posted on February 22, 2001 07:50:50 PM
hey Rocker - good to see you! you're smiling again today
please don't apologize Rocker no need at all for that, this thread is where we let it all hang out, right? anybody who cracks jokes to people trying to quit smoking deserves what she gets anyway, I'm a wiseass and I should apologize for teasing you. You get a hug right back from me.
posted on February 22, 2001 11:04:23 PM
{{{{{Enchanted}}}}}
Many more hugs to you. Thank you for asking -truth is - I am not doing good today. And I don't mean with the smoking. I mean I am just not doing good today. I will come back tomorrow.
xoxo
Rocker
posted on February 23, 2001 12:08:56 AMRocker {{{{{{hugs}}}}}}, you are doing just great. I wish you felt better today. TOMORROW IS A BETTER DAY!!!!!
Mybid and Bootsnana, How are you both doing today?? I just know you can all achieve this goal. It is hard but believe me when I say that the first couple of weeks are the worst, after that you find that you don't think about the cigs so much, and after a month ....... well it is all downhill sailing from here on in. .
posted on February 23, 2001 05:51:53 AM
Rocker - I saw your post that you're not feeling well in the other thread. Sure hope you're feeling better today, hang in there if your not. Would lots of herbal tea and honey help?
Gotta tell you every time I would quit smoking I would get either a terrible cold or bad case of flu. Actually I think your body goes through a process of starting to clean out all the poisons and toxins in your respiratory system, especially the lungs. Getting through that to me is one of the hardest parts of not smoking because you just feel so darn miserable. I don't know if that's what's wrong, but be prepared for a humongous Fitch of a cold sometime during this process.
be good to yourself today and take it easy
today's my big book buying day, we go to pick up over 2000 books we bought on Wednesday, it's really exciting but I'm still having a hard time believing we're actually going to get them in the garage with the other 3 or 4 thousand books I got in there already heh-heh. Wish me luck and strong arms today.
posted on February 23, 2001 02:46:58 PM
I just wanted to stop by to tell you how proud I am of you all!!
sorry to say it was a bad week for me ~ it's only Friday afternoon and I finished my pack already. I am crankier than a witch with PMS or, as my kids put it, "evil, wicked, mean, and nasty." Lovely picture, isn't it? GRRRRRR.
Keep up the good work!
(I'm going to crawl back into my cave now with my tail between my legs.)
posted on February 23, 2001 09:17:51 PMChepistar I can't believe you're down on yourself for a pack a week... I'm still having to work hard to keep it under a pack a day. You're doing GREAT!
Thanks again Nettak & all who keep insisting that this really can be done.
RockerI'm sorry to see you're not feeling well. I hope you're better now? Could the Zyban be making you sick? I haven't noticed any change at all with the Zyban yet but I've been so swamped these last few days that maybe I just haven't slowed down long enough to notice.
I hope all the rest of you who are trying to quit are still hanging in there!
posted on February 23, 2001 10:05:43 PMchepistar, you are doing FANTASTIC. A pack a week is great. When I was trying to give up, if I had a pack I could not make it last a week, god I was lucky if I could make it last 2 days....... If it was in the house I found it and smoked them. Be real proud of yourself, and believe it will improve.
Hi Mybid, Rocker and Bootsnana, how are you all doing today.
Rocker I hope you are feeling better mate. {{{{HUGS}}}} I am thinking of you.
Now about the Zyban, I was talking to a friend last night and she told me that it can have some side affects on certain people, You may be one of those people that can not take it. She also told me that here in Australia anyone who is taking the Zyban, has to be monitored by the doctor every week to make sure that all is well. Do you have to do that in the States???
Mybid, it really can be beat, take my word on that one. After smoking for as many years as my hubby and I did, we never thought that we could stop, but we have. 4 months and counting.
posted on February 23, 2001 10:23:29 PM
{{{{{{HUGS to all my mates}}}}}}
Thank you guys I am doing a little better today. No it wasn't cos of the Zyban, I didn't even start the Zyban until today - plus I have been on it before, so I know it has no bad side effects for me. (Just the dry mouth and jaw clenching which is no big deal to me.) Actually the Zyban will probably be very helpful right now... ya see, it has been my damn depression disorder that has been kicking my butt these past few days. At first I had a bad cold but then this came up too... sigh... it will be okay soon. I really don't think it is related to the smoking cos I have not quit yet, have only cut down to about half the usual amount. It is just something that happens sometimes. I am on Effexor for it, but I think the Zyban might be helpful too in more ways than just quitting smoking! LOL! Maybe give me the extra "boost" I need! Remember how VeryModern said she would get deleriously happy on Zyban - that is because it is an anti-depressant, as you know. Some of us are actually missing the chemical in our brain which allows you to feel happiness. This is how Zyban and Effexor help. (And many other meds for this.)They put that chemical back into your brain where it belongs. Now you see VeryModern must've had an EXTRA dose of happiness! LOL!!! I'm grateful I was able to pick up all my meds today. I didn't have the money to do it sooner... ahh today I had some nice auction payments - WHEW!! I think I will be feeling better in the next few days. Just in time to quit smoking and then REALLY lose my mind! HAAAH Only teasin.
Rocker
posted on February 24, 2001 06:26:23 AMnettak and mybid:
Thanks for the pep talk! This is a lot harder than I thought it would be ~ maybe because I'm trying so hard to do this without gaining weight. I think the "neurosis" is kicking in ~ you should see me munch on my fingernails and twiggle my hair! I look like I belong in an asylum! teehee! Will I be normal when I get through this? (neh ~ never was, never will be) thanks guys!
rocker
I feel for you and hope that things are looking a little better today.
it has been my damn depression disorder that has been kicking my butt these past few days
Please go easier on yourself! Try to remember that nicotine is a drug ~ lessening the amount that you put in your body can cause chemical imbalances and mess with your mental/physical well being. I'm no Marcus Welby ~ chemical imbalances have been with me all of my life ~ it really sucks to not be in control. Promise that you'll call your dr if you get really low, okay? The people on this thread adore you! We want you to feel as good as you make us feel! I think I speak for many of us when I say We're proud of you and We believe in you.
Have a Great Day everyone ~ thanks again!
chepi*
posted on February 24, 2001 08:42:18 AM
Hey Rocker I can't say it any better than Chepistar just did... hang in there! You rock!
We've got a major Texas storm moving through so I won't be on the computer much today. It's knocking out a lot of power all around us.... yikes! This oughta be fun.
Just wanted to cheer everyone one... March 01 looms near.
posted on February 24, 2001 02:37:00 PM chepistar That was the nicest, sweetest message, thank you so much! You know I adore you and everyone here too. This place really makes me laugh even when I don't feel good. It got pretty bad...but I did see my doctor and called my therapist - she made me promise to call her two days in a row and I did. She even spent like an hour talking to me from her cell phone while she was in the supermarket when I called her at 11:00 at night!! She's the best! I'm doing much better today.
Mybiddness LOL! WOW that .gif was ROCKIN!!! Haaah Very cool!!!
My pals we hsve 4 days left - well, 5 if you count today!!
We can do it!!! I know we can! Hey I called the NY State Smoker's Quitline just a few days ago and already they sent me this whole packet of information. Maybe you guys have similar organizations in your state. The info is also similar to the info on the stop smoking web sites (earlier in this thread) - but I will post some of it here to remind us:
When you stop, your body begins to repair itself immediately: Within 20 minutes blood pressure returns to normal and heartbeat stabilizes. Within 8 hours oxygen level in blood increases and mucas begins to clear out of your lungs making breathing easier. "Smoker's Breath" dissapears. Within 48 hours senses of smell and taste improve - and chances of heart attack decrease Within 3 months circulation improves and immune system improves etc. etc.
Soon we will all smell so yummy and will have so much more money to spend on much more fun things! Heehee
xoxoxo
Rocker
[ edited by nycrocker on Feb 24, 2001 02:39 PM ]
posted on February 24, 2001 03:57:31 PM
hey rocker you sound Great!! It seems I can always find a chuckle around here, too ~ sometimes even LMAO (okay, I admit it, I fell off my chair twice, wet my pants three times and have lost count on how many times I've snorted from laughing so hard) (and that's only the count from my grumpy days). BTW, only in NY would your therapist be at the Supermarket at midnight! LOL! Ya gotta love it! I'm glad you have a support system that you can depend on (besides the thread borne, that is!)
A State Smokers Quitline? How cool is that! I'll have to check it out down here. Thanks for the motivators ~ could it be that the end of "smokers breath" is in sight for us? Yippee!
Let me see....what will I spend the "extra" cash on....That will take some thinking....
posted on February 24, 2001 06:51:50 PM chepi LMAO - wet your pants three times? HAAAH Nettak is going to LOVE that one! Did ya know she almost didn't make it to the "loo" in our party thread? LOL!!!
EVERYONE ON ZYBAN: - Did anyone notice how NASTY cigs taste on this stuff? And makes the dry mouth even dryer?!? Ew yuk!! This is VERY good news!!! I'm hoping I get more grossed out by the minute!!! (The Zyban kicked in almost immediately for me, I really think it's because I've been on Effexor for so long and they're very similar.)
I only had 6 cigs today and didn't even smoke much of the 6th one, I put it out early it tasted so foul! Hail to Zyban! God Save the Queen! Hallelujah sisters and brothers! We can do it! Chepi did you try this Zyban stuff?? I hope MyBiddness can come online soon to tell us how she's doing. I hope the storm is not too bad.
posted on February 24, 2001 08:06:59 PM
Hey Rocker & Chepistar It sounds like you two are doing great! Our weather ended up being gorgeous today. The storms died almost as soon as they hit but they were around just long enough to knock out some power lines, etc. Ours didn't get knocked out but it kept going off and on all day. TEXAS weather! Blah!
I'm so excited! The Zyban has really kicked in for me today. If anyone else has been thinking about taking it I can definitely recommend it! You're right, Rocker the taste of the cigs has even changed. I still smoked 11 today but each time it was for the nicotine fix. I've got the nicotine gum but my doc recommended that I use it once I'm completely off the cigs. She says it might give me more nicotine then I need right now. The great thing is that today was really easy. Unbelievably easy! I guess it must be the Zyban because I just haven't had the urge to light up nearly as much as I'm used to and when I do I don't enjoy them... they taste awful now! YEAH! I'm still having nicotine fit moments - but not like I had been.
I honestly didn't know if I'd be able to make the March 01 stop date. I'm still not 100% sure, because that seems SOOOOO close. But, after today I think I might actually pull it off.
I'm wondering how Xellil, Lotsafuzz, Bootsnana, and Snoweyegret are doing? Are any of you shooting for the March 01 cut off too? Btw, I hope I didn't leave anyone out that's quitting.
posted on February 24, 2001 08:53:59 PM
Btw, Rocker I haven't been able to post in your who stays up the latest thread in several days. For some reason there isn't a submit button beneath the text box anymore??? Not paranoid anywhere else but here!
posted on February 24, 2001 09:45:35 PM MyBiddness WOW You sound great too!! I'm so happy it's getting easier for you! Please don't be hard on yourself if you don't do the March 1 date....you are doing so good, I hope you'll just do what feels right for you, regardless of the date. My apartment looks like that photo you posted... LOL.. okay ready? I got two bags of Double Bubble, a bag of gummy bears, a pound of Twizzlers (your favorite Haaah), a bag of Nonpareils, and a bag of after dinner mints. And I mean the BIG bags. LOL!! Okay MyBid, what flavor Twizzlers did you get and hate? Ya gotta get the RED ones, did ya get the red ones??? (Did you really hate the RED ones??? REALLY??) Hey I don't know why you couldn't post to the party thread, I was able to do it okay. But we are having trouble with the pages being so wide cos ya have to scroll to see everything now. I was told it's because the thread is so long, it has to get wider to be able to fit on top where it says How Many Pages long it is. And wow it is LONG!!! We sure can talk and we know how to party, huh?
Did you guys download that Quit Meter yet? I swear it's REALLY fun, I had it on my desktop the whole last time I quit (sheeesh my big ten days of quitting) and it was fun to watch the numbers constantly changing, to see how many cigs ya HAVEN'T smoked and see how much money you've saved! And it was cool to actually save the money, literally, put it aside and see it for yourself and spend it on something fun, like we talked about before. I'm definitely doing all that again starting the 1st. Ya know what else? I also could SMELL smoke on people after I had only quit for like three days or so. It's true you really get your sense of smell back right away. I'm much more determined this time and I really do think it helps to have friends to quit with. It's very different this way, like a serious group effort with all of us helping each other. Very important! I tried quitting with my little sister, but we are terrible influences on each other. LOL!
posted on February 24, 2001 11:37:36 PM
I haven't downloaded the quit meter yet. I'm waiting til I actually quit 100%. I have saved $$ though because I'm smoking less than a pack instead of two.
O.K. My list: Peppermint Lifesavers, all kinds of gum, suckers & hot tamale candies. I've discovered that I can chew on a sucker stick for about an hour.
My daughter brought me an Eclipse cigarette. I think that's what it was called. One of her friends gave it to her to give to me. It looks wierd though - seems to have a filter on both ends??? Is that one of the smokeless cigarettes? Her friend said it would help me quit smoking but I can't figure out what I'm supposed to do with it.
posted on February 24, 2001 11:45:38 PM
WOW you guys' are doing great.
I am glad the Zyban is working for you. My test came last night. We went out to a party and everyone was smoking, well at least half of them and they were all at my table.
Anyway I did not even think about having a smoke, if anything it made me feel ill. I was glad the waitresses cleared away the dirty ash trays every 15 minutes. It was really good because we did not have to smell the smoke smell.
Chepistar, we have a portable loo in case you are interested. I have almost wet my pants a few times since I started posting and I have fallen off my chair as well. These guys' are just too funny.
I will just park the loo over in the corner for you.
Mybid, I was having problems with the party thread as well. Did you try scrolling right over to the right of the screen, because that is what I had to do before I could reply.
posted on February 25, 2001 05:12:08 AM
I'm still here and on track for March 1st. Zyban has kicked in. Cigarettes tasting really yucky (and yet I still continue to light up). The quit meter is great fun showing the countdown to March 1st and how many cigarettes I have left to smoke. BTW, I am out of cigarettes in the carton. Not enough time to smoke a full carton before March 1st (for me) so I am down to buying by the pack. (ouch!!) My brother, who quit smoking 15 years ago, told me the best advise he could give is "A NON-SMOKER DOES NOT OWN A PACK OF CIGARETTES!". He said that when the crave hits you it's best if the supply is not on hand. Makes sense. I can see me on Wed. night staying up until the pack is finished. That will be difficult for me...my usual bedtime is around 8:30 (now you know why I haven't been to rocker's who stays up the latest thread)
posted on February 25, 2001 06:10:49 AM
Good Morning you sweet smelling sweeties!
Thanks for the loo, nettak, I will use it as discreetly as possible .
The zyban really seems to be effective for you guys! No,rocker, I haven't tried it. I'm a chicken . It's the chemical imbalance thing ~ I've been doing so well for so long I'm afraid to take anything that might mess up the balance. sounds stupid I guess but I had enough anxiety worrying about letting the nicotine out of my body! I tried the patch (serious nausea) and the gum (nasty, Nasty, NASTY!) but mixing any other drugs doesn't seem like a very good idea for me. I gotta get through it with willpower and Twizzlers (chocolate, BTW, are my flavor of choice!).
My "stash" consists of vanilla tootsie rolls, mentos, wasabi peas, rollos, and about 6 kinds of gum. My dentist is going to love me .
No kids today ~ I'm off to play ~ Good Luck everyone! Keep up the good work!
chepi*
posted on February 25, 2001 07:41:51 PM
Hello everyone, you are all going great guns and I am proud of you all.
Bootsnana, I agree with your brother about not having a packet of cigs on hand. A couple of weeks ago, I could have started smoking again very easily. I was having a bad day and the first thing I reached for was my smokes, I am just greatful that I did not have any or else all my hard work and bad temper in the early days would have been for nothing and I would have had to start all over again.
Mybid and Rocker, I know you guys' are doing fine, remember to take it one day at a time. We are going to have one heck of a party for you all when you stop blowing those smoke rings, and for Mybid'sBirthday. LOL
Chepi, keep up the good work, and you will achieve your goal. Don't worry about the bit of extra weight, because you can lose it later. I admit that for the first few weeks I seemed to be eating junk all the time, and yes I have increased in girth size. But I will lose it and even though I have put on weight I am still healthier than before when I was smoking. I am sorry that the gum is so disgusting tasting.
posted on February 26, 2001 01:30:08 AM
chepistar you made me smile... wasabi peas?? that's the most original snack stash for quitting smoking I've ever heard of.
Rocker - I've heard nicotine affects serotonin levels, probably has something to do with how we all got addicted in the first place to smoking. Try to stay even on the meds now that you're back on them and are coming up to March 1st. Easy does it.
I'm glad you got the Zyban and are feeling better now I was a little worried.
Mybid, chepistar, bootsnana, Rocker, you're all doing so well, I can't express how proud I am of all of you, keep going.
whoever said they got down to a pack a week, WOW! that's excellent.
posted on February 26, 2001 10:51:04 AM
Glad to have made you smile, enchanted, you do the same for me, thanks !
Wasabi peas are awesome ~ gotta be careful though! hot, Hot, HOT, HOT stuff!
Didn't smoke til eleven today (yippee!) and no, I didn't sleep til noon !
ummm, do I smell any better yet?
chepi*
posted on February 26, 2001 12:50:50 PM
Before I forget - Yes Rocker I did try the red twizzlers... blechhh! They taste like sweetened rubber to me! LOL I'm continuing to make myself sick on hot tamale candies. I don't know why but that seems to be what I reach for when I'm looking for a distraction.
Yesterday was terrible for me. I had auction stuff all day, kid stuff, PLUS working on tax stuff... ARGHHHH! It was so bad that I know I went over a pack... I lost count. I think it was the taxes that did me in. But, it still wasn't close to my normal two packs. Anyway, today's going much better. I've only had 5 so far today.
Just wanted to say thanks again to everyone for cheering us on and gooooood luck to all of us!
posted on February 26, 2001 01:50:42 PM
Chepistar -
It's the chemical imbalance thing ~ I've been doing so well for so long I'm afraid to take anything that might mess up the balance. sounds stupid I guess
Sounds very SMART to me! Ditto with the chemical imbalance thing, I have to be VERY careful too. That is why my doctor and therapist are even involved in my quitting smoking! LOL! Are you doing March 1 with us? By the way - you have been doing GREAT!!! I already had too many cigs today.
Enchanted -
{{{hugs}}} Thank you. (I was a little worried about me myself.) But I am doing MUCH better now.
Bootsnana -
I set the Quit Meter for March 1 too! It is fun to see it counting backwards for now. LOL! I'm still lighting up too even though it tastes NASTY! That's an addict for ya, huh??
Nettak -
Thanks for cheering us on! Ya sure you're still gonna love us when we're all cranky irritable grumps in the first few days of March?? LOL!
MyBiddness -
You asked am I smoking Feb 28 or quitting that day? I am SMOKING Feb 28 believe me! LOL!! And I am not really the type to quit at midnight - I will quit at the end of "my day", which means I will probably smoke until WHATEVER crazy time I go to bed Wednesday night (Thursday morning, ya know, three or four a.m. or whatever!) - and then when I wake up Thursday, no more smoking for me.
I ate all my strawberry Twizzlers already. LOL!!! I went through the whole pound myself... I know YOU didn't take any of them! LOL!! Shall we start a new thread Thursday for the actual first day of quitting? Whataya think? Or just keep it here?
posted on February 26, 2001 02:08:06 PM
Hi Rocker No, I did not take your twizzlers... LOL Too funny!
Why don't you start a new rockin thread when the day comes. If you don't hear from me - don't worry - it just means I chickened out. Just kiddin but I am already getting sweaty palms just thinking about it. Besides, I thought the last day to smoke was March 01. Deeeeeeeep breath! LOL
I'm running to the p.o. but just wanted to say a quick hi and hang in there!
posted on February 26, 2001 03:47:16 PM
I'm with you, rocker. I'm smoking on Feb. 28th. When I wake up on March 1st I'll begin the adventure.
I'm for starting a new thread on March 1st, and every so often bringing this thread up to the top to remind us of the reasons we have decided to go through with it. What does everyone else think?
posted on February 26, 2001 09:44:08 PM
Yup Bootsnana I agree. I was thinking too we might do new lists on that thread, keep listing new reasons to quit or remind ourselves of old ones or add new things we notice once we quit Kinda all of the above, ya think?
Someone please correct me if I'm wrong:
March 1 Bootsnana, MyBidNess, Chepistar (? Are you in for the first Chepi?) and me - are all quitting. (Or March 2 for MyBidness - whichever she prefers) I hope I didn't leave anyone out.
Okay check this out, here's a freakin reason. It's almost 1 a.m. here, not late for me, but I really don't feel like getting off my butt to go outside, and I HAVE to go. WHY you may ask? OH I WILL TELL YOU WHY. BECAUSE I AM OUT OF THOSE D@MN CANCER STICKS AND I NEED A NEW PACK. Sheeeeeesh. I am HOPING this is the LAST FREAKIN PACK OF NASTY SMELLY CIGARETTES I WILL EVER BUY!!!
I tell ya I am sick sick sick of being a slave to these things.
posted on February 26, 2001 10:08:26 PMRocker I cracked up reading your post... I can't count the # of times I've had to leave the house in the middle of the night to go get a pack of cigs. Anyone who smokes can relate. You're right - we're slaves to nicotine! BAHHHHHHH!
I've re-read this thread a million times (o.k. - less than a million) and it really is helping me to stay on target. We're a pretty small community here - but look at how many lives have been affected in some way by this addiction.
It's so great to find so much support and Nettak you're a real inspiration for having been where we are so recently... keep talking - we're listening. Sometimes I wonder if I'll make it this time but other times I know I can't let it end any other way. You've all been so great and I hope we all kick nicotine butt on March 01.
anybody who cracks jokes to people trying to quit smoking deserves what she gets anyway, I'm a wiseass and I should apologize for teasing you. You get a hug right back from me.
And I don't mean with the smoking. I mean I am just not doing good today. I will come back tomorrow.
.
thanks guys!
Nettak is going to LOVE that one! Did ya know she almost didn't make it to the "loo" in our party thread? LOL!!!
This is VERY good news!!! 
.
I tell ya I am sick sick sick of being a slave to these things.