Where I am now
So I am actually laying in a hospital bed right now on this lovely New Year's Eve. Sounds horrible it's definitely not fun but I am hopeful. This mess started about 4 weeks ago, I ended up catching the flu so I was very sick for about a week and a half. I have been a moderate smoker for about 18 years, I had to slow down with the flu because it was difficult to smoke. Started feeling better, went back to work 3 days later I'm deathly ill again. I started having fever and coughing until I would cry. I stopped smoking all together at this point reason being I felt so bad I could barely do anything. So last night I finally dragged myself to the ER and yep you guessed it I have pneumonia. I think the cough is so severe because of the not smoking and being sick. I will probably go home tomorrow and I am feeling better. I have no intention of smoking anymore just because of everything I just went through but I'm very worried when I start feeling better I'm going to forget all of this and start back.
Hi Itistime. Truthfully when you feel better you will want to smoke again because this is the nature of addiction. The good news is that you can beat these cravings as many of us have done. Unlike pneumonia resisting these cravings cannot kill you but advice is that you must crush any thoughts that one cigarette will not harm. It will as historically that one cigarette will set off the addiction again.
There are numerous methods of quitting but ultimately you must prepare for battle and have the total conviction that you will quit.
Stay close to this site as , in my experience , the identification of a fellow quitter is essential.
Post here often and use any method of assistance that works.
For me I drank copious amounts of really strong sweet coffee and gritted my teeth
Many of us have gone one or two and sometimes more years quit and mostly the cravings have gone. However , we all know that one puff will put us back to the stinking addiction again. Good luck. Dobbin.