I just smoked my last cigarette....

[SiobhanClancy]

wish me luck!:) The main reason I'm quitting is that I simply can't afford the things anymore.

[BurtWorm]

1. You live in NYC?

Best wishes!

[SiobhanClancy]

4. No...Cambridge,MA

not quite as expensive as NY,but unemployment checks only go so far:)

[GOPisEvil]

2. Start referring to yourself as a non-smoker. Don't say you're quitting.

It sounds more final that way.

Good luck! :thumbsup:

[HERVEPA]

3. If you just smoked it...

Of course it's your last one.


Just kidding. Good luck.

[MissMarple]

5. I quit, you can do this.

It was years before I felt safe enough to call myself a nonsmoker. I told myself I could have a cigarette any time, just...not here, and probably... not now. Plus, I had places I absolutely would not smoke. I think that's what got it started and I just kept adding places.

You're going to be so happy. Good luck with the hard parts. You'll know you're there when the smell of other people's smoke is nasty.

:bounce:

Also, it might help if you can find a substitute activity. Some people eat because they don't find a better one. I do needlepoint.

[soleft]

6. Good luck!

[wryter2000]

7. You can do this.

The urges will get farther and farther apart. After a while, you'll be in total control.

Go for it!

[Skittles]

8. YOU CAN DO IT

and you will save BIG BUCKS. Hey - if you feel like lighting up, post a thread saying WHY SHOULD I NOT SMOKE THIS CIGARETTE and you will get encouragement not to smoke it. Hint - if you find it's too difficult goiong cold turkey, invest in the patch. It's pricey, but you can pay for it out of your cig savings.

[Bunny]

9. You can do this!!

I was a 2.5 pack-a-day smoker, and I quit cold turkey five years ago this New Year's eve. I won't pretend that the first two months were easy - I could have choked a grizzly bear with my own two hands, I was that edgy. But I got over that part and it was well worth it. Do not give in - tell yourself that you are bigger than that tiny ass pack of smokes! :) Good luck - stay strong!

[Amich]

10. Good luck

I stopped two years ago. You can do it. I agree with skittles just post here when you feel like lighting up...

[Bake]

11. Good luck!

And, if you've got any left over now that you've quit, could you send them to me? The damn things ARE expensive!

Seriously, good luck!

Bake

[denverbill]

12. Congratulations!!! I'm past the 6 month mark myself!!!

You might wanna visit www.quitnet.com

It sometimes helps to commiserate with other former smokers. It also has some good tips for staying quit, etc.

Quitting isn't easy, but it has it's nice benefits: no more standing outside in the freezing cold and rain and wind. No more smelling like an ashtray or burning clothes. No more missing parts of movies or ballgames. No more supporting the Republican party coffers (tobacco companies).

Good luck!

[Kathy in Cambridge]

13. Good luck! You can do it!

You can buy two pints of Ben & Jerry's for the cost of one packof smokes!

Hang in there!

:hi:

[jonnyblitz]

14. if i did it 6 years ago...

then you can! :hi:

[YellowRubberDuckie]

15. Oh, I'm sooo proud of you!

Good luck, and congratulations on taking that first step. :grouphug: We're all rooting for you!
Duckie

[Speck Tater]

16. I'm on day 7 myself.

Robin Williams once said (in Dead Again) that you can't try to quit smoking. Either you're a smoker or your a non-smoker. Decide which one you are and BE that.

If someone offers you a smoke, don't say "I'm quitting," or "I'm trying to quit." Instead, simply say "I don't smoke." That plants a much firmer image in your mind of what you are.

Good luck, and remember you only have to fight off one urge at a time. And while smoking may temporarily relieve the urge, the only wat to permanently relieve the urge is to be a non-smoker.

[denverbill]

17. Congrats to you too fiziwig!!

You're getting through the hardest part. Hang in there!!

[mr_hat]

18. Congrats to you! May you taste >

the full sweetness of lips soon as reward -- and inspiration.

[DS1]

19. hurray!

good choice :7

[tinnyguy1777]

20. Hang in there, Clancy----

You can do it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[politicat]

21. You WILL make it....

I'm at 10 weeks non-smoking right now.... and this time (this is the 3rd time I've quit) it's going to last....Get past the first week and you're going to make it.

How do I know? The damn things make me sick now. (This has never happened before.) They'll make you sick too, in the not too far future. One day at a time.

My tips: Don't go where you used to go when you smoked. (I'm even avoiding AOL IM because I used to take the laptop out on the porch with me when I smoked and chat.)

Do something else that releases endorphins when you want a smoke - exercise, have sex, masturbate, meditate, something!!! (I'm actually quite serious about the sex idea.... orgasm and smoking make use of the same dopamine receptors - that's why Zyban (a dopamine re-uptake inhibitor) works .) Get those brain chems working for you instead of against you.

Ask your smoking friends to respect your choice and not smoke around you.

Find some other activity that is your "break time" activity - a chapter of a book, 15 minutes of music, a very special snack or drink.... otherwise, when you feel in need of a "breather" you won't take it and will feel deprived.

Talk to other new-non-smokers either here, or elsewhere on-line, or in public.

See if your local community Health Department offers any support, assistance, or otherwise for new non-smokers.

Best wishes!!

[RebelOne]

22. Wish I could say that. Good luck.

But I just discovered a really cheap way to lung cancer. RacTrac gas stations sell a brand called Gold Crest for only $1.39 a pack. I am learning to like them at that price.

[Malva Zebrina]

23. Yes, you can do it!

and if you fail--try again--over and over. I smoked more than two packs a day--and did it -- my method was weird--pretended I was a different person who never smoked a day in their life and I kept that personality up for weeks. But, you will find your own way--my husband used the patch that was his way--there was something about applying that thing every morning that enabled him. We both tried many many times over the past years--I am on my six months and he is on his nine months. We also cannot afford it any longer, and also, my health is not great--hardening of the arteries--which smoking cigarettes will escalate.

I actally told myself and still tell myself that when I am eighty I will smoke and I do miss a smoke every now and then at certain times, I admit. I do not find the smell of smoke when others smoke around me to be offensive or repulsive--I still like it. By telling myself that I will smoke when I am eighty, it does not seem as final a thing--and I might just do that!--by that time, it will not matter.

[MaineDem]

24. Take it 5 minutes at a time if you have to.

Good luck. Remember lots of us have gone through this and we'll support you.

Hang in there! :)

PS. When I quit they were $5 a carton. Things have sure changed. I'd never be able to afford the habit these days.

[SiobhanClancy]

25. Thanks for the the support:)

I am REALLY wanting a cigarette now,so I am going to distract myself by making some peanut butter cookies:)

[Speck Tater]

26. Here's another idea...

I got myself a treadmill with an odometer, and a map. I'm doing a cross country walk and marking my progress each day on the map. I'm heading for San Fransisco (from west-central Oregon) and from there I'll walk to L.A., and then maybe I'll head east and walk to Denver.

Whenever the nicotine urge hits I jump on the treadmill and rack up another mile or so.

[Rhiannon12866]

27. Congratulations

I have tried both Smoke-Enders and a hypnotism class. The latter was successful until I found myself under stress. More power to you for being able to stick with it. I agree about the cost. It's insane!:crazy:

[JanMichael]

28. Nobody respects a QUITTER!

Bwahahahaha!!!! *hack* Bwahahaha!!! *cough*

Good luck!