Will We Ever Stop Lighting Up? Community Group
A place for people to come and share their stories of how they have quit smoking or how they are trying to quit and the struggles they face each day OR for smokers who just dont want to quit andor not yet ready. Both are welcome here. A non-judgemental place for smokers and non-smokers alike. Please feel free to discuss any topic you wish that pertains to smoking. Smokers...
On January 2, 2008 I said to myself, "self you have to quit smoking even though you love it. You can't afford it anymore." I was smoking 3 packs of cigarettes a day to the tune of about 500 dollars a month. Smoking anesthetized me, it gave me comfort and I had smoked for 35 years. I quit cold turkey that day. Anyway, I have done great up until today when I reached for a cigarette and of course there weren't any. I googled support and here I am. I really haven't had much of a struggle and not sure why today is so bad. The weather is gorgeous and I am not in any pain. As a woman maybe it is hormonal or maybe it just takes a few years for the nicotine to completely leave my neuro-receptors. The craving has left and I am still smoke free. Nice to know there is a site I can come to and post my thoughts. Hang in there and remember: One day at a time.
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I gave my 2 week notice last Friday 13th. Now to join you fine people in a life of leisure and nothing else to do but to look out for myself....is it just me or does that sound pretty boring? My goal was to live to retire and I guess having to take early retirement because of health reasons wasn't exactly the way I had planned things. I just can't stay in that building that is reeking mildew...
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I'm trying to exercise daily. I was doing fairly well until I sprained my ankle 2 weeks ago but now I'm getting back on the horse. Today I walked over a mile with my arm weights that are about 22lbs total. I was out of shape and it was hard on my arms. I also did my 30 situps. I'm also going to drink a lot of water and try to eat healthy. I do tend to have a sweet tooth but I'm cutting...
There is a rule of thumb that says you must be smoke-free for one year before you can truly say you are quit. Medical research backs this up, but not necessarily for the same reasons.
Nicotine hijacks the pleasure/reward centers of our brains and causes undeserved releases of dopamine. Dopamine is what gives us good feelings, the "ahhhs" of life. Go to the Smoking Addiction and Recovery community and read "Rewards, Nicotine, and the Brain" for a more detailed explanation. http://dailystrength.org/c/Smoking-Addiction/forum/2090303-rewards-nicotine-and-brain This is also a great place for support. We have a lot of successful quitters there who want you to be as successful as them.
The other part of "being quit for a year" is memory associations. When we smoked while experiencing an activity or event, we formed a memory association between smoking and the activity or event. The more often that occurred, the stronger that associative link became. After quitting smoking, when we have another experience our brain will expect the smoke (actually, the nicotine fix). When it doesn't arrive, the brain complains in the form of a crave or intense desire or longing.
The good news is, every time we experience one of these events or activities without smoking, that link is weakened and a new association with experiencing the event or activity without smoking is formed. Eventually, the link will be completely severed. Sometimes the sever occurs on the first smoke-free experience, sometimes it takes more than once. The "must be quit a year" takes into consideration that there are some activities and events that we only experience once a year, such as filing taxes here in the US, Christmas, New Year's, etc.
I hope this helps some. Blessings to you, uffy.
Shevie
Quit May, 2005