Workplace commitment to quit!

Wow....great work guys. I think that's amazing you are all working towards a healthier life together. It will really be a great support for all of you. Good luck. Let us know how you go.

Thank you both for your encouragement. It is day 2 and things are both better and worse depending on who you ask. We definitely are benefiting for the fact we are holding one another accountable and communicating thru the stress surrounding it all. We have all been smoking for quite some time, some longer than others but my boss has been smoking for over 30 years and it goes down from there but definitely time to quit for all of us. Implementing a good diet is also important so we are keeping that in mind. Surprisingly enough 3 of the 4 of us exercise regularly, one of us (myself) exercises daily. So it is a contradiction in our lives to be smokers.

I will keep you posted, thank you for your comments. It keeps us motivated even more!

Well done. Keep going. Hopefully you will all see the benefits of using this site. I was an exercise freak for many years when I was younger, I would be doing something every day whether it be the gym, jogging, bushwalking etc...but I would still smoke, usually only in the evenings. However, often I would go the whole week without smoking & then by the end of the weekend I would have smoked 1 or 2 packets. I could go out partying and smoke a packet in one night! Then quit till the next weekend. I remember doing a strenuous bike class at the gym with a friend then we went to breakfast and started smoking over coffee. I did this for many years but slowly as exercise decreased eventually my smoking increased. Also, the more times I quit the more I smoked when I went back to it. Glad those days are over! If you keep up the good work, soon you won't have to worry about it & you'll be fitter than ever! Good luck.

Thanks Bronte, I have definitely noticed a big difference in my ability to perform at an optimal level when I am smoking vs. when I am not. I was able to do back to back training classes at the gym without feeling winded. I was then unable to make it through 20 minutes without feeling like I had to stop to catch my breath. It is just such a nasty habit overall, we all know the health problems we face when we smoke yet we continued to do it anyway, my father passed away from lung cancer and still I continued, he was only 54 years old! For me personally I am feeling great, it is day 4 and it is all a mind game from here, I feel pretty confident moving forward.!

Well today is day 11 and it has been interesting to say the least. It is so amazing to me that we have all stayed strong for so long, not one of us has given in and had a cigarette. Instead when stresses arise we go for a walk or we sit and talk through it all. My boss and I were on one of those walks yesterday and she brought up a good fact, when you are a drug addict you are told to go to rehab if you want to kick your habit but as a smoker who has quit you have nothing. In so many ways your addiction to cigarettes is harder to quit than anything else. The at times overwhelming desire to give in is supposed to be swept away and not talked about.

What I love most about this is that my boss has historically always strived to create an environment where you are free to be whoever you are in the moment. If you have issues that are upsetting at home and are not in the best mood you are just asked to warn people then go on with having a bad day. It is so rare and unique that an employer would accept this and I feel fortunate to work here. This whole experience has brought up a lot of conflict among each other but we don't take it personally because we all understand what the other is going through. We will stay strong and continue to succeed!