I finally did it!
Hello All, I started to smoke since I was 18. I am 47 now. Do the math and you will figure out that I have been smoking for 29 years. I enjoyed smoking to be honest until I reached a point that I just cannot take it anymore. My life revolves around smoking. Just didn’t like the feeling of being a slave to the cigarettes. Got two beautiful amazing boys. I see them everyday and I wonder if I will ever see them grow up, go to college, see their girlfriends, maybe marry and maybe have children. I always wondered but always knew deep down inside that smoking is not going to help. Gathered every shred of courage about a week ago and purchased Champix. I have been on it for almost 8 days now. Today is my quit day. I attempted several times before and I always failed to last more than couple of weeks. Always found a way to go back and smoke. Not this time it seems (crossing fingers). I am confidant and have no doubts. Cravings are manageable. Very short and nothing like the cravings I got when I tried cold turkey or with other methods. The hardest one period of the day was this morning when I got up. I start thinking about what will I have for breakfast (of course something quick) so I can get the coffee going and get my first cigarette. Well not today. Woke and my mind started to play the usual games. One cig is fine, not going to kill you, you can continue quitting etc… jumped out of bed, brushed my teeth, straight to the shower after I downed a whole bottle of cold water. I was just fine. I started going back to the gym and I even hired a personal trainer to ease me back in. Just don’t really want to have a heart attack on the treadmill. I am physically fit but I can definitely do better than that. I hope I will remember this day for ever. I will do everything in my power to make it work. I have no other options…it is to be or not this time. Wish me luck everybody! P.S. Tip: I am in the office right now and I need a constant reminder as to why I am quitting. Well, my family! Got a nice framed photo of my wife, the two kids and the dogs right in front of me. Every time I am starting to think about it out of habit, a look at the photo will get me back in line. Works for me. Jay
Jay, you have all the positives on your side to quit, the dog, the family,
If you are determined enough you can achieve any of your lifes wants.
You can do it.
Looking forward to your updates on your progress.
Thank you so much sobuj and jenno!
Going home now. I passed my first day at work without smoking. Got tough at certain point to be honest but not bad enough to go back really. Not all me though…Champix is helping out a lot to give it credit when it’s due.
Let us see how it goes spending the first night at home while smoke free! Scheduled the gym late so I can just get home, shower and sleep! Trying different techniques to break the physiological addiction (smoking when I get home with a beer or wine or after dinner etc…)
I know things are not going to be the same in terms of routine that I have been following for years, but I chose to quit and I am up to it!
Hello everyone…I do hope you are all doing OK.
Today is my 3rd day! Still going strong and still fighting the urges.
The 1st day was by far the easiest. Probably due to the fact that my determination level was at its highest level. Plus, I kept thinking about the shame of “failure on the first day” issue :)
Yesterday was tough. For some odd reason, Champix just stopped working! The first part of the day was spent in a long meeting with few coffee breaks. I was fine while the meeting was going on but I suffered during the breaks. The coffee aroma was too much to handle in all honesty. I envied everyone that grabbed his cup of coffee and stepped outside to smoke…hated them big time! :)
I knew when I quit that there will be lots of triggers. I have been smoking for so many years and I have so many triggers. That coffee break and the smokers going outside to smoke was in my mind as a textbook psychological craving for cigarettes which appeared at the moment to be even worse than the actual physical withdrawal symptoms of nicotine!
I knew that and I knew that I need to figure out ways to defuse such cravings. Champix works but it is not a magic pill. Sometime Champix will turn its back on you and the cravings will feel as bad as when you’re quitting cold turkey. It did yesterday and it was all me.
First, I just wanted to hang around with the people that went outside to smoke in an effort to confront my fears and my demons. I thought that if I can stand there and just resist smoking, things will pass quickly. Just didn’t know really what to do. I finally made my mind up and didn’t run the risk of slipping and smoke. Got up and walked as far as I could from them. Grabbed a bottle of water and finished it in no time. I grabbed my phone and kept looking at my kids pictures! They are the reason why I am quitting. Surprise surprise…cravings subsided considerably and I was just fine. It was not easy and I knew that but eventually it was fine.
Today I am back to the office. I do control the environment in terms of managing my breaks, lunch, avoiding smokers etc… It is absolutely fine since this morning. I woke up very early and honestly, I was dreading the fact that it was too early. Usually, I make coffee, smoke, grab my I Pad, smoke, read, smoke, take a walk around the backyard, smoke etc… Now it is different, I will do all the latter minus the smoking thing. I did it differently this time. Woke up, brushed my teeth, showered and grabbed the two dogs for a quick walk! Dogs couldn’t believe it! It was a chock to their system :) it was about 6 am and I have lived in the same area for the past 3 years but I have not seen it at 6:00 am ever. I am always sitting in the same spot with my coffee and pack of cigarettes not willing to move an inch until I am fully awake and “functional”. Things looked nice; morning breeze was amazing, my breathing even though it is only three days was much better (than three days ago). I thoroughly enjoyed the walk and the dogs were so happy that I felt that their tales going to fall off from constantly wagging it :)
I am not qualified under any circumstances to draw conclusions about quitting yet. After all it has only been three days. I know a lot to come. I know that I will face dark moments throughout this journey. But I know one thing, quitting is not as hard as I thought. Things are manageable. Difficult yes, require determination yes, but not impossible. I know it will only get easier but in the back of my head, I know I am in for a long and rough ride.
I scheduled my gym this evening after work. Trying to be as active as possible while attempting to regain my health back.
Hope you are all doing ok. Stick to your plans please please and beat this habit. I will surely keep you all updated.
Take care,
Good on you mate.I smoked for 36 years. I coughed and spluttered , totally out of nick , thought it was too late to give up . Now been given up 1206 days.
Life is great , copped a divorce but that's OK. New life ,new mortgage, new girl (that's exciting ) , money to spend on holidays , concerts, shows , weekends away and I don't cough and I can walk 10kms without raising a sweat.
Wow, 1206 days is getting pretty close to three years. Thanks for the inspiration cough(x3). Great story jayg011. I am on day six and can't imagine why I ever smoked, but there must be some challenges ahead, which is why I'm 57 and still trying to quit.