Today is day 5 of not smoking

[apnu]

And the physical effects aren't as intense today than they were a few days ago. Although I seem to have heart burn for some reason, I dunno why, I hardly ever get it. Perhaps a withdrawal symptom?

So I suppose I'm entering the psychological stage now. Since it would be handy to have something to remind me to not smoke here is my list of reasons for quitting:

1) I'm sick of being a slave to Big Tobacco
2) I'm sick of spending around $60 bucks a week on my habit
3) I want to lose 50 lbs so I can not feel like a fat-ass all the time.
4) I have mild asthma and allergies, smoking makes them a lot worse.
5) I heave family history of bad hearts and I'd like to not wear mine out.

Cute... today is day 5 and I have 5 reasons to quit.

[redqueen]

1. Congrats!!!!

:bounce: :toast: :party: :toast: :bounce:

[Khephra]

2. Congrats!

I'm on week two myself. Keep up the good work!

[mrboba1]

3. good job!!

keep it up!

not only CAN you do it - you WILL do it!!!

:bounce:

[apnu]

10. Willpower... I'm realising that's the ticket through this thing.

I have to keep reminding myself over and over and over and over. I've already had a morning where I hunted around for my pack of smokes before realising that I've quit and they aren't in the house.

I WILL do it.

[UrbScotty]

4. You go apnu!

:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:

[tandot]

5. Keep on going...YOU CAN MAKE IT

$60 a week is quite a lot of money and you might also save some money on other medications like allergy pills...and you might have colds less often, too.

I quit 10 years ago. Heart disease is prevalent in my family. My dad had a heart attack when he was 45 years "old"

Congratulations on your 5-day anniversary !!! :thumbsup:

:yourock:

[One_Life_To_Give]

6. Congrats

I see you have made it thru the roughest part. It gets better with time, although the ocassional day when "it sucks" will still come around. The first 3-5 days are the worst it gets.

If you are looking for more good reasons to stay quite visit the usenet alt.support.stop-smoking group. They are quite the bunch of quitters.

[japple]

7. Good on you

I quit almost exactly 3 years ago--the year my mother died. I had to use Nicoderm CQ, but they worked great and I didn't use them as long as recommended. I had tried many times before and until I used the patch, I wasn't successful. At first the warning labels on the boxes of Nicoderm scared me, until I realized that using them a month (or less) would be less harmful than smoking.

[apnu]

12. Cold-turkey here.

I'm really poor right now. Its been a rough summer financially for me. I can't afford over-the-counter remedies and the only thing my doctor offered me was Zyban (which I've had and it made me loopy) and hypnosis (which has never worked on me)

So it's just me and a lot of gum, tooth picks, Altoids, and coffee.

[fairfaxvadem]

8. For positive reinforcement, go rent "The Insider"

If you haven't seen it already.

It was the last straw for me, really. The health effects, etc., were a major factor in my quitting 4 years ago of course, but that movie, and the whole broohaha surrounding the doctor's whistle-blowing, was the final bit. I'm probably a hypocrite in other areas, but this was one instance where I knew I had to not spend one more damn penny on these tobacco bastards.

Screw 'em. Keep it up.

Actually, not being a slave to the gas station for smokes has been a very freeing experience.

[denverbill]

9. Congrats!! You are getting through the hardest part.

[jrthin]

11. Congrats!

Keep up the excellent work. Two more incentives to keep away from the evil stick: You're no longer inhaling carbon monoxide that courses through your body and destroys tissues; and, you're no longer inhaling toxic substances that are destroying delicate lung tissue that sets you up for lung cancer.

[apnu]

13. Good points...

I'll keep them in mind.

One thing I don't want to do is turn into an anti-smoking Nazi. *shudder* I really don't like those people.

Smoking, like any other addiction, is a demon. Which is something, I believe, the anti-smoking nuts don't get. In school, when the subject came up as part of class discussion, I tried to remind the anti-smoking zealots of my experiences with smoking. Sadly, I think I failed to educate them about the realities of addiction. But then, I'm about a generation older than many of my students (well it seems that way anyhow, but it's more like a 10 year difference) and the "kids" have a lot to learn about life, the universe, and everything.

[tainted_chimp]

14. *sniffing apnu*

and my! you smell quite fresh and yummy now! :P

congrats on your achievement...i found Lifesavers to be quite helpful when i quit many moons ago.

Yay apnu! :bounce:

[apnu]

16. I've been sniffed by a chimp...

... and I'm wondering how to feel about it.

Good, I guess, it seems so... um.... bestial. Like dogs sniffing each other in recognition.

;) :P

[tainted_chimp]

17. its all good

at least it's this chimp, and not the one improperly ensconced in the oval shaped room.

:evilgrin:

[apnu]

19. heh... too true...

[iconoclastic cat]

15. Here is our favorite quitters' support forum:

Freedom from Tobacco:
http://www.whyquit.com/

Good luck!

[apnu]

18. what a neat site!

thanks!

[iconoclastic cat]

20. Careful, though -- you may run into some political talk occasionally.

Usually, the mods shut it down very quickly, but it has happened. I recommend simply ignoring it, or changing the subject.

[apnu]

21. I bet that happens...

... but I know the drill. The other groups I'm involved in have similar problems. Politics almost destroyed my BattleTech group. And so I have a rule of NOT discussion politics unless I'm in a political atmosphere (here, protesting, visiting elected official and so on) or someone else brings it up.

It keeps my life a bit more sane. :)

[tainted_chimp]

22. Hey apnu!

How's the non-smoking going?

:hi: