I'm Free! (so far)

martingore

35 today and still smoke free yahooooooo !!!!

dolliemix

martingore wrote: »

35 today and still smoke free yahooooooo !!!!

Cool!

Happy Birthday Non-Smoker!

EI111

Today was my first day. The cravings are keeping me awake. My goal is to get through until dinner tomorrow.

yungwan

Well done EI111! You can do this! Keep it up and take everyday as it comes! And remeber the first three or four days are the hardest and then it gets easier. And when u do acheive that u feel incredible!!

EI111

Today has been pretty much a constant craving, what a stupid drug to be addicted to

dubsgirl

Happy belated birthday martin - Your an aul fella now ;-)

I'm still hanging in there - very happy with myself and I'm confident when I turn 35 this year it will be as a non smoker :-)

I even had my first night out last Friday with plenty of drink and no smokes. I was so proud when I woke up on saturday and the hangover wasn't that bad either.

EI111 - keep it up it really does get so much easier, these first few days do seem endless but soon you will be just getting on with your life and not even counting days!! Good luck ;-)

brendansmith

Im off them 3 and a half weeks now. I manage 6 months before but I found that I forget how disgusting they are and go back on them (???). Im 26 now and have spent the greater proportion of my life smoking.

I know the giving up routine by now and I should be coughing up mucus soon I reckon.

I am not having cravings but have been very busy so havent been sitting thinking about cigarettes. I find boredom is your enemy when trying to quit. I have noticed im not as de-hydrated at the moment

I hope i can go the distance this time. I think a serious fitness regieme will help.

EI111

I wish i had kept a log of all the smoking-related things that pissed me off before. It's only 3 days and I am itching to smoke a cigarette now. Having a list of things that used to annoy me as a smoker would be handy in quelling these cravings.

trustno1

I am off the smokes since the new year - but I don't feel any real benefits (yet!!), has anyone else found this??.. I feel the exact same as I did when I was smoking but I do know that you are supposed to feel 'Fantastic' - yet I don't.. does this take a while to kick in?!!.. and for those reaching for the snacks.. don't do it! as someone else said this will lead to putting on weight which may have you saying 'feck it' and reaching for the pack of smokes..

brendansmith

trustno1 wrote: »

I am off the smokes since the new year - but I don't feel any real benefits (yet!!), has anyone else found this??.. I feel the exact same as I did when I was smoking but I do know that you are supposed to feel 'Fantastic' - yet I don't.. does this take a while to kick in?!!.. and for those reaching for the snacks.. don't do it! as someone else said this will lead to putting on weight which may have you saying 'feck it' and reaching for the pack of smokes..

Do you play sports/ go swimming??

I am noticing my breathing has improved and its also a mental thing. I feel my body getting stronger and my lung capacity improving.

The badness is starting to come up now mind.

yungwan

brendansmith wrote: »

Do you play sports/ go swimming??

I am noticing my breathing has improved and its also a mental thing. I feel my body getting stronger and my lung capacity improving.

The badness is starting to come up now mind.

Yes I agree - I am noticing that I am getting much fitter, much quicker than I ever had when I was smoking. Im running now again after giving up for the winter and I feel amazing afterwards. I no longer feel like I am going to cough my lung up! On another note my skin has improved alot (I know this may not be important to a man but it is for me!!)

Just in terms of general well being I feel a lot better and it is so worth it!
Yes I am also still coughing up crap, both in mornings and during exercise. Its gross but I guess it means my lungs are becoming healthy again.


Dont be tempted to go back on the fags because you "dont feel any different". This is just the doubt creeping back in, of course you are alot better!!

trustno1

To be honest I tend to hibernate in the winter and don't get active until April.. but I have bought myself a bike and I will start swimming again regularly too. I have noticed a difference in my complexion in that its a more healthy colour.. but energy wise there is no difference. I also didn't suffer any of the normal stuff related to giving up like coughing or weight gain (I have actually shed a few pound!) so I think I am just one of the lucky ones and I also didn't smoke a lot approx 8 a day so perhaps its something to do with that?

But I would never go back on them - my brother still smokes and anytime he walks into the house the smell of cigarettes off him is disgusting!!..

boohoohoo

I have been quit for 1 Month, 1 Week, 14 hours, 38 minutes and 12 seconds (38 days). I have saved £163.12 by not smoking 386 cigarettes. I have saved 1 Day, 8 hours and 10 minutes of my life. My Quit Date: 11/01/2010 20:00I

Hey guys everybody doing great in here... I'm in the same boat as you all, i'm 28 been smoking for years and took a notion one monday night at 8pm that i wouldn't buy another pack. Its been cold turkey since. Really bad sleeping for the first week, but its been uphill since (minus the desperate mouth ulcer). Started running something i thought would take an age to get into but i've been doubling my running times as the weeks go on.

Its a really good feeling...:)

N.Dynamite

I'm on my 9th quit day today. Don't feel much different either tbh. Am constantly wrecked from sleepless nights, had a horrible mouth ulcer, sore throat since day 2, not coughing yet but I expect it'll come soon. Cravings aren't too bad, just a few big ones on/off but not as bad a last week. Like a lot of you I want to be smoke free by my next birthday. I'll be 32 in May and I've been smoking 17 years, approx 12-15 a day. Have tried to quit before and failed. Have cut down from 20 a day over the last year and just had enough at this point. I've gone cold turkey but have a pack of lozenges, just in-case! So how is everyone else doing?

yungwan

well done on quitting Dynamite. Day 9 - fantastic.

Im doing well so far - I have now stopped smoking for 1 month, 2 days, 16 hours, 26 minutes, 11 seconds (and counting!!). That translates into 368 cigarettes NOT smoked, for a savings of €114! At 5 minutes per cigarette I have increased my life expectancy by 1 day, 6 hours, 41 minutes, 5 seconds!!!

Yea so I may not feel dramatically different in every day life but I smell better, dont feel sick and nauseous after my first "hit" in the morning, feel less sluggish in the evenings after filling myself with nicotene after dinner and I can exercise now much better and without choking after 2 minutes! Thats enough for me to be honest!! P.S I used the line "Oh sorry I dont smoke anymore" to a smoking buddy the other night - GREAT feeling!!

I dont think anyone can expect to feel dramatically "different" after quitting. But I do think you can enjoy that sense of well being of thinking "im no longer a smoker and I have cut my chances of developing lung cancer and a whole range of other smoking related diseases". My figures above are enough to make me feel better, but I can only speak for myself!!

Keep it up everyone, and good luck to those starting out or thinking of starting out! It gets better and easier - and it feels fantastic when you do eventually fell confident in your non smoking abilities!!

nonsmoker

Im of the smokes almost 6 weeks now.
Im delighted, am taking it one day at a time.
Feel healthier, my skin is glowing so I've been told, my breathing is far better and I feel cleaner, if that makes sense.
The difference in the amount of money I am spending is crazy, even tho I knew when smoking 20 a day that I was spending X amount each week its only now that actually 'see' the difference in my purse.

Missy86

Hi guys,

I'm on day 4 on the road to becoming a non-smoker. To be honest the main reason i gave up was because of money issues - i couldnt justify spending €50+ on cigarettes every week anymore, i really enjoyed a cup of tea and a fag but now that i'm quitting i'm really seeing the benefits even thought its only been a few days. Its definitely been much easier getting up in the morning and i do have alot more energy. Although i don't know if thats just that i'm more inclined to go for walks etc, to take my mind off it! I'm going cold turkey and so far its working. As has been said by previous posters, when i have a craving i know its only going to last a few minutes so that gets me through it. I'm only 23 and i honestly never thought i'd give up. But i'm delighted i have!

N.Dynamite

Well done everyone, keep up the good work, your all doing so well!

I'm still going strong, less than 4 hours to go and then I'm on day 12! I can't believe I made it this far. Feeling a bit better the last few days, throat not as sore and mouth ulcer gone. Sleep is slowly returning back to normal but still having strange vivid dreams! Have noticed the constant dull headaches have disappeared, which is great. Not out of breath at the top of the stairs anymore, yay! Yep, I'm starting to feel the benefits alright!

yungwan wrote: »

P.S I used the line "Oh sorry I dont smoke anymore" to a smoking buddy the other night - GREAT feeling!!

Well done you!:D I can't wait to use that line, lol. Closet I got was with my friend last week (who smokes like a chimney!), she offered and I said "No thanks, I'm trying my best to stay off them". It was early days so I didn't want to jinx myself saying I was a non-smoker just yet.

Btw at what point do you class yourself as a non smoker? I'm thinking maybe after a month or something.

Anyway, hang in there everyone!:D

yungwan

N.Dynamite wrote: »

Btw at what point do you class yourself as a non smoker? I'm thinking maybe after a month or something.

Well im no expert but I found that telling myself and others that I "no longer smoked" made it easier for me than saying "oh I have quit or given up". Just a state of mind I guess but I already class myself as a non smoker now! (and im only off them since 25 January) Whatever works for you I say!!

dubsgirl

Hi all
Am still off the smokes thankfully.
have had plenty of nights out now as well and have gotten through them

Really have found this last week quite hard though - would that be normal for week 7/8??

Orion

N.Dynamite wrote: »

Btw at what point do you class yourself as a non smoker? I'm thinking maybe after a month or something.

Never. We will always be smokers who choose not to smoke. Complacency would be my downfall. As I mentioned in my quitlog thread I am just one smoke away from being a 40-a-day man. And I always will be.

dolliemix

dubsgirl wrote: »

Hi all
Am still off the smokes thankfully.
have had plenty of nights out now as well and have gotten through them

Really have found this last week quite hard though - would that be normal for week 7/8??

Dubsgal great to hear you're still off them!

I made it to my 35th last week and I'm still off them too!

I read somewhere that week 9 - 12 can be dangerous. But as we know, everyone is different, so maybe you're just feeling it now instead of later. Just stay strong. It can't be as bad as the first week or two? You'll go back to not missing them again in a few days...

Have you turned 35 yet?

yungwan

Yes I agree, this is my 7/8 week now and I actually feel like I have some of the old edginess and apprehension back. Im not going to have one but I do feel a little unmotivated this week. I dont know if its because we have tomorrow off for Paddys day and I feel unsettled but I am definately feeling unsettled today!!!

Also my exercise routine is taking a nose dive this week! I always start my week with a jog but yesterday I just couldnt motivate myself to go! Im hoping to get out this eve but Im already dreading it and thinking up excuses! I did garden on sunday for about 2 hours so im hoping that will make up for yesterdays laziness!! (my legs were certainly aching yesterday!!) I need a kick in the ass to motivate myself!! lol

I dont know where this is coming from and I do feel a little annoyed coz i was doing so well mentally and now I feel like its always going to be a struggle!!

dubsgirl

Ah so glad I'm not the only one then

Yes I still know I won't be giving in and having a smoke but definitely have this restless feeling which is really annoying me...

No I'm not 35 yet - not until August for me

Happy belated birthday Dolliemix - well done on making it to 35 as a non smoker, delighted for you...

brendansmith

still off em