[Gypsy520]

I quit smoking for 3 years. Then I moved into a new rowhome (townhouse) and the next door neighbor smoked heavily. I could smell it coming into my house and it kept waking me up.
In spite of trying to talk to him about it-asking him to please not smoke in the front bedroom at night, he smoked even moreso. After all, who am I to tell him what to do in his own home?
I moved again and had gotten so stressed out because of having to move again that I began smoking again.
I've been smoking again for about 4 months.
I plan on quitting today. I really hate smoking. It's so disgusting.
Wish me luck.

[VickiesPath]

LUCK!!!!!

I know smoking is hard to quit. I quit many times before it stuck.

(((Vickie in Phoenix)))) can i ask how you stopped?

((Gypsy520))) wishing you luck

[Gypsy520]

Thank you Vickie and Muffy. I know I can quit again. It's a matter of putting my mind to it.

[Moreta]

Good luck!

I know how hard it can be to quit! But then again, I had quit for 1.5 yrs and started smoking again yesterday. My husband said he wasn't disappointed in me as I thought he would've been. He said its ok, and we can worry about that after I get my mind all straightened out.

[Lenny]

Please get it done Gypsy..you know it kills...

I smoked once too and was gripped by its terrible addictive grasp...

I made many half hearted attempts at quitting...many a conversation with self about when and why and how and the shoulds and the evidence and the smell and the yellow teeth and the cough and the never ending needfull obsession and the hoarding and the stops at convenience stores to make sure I didn't run out and of course the ever increasing expense...

Denial kept me smoking...denial of Truth as it stared me in the face. Denial was killing me as quickly as the cigarettes...like a snake,,denial creeps upon Truth with the power of lies and rationalization. It won't happen to me.

But it does,,every day it happens to a me somewhere,,,literally thousands upon thousands of mes....

All those conversations were the foundation...the preparation for the moment when...

I made a decision....

The decision to be a non smoker...

Period...

No more lies to you or me...period.

I made a decision and that was that...

Body rebounded and fought against the decision as all addictions do.

But I had decided.
Never smoked since.

You don't need luck,,,you need a decision.



With Care,

Lenny

[Trying & Caring]

My first child was 2 1/2 mos. premature due to my smoking & drinking while pregnant (undiagnosed bipolar). That GUILT helped me quit. Plus I was so MAD that these things had control over me! The never enjoying a movie completely knowing I wanted to slip in a smoke at some point & when I was w/all my non-smoking friends I felt like a drug addict. I had to wash my hands & face, brush my teeth, change my clothes to get rid of the smell. We have lots of friends who are docs!! Had to hide it from them, for sure!

So I did quit for 13 yrs. & then went into a deep depression & started smoking again. Doc couldn't believe it--quit that long & start again--YUP--depression makes you do "crazy" things. So I smoked for another 10 yrs. (actually started for the first time when I was 15).

Then when I got dxed w/bipolar & put on meds I was feeling so good that I thought I should be making good decisions now that I had the ability to. I used the patch, as it says you absolutely cannot smoke while using the patch so that was a good deterrent. I've quit about 7 yrs. (maybe more). I just can't even imagine me smoking anymore! It is like it was a different person (pre-treatment, I guess I was).

My husband went to a program called Smokenders when he was about 26 after our preemie was born & I quit & insisted he quit, too. He has stuck w/it, but didn't harp on me when I started again as he knew it was a symptom of my depression. In fact, if I get the urge to smoke now I look carefully for other symptoms of depression.

So I'm the queen of quitting & restarting & quitting again. You can do it. A big thing for me was the thought of this cigarette having so much POWER over me that I would regulate my schedule around it. I didn't like that at all.

Good luck. Keep us posted. Plus, it is a good idea to stay away from smoking friends, places you usually smoke (like don't linger over your coffee in the morning--go for a quick jog instead; don't have a drink w/the smoking buddy, etc. until you feel like a non-smoker again).