Mac's quitlog

Kazbarr

I sometimes wish I did have kids because I'm sure I would have given up a long time ago due to the fact that kids nag you to death about smoking these days....many of my friends gave up that way !!

Kazbarr

Macros42 wrote: »

7 months down. Gael Force in two weeks. Been through some stressful times recently and still not smoking. It's all good

Hope the training is going well for Gael Force....sure you will do fantastically well on the day so go go Macro

Don't forget to let us all know how you get on

Orion

Hi guys and gals,

On the 21st of this month comes the event that I've quit smoking and spent all year training for – Gael Force West http://www.gaelforceevents.com/west). This is a 65K adventure race in Connemara (full details below). I'm doing this with a group of friends and we are using it to raise funds for the Jack & Jill Foundation.

This is a major personal challenge for me and to complete it at all will be a victory. To raise much needed funding for such a worthy charity is an added bonus.

You can sponsor us at http://www.mycharity.ie/event/gfw2010/ or with cold hard cash if we meet personally. Any amount – big or small – is much appreciated by us and by Jack & Jill.

Stage 1: Beach, Trail and Road Run 12 km
Stage 2: Kayaking across Killary Harbour 1.6 km
Stage 3: Trail and Road Run 3.5 km
Stage 4: Cycling 32 km
Stage 5: Mountain Run - Croagh Patrick 3.5km
Stage 6: Cycling 12.5 km

So come on - donate the price of 1 pack, 1 day's cost of smoking, 1 weeks worth, anything at all. It's in a good cause. And think of me running up that damn hill next weekend a mere 7.5 months after quitting a 40 a day habit!

Thanks in advance,

Steve

dollyk

all for a really good cause.. well done

Orion

Thanks a mill dollyk - really appreciate the donation.

Kazbarr

Macro I have put you a small donation on but I thought I would be able to donate in pounds not euros lol so sorry about that !!

Just wanted to wish you good luck and enjoy the day

Orion

8 months. Two thirds of a year. And Gael Force completed. Not a bad year so far. GFW took me 8 and a half hours but I crossed the finish line smiling :-)

The event was my focus so now I need to stay focussed. The last two days have bren cravings out of the blue which just reinforces the need for focus. This monkey hasn't gone away yet. Next target is the kildare marathon in May. :-)

Kazbarr

Macros42 wrote: »

8 months. Two thirds of a year. And Gael Force completed. Not a bad year so far. GFW took me 8 and a half hours but I crossed the finish line smiling :-)

Well done you, you must have felt relief when you finally crossed that finish line :D it was such a huge achievement and I bet yourself and all your family and friends are so proud of you. You have done what a lot of us would love to do but don't have the guts to do and raised money for a great cause.

Also well done on reaching 8 months that is also a fantastic achievement but what I like about you is you tell the truth and still admit to having cravings. It just goes to show that those cravings still rear their ugly heads and tantalise us when we are least expecting it. I am at the 5 month mark and I could have really smoked one today as had a really tough day and I keep thinking when are these urges going to leave me alone. But it gives me hope to carry on when we have all been through so much together.

Well done

Orion

Wow - 2 months since I last posted. Bad Mac Bad.

11 months 22 days. And still a smoker not smoking. Moving headlong towards that 1 year mark. That's the day I call my life insurance company and halve my premium. No major cravings recently. There was one Thursday evening when I found some Silk Cut in the wardrobe - her hash stash - I looked at the box fondly tbh. But they were only Silk Cut - not real cigs . And no real cravings either.

Important thing is I have not smoked since 8/1/10 - my crazy lapse day. It's such a significant date - I don't even need to read back through this log to remember it. I quit on 1/1 but lapsed on 8/1. And I still consider that day as part of my quitting and I don't think without that lapse I'd still be off the sticks. Mad isn't it?

I know some others here are heading towards Year 1 too. Keep it up you crazy kids.

Optimus485

I'm heading towards the 1 year mark (new years day 2011). It's such a great achievement.

Orion

Well done. Don't forget to call your life insurers in January to halve your premium

conan doyle

Been following the lives and trials of all you quitters and it's inspirational. Tomorrow's my D day and if the truth be told I'm scared to death at the thought of it. Been talking to jesse another sucess story and my problem is "tomorrow symdrome" but of course for me tomorrow never comes. Some of my friends are telling me to leave it until the new year and enjoy Christmas but to be honest with you I have to do it now. The desire to quit has become so strong and the fear for my health so important that I have to try now and suffer over christmas. Down to my last four cigs now and none in for tomorrow so all you guys you have inspired me and please send out the good vibes or positive forces or whatever you can manage to me tomorrow because I'm gonna need them all.

Orion

Best of luck with it. It's a big change and the few few days are the hardest. But you can do it if you really want to.

conan doyle

thanks for that. I'll keep you all posted

Orion

conan doyle wrote: »

thanks for that. I'll keep you all posted

Do. And remember - there are no quitters here. We quit nothing - we start not smoking. Hopefully you will to

celticcrash

12 days since my last cigg. A trip to the hospital for a week, chest pains,sudden weaknesses a daily occurrence.I am 41 felt like a 71 year old.
Feel a lot better off the cigs. My health has a long way to go to get better.
One thing that helps is knowing that when my head tells me to have a smoke,
I dont take it seriously. I dont want to smoke,my addiction wants me to smoke, its only echos, the addiction dying.
Each craving means the addiction is dying.
Know that with each craving that its a sign that your getting stronger and more healthy.
I look at the addiction as a separate. Me and it.
It likes to attack me when I am over tired,hungry,thirsty.
It loves negative emotions,its cheeky,it will try to sneak in the back door.
I dont take it too seriously thats its nature.
What I do take seriously is no matter what happens I dont have to smoke.
Not one. Again thanks to all.

That_Guy

celticcrash, I'm off them 5 weeks now. It can really be done. Think of all the money you'll save.

Do what I did and calculate the amount of money you'd usually spend on cigarettes. Each week put that amount of money aside and at the end of the month just blow it all on a treat for yourself.

There's nothing better than having a bit of extra money in your pocket.

The very best of luck with it.

diceyreilly

69 weeks since my last Ciggy..

Truely the best thing i ever did, can run marathons now, the thought wouldn't of even crossed my mind before when i was a smoker.....

dolliemix

Hi everyone!

Same as Mac. Still off them. I had sort of forgotten that I was a smoker but being Christmas I've been meeting up with people who I only see around this time of year so I'm getting the "are you coming out for a smoke?"

Definitely my greatest achievement of 2010!

Well done to everyone who is at the early stages and surviving. My only advice, which I had to keep telling myself initially was, take each moment as it comes and be super strong at those moments.

Like Mac, I gave up on 1st Jan, but I did have one at the end of March. And like Mac I think that slip up really helped with my long term commitment to the cause! It's the one cigarette in my life that I was the most disgusted with myself about but the fact that I got straight back on track the following day with a passion and didn't beat myself up about it made me even more proud of myself. So if you do slip up......just get straight back on track. It will be ok

Good luck!


Cant wait to come back on here 1st January to celebrate our 1 year anniversary and also to celebrate all the other many milestones of all the other followers of this wonderful thread - new and old!

Orion

3 more sleeps to the end of year 1. Roll on year 2 It'll be hard to top last years new year resolution to quit smoking. But I do have one in mind. It's a challenge but it will help me stay off the fags for another year.

milosh

Mac
I quit on 21st June this year (for no real reason). I hadn't planned it, had done none of the preparation. I just woke up that morning without any smokes and decided I wasn't going to buy any. I stumbled across your log the next day and read it from the start. It kept me occupied over the first couple of days.

Anyway I think the first post I read was about you planning to do the Kildare marathon next year. That gave me some motivation to do something to replace smoking. That evening I entered the Dublin City marathon for October (never thinking I'd actually complete). 16 weeks later I finished the marathon, having lost 3 stone and gained €1000 along the way. Quitting was the best thing i've ever achieved. After 20 miles I was really struggling when I saw a Donadea Running Club jersey and thought of you. (i'm not even sure if you said you were in that club but in my mind you were) I made a mental note to send a message of thanks for the little bit of help I got from reading your log over the first coupe of days of quitting and all the benefits it has brought me. I only remembered now to do it!!!

Anyway if you are going to do the run, enjoy it and congratulations on your year of quitting and enjoys the money saved on Life Assurance.

Orion

Fair play - doing the marathon is some achievement. I was planning on the kildare marathon but I've been roped into the Connemara Adventure Race again instead. I may do the half or I might help out as a steward on the day.

I appreciate the thought but while my ramblings here may have helped ask the hard work was your own. Glad the thread helped though. It's nice to think i've helped others quit or stay off them.

Current plan for this year now is Connemara in May, Gael Force North in June, and my first marathon either at the cliffs of moher in September or else the Dublin one. A few other races here and there like the new urban race series and the great ireland run. And i'll be wearing my Donadea RC top in most of them too

Orion

45 mins to go - holy crap - a whole year down. I'm actually in a little shock. Even a month ago I wasn't sure I'd make a year. Even now it's a little unbelievable. But there it is. 1 year.

And what a year:

• Quit smoking.
• Started jogging.
• First 10k in April in 61 mins.
• First Adventure Race in May - 32Km.
• Other races: duathlons, road races, adventure races.
• General fitness levels at never before seen proportions.
• Gael Force West!
• Did I mention Gael Force West? Would that have happened if I was a smoker?

Congrats to all who quit and stayed off them in 2010.
For those who tried and fell back - it's never too late to try again. Next time lucky hopefully.
And for those quitting in 2011 - best of luck. I believe anyone can quit if they really want to. If you don't manage it this time - try again 1 Feb, Ash Wednesday, your birthday - whenever. There will be a day when you finally realise you are a non-smoker. And when that day comes you will do it.

And to all who followed this log and replayed your own experiences, offered support, identified with what I was going through - I thank you all most sincerely for the support. I don't think I could have made it this far without this log of my own process. And the interactions on it with you all were a vital part of that.

Roll on year 2.

Sasquatch76

Congrats Mac, on all your achievements - past and future!

Fairway Jim

Mac,

Serious congrats, I have just started, 2 am was my last smoke, need to do it now, smoking since 1986, aged 19 years, believe it or I started smoking because we plyed GAA, social scene after was a few pints, and people smoked, it was cool to smoke - crazy.

Anyway day 1 - need to do it on health grounds, play golf now, associate the golf with the smokes will break that too, play golf with non-smokers.

I feel my cough has got quiet chesty this winter.

Keep strong against the cravings.

Please help, this thread is a huge help - Thanks

molly77

Macros42 wrote: »

45 mins to go - holy crap - a whole year down. I'm actually in a little shock. Even a month ago I wasn't sure I'd make a year. Even now it's a little unbelievable. But there it is. 1 year.


And what a year:

• Quit smoking.
• Started jogging.
• First 10k in April in 61 mins.
• First Adventure Race in May - 32Km.
• Other races: duathlons, road races, adventure races.
• General fitness levels at never before seen proportions.
• Gael Force West!
• Did I mention Gael Force West? Would that have happened if I was a smoker?

Congrats to all who quit and stayed off them in 2010.
For those who tried and fell back - it's never too late to try again. Next time lucky hopefully.
And for those quitting in 2011 - best of luck. I believe anyone can quit if they really want to. If you don't manage it this time - try again 1 Feb, Ash Wednesday, your birthday - whenever. There will be a day when you finally realise you are a non-smoker. And when that day comes you will do it.

And to all who followed this log and replayed your own experiences, offered support, identified with what I was going through - I thank you all most sincerely for the support. I don't think I could have made it this far without this log of my own process. And the interactions on it with you all were a vital part of that.

Roll on year 2.

Well done thats amazing. reading all ur notes, there are a great help. Thanks

dolliemix

Have to add here that this thread has hugely helped me! I cannot believe I'm off them over a year. Funnily enough I actually forgot completely yesterday that I'd a major milestone one year anniversary!!!

This thread and your mention of the C25k got me running!!! I got as far as one 5k race and one 10k race. I did get up to running 11 miles in training. I lost almost three stone. (Just put a half stone back on over Christmas oops!) I met my boyfriend and even though I swore I'd never be able to go out with a smoker again, his smoking didn't bother me. But the fact that I was a non smoker gave him the incentive to try and give up himself. He's off them over a month now.

I'm so glad I came across this thread now!

I'm hoping to do a half marathon this year also...

Well done Mac and everyone else and good luck to all of you starting out. I still remember it being so hard at the start so just take one moment at a time.
Happy New Year

maria74

Am off cigs 3 days and so far so good!
Love to read about people off them for a year plus.
Am also doing half marathon this year (fingers crossed)

Shinshin14

I am probably the worst nicotine addict you 'd ever meet. Smoking for 35 years 30-35 Benson and Hedges per day, At least 1 before breakfast , 8 in the car to work , which is an hours journey return. 3 at lunchtime and if the pressure is on then its cigs a cup of coffee and no food. - the rest are consumed by myself as I live alone and could smoke 20 in a night often chain smoking.

Bought 20 during the cold spell dropped them on the pavement and only missed them when I got home. Walked back in the snow about a mile one way and bought them again and a cat wouldn't walk it was so slippy. Felt disgusted with my lack of will power and control.

On the Champix and off them since new year. No withdrawl pangs so far My triggers are panic situations, berievements, loneliness, boredom, feeling low, or when I lack confidence . I know they don't help but my subconscius mind has been taught by me that they do - and has never forgotten what I taught it years ago.

This time I am going to succeed beat that monster looking for its feeds and providing a crutch to me ,when I have been given the power to control and deal with my own problems without choking myself to death. If I succeed I know I can inspire others to do so because I have being trying to give them up for the past 3 years - My longest time off them was 15 months in 2009.

Never have one thats the mistake I made in the past. Fooling myself saying that I would have one or two to get me over the situation and would stop again tomorrow.
If we support each other on this site I know we can do it this time - I don't want to be smoking this time next year . I hate the effects and control that smoking has on me . I have had problems with my stomach , bones and throat - in the past three years and smoking is not good for any of these conditions which could become more serious over time. Ok I could die from sudden death but I do not want to die of cancer ,or lung disease or end up in a wheel chair - without doing all in my power to prevent this. All my friends are either non smokers or ex smokers and I can't smoke in any of their homes.- my fault not theirs.
So my friend its time to quit , to hell with the brainwashing . I've given cigarettes enough of my time and money and got nothing in return .

Good luck

dolliemix

Good luck Maria. And well done on getting to Day 3. Its going to make the Half so much easier for you!

Sunshin14: well done. You're doing well so far with a very positive attitude. Keep coming back to that post every time you feel weak. I completely agree with you one cigarette could be that one that puts you back on the cigarettes again. I had given up for four years at one stage and had one that sent back on them for six years.... Keep it up we're all gunning for you !