I'm always feeling sick.

I'm happy to offer emotional support to all of you.  I was a diehard smoker too and had been since I was 15.  I never thought I'd be able to quit.  I found out about a friend having emphysema and being on oxygen the rest of his life at the age of 52 and it really got to me, so I made the commitment at that time.  I used gum and the patch (not together, of course) and I think either one of them are great tools and I doubt I'd have been able to it without them.  Statistics show that people are more successful using something like the gum, patch or medication. Just something to think about and I wish you all the best of luck!!!
 
 

Also, the non-smokers need to remember that nicotine is absolutely one of the hardest addictions to kick.  I remember seeing a TV documentary on addiction about a year ago, and people who had been on just about every substance available all said the same thing - nicotine was the hardest. Part of that could be that since it's legal, you're more likely to be somewhere where other people are using it.

Joyce

I have read that nicotine is more physically addictive than crack!

I know exactly how you feel going throught it at the moment. I use to smoke about half a packet a day.Both myself and my husband smoke so about a month and a half ago we decided it was time to give up and save some more money.
 
We went on the patches for a few weeks then both forgot to put one on one day so we didn't bother with them. We found the hardest part was when we would sit down and share a bottle of wine on a Friday night. This was when we gave in. Then come the next morning we would go back off them for another week til the Friday again and have a drink. We decided we would have to stop having those drinks for a while.
 
Well I got very stress for certain reasons and started smoking again for about 2 weeks. My biggest mistake giving in. I can now say I am back on the patches and determined to give up. It is going to be hard but I know I can do it. I gave up for 12 months 5 years ago, I wish I had never taken it back up. I know it's going to be hard but I have my husband's support and he is doing it with me which helps. It is harder when your other half still smokes.
 
We decided that if we can both kick the habbit we will reward ourselves with a new puppy next year some time, so thats some thing we can both look forward to, as we both would like a new addition to the family.
 
Maybe decide on something you would like and aim towards it. An incentive to give up, besides all the health benefits that go along with it.
 
Good luck, I am there with you.

Also I forgot make sure you have healthy snacks in the house. Munch on carrot sticks and fruit. I am worried about weight gaine also, but I am doing more exercise to try and stop that. Also I stoped all junk food coming into the house. We do eat healthy , we don't buy take away foods, our treat is we go out for a nice dinner once a month.

Think of the MONEY you spend on cigarettes. You could do major things with that money.

Try this: every day put the price of a pack of cigarettes in a jar. And don't smoke. Watch the money add up.

It's like five bucks a day US!!!

My son and his girlfriend figured they could save $250 a MONTH by quitting smoking.

Smokes in Australia are like $12-$15 a packet some more, so you could imagine what we will save a month. Two of us buying smokes every second day. Nearly $400 a month.

OMG!  That's a car payment on a nice car!!
Believe you can do it, BELIEVE it, and you will.  Sending strengthening thoughts to all of you working toward smoke-free lives. 

I've never smoked and never will.  I'm a severe asthmatic who is allergic to the stuff, but I hope that this will help or give you an idea.  Growing up I had a very good friend who's mother smoked ALOT.  She ran into some health problems when we were in high school.  She had 4 heart attacks and a quadruple bipass surgery.  It was at this point that she had to quit.  It was no longer an option.  So, she came up with a plan (or motivation I should say).  She took the money that she would use in a month to buy cigarettes and opened a bank account.  Every month she put away money.  She didn't have enough left over to continue with her bad habit so it made quitting a little easier.  After a while she had enough money in the account to do something really nice for herself.  She took a vacation with her husband.  When she got back, she realized how bad her entire house smelled from years of smoking.  So, she started saving up the money again...and after a while she was able to put down new carpet, paint the walls, and get new furniture.  Maybe you might want to give it a shot.
 
As for the breast cancer (and other health concerns), all I can offer is my prayers.  Both of my grandmothers have had breast cancer and have had some sort of masectomy along the way.   It's a hard thing for a woman to go through, and at times you will feel damaged and incomplete. I know this as both my mother and myself are being very cautious of it. But a million women before you have had it and survived.  They are strong, couragous women with wisdom and love for life that the rest of us will never know.  The important thing is to keep your head up and face things head on.  If this too is part of your destiny than all you can do is embrace it and make the best of it.

Angel, have you asked your doctor about zyban. My mom used it to quit and she said it really helped with her cravings.
People that have never lit up have no idea how hard it is to quit. I can easily give up alot of things but this one is a real begger.

I got my appointment bumped up to next week, so I am going to ask him what he recommends.  I can't believe that this controls me so much. It makes me crabby and bored trying to not smoke. The more you try to not smoke, the more you want to.

I have a bottle of water with me all the time and just sip on it. It's amazing at how smoking causes your body to become dehydrated. I was told every time I feel like a smoke, take a sip of water and hold it for about 30 seconds. Suppose to help with cravings.

I tried Zyban years ago and it made me very sick so if you get something prescribed be carefull. It may work for some but I just know of my experience. Something in it I'm allergic to. This is why I'm on the patches. Just don't sleep with them on, you have really bad dreams, or you just can't get to sleep.

You guys have inspired me,i am going to try to quit too! Someone should start the we are quitting smoking support thread.You can post there is you feel especially crabby that day and dont want to offend anyone.Good luck to you all!

That is a great idea. Since it was your idea I think you should do it, so that there are not 10 threads. LOL  I'm so glad you all have decided to join me. I didn't do so well on the weight loss thread this summer, so hopfully i will do great with this one.

Ok i will start it.We will probably need another weight loss thread after this one []