10-30-12 06:41 PM - Post#751002    

the idea is to stop completely on the first of November 2012.Anything will be allowed except actually smoking.
Step 2 will be to cut down on the nicotine and be free of it by the New Year.
I know other people on the site are trying as well,they will appreciate this is not a joke and I wish them strenght to get rid of this BS!
Knowing that my posts are read by many this will motivate me all the more to finally succeed where I failed before.

Re: stockdoc3' smoking log
10-30-12 08:10 PM - Post#751022    

10-30-12 08:29 PM - Post#751023    

I'm almost at my two year mark as a non-smoker. It's a bear to get past the first few weeks, but it's not impossible!

You can do this!

Hey, if I can't be strong, at least I can be pretty, right? ~ Uncle Al

10-30-12 10:13 PM - Post#751038    

I'm behind ya'! Recite Conan's prayer before the battle at the mounds. That's what it is, a battle...and you WILL win.

"When you look good, you feel good, when you feel good, you do good." - Elvis A. Presley "If it doesn't hurt more tomorrow you're on the right track! If it hurts more... well that's bleeding obvious." - Stef

10-31-12 08:00 AM - Post#751062    

thank you guys(and Laree of course!)I appreciate it.

11-02-12 06:16 PM - Post#751470    

Well,I managed so far,you could say it's a miracle.The morning of my first day I woke up,there had been a terrible storm and the new winter-cover of the swimming pool was gone...half asleep I stumbled to the garage to get an old raincoat and stepped in the mess my 2 dogs made.I found the cover torn by some treebranches just outside the garden close to the street...later on that morning I found the internet and the phone didn't work.Just a perfect start to stop smoking...but I did!I told myself these things were gonna happen anyway and a cigarette wouldn't make it any better.Finally I laughed with the whole misery thinking how lucky I was compared to the victims of Sandy in NY!
It's nicotine losanges for now and god do they make you windy.

11-03-12 09:04 AM - Post#751535    

Most excellent report!!

I was thinking about you this morning and dropped by to encourage your to restart if you did't make it the first day, and get here to find you made it, and even with some extra turmoil. Beauty job!

11-05-12 06:14 PM - Post#751819    

It's been a few days now and very slowly it's getting easier to put the cigarettes out of my mind.The first thing in the morning is the most difficult moment...I'm usually the first one awake and these little bastards are staring at me when the crave is at it's peak.
My wife was surprised to see that I meant business this time and she stopped smoking inside the house from today.This is a huge help!If I can do it she'll stop on her birthday the last day of November.I really start to have the feeling that I'll succeed.For the moment I'm not bothered with the philosophical question wether free will exsists or not;as long as I can flush my body from this poison I'm happy.

11-05-12 06:21 PM - Post#751820    

Oh yes,forgot to mention my weight went up from 87kg to 91.3kg tonight...well yeah,whatever,I'll keep an eye on it

11-05-12 08:32 PM - Post#751831    

• stockdoc3 Said:

Very great stuff!

And even better when we discover there's still someone in your house who smokes. That must make it about a hundred-fold more difficult. Congratulations!

And...bringing her along too...even better!

11-06-12 05:57 PM - Post#751941    

had a difficult night as we went to check out the new Italian in town and had a bit too much vino...luckily my nicotine pills saved me but I must have overdosed as I was having the hick up's which is a pain when you're trying to down some pasta.The French waitress looked a lot like Jodie Foster in The Silence of the Lambs but she didn't have a clue who that was and didn't appreciate my Hannibal Lecter jokes.

11-07-12 08:02 AM - Post#751977    

LOL! You didn't ask for Chianti and Fava Beans did you?

You're doing great! Don't worry about the weight, the chemicals have been messing with your hormones for so long it takes a little while to reset yourself. I found that my weight went up and down quite a bit at first. I weigh about 8kg more now, but I feel and look much healthier than I did as a smoker. Keep doing what your doing!

Hey, if I can't be strong, at least I can be pretty, right? ~ Uncle Al

11-10-12 06:01 PM - Post#752357    

No I didn't Courtney,she ran out off raw liver so it wasn't worth asking for the beans...lol.
Having a bit of the blues lately,I know this is a very dangerous point as I've been here before.You start wondering what the hell you're doing,one moment you know you want to be that healthy sain person,working out,doing his Qi-Gong and all;and the next moment you have a small setback and you're at risk to roll into the same old pattern again.It feels a bit scizophrenic,as if I have to kill a part of me not knowing what will be left.Of course reason says GO but still the mind tries to play games on you.Anyway I'm decided to sit it out this time,if you keep hearing from me means I'm not in the loonybin yet.

11-11-12 08:51 AM - Post#752388    

Sit it out, does that mean keep going with the quit project or the opposite?

Hope things are okay with the family.

11-11-12 06:01 PM - Post#752444    

Nono,I mean let come what comes and not giving in to the cigarettes.The family is back now and I feel back on track but it's amazing what weird stuff can sneak into your mind when you're suddenly on your own for a few days.But the project is definitely still running,with bobs and bumps,but hey, no one ever said it was going to be easy.

11-12-12 04:36 AM - Post#752471    

Stay strong. It's normal. You'll come through it stronger and healthier...

Hey, if I can't be strong, at least I can be pretty, right? ~ Uncle Al

11-17-12 06:21 PM - Post#753299    

I'm starting to feel that I can do without the cigarettes and start to feel pity on those who smoke.Unfortunately the enemy is called nicotine and it's a damn hard one to fight as well!I think it's safe to say I arrived at the second stage of the battle to get rid of the poison.This is the point where I failed before...several times.Sometimes I want to toss away all the chewing gums and lozanges,realising they are just more of the same and a few minutes later I feel miserable and long for another one.It will require a lot of perseverance to reduce my nicotine consumption consistantly(saying NO to yourself isn't always the easiest thing to do)but I'm so fed up with this whole business that it will have to work anyway.

11-18-12 10:13 AM - Post#753339    

Go, go, go! We're rootn for ya!

Hw about making a written schedule where you check off the times you use the gum? Each day would be, say 15 minutes farther apart. So rather than using it when you need it, you'd systematically wean yourself. Something like that work?

Checking off the boxes would be motivating, I think.

11-18-12 05:12 PM - Post#753371    

I was thinking in the same direction,to write down the nicotine consumption.So far it's been chaotic,I didn't care how much it was(usually around 12 pieces of 4mg).But spacing it out in time and therefore missing out on strategic ones(right after a meal etc.)would be a good idea!I have to break the pattern of the smoker:you wake up,a nicofix,you eat ,a nicofix,you've done something good or not so good,a nicofix.It shouldn't be a reward anymore to get a nicofix but I should see it for what it is:the chemicals misguiding me,convincing me I need them.I guess when I deeply understand this my craving for nicotine will end.But for now I'm not gonna be heroic and jeopardize the whole plan by throwing the whole lot in the bin.

11-22-12 04:45 PM - Post#753876    

I found a cheaper brand of nicotine pills.The good thing about it is that they contain 2.5mg instead of the 4mg like the ones I'm used to.It's also sugarfree and has a minty taste.I'm at 12 a day and will cut down to 10 next week.The goal is to take 2 off each week,if that works I'll be nicotine free by the end of the year.Can this really work,a simple calculation?

11-23-12 11:22 AM - Post#753937    

If you can use a systematic approach and adhere to it in order to wean yourself off of nicotine, then by all means DO IT!! Reducing your use by two each week sounds like a great approach!

The best piece of advice I got was to change my smoking habits. If you typically smoke (chew the gum) immediately after dinner, force yourself to wait 30 minutes. Do something else that is more rewarding, play a card game with the kids or something. If you smoke when you first wake up, delay it until after you get ready for work. Changing the habits of when I smoked and finding things to distract myself was key to quitting for me. I found it easier to do something with my kids, because they were the reason I was quitting to begin with, so it was a really good way to reinforce the goal.

Keep up the good work!

Hey, if I can't be strong, at least I can be pretty, right? ~ Uncle Al

11-26-12 10:40 AM - Post#754207    

I bought 2mg nicotine pills.This is day one of the countdown.I'm only allowed 10 pills a day this week.This seems like a lot and I'm confident I"ll handle it.

11-30-12 05:39 PM - Post#754835    

tommorow my wife will join me in my efforts to get rid of the cig's.This will be a great help because it's not easy when you know they're still around.The temptation is the worst when you're alone in the house and you know the cigarettes are calling your name...just light one to check if it leaves you indifferent,you would almost light one to proof you can do without.This is stupid but anyway I hope from tomorrow on NOT to get stuck in such situations again.It is a damn sneaky poison indeed!

12-01-12 09:59 AM - Post#754890    

Outstanding! All parts...your efforts and successes so far, and her joining you TODAY..both for your benefit and for hers. Very great stuff.

12-03-12 05:48 PM - Post#755142    

I'm down to 8 pills a day now.

12-03-12 07:34 PM - Post#755155    

Bravo, nice work! How's your wife doing with it? okay?

12-10-12 06:31 PM - Post#755939    

well,she's doing fine but doesn't agree with any nicotine replacement medication.She has seriously reduced her smoking and wants to fully quit on december the 21.This way the end of the Maya calender will mean the end of her smoking,and a new healthier era will begin!
Me I'm down to 6 pills a day and am really getting fed up with them,but the end is in sight!Thank you for asking

12-15-12 05:00 PM - Post#756684    

I quit following the schedule and only take a nicotinepill when I feel it's better to do so.This means about 3 a day.I'm only working 2 more days this year and then I'm sure I can quit completely and for good.Taking up medical histories,I hear stories from people struggling and finally quitting one way or the other;I'll feel a lot more confortable(and less a hypocrite)being a ex-smoker myself!!!Since we moved here it's been easy peasy,working 20hours a week but soon this will at least double and I'll need all the breath and energy to cope with that.

12-15-12 07:42 PM - Post#756689    

Sounds like things are going well here! Hang in there - quitting is no fun, but you can't beat breathing easier!

http://squatrx.blogspot.com/

12-16-12 08:17 AM - Post#756713    

This is fabulous, I love reading it!

12-18-12 05:35 PM - Post#756976    

Well that's it ladies and gentleman,I finished my last working day of the year and tommorow will be my first day(in 34 years!!!)without nicotine.I've got 2 full weeks to get used to it,before I start running my own show.There'll be plenty to do to get ready,but it should all go smoothly now.I'll go to the gym a lot because soon my free time will be limited,but I'm improvising and will find the means to stay in shape.
My wife will stop completely on Friday(if not sooner).I wanna say thanks to everyone that supported me and a very big thank you to Laree and Courtney who encouraged me on a regular basis.Although we don't know each other personally it DOES make a difference and when I had a hard time I often thought of you.Sounds stupid maybe but I often thought I couldn't let you people down I won't call myself an expert now though I must have tried every reasonable way but what I've learned for sure is that it's all in the mind.From the moment you perceive yourself completely as a non smoker(the proverbial click in the mind)you don't need any drugs or methods and you can only ask yourself why you didn't do this before!.
My best wishes for the new year for everyone reading this.
.

12-18-12 08:49 PM - Post#757001    

Nice work!


I'll go tell Dave now, too.

12-24-12 12:36 PM - Post#757482    

Keep hanging in there... you're making us a little nervous with this silence during a hectic week. :~)

12-25-12 06:05 PM - Post#757576    

I know,it hasn't been easy last night!A wonderful feast of seafood,austriche,cheeses and the most lovely deserts.Some friends are smokers but went outside,still I had it difficult.I didn't smoke but overcompensated by eating and drinking as if there was no tomorrow...By the time the son served his homemade chocolatecake(it was 00.30h)this gentleman had to run to the sanitary facilities to say goodbye to all the treats.After that I was sick enough to go to bed.They all had a good laugh but well,I should have known better at my age.
Anyway Merry Christmas to everyone!

12-29-12 08:38 AM - Post#757767    

After the food overload I'm doing a little detox,pressing veggie juice,loads of water,fish and lean meat.It just feels a lot better then being stuffed by pastry,cream and chocolate.There are hardly any moments that the thought of a cigarette crosses my mind.

stockdoc3' smoking log
12-29-12 09:03 AM - Post#757768    

You did it!! Congratulations. We're all thrilled for you. Big victory here!

01-03-13 06:34 AM - Post#758182    

Congrats! You made it!! Man, I bet you could accomplish darn near anything since you've done such a good job beating this!

Hey, if I can't be strong, at least I can be pretty, right? ~ Uncle Al

01-03-13 04:58 PM - Post#758257    

thanks Courtney,you also helped by encourageing me regularly!

01-21-13 05:57 PM - Post#760147    

Sometimes when I'm on my own I feel the little monster is still watching me,telling me to try one just to check that I don't like it anymore.I know how dangerous just 1 stupid cigarette can be!!!When this happens I try to remember how my previous atempts ended...I hope I'll get rid of these feelings someday,you hear some people who stopped for many years saying they sometimes feel the urge to light one up.Well I'm not planning to do so!

01-21-13 08:23 PM - Post#760157    

You've beat it now. You'll get past these for sure!

01-30-13 07:21 AM - Post#761045    

I'm approaching my two year mark, and those thoughts and temptations you describe are extremely rare now. Usually only when there's alcohol

that demon will tempt you, but the more you say "no" the less it'll happen.

Hey, if I can't be strong, at least I can be pretty, right? ~ Uncle Al

01-31-13 06:05 PM - Post#761226    

I know,alcohol and cigarettes usually go together as the perfect couple.For me living in France and enjoying good wine this was a big issue at first!I noticed without the nicotine alcohol has a very different effect and I'm rather drinking less,but enjoying it more then before.I'm not advising anyone to drink alcohol but when consumed with moderation I think it's acceptable.But yes,you have to know yourself well enough to know your limits because I've seen more then enough mysery caused by it,making you wonder if it's all worth it!