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Ok so today i am gonna quit! I have said this many times but I really want this so i have to. Any ideas for other things to do to occupy my time and cope with stress?

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I finally quit 12 years ago after being a smoker for 35 years. I had tried so many times. The last time I said I quit and told my husband don't ask me to buy you cigarettes or carry them in my purse for you ever. Every time I wanted a cig ( and that was many times a day) I took a deep breath and told myself I never want to go through this again. I am smart enough to know that if I ever take one puff I will be hooked again.

You can do it One Hour at a Time.

Good Luck

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If you believe it can help, hypnosis works for so many people. Find a hypnotherapist in your area and give them a call. They will explain how it works. And durring the session they do work on coping methods other then food and smoking.

I had it done several years ago. Had a smoke right before I went in. Walked out and didn't smoke for almost two years. I only started again because I wasn't ready to quit.

But I am going in tomorrow to try it again. Only thing is you have to be open to the idea it can help. It is nothing like how the movies portray it. They can't wire your brain to do something you don't want to do. They can't make you cluck like a chicken. It is more putting it in your subconcience that you are not a smoker. Subliminal messaging kind of.

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I quit smoking in march cold turkey after smoking for 7yrs and I feel so much I don't even get pluersy any more or I'm not out of breath ... Congrats on your new found health

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Eat! :) Just kidding....

In all seriousness, can you try weaning yourself off and go to nicotine lozenges, and then hard candy.

I don't smoke so unfortunately I am not much assistance in this area. Whatever mechanism you choose you will do it! Good Luck!

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I had to do it cold turkey (I was pregnant at the time) and it was the HARDEST thing I've EVER had to do. I visited LOTS of web sites (quitassist.com was one I frequented). Of course, this was also when I gained a lot of my weight, so I'd invest in a lot of gum and sugar free lollipops. Also, take up a hobby that will keep your hands busy. I started crocheting and cross stitching during this time as well. Most of all, you have to BELIEVE that you CAN do it. It has to be "not an option" and there can't be a way out. The problems with losenges and gums is that you can actually become addicted to THEM (I've seen it happen more than once). Good luck to you!

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I quit three weeks ago and had one "relapse" day last weekend at the bar. It was my birthday and my friends were on a shots mission. I woke up the next day and had the scratchy throat and that was enough to give me the extra push to quit Then it was smooth sailing until yesterday. I was working with my boss who smokes 2 packs a day (while driving around and sitting in the car most of the day) and by the end of the day I asked if I could have one and he laughed and said no. I'm glad I have support and it hasn't been too bad of a process.

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It took about the third month for the craving to go away but I must say stoping has cause me a little sweet tooth not bad because I've always been a salty sour kind foods girl so but I've gain 20 lbs since quiting and I've recently loss 10 lbs cause I'm in my second month of supervised diet got for to go

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The unfortunate truth of the matter is that the only way to successfully quit smoking is to become so disgusted with what it is doing to you that you simply refuse to ever light up again.

My dad smoked from the time he was 15+- till he had his first heart attack at age 36. He was in the Army and otherwise in great health, he passed out on a PT run. While in the hospital preparing for his first angioplasty he was give an option by his doctor. QUIT SMOKING OR DIE. He made his decision then to quit smoking. It wasn't easy & still today, 23 years later he says that in moments of stress that he is tempted.

I am so glad to see that you said you ARE quitting. That alone gives me hope that you can do it. I love the fact that I never saw the word try in your post. I can tell you, my dads go to was chewing gum. He was buying Extra sugar free gum by the vendor pack.

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I'm quitting too. I haven't smoked today. At this second I'm ok. Let's not talk about the brownies at my work though...

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I know when I quit a number of years ago it helped me to wear a rubber band and I would snap it lightly when I was feeling cravings. It sounds kinda silly, but it helped my mind focus on something else, plus I always figured it worked on a similar principle as the alternating current pain management things. I have also heard that tapping works really well for quitting smoking. It sounded REALLY silly the first time I'd heard of it (

) I had gone to a hypnotherapist/therapist to see if I could work on my anxiety and weight issues and I felt like a bit of a doof when I was doing it, but it really brought my anxiety levels down. Even 7 years after quitting smoking, there are still times that I have cravings, but I do pretty well managing them now.

Take advantage of your resources. There are quit help lines you can call when you're having trouble, there are Patches, medications, gum that you can use to help you stop. You can do it!

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Ok so i have done ok today down from a pack a day to two today going for none tomorrow!

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I quit 1 month before my surgery and that was 5 months ago. I smoked for 21 years. I had to just quit cold turkey. Im an addiction counselor so I used some helpful coping tools that really helped me. I did alot of praying as well. Bottom line is that you have to really want to stop and make a consious decision to stop. Good luck.

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Did your surgeon make you quit before doing the sleeve?

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If u can quit, do it. I was told to quit at least two weeks prior to surgery. I didn't listen. I smoked Monday night, my surgery was Tuesday morning. Fortunately, they don't check to make sure. Nothing happened, but I'm sure its healthier to quit. Ofcourse I had to try to see if smoking could help ease the gas pains after surgery... It's a head game I play with myself. I can't be a healthier me, if I can't be a healthier me.

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      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
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      · 1 reply
      1. Selina333

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    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 1 reply
      1. LeighaTR

        I hope your surgery on Wednesday goes well. You will be able to do all sorts of new things as you find your new normal after surgery. I don't know this from experience yet, but I am seeing a lot of positive things from people who have had it done. Best of luck!

    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 1 reply
      1. summerseeker

        Life as a big person had limited my life to what I knew I could manage to do each day. That was eat. I hadn't anything else to look forward to. So my eating choices were the best I could dream up. I planned the cooking in managable lots in my head and filled my day with and around it.

        Now I have a whole new big, bigger, biggest, best days ever. I am out there with those skinny people doing stuff i could never have dreamt of. Food is now an after thought. It doesn't consume my day. I still enjoy the good home cooked food but I eat smaller portions. I leave food on my plate when I am full. I can no longer hear my mother's voice saying eat it all up, ther are starving children in Africa who would want that!

        I still cook for family feasts, I love cooking. I still do holidays but I have changed from the All inclusive drinking and eating everything everyday kind to Self catering accommodation. This gives me the choice of cooking or eating out as I choose. I rarely drink anymore as I usually travel alone now and I feel I need to keep aware of my surroundings.

        I don't know at what point my life expanded, was it when I lost 100 pounds? Was it when I left my walking stick at home ? Was it when I said yes to an outing instead of finding an excuse to stay home ? i look back at my last five years and wonder how loosing weight has made such a difference. Be ready to amaze yourself.

        BTW, the liquid diet sucks, one more day and you are over the worst. You can do it.

    • CaseyP1011

      Officially here for a long time, not just a good time💪
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
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