Quitting Smoking

[Guest guest]

, Lori <mrsshf> wrote:

> All in all, it was a protracted period of fairly

> intense pain, and I probably would have saved myself a

> lot of suffering if I would have been able to stop

> cold turkey. But going through all the pain is one of

> the things that keeps me from starting again, because

> I don't want to have to go through withdrawals like

> that again.

 

I quit smoking March 1. Cold turkey. Patches, etc have never been

successful for me.

 

It was pure agony. I pretty much just cried for 3 days. Literally. I

just curled up and cried because I wanted a cigarette so badly. The bf

tried to help, took me to movies constantly, etc, but said he felt

totally helpless because there was really nothing he could do to make

things better for me, and he couldn't empathize because quitting was

easy for him. I don't think he was ever addicted to nicotine,

personally.

 

It got better, but it never really got easy. I always wanted a

cigarette.

 

Then I lost my job. And I still managed to stay smoke free for awhile.

But by June I was smoking occasionally, and before I knew it I was

smoking full time again. I really did NOT want to have to go through

withdrawl again, but the addiction was stronger than my memories of how

terrible that period was, I guess.

 

I know how bad smoking is for me. I know that I breathe better when I'm

not smoking. I've read the studies, done everything they say to do to

improve chances of success when quitting. And I'm still smoking. It

really is an insidious addiction.

 

I don't know about anyone else, but when the bf told me that he " just

quit " , and that I could too, it wasn't helpful. My experience quitting

wasn't the same as his, or anyone else's, and making someone feel bad

(intentionally or unintentionally) because they can't do what you did

isn't behaviour that encourages success, imx. Bullying isn't helpful.

Scare tactics aren't helpful. Judgmental comments aren't helpful.

Being encouraging and supportive *is* helpful.

 

I plan to try again, soon. I'm going to talk to my doctor about

Wellbutrin this time, to see if perhaps I can reduce the agony I went

through in March. If I'm not successful this time, I'll try again and

again and again until I am, I expect. And I'll continue to ignore

" holier than thou " comments from those who've quit successfully and

think that just because they have I should be able to too.

 

--

Sherri

 

If you're arguing with an idiot make sure he isn't doing the same thing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

I have not caught any whiff of " holier than thou " or " scare

tactics " here. I think in most every reply in this thread folks

were trying, out of sincere concern, to express as best they

can the facts, or at the very least not allowing misinformation

to go unchecked, in some effort to encourgage a positive

change. Nobody said or implied it is the same for all, or that it is

somehow easy to do; quite the opposite really. You likely

weren't saying they had, or were speaking in general terms

about what you have experienced. (?) At any rate, I thought I

should say bravo to those who have bothered to reply in this

thread, as I felt all tried their best to express concern in hopes

something of value might take root in jessika's heart, if not now,

but sometime down the road when she is ready.

 

Speaking as one who also used to smoke, and didn't quit,

but rather stopped, I can concur that it is a difficult thing to

do. I still find moments when I crave one and I stopped smoking

in 1986. I feel for you, Sherri, in your description of how rough

your last stop smoking was. You are a very strong person, from

what I have gathered here. I know it won't be a walk in the park,

but I know you will someday do it forever. One moment at a time.

I know it sounds cliche, but it truely is like that for some of us

who are addicted to smoking. Namaste

 

~ PT ~

 

To confront a person with his own shadow

is to show him his own light.

~Carl G. Jung, psychiatrist (1875-1961)

~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~~~~~>

, Sherri <sherria@o...>

wrote:

> My experience quitting

> wasn't the same as his, or anyone else's, and making someone feel

bad

> (intentionally or unintentionally) because they can't do what you

did

> isn't behaviour that encourages success, imx. Bullying isn't

helpful.

> Scare tactics aren't helpful. Judgmental comments aren't helpful.

> Being encouraging and supportive *is* helpful.

>

> I plan to try again, soon. I'm going to talk to my doctor about

> Wellbutrin this time, to see if perhaps I can reduce the agony I

went

> through in March. If I'm not successful this time, I'll try again

and

> again and again until I am, I expect. And I'll continue to ignore

> " holier than thou " comments from those who've quit successfully and

> think that just because they have I should be able to too.

>

> --

> Sherri