Happy Valentin'es Day! - 2/14/07 roll call

[teddiebears]

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!!

It's another great day to quit smoking or chewing tobacco. It's a wonderful thing to do for your heart and your health, as well as for those people you love and/or who love you!!!!

Wishing you all the best, today and everyday!


587

[Alyssa]

I don't come to the forums too often as I still have a huge depression issue and when I read and try to help others with their issues I wind up babbling and crying just trying to respond and help the others here, so I'm not real successful in helping anyone when that happens.

However, I do come around once in awhile under the radar just to see how everyone is. No one probably remembers me since everyone's stuff disappeared after the crash, I don't have the heart to repost most of mine, which wasn't alot anyhow before the crash, but...

I finally realized that when a person decides to quit smoking it has to be for themselves in order to most likely succeed. My previous failures were because I let others bully me into trying to quit for their reasons. Yes, their reasons were out of love and concern for me, but I couldn't wrap my head around that, they just went about it in a mean and insenitive manner, telling me that if I didn't quit smoking they didn't want to hear it from me when I was dying or dead, stuff like that...sounded more threatening and bossy than supportive...

I went to the doctor the day after my birthday, Jan. 17th, 2007, and started a cessation program supervised by my MD. I couldn't do it alone and I had made up my mind that I wanted to be successful this time, for myself and not anyone else. I started on Zyban, I had attempted it with this medication before but it was for the wrong reasons and during a terribly stressful point in my life, I couldn't manage it. As of January 18th, 2007 I have been smoke-free. I have kept this from most of my family and friends because I don't want that pressure to succeed and knowing the extreme disappointment they will likely have in me if I fail.

It has been extremely difficult not go buy that pack of smokes when I am stressed, like when my new grandbaby came 2 1/2 months early on Jan. 27th and nearly died from a bacterial blood infection, or just in situations that used to be followed by a smoking out of habit. I had to fight really hard not to slide back into old habits again, a smoke after dinner, a few smokes while sitting in the hot tub, smoking while riding in the car, ect. It's a lifestyle change as well as the addiction, after 5-7 days on the medication I no longer had the physical addiction, but damned if the mental one wasn't haunting me and still does almost a month later! I can seriously see why an illegal drug addict has such a difficult time kicking their habit, it is a daily struggle just to ignore the cigarette cravings! And I didn't smoke that much to begin with (6-8 cigarettes a day) as I didn't smoke in my house because of my family/friends, due to my own decision, as a matter of respect and love towards them, and that I live in Colorado and the weather is stinky and quite cold in the wintertime anyhow:)

Recently I told my hubby to stop praising me and to just respect what I am trying to do for myself and to please not chastise me if I fail. I know he is just trying to be supportive of me but he just needs to not take me to places where there is smoking, it doesn't stink to me yet, it just fires up the temptation to bum one and smoke it, plus if he is praising me non-stop then it makes me feel how tremendously disappointed he would be if I failed at this, that's the same reason I have not told my family about it.

Anyhow I just wanted to encourage others not to be discouraged. If at first you don't succeed try, try, and try again. And if you find you need help, don't be embarrassed to talk to your doctor about what he/she can do to help you to be successful. I smoked for 25 years, once I had even quit by myself for 3 months without any cravings or problems before I started again. I'm on the second try with the Zyban. I'm positive in my thinking that I will succeed this time, however if I don't I will try again, for me, not anyone else's thinking in the matter for me. I don't have near the allergy problems I did before, my chronic coughing has stopped, and I can take a deep breath any dang time I want to now. I am really amped up to keep going on without smoking!

Sincerely~Alyssa

[jingle]

Wonderful Alyssa !! :D That's swell. I sure know where you're coming from. I haven't had a smoke for 16 month's now and ever so often I STILL reach for one --- lol lol --- but that's just a habit reach, not a real one.

Keep hanging on and you'll do fine. It sure sounds like you're doing great. Bless you heart and strength.

Teddiebears -- HAPPY VALENTINES DAY TO YOU. I hope you're well, warm and happy.