I am quitting for health reasons but I was wondering how many others here put health at the top of the list?
Is money, clean clothes, general fitness higher on anyone's list than health?
Health was at the top of my list too, well in a way, didn't want my daughter knowing me as a smoker and then when I read the stories on the site it made me realise as I used to just ignore them and when I was in my 20s think "well I'm only in my 20s" etc. My husband doesn't smoke much (social smoker) but has said he'll give up if I stay off them for a year which will be in September!
I am quitting for health reasons but I was wondering how many others here put health at the top of the list?
Is money, clean clothes, general fitness higher on anyone's list than health?
Health was top for me. I don't notice the extra money after the first week or two because you just find another way to spend it. My throat was getting to the stage where it was constantly dry, constricted and sore and my chest wasn't much better. Three weeks off them and they are starting to ease a little.
I'm quitting because I'm due to have major surgery soon and the consultant has told me I won't be allowed the surgery if I'm still a smoker. I managed three weeks then bought a packet of ten so it's back to square one for me.
I have the 24 hr patches and also the inhalator, although I don't like it as it makes me cough lol. The patches also give me very vivid dreams. I can't have champix because of other medication I take.
I have my pre-op assessment in ten days time and really hope this ten cigs I had don't result in me being denied my op.
I am quitting for health reasons but I was wondering how many others here put health at the top of the list?
Is money, clean clothes, general fitness higher on anyone's list than health?
I'm type I diabetic so you'd think I would have quit smoking for my health but it was really the smell that finally made me want to stop and helped me stay stopped.
I moved flats recently and my brother had to get my old flat cleaned and repainted as the walls and ceilings were filthy and all nicotine stained My new flat is lovely and clean and I intend to keep it that way. I also love the fact that when I wash my clothes now they keep their nice newly washed smell (and my hair too!)
I'm quitting because I'm due to have major surgery soon and the consultant has told me I won't be allowed the surgery if I'm still a smoker. I managed three weeks then bought a packet of ten so it's back to square one for me.
I have the 24 hr patches and also the inhalator, although I don't like it as it makes me cough lol. The patches also give me very vivid dreams. I can't have champix because of other medication I take.
I have my pre-op assessment in ten days time and really hope this ten cigs I had don't result in me being denied my op.
When is the surgery?
I went to a stop smoking clinic initially so I could get NRT on the NHS and they got me blowing into a machine that measures the carbon monoxide levels (i think)
Anyway, after a week of non smoking there was no trace of anything so I am thinking that if your Operation is more than a week from the last **** you should be ok.
Good luck with the surgery, hope it goes ahead and you recover well.
I went to a stop smoking clinic initially so I could get NRT on the NHS and they got me blowing into a machine that measures the carbon monoxide levels (i think)
Anyway, after a week of non smoking there was no trace of anything so I am thinking that if your Operation is more than a week from the last **** you should be ok.
Good luck with the surgery, hope it goes ahead and you recover well.
Haven't got a date yet but it should be just a few weeks after my pre-op. I also want to give up so that my lungs and heart are stronger for the surgery too, so it's not just because the surgeon says I have to. They're doing a urine and blood test so it might be that the nicotine will still show up, but hopefully they'll understand that lapses can happen.
Haven't got a date yet but it should be just a few weeks after my pre-op. I also want to give up so that my lungs and heart are stronger for the surgery too, so it's not just because the surgeon says I have to. They're doing a urine and blood test so it might be that the nicotine will still show up, but hopefully they'll understand that lapses can happen.
I remember the look I got from my consultant when she asked if I smoked and I reminded her that she had told me in October that I only had a year to live.
I expected a hard time but she smiled and told me it was a natural reaction to think that way. No threats of withdrawing the chemo treatment or anything, she simply pointed out that by smoking again I was making it more likely that I could get infections.
I told her I would quit again and she told me that it was the right thing to do. I have stopped again after some serious reflection.
Try not to be too critical of yourself, I am sure they will realise you are making a big effort and not be too judgemental.
RESIST! RESIST! Go for a walk. I found those frozen popsicles things are really good. They are refreshing and you can eat loads of them without having to worry about putting on weight. Maybe go for a walk and get some? You'll feel really proud of yourself tomorrow if you don't give in
I smoked 20 a day for around 14-15 years. I quit last April and I found it an absolute doddle. I can't believe it though, I was really really drunk on sunday and I smoked half a one! I'm gutted. It hasn't made me start again, which is good I suppose. I'm just angry at myself, I do miss it when I'm drinking, but that's the first I've given in. I'll just put it down to a moment of madness.
I smoked 20 a day for around 14-15 years. I quit last April and I found it an absolute doddle. I can't believe it though, I was really really drunk on sunday and I smoked half a one! I'm gutted. It hasn't made me start again, which is good I suppose. I'm just angry at myself, I do miss it when I'm drinking, but that's the first I've given in. I'll just put it down to a moment of madness.
half is not so bad compared to the awful prospect of starting again, your right to put it down to a moment of madness,
Yesterday evening was a real struggle. I woke this morning feeling really annoyed that I had three **** yesterday evening.
I smiled when I realised that was a dream
Ah the smoking dream, it's such a great feeling when you realise you didn't smoke - in the pdf book I linked yesterday they tell you why you dreamed of it, have copied and pasted below if you fancy a read!
The smoking dreams are common if not universal among exsmokers.
It is especially common when a person is off a short time
period, and if it occurs within days or weeks of a quit, it is likely to be extremely disturbing and very realistic. Realistic enough in fact that the ex-smoker will wake up smelling and tasting a cigarette, convinced that he or she has actually smoked. I have had numerous clients search the house for the butt, it was that realistic of a sensation.
Let me explain first why the physical sensation is so pronounced. When first quitting, one of the early physical repairs that start up is cilia production. Cilia are tiny hair-like projections that line your trachea and bronchus, constantly sweeping particulate matter out of your lungs. When you smoked, you first slowed down, then paralyzed and would eventually destroy cilia. This is why smokers often have
more colds and flues, they wipe out the first line of defense against the incoming microbes causing these illnesses.
When a person stops smoking, usually within 72 hours or so, cilia starts to regenerate. The ex-smoker may start cleaning out the lung in a matter of days. One of the early symptoms first encountered is coughing and spitting out, this is mucous and trapped matter that was never being cleaned out efficiently while smoking but now has an
escape route and mechanism to start sweeping it. Ugly but good, you are starting to clean out a lot of garbage in your lung. Much of the garbage is tobacco tar, tobacco tars that have a very distinct taste and smell.
Let’s say you are dreaming now, maybe a totally innocuous
dream having nothing to do with smoking. While sleeping, cilia are sweeping, tobacco tars get brought up, reach sensory nerves for taste and smell and low and behold, you create a dream sequence involving a cigarette. But not only are you now dreaming, physical sensations of taste and smell persist upon awakening. This then becomes a real
smoking sensation.
This gives a plausible explanation of why the dream occurred and why it was so vivid. But that is not the end of the significance of the dream. The dream can be interpreted in one of two ways upon awakening, and quit often, the ex-smoker takes it as a sign that they actually want to smoke. After all, they had been off smoking and just dreamt about it, that means they want to smoke, right?
I used to get calls in the middle of the night for clinic participants panicked by the dream. They would start off saying, “They can’t believe it, off all this time and they still want to smoke.” They knew they wanted to smoke because they dreamt about it. I would then ask them to describe the dream. They would tell about the vividness and realism, and they would almost always say it started to take on a
nightmarish proportion. They would wake up in a sweat, often crying, thinking that they just smoked and blew the whole thing, that they were now back to square one. That all that time off smoking was wasted.
As soon as they would finish describing their feelings, I pointed out one very obvious fact. They just dreamt they smoked and assumed that meant that they wanted to smoke. They woke up and upon further clarification, they describe the dream was a nightmare. This is not the
dream of someone who wants to smoke; it is the dream of someone who is afraid of smoking. This is a legitimate fear considering the ex-smoker is fighting a powerful and deadly addiction. Hence, it is a legitimate dream too. It kinds of gives you a sense of how bad you would feel if you actually do go back to smoking. Not physically speaking but psychologically. If the dream is a nightmare it makes
you realize how bad this feeling is without having to actually have smoked and fallen into the grasp of nicotine addiction again. It can give you some perspective about how important not smoking is to your mental health.
The dangerous dream is when you smoke a whole pack in it, hack and cough, get socially ostracized, develop some horrible illness, end up on your death bed about to let out your final live breath—and all of a sudden wake up with a smile on your face and say, “that was great, wish I could do that when I am awake.” As long as that is not the dream you were having, I wouldn’t let myself get to discouraged
by it. If that is the dream, then we may need to talk more.
In regards to smoking, no matter what you do in your dreams, you will be OK as long as you remember in your waking state to -NEVER
TAKE ANOTHER PUFF!
Ah the smoking dream, it's such a great feeling when you realise you didn't smoke - in the pdf book I linked yesterday they tell you why you dreamed of it, have copied and pasted below if you fancy a read!
The smoking dreams are common if not universal among exsmokers.
It is especially common when a person is off a short time
period, and if it occurs within days or weeks of a quit, it is likely to be extremely disturbing and very realistic. Realistic enough in fact that the ex-smoker will wake up smelling and tasting a cigarette, convinced that he or she has actually smoked. I have had numerous clients search the house for the butt, it was that realistic of a sensation.
Let me explain first why the physical sensation is so pronounced. When first quitting, one of the early physical repairs that start up is cilia production. Cilia are tiny hair-like projections that line your trachea and bronchus, constantly sweeping particulate matter out of your lungs. When you smoked, you first slowed down, then paralyzed and would eventually destroy cilia. This is why smokers often have
more colds and flues, they wipe out the first line of defense against the incoming microbes causing these illnesses.
When a person stops smoking, usually within 72 hours or so, cilia starts to regenerate. The ex-smoker may start cleaning out the lung in a matter of days. One of the early symptoms first encountered is coughing and spitting out, this is mucous and trapped matter that was never being cleaned out efficiently while smoking but now has an
escape route and mechanism to start sweeping it. Ugly but good, you are starting to clean out a lot of garbage in your lung. Much of the garbage is tobacco tar, tobacco tars that have a very distinct taste and smell.
Let’s say you are dreaming now, maybe a totally innocuous
dream having nothing to do with smoking. While sleeping, cilia are sweeping, tobacco tars get brought up, reach sensory nerves for taste and smell and low and behold, you create a dream sequence involving a cigarette. But not only are you now dreaming, physical sensations of taste and smell persist upon awakening. This then becomes a real
smoking sensation.
This gives a plausible explanation of why the dream occurred and why it was so vivid. But that is not the end of the significance of the dream. The dream can be interpreted in one of two ways upon awakening, and quit often, the ex-smoker takes it as a sign that they actually want to smoke. After all, they had been off smoking and just dreamt about it, that means they want to smoke, right?
I used to get calls in the middle of the night for clinic participants panicked by the dream. They would start off saying, “They can’t believe it, off all this time and they still want to smoke.” They knew they wanted to smoke because they dreamt about it. I would then ask them to describe the dream. They would tell about the vividness and realism, and they would almost always say it started to take on a
nightmarish proportion. They would wake up in a sweat, often crying, thinking that they just smoked and blew the whole thing, that they were now back to square one. That all that time off smoking was wasted.
As soon as they would finish describing their feelings, I pointed out one very obvious fact. They just dreamt they smoked and assumed that meant that they wanted to smoke. They woke up and upon further clarification, they describe the dream was a nightmare. This is not the
dream of someone who wants to smoke; it is the dream of someone who is afraid of smoking. This is a legitimate fear considering the ex-smoker is fighting a powerful and deadly addiction. Hence, it is a legitimate dream too. It kinds of gives you a sense of how bad you would feel if you actually do go back to smoking. Not physically speaking but psychologically. If the dream is a nightmare it makes
you realize how bad this feeling is without having to actually have smoked and fallen into the grasp of nicotine addiction again. It can give you some perspective about how important not smoking is to your mental health.
The dangerous dream is when you smoke a whole pack in it, hack and cough, get socially ostracized, develop some horrible illness, end up on your death bed about to let out your final live breath—and all of a sudden wake up with a smile on your face and say, “that was great, wish I could do that when I am awake.” As long as that is not the dream you were having, I wouldn’t let myself get to discouraged
by it. If that is the dream, then we may need to talk more.
In regards to smoking, no matter what you do in your dreams, you will be OK as long as you remember in your waking state to -NEVER
TAKE ANOTHER PUFF!
Day four Think I'm actually gonna do this! Cannot believe that I have gotten this far and not a single slip. Normally by this stage I'd be fighting myself off buying a second ten pack too.
The smoking dreams are common if not universal among exsmokers.
I haven't had the smoking dream but the explanation makes perfect sense. For a full on week after I quit I had a horrible taste that wouldn't go away and my throat felt like someone was rubbing sandpaper up and down it. I was drinking loads of water but it didn't seem to be working. It did start go get better but it's taken nearly four weeks for the sore throat and horrible taste to go away.
Comments
Health was at the top of my list too, well in a way, didn't want my daughter knowing me as a smoker and then when I read the stories on the site it made me realise as I used to just ignore them and when I was in my 20s think "well I'm only in my 20s" etc. My husband doesn't smoke much (social smoker) but has said he'll give up if I stay off them for a year which will be in September!
Health was top for me. I don't notice the extra money after the first week or two because you just find another way to spend it. My throat was getting to the stage where it was constantly dry, constricted and sore and my chest wasn't much better. Three weeks off them and they are starting to ease a little.
I have the 24 hr patches and also the inhalator, although I don't like it as it makes me cough lol. The patches also give me very vivid dreams. I can't have champix because of other medication I take.
I have my pre-op assessment in ten days time and really hope this ten cigs I had don't result in me being denied my op.
I'm type I diabetic so you'd think I would have quit smoking for my health but it was really the smell that finally made me want to stop and helped me stay stopped.
I moved flats recently and my brother had to get my old flat cleaned and repainted as the walls and ceilings were filthy and all nicotine stained
When is the surgery?
I went to a stop smoking clinic initially so I could get NRT on the NHS and they got me blowing into a machine that measures the carbon monoxide levels (i think)
Anyway, after a week of non smoking there was no trace of anything so I am thinking that if your Operation is more than a week from the last **** you should be ok.
Good luck with the surgery, hope it goes ahead and you recover well.
Haven't got a date yet but it should be just a few weeks after my pre-op. I also want to give up so that my lungs and heart are stronger for the surgery too, so it's not just because the surgeon says I have to. They're doing a urine and blood test so it might be that the nicotine will still show up, but hopefully they'll understand that lapses can happen.
I remember the look I got from my consultant when she asked if I smoked and I reminded her that she had told me in October that I only had a year to live.
I expected a hard time but she smiled and told me it was a natural reaction to think that way. No threats of withdrawing the chemo treatment or anything, she simply pointed out that by smoking again I was making it more likely that I could get infections.
I told her I would quit again and she told me that it was the right thing to do. I have stopped again after some serious reflection.
Try not to be too critical of yourself, I am sure they will realise you are making a big effort and not be too judgemental.
Once again I wish you the best of luck.
No your not!, its just a phase that will last a few minutes if you find something else to do, stay strong.
Write me a poem?
targets are great, try not to count the minutes though, I found it made me think about smoking more, distraction is the key.
Have a browse through the whyquit site, it'll help you see what you are doing and going through.
Keep on going!!!
half is not so bad compared to the awful prospect of starting again, your right to put it down to a moment of madness,
In a few days it will be a distant memory
I smiled when I realised that was a dream
Ah the smoking dream, it's such a great feeling when you realise you didn't smoke - in the pdf book I linked yesterday they tell you why you dreamed of it, have copied and pasted below if you fancy a read!
The smoking dreams are common if not universal among exsmokers.
It is especially common when a person is off a short time
period, and if it occurs within days or weeks of a quit, it is likely to be extremely disturbing and very realistic. Realistic enough in fact that the ex-smoker will wake up smelling and tasting a cigarette, convinced that he or she has actually smoked. I have had numerous clients search the house for the butt, it was that realistic of a sensation.
Let me explain first why the physical sensation is so pronounced. When first quitting, one of the early physical repairs that start up is cilia production. Cilia are tiny hair-like projections that line your trachea and bronchus, constantly sweeping particulate matter out of your lungs. When you smoked, you first slowed down, then paralyzed and would eventually destroy cilia. This is why smokers often have
more colds and flues, they wipe out the first line of defense against the incoming microbes causing these illnesses.
When a person stops smoking, usually within 72 hours or so, cilia starts to regenerate. The ex-smoker may start cleaning out the lung in a matter of days. One of the early symptoms first encountered is coughing and spitting out, this is mucous and trapped matter that was never being cleaned out efficiently while smoking but now has an
escape route and mechanism to start sweeping it. Ugly but good, you are starting to clean out a lot of garbage in your lung. Much of the garbage is tobacco tar, tobacco tars that have a very distinct taste and smell.
Let’s say you are dreaming now, maybe a totally innocuous
dream having nothing to do with smoking. While sleeping, cilia are sweeping, tobacco tars get brought up, reach sensory nerves for taste and smell and low and behold, you create a dream sequence involving a cigarette. But not only are you now dreaming, physical sensations of taste and smell persist upon awakening. This then becomes a real
smoking sensation.
This gives a plausible explanation of why the dream occurred and why it was so vivid. But that is not the end of the significance of the dream. The dream can be interpreted in one of two ways upon awakening, and quit often, the ex-smoker takes it as a sign that they actually want to smoke. After all, they had been off smoking and just dreamt about it, that means they want to smoke, right?
I used to get calls in the middle of the night for clinic participants panicked by the dream. They would start off saying, “They can’t believe it, off all this time and they still want to smoke.” They knew they wanted to smoke because they dreamt about it. I would then ask them to describe the dream. They would tell about the vividness and realism, and they would almost always say it started to take on a
nightmarish proportion. They would wake up in a sweat, often crying, thinking that they just smoked and blew the whole thing, that they were now back to square one. That all that time off smoking was wasted.
As soon as they would finish describing their feelings, I pointed out one very obvious fact. They just dreamt they smoked and assumed that meant that they wanted to smoke. They woke up and upon further clarification, they describe the dream was a nightmare. This is not the
dream of someone who wants to smoke; it is the dream of someone who is afraid of smoking. This is a legitimate fear considering the ex-smoker is fighting a powerful and deadly addiction. Hence, it is a legitimate dream too. It kinds of gives you a sense of how bad you would feel if you actually do go back to smoking. Not physically speaking but psychologically. If the dream is a nightmare it makes
you realize how bad this feeling is without having to actually have smoked and fallen into the grasp of nicotine addiction again. It can give you some perspective about how important not smoking is to your mental health.
The dangerous dream is when you smoke a whole pack in it, hack and cough, get socially ostracized, develop some horrible illness, end up on your death bed about to let out your final live breath—and all of a sudden wake up with a smile on your face and say, “that was great, wish I could do that when I am awake.” As long as that is not the dream you were having, I wouldn’t let myself get to discouraged
by it. If that is the dream, then we may need to talk more.
In regards to smoking, no matter what you do in your dreams, you will be OK as long as you remember in your waking state to -NEVER
TAKE ANOTHER PUFF!
well done, soon be 3 days.
Hope it's getting easier for you.
Thanks for that. Very interesting
Day four