Seeking Motivational Stories of People Who Have Quit Smoking!

I used the patch. It took 2 or 3 times, but when I finally made up my mind to quit, it happened! Expect withdrawals for a week or two.

I know this may sound a little strange, but when I quit- I had to use thinking strategies to stop. I adopted this philosophy- that I would be a slave to nothing. Nothing was going to control me, and distract me from my life/kids, ect. Your kids are watching you, and cigarettes are gateways to worse things for those girls- usually kids who turn into teen smokers hang out with other smokers that may do more than smoke cigarettes. But for me, it was the "I am slave to no stinky stick!" mentality that helped me the most. I quit cold turkey on a wednesday afternoon. It took 4 weeks of misery for me just to overcome the nicotine addiction. Then, the oral fixation took months- hard candy and gum, my friend. Don't become a slave to food either! get control of your body- it is your temple! eat well and be positive! lol. YOU CAN DO IT. if someone told you they were going to take your children away if you smoked another cigarette- would you stop? of course! so stop because you are taking yourself away from them with every puff. good luck and feel free to drop a line if you want to chat more. It's not the monster you think it is- just put them down.
T

I quit after 10 years of smoking, in 2001. I realized that it was nasty and expensive, and stinky! I used the Nicotrol CQ patch. I read on the instructions that if you smoked while wearing the patch, you could have a heart attack. The fear of that kept me from cheating. Since I had the patch, I didn't have that many cravings. Just the oral fixation, which I satisfied by chewing gum. If you really want to do this, please do this for your girls. It is one thing I have done that I am extremely proud of, and I will never regret it. I smell better, I feel better, my husband is ETERNALLY grateful that I did it, I have more money, and I don't have to step outside at parties, restaurants, etc.

You can do this - trust your ability to quit the habit, and do it!!!

Good luck!

C.

My husband quit cold turkey when we first starting dating because I thought it was nasty and he really loved me and quit the day I asked him too. He hasnt smoked in over five years now and he says that it was hard but he did it for someone he really loved and the thought of losing me was worse than having to quit. I think the same goes for you, you're doing it for someone you love so try to think of your girls when you want a cigarrette. I really commend you for trying to quit. I know it would be hard for me to quit caffeine- it isnt the same but just so you know we will all be praying for you and your girls.

Hi, N.. This was actually easier for me than I thought it would be. I am now 44 years old but I smoked about a pack a day from age 16 to 30. When I was 30 I went to work for a large corporation that had a smoking room. Well, that room was way on the opposite side of the building from my office so it was a huge problem just taking a break to go smoke. It was then that I went down to only a half pack a day.

When I was about 34 I was ready to detoxify my body so that we could start trying to conceive. At that point, my husband and I decided that we would not smoke in the house or allow anyone else to smoke in our house. Every time we wanted a cigarette we had to step outside...which worked fine until winter settled in. When it got cold and wet outside I never wanted to stand out there and freeze. Also, we really enjoyed watching t.v. together at night and it got to be such a bother to go outside and miss our favorite shows.

Very soon a half pack turned into only a few a day. I also switched my brand to the absolute lightest you can get and that helped to wean me off tobacco. Eventually, I quit altogether just before we conceived. After giving birth to our first daughter in 1998 when I was 36 I never picked up a cigarette again...mostly because of her.

So, here's my suggestion. First you need to switch cigarette brands to the next lightest and then the next lightest and eventually to the absolute lightest you can go. This is a great way to wean yourself off the tobacco addiction. While you're doing this, do not smoke in your house. Force yourself to go outside to smoke...this will also help get rid of the smell and tobacco in your home. Eventually, you will be able to quit altogether for the health and well-being of your family.

I wish you luck. You can do this!

HHHMMM, which way to go--- The phjone call I just got from my mom who said my ex- sister-in-laws tein sister was found dead thisafternoon from heart failure at the age of 35..... she was a heavy smoker
OR just telling you I KNOW how hard it is! I quit cold turky when I found out I was pregnant 10 years ago- I had smoked for almost 15 years. It was a big struggle. I took up cross stiching to keep my hands busy. I sucked on hard candy, I prayed.....
Here is a web site if pictures of smokers lungs will help! http://www.presmark.com/htmlfile/pictures.htm
I did gain weight- well, being pregnant didn't help either, but hubby says he would much rather have the curves than the smell/taste of cigarettes!
I found a "perfect" purse- way more than I would uisually spend- and when I had stopped for 3 months I bought the purse- it was about as much money as I would have spent on the cigarettes in the same time frame.
If prayer is something you use www.crosswalk.com has a ton of daily devotional that you can get free via e-mail. Not all of them pertain to quitting smoking, but sometimes just focusing on something else helps!
Please feel free to e-mail me if you have any questions or if you just want to chat!

D.
____@____.com

I quit cold turkey after my son of only a few months was diagnosed with breathing problems. The actual diagnosis is yet to be pinpointed. I have to give him breathing treatments 3 times per day. And he sounds like he has smoker's cough. I read that even though I would smoke outside, the yucky stuff would stay with me and in my system and was potentially a trigger for his breathing problems. It's only been a few months, but knowing that he has one less trigger is helping me not smoke.
You can do it!

N.

When I found out I was Pregnant 2002 with my Daughter -I quit cold turkey! I smoked for over 20 years and I already had done enough damage with my body partying (drugs etc..)in those 20 years God had Blessed me with the greatest gift and I was Not going to screw this up and have this bad habit passed down to my kids. Since then, I have been Blessed with back to back Pregnancies Twin Boys and another girl all under the age of 4--and that keeps me pre occupied but I stayed away from smoking by Working out, Journaling and becoming active with our church.

YOU can do it!!! Believe in yourself!!! I know you can Good Luck!!!

God Bless
T.

I started smoking when i was 15 yrs old because I thought it was cool and everyone else did it, little did I know that it was a nasty habit.
I smoked until I found out that I was pregnant w/my older son when I was 19.. well actually that is how I found out I was pregnant because the taste, smell made me nauseous and then I took a test and it was positive. I couldn't be near anyone that smoked. My husband at the time smoked behind my back and I could smell it a mile away. I started back when my son was 3 months and smoked for several years and then I got pregnant when my son was 3 which I felt nauseous and I knew before I took the test I was preg which I ended miscarrying but with my youngest it was the same and he is now almost 17 months and still to this day the taste, smell just REALLY turns me off. I even have tried to smoke one when I had a drink and not interested at all so I guess I am officially a non smoker. i am SO HAPPY for my health and my kids. My older son asked me for years and I finally did it and he is so happy.

Do it for yourself and for your kids- That is what motivated me. I didn't miss it cause it grossed me out but after I ate and when I was driving was the hardest habit so I kept myself busy.

Good Luck and I will keep you in my prayers.
M.

I also smoked from ages 15 or so - 27. All I can say is stay away from other smokers...just for 2 weeks, then you'll be okay & tell everyone you're quitting so you'll be too embarrassed to smoke in front of them. I visited some conservative family members who did not know that I smoked and it made quitting a lot easier, that plus being in a whole different place got me out of my usual routine. Been a non-smoker for 6 years now. Good luck girl.