10 Months Not Smoking Today

Ten months today. It seems like a good month follows a difficult month. Last month, month 9, was very difficult for some reason. I am going to try to practice all my holistic health techniques this month to see if that will make it an easier month. Today it is exactly 9 weeks until my one year quit anniversary and I have heard that for some people the last few months of the first year can get a little tense. I am going to try to treat myself with kindness and see how it goes.

Good for you!! Congrats on your journey so far. My husband quit last year and said its the best decision he ever made. I'm glad he's healthy. Keep going strong!

So your husband is still alive and he quit over a year ago? Haha. I am joking because for people trying to quit it feels like a death when actually it is a new lease on life. Yes, I agree. If nothing else the past year was eventful because I guess the year you finally and really quit smoking for good and forever is a big deal. I would never go back but I deal with a lot of quit smoking anxiety, more than I think I have ever had before in my life, which is kind of what brought me to this site. Big congrats to your hubby. He is a hero.

He struggles with the same thing. He actually started taking Zoloft to help with his anxiety. He also misses smoking curbing his appetite. New challenges to take on, right?

And does the Zoloft help? My doctor gave me citalopram in August and my anxiety shot through the roof and that AD really traumatized me and I went off it. I wanted diazepam and the doctor refused to give it to me. I came on this site and whimpered about not being able to get my doctor to prescribe a benzo. I had the benzo blues, haha, but got over it and now I am not taking any medications but I use herbs such as valerian, passion flower, chamomile and rhodiola. I didn't actually gain weight but I feel very draggy and bloated and horrible. I know all this discomfort sometimes drives people back to picking up smoking again, even at 9 or 10 months. That's not going to be me and that's not going to be your husband. (I don't want to be on any medications.) If the Zoloft is working for your husband than I would say he got a lucky break.

Lol the benzo blues. My roommate in the hospital made me swear to stay away from them. She said they are addictive. I haven't needed any thankfully.

Yeah the Zoloft has worked wonders for him. He used to have panic attacks and OCD tendencies, the doctor took both into account when she prescribed it. We are thankful.

I often wonder about going off my medication, my doctor says everyone has to do it at least once in their life in order to see if they really need it and it usually happens in the first 2-3 years of treatment. On one hand I imagine life without the constant meds every day and I think its wonderful, then I missed my Lamictal one day at Thanksgiving and I was down in the dumps for 3 days straight so I think for now I need it.

I have used diazepam in the past without any bad side effects and never had a problem going off it. So I would say that for some people it is dangerous but not all people -- it did help me with situational anxiety in the past. I just think it is ironic that when now I have more anxiety than ever before I can't get any medication from the doctor, so I am done. My doctor told me to exercise. Well, mrsjoggers, that's why I am gonna have to squeeze myself into that swimsuit. It's a big deal to give up smoking and I think it just takes a long time to learn how to cope. I know a lot of people who have been on medication for decades and have no intention of going off. But there are also others who want more control. I really can't imagine how you can know based only on being off a medication for three days. However, if I was on a medication and it was working for me I am guessing I'd probably keep up with taking it, even if I didn't like taking a pill. I have to take medication for my thyroid every day and even though I'd rather not have to take it, it is necessary.

"Just keep swimming, just keep swimming..." - Finding Nemo

Swim Dechan!

Hope you enjoy if and find some release from your anxiety.

Love the Finding Nemo Quote. Can I use it in my signature? But of course!

Congrats, keep up the good work

Nice conversation ladies. I must jump in.
It has been 5 weeks and 1 day since I left smoking behind. Not that I am counting.
I have quit before but this time seems so different. I think and feel different.
I have always gone back to smoking due to anxiety related reasons. Being aware of that is winning half the battle.
Quitting has been hard yet almost easy at the same time.
Please continue to share how you are doing. Online support has been a very big help to me.

Congratulations!!!

Thanks for sharing your story of hope and inspiration. I'm a recovering alcoholic, too, and I've lost 70 pounds!

Something I've found helpful is this: whenever I crave a drink, I use it as an excuse to celebrate the fact that the poison is leaving and has left my body. Instead of having a drink, I have a not-drink. It's easy in this framework. I've used this technique to quit smoking pot too, and I just passed a home drug test for the first time!

Congratulations!!! You are going strong. What mainly has kept me going is just one main thought - that I want to not smoke more than I want to smoke. I am glad to hear about your awareness that anxiety was the reason you gave up the quit. For me it was that every single time, I am sure. My anxiety ramped up at about 3 months into my present non-smoking journey, and I have spent a great deal of my time since then trying to figure out how to manage my anxiety. It is almost like a part-time job!!! --- But I am convinced it is the only way I am going to stay quit. At about 6 months I started drinking a glass of wine at night and of course it relieved anxiety but it was not a long-term solution...so I gave it up. I also use herbs such as valerian and passion flower, and they are definitely helpful. If you aren't proactive the anxiety can creep up on you and the addicted part of the brain knows without a doubt that a hit of nicotine will fix everything. While killing you. I used to laugh when I would hear nicotine addiction compared to heroin addiction. I am not laughing anymore. It is a serious dangerous addiction, and not just a bad habit. My deepest positive thoughts and wishes go to you, my friend. Quitting smoking is a great thing. You can do it. It is just a matter of stringing the nonsmoking days together.

Congrats! & Keep up the good work!

I just celebrated my 22nd Anniversary of quitting this nasty, expensive habit!

Each year I go into my local convenience store and ask them to ring up three packs.

Yes, I literally smoked three packs a day!

This year the total came to 19 dollars and 30 some odd cents!

So glad I was able to kick that @#$%! to the curb!

That's a lot of dough, and I'd have to work two jobs to still be doing it ... If it hadn't killed me yet!

Again, Congrats! & Keep Up The Good Work!

Oh, so you just have them ring it up to see how much it would cost each year? How clever. So I wonder what it cost when you quit...probably not very much. I can't believe you smoked three packs a day. You would surely have died before this. Spread the good word. This addiction needs to be wiped out. I am not sure vaping is a good substitute. I hope it is just something transitory for people and it will be a trend that will go away. Nicotine kills. It's not just tobacco as originally thought. They are now saying nicotine is carcinogenic no matter how it is is delivered in the system.

Back in '93 before I quit, to the best of my memory I was paying around 2.00 a pack and could pick up a 3 pack special for around 5.25.

I was so horribly addicted that I would even wake up in the middle of the night and go down to the den, flip on the TV and smoke about 10 straight before going back to bed ... 5 with morning coffee and while getting ready for work ... 5 or so sitting in the morning rush hour ... We could still smoke in the office in the late 80's so I was always puffing away at the desk, ashtray piled high with 15 - 20 butts by quitting time ... When it got banned inside the office, the AM & PM Smokebreaks were extended (we shoulda been penalized for taking three lunch hours a day) as we would stand there and smoke one after the other back to back (again around 5 at the time) ... 5 or so during actual lunch break ... Another 5 or so on the commute back home ... then another 5 or so before bedtime ... Get up and start all over again!

Holy @#$%! ... I literally smoked three packs a day, if not more, and that is where the term "chain-smoker" came from I suppose ... Again, so glad I was finally able to kick that one to the curb!

Wow. This is such an amazing story. I too recall (with horror) when smoking was allowed inside at work. I always had a cigarette burning in the ashtray on my desk. I worked in an office where two of us did this all day long. How selfish we were to make the others work in such an awful environment. And it is true that smokers should be penalized for taking extra time to smoke. You really recall it all in graphic detail and tell your story well. Thank you.

Aw love your new signature!

Thank you!

well done.

Congratulations! One day at a time and you'll get through that 9 weeks. For me one year was a huge psychological milestone. Not only was I smoke-free but I seldom even thought about them any more. And when I smell cigarette smoke it's nauseating.

I've just had a lot of anxiety since I quit. But as far as the smell...it is so bad. When I go out shopping and I smell smoke on someone I just cannot believe how much it stinks! I can't believe I smoked and walked around smelling like that. I also love smelling good things. Tonight I stopped at a Christmas tree lot just to bury my face in the trees and smell them. There are so many blessings that come with being a nonsmoker. But the anxiety has been a challenge. I think that you are right and hitting one year is going to be a huge psychological high. I can walk through the next 9 weeks one day at a time. Thank you so very, very much for the encouragement.

Had a smoking dream last night. At ten months quit!!! In the dream I was with a handsome guy, and we were somewhere with a lot of rustic buildings and snow. Maybe Vermont? I bummed a smoke from him and we stood outside and smoked. The sun was out so it was warm. The weird thing about a smoker's dream is you don't get that nasty taste in your mouth, and have that nasty smoke in your eyes, and that nasty smell on your clothes. So when I woke up I realized that the smoking dream did not mean I wanted to smoke. Heck, I have no idea what it meant. It was pleasant, like a movie, but not real. I don't know how long I will experience smoking dreams. I am kind of surprised to have one after 10 months. But it definitely did not make me want to smoke. The reality of smoking is just yuk, dirty filthy habit I am glad to be rid of this year.

I've not smoked in almost 18 years and still have using dreams like that from time to time! I handle it much the way you described, acknowledging that it's not reality and playing it out as if it had been real. The thought of me smelling like that again is enough to make me shudder!

You're doing great and you're a great inspiration! Congratulations!!