Hey everyone

I am 37, and been smoking since I was 18 - although I started sporadically from age 12. This is my 5th attempt at quitting - started on December 29th, so I’m on day 13 smoke free now. 

Just wanted to come and be around some people in the same boat and share my experience! Somehow this time it is a little bit easier and I think my previous failed attempts have all helped me understand the problems/triggers, so the next time is slightly more successful. So if you do end up smoking, just keep trying. It does get easier and you learn as you go. I’ve tried cutting down, vaping, cold turkey. 
 

Personally I just got fed up of feeling tired and weak, and I know from past quit periods how much energy I gain back when I stop. 

I’m also quite vain, and I don’t want to age myself any faster than necessary. My mum and her sisters all look much younger than they are and I got that gene as well. But I could see the lines starting to form and freaked out at how much extra aging I’ll get from smoking. I keep visualizing myself at 50, 60 and imaging how I might look if I don’t slow it down a bit on the unhealthy habits now. 
 

I’ve made a list on my phone, all the reasons I want to stop and I look at it when I feel weak. It helps a lot. 

I’m using gum for the more intense cravings ( My 11am smoke is the hardest daily fight) and for the rest I’m running or taking a long walk to just enjoy breathing. Breathing is great, I’m really enjoying it. When I run I can feel the extra power in my legs, it is a really good feeling. that started in the last 3/4 days. The first few runs were 10 mins around the block, just building theM up gradually.
 

After the first few days of stopping I was waking up with less general muscle ache and fatigue - although I’m finding myself getting regular bouts of insomnia. Anyone else get that? I’m naturally a night owl but this is definitely insomnia - I can’t find any info about why it happens to people who quit smoking. 

my skin looks brighter - the grey hue has gone and I feel wide awake, my eyes are super wide in the afternoons when I used to feel drained and slow. 
 

so far, so good. I hope This time it lasts, but if it doesn’t I will just try again. Good luck to each of you, I know how hard it is and how desperate it can feel. Just breathe through it, be tough and really congratulate yourself when you let a craving pass because that is some hard fighting. 
 

My tip, from experience- rewarding yourself with one cig when you hit a milestone is really tempting but don’t. That was my main cause for going back to a regular habit. 

I thought I posted this in the January intro thread, didn’t mean to start a whole new topic  

 Welcome! You will find plenty of support and information here. I have also quit many times and learned something from every quit.

I wish you Good Luck with this quit. Maybe it will be your sticky one and last forever!

Take Care!

Thank you for your messsage Wish id found this sooner! Hope you are smoke free and well 

 Your welcome! We can all use encouragement and understanding while navigating through the Quitting process. I'm no different than you when it comes to wanting to get rid of this nasty habit. I just finished day 9 of this quit.

  You are a lot younger than I am, so I pray that you will be successful in your efforts to quit. You can take it from a 50 year smoker, your health will only get worse if you continue to smoke.

Congratulations on being 13 days quit! That's a great start to a better life!

 Take Care!

9 days is great, well done! We are at a similar stage. I always think any time spent smoke free gives your body a chance to repair and have a break, so it is always a success. Keep at it and thank you for your support. 50 is still young, 90 is old! Think about how much better you can be at 60 if we let our bodies heal. 
 

stay strong and be as kind to yourself as you are to me!

 I hope you are having a Great Day. 

Insomnia or sleeping more than usual are both normal early in your quit. You should go back to a normal sleep pattern after your body adjusts to the changes you are making to it. I'm the opposite, I tend to sleep more early in a quit. But using any NRTS before trying to go to sleep always keeps me awake. Over the years I have learned not to fight sleep. My body will let me know when I needs it.

  Taking nicotine away and all the poisonous chemicals that come with it, causes our brain to get mixed up for awhile. We are addicted and when the brain doesn't get what it wants (nicotine) it fights hard to make us give in and give it what it wants. 

A few days ago I felt short of breath and for awhile I was actually thinking that if I picked up and smoked I would be able to breath better. How silly! Luckily I caught on to what was happening and didn't take the bait.

I agree that we need to reward ourselves for achieving certain goals (lengths of time) in our quit process. But to reward ourselves with the very thing we have been fighting to get away from is also silly. Junkie thinking! Last year I had a 31 day quit going. Somehow I had my mind set on thirty days as a goal. I did really well during those thirty days. I wasn't smart enough to think past that point in time! Picked back up, after getting to 30 days, and was back to smoking my normal amount within a few days. To me, it's all a mind game that requires us to stay on one path and not let that junkie thinking take us over.

You Can Do This!

I too am on day 9. I almost don’t notice sometimes. Other times first thing in the morning and before bed is literally shear will power not to go to the store and buy a pack. Really the main thing stopping me is I don’t want to go through this again again haha. I have all the health and money benefits but I’m still a little stuck on missing my crutch. Hang in there 

 I'm working on day 11. I'm happy that you are here with me and everyone else that is also missing our crutch!

We Can Do This!

Day 11 is excellent - you are doing great.  Keep those distractions handy - and stay close to the forum.  You know you can do this and, more importantly, that you want to do this.   You know what to expect and you know you can handle it.  Do no give up on yourself.  This is your year.  I am rooting for you.

Cheers