!

CarrieLee said:

Thanks for asking sweety!

I've been smoke free since Tuesday July 7th, 6pm. (That's when I smoked my last 2 cigarettes.) For two days after I chewed Nicorette(YUCK!). Then I just stopped. So I'm almost done with my first week. Woohoooo!!!!!

It looks like you're doing great too. Yey!!!!!
[Edited 7/13/09 9:35am]