Went home and blew some snow for the wife. Holy bat**** did I want a smoke when I was done! Reminded me of smoking on the ski-lift after a good run:( Oh man those was good smokes I ain't gonna lie.

Hey LenDaddy, I am starting to get thoses feelings and toughts but it is the "Junkie" talking. I want to reward myself for not chewing by having a chew and guest what, it will be wonderful, for a short while and then you will be coughing up Detrot or Wash DC, or whatever. I will be filling can and cups up with spit and worring about my teeth falling out. I have an 8 and 12 year old, want to see them grow-up. KEEP UP THE FIGHT.

Hey tabascobobcat, How are you doing??

day 4, the gum taste no better, but i am still going. i would say strong, but the urge creeps in now and again and it still is tough.

i have tried to quit before, have for as long as 6 months and that 1st drag when the quit has failed is very good. the guilt you feel, and the wasted effort to crush all the urges prior to that being wasted really make it a miserable thing.

this thread has actually helped a great deal. i think of letting the supporters here down by failing and it has provided some resolve in my effort. thanks guys.

K911sc, know what you mean as this thread has helped me a whole bunch and yes, I do not want to let anyone down. KEEP UP THE FIGHT! I hope we have not lost tabascobobcat - would like to hear from him.

I am doing fine, thank you.
I don't get to do "Non work" related activities on the internet during the day, so I can only keep touch in the PM est.
We recently bought a TL. It had the "Gold" package on it. I had to bring it back to the dealer to get that crap switched back. It was a deal breaker. Stopped and picked up my favorite pizza to celebrate 46 hours. Now I am craving that after dinner smoke. Good thing that there aren't any in the house. Maybe I can tape a few back together.

There is/was more to Cleveland than I had originally thought or expected. I just lost a suburb. Euclid maybe.
Thanks to the supporters and keep the faith to all the quitters.
I just need to pass by the smoking areas at work to remind me that I don't want to be one of them anymore.
My left eye is twitching.

Please continue to quit ???
Oxymoron ??

hate the eye twitch.....

Hey guys, THANKS for the help as I have made it this far - going on day 4!!!!!!!!! Now I just have to work on the over-confidence thing, and yea, the eye twitch thing is annoying.

weekend has arrived! you guys going to make it? what's going on?

Still no cigarettes here http://www.pelicanparts.com/support/smileys/draai.gif

Beer consumption has gone up a bit.

Got Beer ??

Still making it, but not enjoying it.
Honestly, I feel like crap.
Not sure if it's a real cold or just side effects.
The eyes are dry and still feel like they want to jump ship.
The runny nose is probably the sniffles.
I am stuck in Ohio after all.
Thanks

Hey Guys, Its great to see so many have stuck with us - didn't know about a few until this morning. I feel like crap but really it is in waves and I feel good this morning. I was worthless at work on Thurs and Fri. and hope monday is better. I am in the military and have to watch my weight so I have continued to workout and eat dam near nothing. Here is one to watch out for: I had a "debate" with my wife the other day and I wanted to shove a whole can of chewing tocacco in my mouth!!!!! Talk about programmed actions!

I just told my neighbor/friend about you guys and how you're quitting the habit and he said that he's "almost ready" to do it himself. He has cut down to 10 cigarettes a day from 1 1/2 packs and he was impressed by your efforts and determination!

Still going strong here. Day six is alot better than say...day 2 or 3. So for those in the early stages, hang in there as it only gets easier.

The snacking hasn't gone up a ton, but I enjoy food more. Probably just my improved taste ability? Anyway, what I mean is that I finish everything on my plate now, where as before I might push it back half or 3/4 gone. Gotta work on a plan there:)

OH, here is an interesting note. Second hand smoke: For the first couple days I enjoyed/savored it, it smelled good to me. Now at day six it is starting to get offensive. Kinda interesting I thought.

study just came out this week -eastern US i believe- children exposed to second hand smoke lose some learning ability.
non-smoking Pelicanites - keep up the good work!!

I am still with it.
Almost lost it earlier. Good thing that the wife was home to stop the silliness.
My taste buds are firing back up. Always could taste food, but am noticing small changes. I could tell that the cook put an onion on my burger that the waiter removed before serving. I think that I will smoke some ribs tomorrow for the f-ball games instead. Peace.

Stick with it guys. It gets easier after about 6 months :D. Seriously, its tough, but you will be glad you did it a year from now.

I was a 2 pack a day smoker for 8 years. I quit 4 years ago, cold turkey. No gum, no patches, just stopped. I really enjoyed smoking so quitting wasnt something I was looking forward to. I just decided that I had to quit.

It took me 6 months to start to notice that I was breathing better and that the cravings had started to go away. I wondered if I would start back up again all the time. I wound up getting a little smashed at a wedding about a year later, and took a Marlboro that someone handed me. On the 3rd drag I almost threw up. It was absolutely terrible. I knew then that I had really quit and I've never craved them since.

Good luck, guys! It gets easier, just stick with it.

...and DON'T look back!...
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1105249277.jpg

i chumped it. not with a cig, but i broke out my tabacco pipe last evening after returning from the bar and took a draw or three off that. i felt all dirty and like i may have wavered, but woke up this morning and my mouth tasted like monkey ass ( as its been described to me anyhow) and knew i was still cig-less but i'd smoked..

well was back on a couple hunks of gum today whilest swapping out a cv boot and let the pipe be all day. hope i can still participate as a non-smoker on this thread. it'd mean alot if i could still play along....

OK by me if you want to stick around. There has been 100 times in the last week when I could have slipped up but had just enought will power to pull it off, and I do mean JUST ENOUGHT. You bring up a good point - when I work on cars in when I like to chew the most. I have a lot of car work to do this winter and spring. Nothing I love better than chewing tobacco and turning a wrench so I will be TESTED. Good Luck and Keep-up the fight.

Don't let it stop ya k911sc, you can still recover. Just remember the monkey-ass taste next time you get the craving.:)

Perfectly fine to screw up. I wish more people would "get it." That's what we're all about. We have our moments on both sides of the self-esteem scale.

You know, sometimes I can start to see the beef some folks have with liberals. I'm not sensitive to all that second-hand smoke crap. Like the earlier finding, for example. Frankly, children who are exposed to second-hand smoke are also more likely to be exposed to drunk parents, mold in the sink, diet issues, etc. I would think. So I'm not sure how they;re isolating those effects. Sure, SS smoke is bad, so it should simply not happen around children. I'd guess very few of you would have exposed your kids to it. I don't.

Lendaddy's experiences are similar to what I remember. Extreme anguish each waking second for two days or three. Then the World of Smells comes to you, whether you like certain aromas or not. And yes, sleep is much better and the lines on your face begin to disappear. I'm sure you've noticed the alert-looking guy in the mirror.

You know, I think an important practice established early might be worhtwhile, and that is to replace the banned behavior with something more productive. Not sure what that is, but just to stay busy. And maybe salad, with just a little dressing to go with your improved taste sense. Write. Reward yourself with a half hour of reading a nice book and having a half-glass of wine before bed. Take walks. Exploit your new senses as a reward, including your improved mental acuity. That will help you notice the improvements. I'm admiring you guys a great deal. I'm happy for you guys and, well okay, envious.

Oh, BTW. While I can understand criticism of the overplayed second-hand smoke issue, I'm not ready to quit wanting to solve the problem(s). Families with dysfunctional parents, WTF social attitudes and drinking and drugs, stuff like that. Loss of hope. I care. So I guess I'm a liberal.

I dont remember my sense of smell or taste coming back as soon as you guys are saying its happening to you. It literally took me 6 months before I started to notice any difference in anything. Well, I take that back. The 30lb weight gain was almost overnight. The first 6 months were absolutely miserable. The next 6 months were less miserable, but still were no fun.

Addiction to anything is a mental obsession. Smoking is no different. Quitting smoking sucks. Its not going to be easy, but being miserable for 6 months or a year is a small price to pay for being able to really quit. Just stick with it, it will get better.

I found myself digging around the garage yesterday looking for that hidden cigarette. I don't know if I would have smoked one if I found it, but the thought of just a couple of drags was tempting. The knowledge that I would have to post what I'd done sure helps.

K911sc and Superman, there is a Great book called "Hooked but not Helpless" which maybe worth a try. Actually, this approach was key for me and my sister and may work for you. In short, this book does a great job of dealing with the addict in each of us and the rationalizations we continue to use to avoid doing what we know is right. Some small examples such as pipe smoking is OK, cig is not and me getting in a debate with my wife and wanting to shove chew in my mouth. This book helped me with my "junkie thinking".

anyone who thinks that second hand smoke is no big deal - you're only fooling yourself:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1105307114.jpg

It very well could be a combo of wishful thinking and our body chemical balance changing. I go thru several very different "feelings" (for a lack of a better term) throughout the day. I am definately not in a new routine yet and contiue to fight the urges and cravings. I still have an occasional localized headche too.

Creature,
I don't doubt that second-hand smoke is bad, I just doubt that researchers have isolated its effects. The same kids that endure second hand smoke, likely also live in environments that include other differences from the group of kids who are not exposed to second hand smoke. The caricature would be kids whose dads are doctors, married, three squares a day, love and tenderness, versus kids whose dads are drunken leaches who beat the kids, don't provide them lunch money, etc. 'Course, that's the caricature. At any rate, without isolating the SS smoke effect, you've got multicollinearity going on. Statistics do not in fact lie. Researchers exaggerate, though.

Also, researchers pretending to draw these conclusions seem to want us to accept the notion that SS smoke victims have virtually the same health effect as smokers.

Again, SS smoke is bad for kids and every other creature. More interesting to me is the phenomenon of adults exposing children to smoke. What's up with that?

Lendaddy, howz your sense of smell? Can you tell the difference between a clean towel and one that's been used once? Dress shirt? Does everyone in your office practice effective personal hygiene?

I agree with the exaggeration comments, but no I never smoked near my child.

Regarding smell, I could always tell freshly washed fabrics from old, but now I can smell subtle stuff. I really don't know how to explain it and since I don't feel like it I wont:)

I love guys like you, Len. At least, how I perceive you to be. As you might imagine, I see a lot of people play word games and attempt to conceal their interest and agenda. Doesn't work. Makes reaching agreements much harder, and less permanent. Eventually most folks learn to be candid. Not all. And some folks cannot be anything BUT candid. Their thoughts come out their mouths. That makes my job easier, and theirs too, I think. Meetings are shorter, misunderstandings and confusion are far more rare. I think you'd be a rascal, Len, in labor negotiations. A very effective rascal.

I'm no where near what you think I am. I am a very quiet reserved person. Actually so much so so that it is sometimes counter productive for me. I like anonimity, hense I open up more when protected by it.

I appreciate the accolades, though I assure you they are better spent on someone else.

I still don't think so. I'm the same way. Pretty darned calm. In school I was the science fair nerd. Even today, I come across as very peaceful. But I've learned over the years to not hide my interests. Best to bite the bullet and state them. After much practice, my delivery has become comfortable, calm. But in a former life I was more likely to keep my thoughts to myself and HOPE things work out well for me. I'd guess that, when push comes to shove, you'll place your interests on the table. No need for confrontation. Just lay your cards down. No way you can be as effective as you are without that ability/tendency.

This is my first post at Pelican...

I've been lurking for a bit and felt compelled to chime in on this thread. I've been off the cigs for 7 days, and it's nice to see others going through the same thing. Before I quit I was at almost a pack a day (much more when out for drinks), having smoked for most of the last 12 years (I'm 34). For the first week I used the 21mg patch, which I think was too much. I am now using the 14mg, and think that I'll exhaust the 2-week supply then just go cold turkey. Not sure if I really need the patch at this point, but I have them already so why not. I'm also chewing a lot of Wrigley's Spearmint gum.

Aside from sore jaw muscles from all the gum chewing, I'm doing OK so far. I still think I'd really like a cigarrette at times but I'm managing. What I've noticed so far as a result of stopping is that I don't feel it in my chest so much anymore when I take a deep breath (it used to feel 'heavy'), I don't have that lousy taste in my mouth any longer, I feel better in the mornings, and after a couple of days second hand smoke smelled bad to me as well. On the down side, I haven't been sleeping quite as well for the last week, but last night was an improvement, so I'm hopeful.

Good luck to all the others. I think it's great that you guys are supporting each other.

This study has been disproved from the American Cancer Society. They never released the results that secondary smoke danger is inconclusive or harmless because they want everyone to believe second hand smoke is dangerous.

Interestingly, other university studies indicate that jogging for 30 minutes along a major roadway willl deliver as much Carbon Monoxide into your lungs as smoking a pack of cigarettes. Furthermore, the country and city that has the highest life expectancies (Greece, and Hong Kong) have the most smokers...

This year studies indicated that obesity killed more people in the US than smoking. Think McDonalds and Taco Bell will be forced to put a warning on thier labels?

Strong marketing can sell any product. Think about it, smoking smells bad, and kills you but you can't stop. McDonalds is the same.

The marketing still will never end insuring repeated use by millions. Movie stars smoking in every blockbuster movie and McDonalds spending $1.4 billion dollars a year marketing will keep it going.

post weekend report? did everyone make it thru the weekend?

Tabascobobcat update : Made it thru the weekend unscathed. I did however enjoy some 2nd hand smoke today. All my buddies still hang out in the smoking areas. 2nd hand smoke seems to bother me most while eating. I never did smoke while I ate. I watched some dude exhale smoke thru his nose as he was eatin' his sandwich. He alternated a drag then a bite, a drag then a bite........ Stuff like that should make anyone want to quit.
On a side note - my wife kisses me more now. Not sure if it is the new, improved taste or checking to see if I cheat when I walked the dogs.

I still think about smoking. Trying to justify some sort of "moderation". But in reality I know that it would never work. I'd be pack to full steam ahead within 3 days or less.

See all the fun that the non-smokers are missing out on ???

See all the fun that the non-smokers are missing out on ???

Many of us smoked at one time. Quit many years ago and very happy I did. Still smoke a cigar from time to time (1-3 a year) and get the "monkey ass" taste the next day that reminds me what it was like.

Its well worth the trouble to stop. The whole world smells and tastes a lot better without it...

JoeA