Anthony

I see you started another quit?  How are you doing with it this time?  

Kathy

Andrew

Have you gotten back on your quit?  This is really hard but, you need to congratulate yourself for the time you have that was not smoking.  Start right back in and quit again!  

Having a smoker in your life, especially a spouse, makes this super hard.  I know that I struggled not only with the quit but, losing that one on one time with my spouse that chose not to quit.  things still are not the same there and that is hard.  However, I will hit 9 months next week since I quit so, it can be done.  Mostly, I do not go hang out with my spouse where he smokes......and honestly, it is hard at work to go anywhere with my boss who also smokes..........I feel somedays like I am reinventing my life!  Some things have to be done though and nothing really out weighs the benefits that come from quitting smoking so it is worth it.

Good luck and always know that if you type with 2 hands, you can't smoke while typing......so vent away on here, yell, call out for help!

Kathy

Hi Kathy,

I love that! “Reinventing my life”

We are! It’s so exciting too, right? Giving ourselves the chance to do things that most of us have not done in so long. So fabulous. I still haven’t come across anyone here that started as an adult (if that someone is here I’m sorry I missed you), so we are really reinventing our adult lives as non-smokers.

9 months and living with a smoker. Wow! My hat is off to you! I was telling Andrew how people who have never smoked don’t really get it. Well, you have done something I can’t relate to in quitting whilst living with a smoker. I know Anthony has that added challenge as well. My heart goes out to you all that face that challenge of not only trying quit but also watching your loved one continue with such a destructive addiction. 
Strong work! 

Thank you Loreficent!

You know I never saw it as a problem that my wife smokes, So much time was spent with both of us smoking up a storm, talking and generally enjoying every minute sharing with her.  She is my best friend and "therapist". Not to say we will still have those times but I will have to forgo the smoking part. She is respectful of my quit by not smoking in front of me,  but she is going to have to hide the ashtrays though. That was my trigger this last relapse. It was really my fault thinking that I could have a few puffs. Wrong! A NOPE moment. 

Got a new quit date. Next Monday, April 1st. A good time to start a new month. I will have my last cig Sunday night and ceremonially grind any remaining in the disposal before I go to bed. No waking up at 2-3am and huffing a cigarette or 2 before going back to sleep. That has been my pattern for years. 

I had a breathing test yesterday at the doctor's. The therapist would not give me the results but asked me, in the past, was I a heavy smoker? I raised my hand and said NOW. I knew what he was saying. Consequences are upon me as if I didn't know. 

Yea, it's time to really quit.

Four days and my jig is up.

Good day

Andrew

***********************Please note****************************

My mistake. My last post I stated that I was going to quit on April 1st. It is actually Sunday, May 1st.  

************************************************************

Andrew....

You are doing better than you may think.  Anyone could give up at your point out of frustration and despair but you keep on keeping on.  And in the game of quitting smoking that MATTERS.  I am still using 6 lozenges a day, but some days I have 3 or 4 instead.  Its not a full quit.  But I am cutting back here and there hoping these small slow steps forward will eventually lead to a quit!

Having a few 2 month quit successes is definitely something to be proud of!  You are building resistance.  Even if you go one day quit, one day 3 or 4, 2 days quit, one day 2 or 3, a few days quit.  It may sound half assed but that is where I am at with the lozenges.  Some of them I only suck on for 10 seconds then spit out!  I am building a mindset that I don't need them as much as I think I do.  To me... It is better than being quit 2 weeks then back on 2 weeks.  Today I only had 3.  Tomorrow I may aim for 3 again then hope to get down to 2.

This may be one way to approach quitting:  cutting down to quit.  Does this sound good to anyone?  I have a good friend who smokes this way.  She keeps a pack of cigarettes in her car but she only smokes 1 or 2 a day. Some days she does not smoke at all.

At my point Andrew... I am too insecure to quit completely but feel that if I can go from 6 lozenges a day to 3 a day, this may be good enough for me... At least for now!  In no way am i encouraging you to give up quitting but hoping that I offer you a cut down to quit program.

Small steps slowly in the right direction instead of on and off successes. It might take you longer but in that cutting down period you may read more, do more, develop new ways of coping, build better habits and slowly and gradually use your new ways to replace the old ones!  It is more hopeful than it appears to be!  You already have several quits under your belt.

I will keep you and everyone else posted on my cutting down.  With getting adjusted to new facets in my life I don't always need 6 lozenges.  And sucking on on one for 10 seconds is better than 20 minutes!  Smoking only a few puffs or just half of the cigarette would be the equivalent.

Hope this piece of my approach can help you Andrew#

Andrew

I kind of noticed that and just laughed.  I am always working on last year, last month, etc so I am always typing the wrong month and year.

Good luck to you

Kathy

Jerthie

Happy to hear that the cutting back is working for you.  It really is whatever works for each person!  Just keep moving forward!

Thank you!!

It is working... I feel embarrased at times that I am not able to quit cold turkey like everyone else but this way I feel I am still in control.  It means a LOT to me that you understand my weird method.  I hope to be down to just 1 or 2 a day by June.  I will first try to get used to 3 or 4 and feel confident.  Small slow steps for me.  Hope all is well!