Non-Smoker In Training, Daily Journal

my own personal Hell | 21OCT03 | King Prout

[King Prout]

A net-buddy of mine was recently diagnosed with non-small-cell lung cancer in the upper lobe of his right lung: stage 3a, locally metastatic, possibly operable, possibly terminal. His odds are not good. He is 53, married. He has been a 2-pack/day smoker for 30 years. I -and others- have begun sending him surplus cash to help him and his wife keep beans on the table and a roof overhead as he pursues treatment. Something about the situation struck me as beautifully symmetric: I smoke, spending about $30.00 every two weeks on cigarettes; I intend to send him at least that amount every two weeks. In order to do so, I have decided to cease purchasing cigarettes. De facto, this means I am quitting. I have smoked for some 12 years. This will be interesting. I'll be posting daily notes here as this goes on. Today is Day 4 of no cigarettes.

[King Prout]

Day 1 - was not too bad. Perssitent urge to smoke, but all I had to do was think of Dean and the rest was easy.

Day 2 - ibid

Day 3 - HORRIBLE. I didn't want cigs so much as I wanted to throttle just about everyone with whom I had contact.

Day 4 - so far, highly irritable, coughing up a lot of tainted and foul-tasting lung-butter, bad headache. Additionally, I feel like a moron - my attention span is sharply limited, my thinking is slow, my reflexes and coordination are significantly sub-par. And... I STILL want to throttle just about everyone with whom I interact.

updates will follow

[thoughtomator]

Hang in there, mate... it'll be worth it.

[4mycountry]

It's ok, we're proud of you. ;)

[big gray tabby]

Don't do this to yourself: Nicorette.

[VRWCmember]

Good for you. I wish you the best.

[mbynack]

Good luck with quitting.

My dad is in the final stages of Esophagus Cancer. He was a three-pack a day, camel non-filted kind of guy. We don't expect him to be around for Thanksgiving.

My father in law was also a heavy smoker and has been on oxygen for over 10 years. The doctor told him recently that he had about six months left.

[IncPen]

Good luck, it's a nasty addiction. Kudos for going cold turkey, and making good use of the money.

[jjw]

Don't worry the attention span returns after 3 weeks.

[firewalk]

bttt

[cjshapi]

You are doing something you should be doubly proud of. Kicking the habit is not easy and helping a friend as you are is definately a worthy task.

Best of luck to you!

[Eric in the Ozarks]

Good luck !
I quit cold turkey in March of 1986. The "crawls," will last about two weeks. Extreme desire for a smoke (you might have five or ten minutes NOT THINKING about having a smoke) will take three months. Not reaching into your shirt pocket when you're having a beer or cup of coffee; about five years.

[Cold Heat]

De facto, this means I am quitting

That's funny, I am going through the same thing for the umpteenth time!

I have gone through the entire gamut of tricks etc. I am using Zyban on this attempt in order to get past the 60 day period which seems to be my problem.

Good luck to you.

[NewHampshireDuo]

Keep up the good work. I quit smoking cold turkey at 3-1/2 packs a day (a 7 year smoker). You couldn't even look in my direction the first week or I would either scream at you or start to bawl. I had physical withdrawel (dizziness), lost my concentration - and decided each day that I had lasted this long and no cancer stick was going to stop me now. Eventually, things got better. I found that I needed to change my routine (I used to come home from work and read the paper and have a cig. I stopped reading the paper for 6 months and went outside and did yard work instead.)

If I could do it, so can you. Just think of your friend and know that is not the way you want to die.

Good luck..

[Walkin Man]

Great, you have already gotten through the hardest part, the first three days. I smoked for twenty years and have been smoke free for 13 now. I sure as heck don't miss that filthy, smelly, expensive, killer habit, that’s for dang sure!

Good luck and hang in there, you'll be glad you kicked it.

[Wheee The People]

Good luck bump!

[Burkeman1]

I had the same experience exactely! Day one and two was not that bad. Day three was the worst- coughing up a lot of foul stuff and I was one mean person to be around. The coughing up of stuff will last a few days. The irratability will last for a week as well. The urges will never leave but they become much less frequent over time. An extra benefit of quitting smoking is that you drink much less as well. Drinking is just not as good as it was when I smoked. Good luck.

PS, I tried to quit smoking many times and finally was successful. Don't bother with that patch stuff or gum. Cold Turkey is the best way. Drink a lot of water with lemon in it and fruit juices.

[Western Patriot]

I have gone through it myself. Remarkably, I found accupuncture very helpful. The patches just leave you addicted to nicotine but accupuncture allowed me to overcome those terrible cravings. In addition, I had antiacid for my stomach, St Johns Wart for my attitude. Trust me you will feel much better once you quit.

[4mycountry]

Bang head here for stress relief.

[camas]

i did it after 37 years-used the patch and still wanted kill.

my only problem was eating/weight. it seems every thing you eat goes to fat. good luck i made it 10 years now.

[Tank-FL]

I took Welbutrin (sp) for 60 days and after 29 years I was able to walk away from Cigs (3 years now smoke free)