Wishing you success! It's so hard to give up this habit, but sounds like you're in the right mind frame. Good luck!

GOOD JOB. Stay focused, keep telling yourself, I can do this. You will feel so much better.

You did it and you can still do it every day!!!! Keep on keeping on.

Luck! Congrats on your new lifestyle.

I quit in the early 80's....just cold turkey and used benedryl to relax (don't know if that's recommended though!) Anyway I loved to smoke, even chain smoke...the craving went away pretty fast and I could be around smokers but I wasn't going to start again after I made the decision to quit.....Congratulations to you, it is a "big" thing to give up smoking...

Big, big, big congratulations, samkaren. That is just wonderful.

Good job Samkaren. I'm here to support you. I haven't wanted to "vocalize" that both my hubby and I have been smoke free for just over two weeks now but since you did, I will join you. Ours was really a no choice option. Hubby got pneumonia and I got a good upper respiratory bug as well. We literally had no choice but we're over the sickness and still have no desire to smoke. We have had to change our thought processes, our morning and evening routines have also been changed. We have more time now as smoking does take a lot of your time. Certain times of the day were always worse. We now try to eat breakfast before going to work, neither of us are big breakfast eaters so that is something we are continuing to work on. We are considering using the Isagenix protein shakes for breakfast. It's saving us a ton of money which is good considering I've been without a job for just over 6 months. Actually started a job on Monday of this week, no one there smoked and the idea of standing outside smoking didn't appeal to me so that left me some more incentive.

We are very private people so we haven't told our families yet. We didn't want the added pressure. Good luck to you and don't hesitate to reach out if you find your having a hard time.

Congratulations, samkaren and two25acres & hubby! That's great news!

Good for you! You are doing the right thing by substituting new activities for the times you used to smoke. Keep it up, you will be successful.

Thanks everyone and also congrats to two25acres & hubby. You are so right about changing the routine. I always had my first smoke after i ate breakfast and was having coffee. While i won't (EVER) give up my morning coffee i am now working on Sudoko's to keep my mind active. Of course it also helps that my furbaby Myben wants to be in my arms to be petted. One thing i am really proud of is that i have gone 4 days without having a smoke in my car. I found that it was easy not doing it.

I told a few people i work with that i was quitting and they are very supportive. I also told them to bear with me if i get testy (lol).

SamKaren

your resident DJ

I don't comment here too frequently, and don't "know" you, but I just wanted to say, "Yay for you!" You won't believe how much better you'll feel in the long run.

I quit 45 years ago and the one thing that helped me never start again was knowing that the first cigarette I didn't smoke (when quitting) was going to be the hardest one. It wasn't a piece of cake, but that ONE that you skip in the beginning is truly the most difficult. And I pledged to myself that I would never, ever, ever "have just one, just this time" because I knew I'd be a smoker again in an instant.

My mother didn't quit until she had to have oxygen, in her 70's, and she died of COPD. It's a horrible disease and nothing I would wish on anyone.

Wishing you all the strength you will ever need to not put one to your lips again.

I am so proud of anyone who stops smoking, congratulations to you all. It's such a monumental step.

When I quit about thirty years ago, I did it by 'visualizing' that smoking made me very nauseous. It worked like a charm for me, as I was well practiced in mental imagery from my visits to a therapist at my university to help me overcome severe acrophobia.

Congratulations to all of you who no longer smoke!

Hooray! Sam, I am so proud of you!! And Two25acres and DH also! I quit on 2/2/2005, and it was really hard to do. There are still times when I think it would be nice to have "one", but I remind myself that I am forever "a puff away from a pack a day". It's now 11 years, 1 month later, and I have never had that first puff. Keep up the good work!!

YOU CAN BEAT CIGS!! I don't wanna sound like I'm preaching... would probably still be smoking if hadn't had a "thing" happen 12/14. Woke up one morning with absolutely ZERO vision in left eye. Not pain, loss of vision didn't wake me, alarm did... just total BLACK out left eye. Took self to ER. Sent to ophthalmologist across street who looked in eyes and sent me right BACK to ER. They poked, prodded, scanned, ultra-sounded, monitored me for about a day and a half. Decided I had NOT had a stroke, but BP and cholesterol were high. Didn't have "primary care" doctor cuz hadn't had insurance until Medicare kicked in. After getting a PC, was told they could do something about BP and cholesterol, but smoking was a suspect in vision loss. And ophthalmologist said it most like will NOT come back! I do have "vision" in eye now, but CANNOT read out of that eye at all.

I quit, cold turkey, and it's been over a year now. Was WELL over a pack a day smoker and can honestly say I'd probably ENJOY a smoke right NOW... but not at the rick of right eye... could NOT function with both eyes in this condition.

My hubby and I both quit 14 years ago. To this day, it was the hardest thing I've ever done - but you can do this, as long as you want to Quit more than you want to smoke.

One thing we did: we put our cigarette money into a jar and every month we'd "treat" ourselves to something. We've saved almost $50,000 since we Quit!!!

Congratulations to Samkaren and Two25acres. You're doing a great thing. I was a heavy smoker who quit 25 yrs ago. If I remember correctly, the 1st 3 weeks are the toughest. It gets easier after that. Hang in there. You won't ever regret it. Tell everyone you know that you have quit. If you get the urge to relapse, think about the how it will feel to tell those people that you have started again. It was a deterrent to me, maybe it will help you.

Samkaren:

Bully for you! That is tough to do.

Back in the 1970s when the company I worked for set in place a no smoking policy in their offices, I watched some friends of mine struggle with quitting. There was a lot of grousing!

I did not know that my boss had smoked in the past, but he told me the most difficult thing for him (at present) was that the old urge came back, even years later, if he got a good whiff of cigarette smoke. The smell of the smoke raised old desires. I pass this caution to you to avoid places with smokers fog while you are quitting.

Wonderful Wonderful, all of you Quitters! In late 2002, DH's doctor told him he would stop treating him if he continued to smoke. Also, another incentive for him was that the amount we were spending was "a car payment". We both knew we had to stop forever, so he went to a cessation class and was given Welbutrin. I quit cold-turkey.Chewed gum for awhile. What I found I missed was the hand-to-mouth. Ate almonds. I honestly had more of 'withdrawal' from caffeine than cigs!

We put that cigarette money right into savings. We can only imagine what is being spent now, at nearly $100 a carton!!!

Excellent! So happy for all the quitters.

Wonderful!!

So proud and happy for all of you!

Congratulations!! The best present you could give yourself. I quit back in 1995. I used the patch. I just kept cutting them smaller until I could handle the withdraws. What keeps me going all these years is wow, look at the price of smoking dead air.

Congratulations to all of you who have quit ... and I hope that it inspires some of you who've been considering it to jump on the bandwagon: support one another!

As some have suggested, they've found that altering one's routines that involved smoking was important.

Some of you may find that chewing on a piece of celery, carrot, etc. helps ... or even a toothpick: if your mouth is sad at the lack of attention - give it something to occupy it.

I recommend also that you save the cost of the smokes, at first in a jar at home, then in a special bank account, and, eventually, investment account. It'll mount up surprisingly fast ... and high!

Hey! It may help you to retire early ... and have better health to enjoy the quite likely added years.

ole joyfuelled ... who, a thankful non-smoker, hasn't smoked in 70 years

While we are all really proud of you....the big plus is how proud you'll be of yourself as a non-smoker! What a great sense of accomplishment.