Quitting Smoking Finally!

Brumby started this discussion · 7/17/2011

I have been struggling with quitting smoking for a year, but still find myself bumming them or breaking down when I am super stressed. I am sick and tired of being sick and tired! And now another yucky illness is getting in the way of my life, and obviously I can pole either. So here's my resolution: NO MORE SMOKING FOR ME EVER. I think that's the biggest thing I can do to improve my overall health. Does anyone want to join my campain? Support and prayers appreciated. Any quitters with good advice for weak moments?

26 replies

GG357 · 7/17/2011
I quit 3 years ago, best thing ever! It was worth all the trouble and irritability. After I quit, I still smoked occasionally when I was drinking, now I can't stand it- ever. I work with geriatrics and have seen so many suffer at he end of life due to smoking. Being in constant pain because you can't breath is a terrible way to spend the last years o your life, and it's not fair to the ones you live. Just hang in there, focus on your goal, and you'll get through it!
RoxyPink · 7/17/2011
Congrats on wanting to be smoke free! I have been smoke free for 1 yr 8 mths and think it's been the best decision I've ever made. I finally drew the line when I realized that I would plan my whole day/routine around when I could smoke...how pathetic. I no longer wanted some smelly stick to be in control of when and what I did. I actually used Chantix for about 8 weeks and it worked so well that to this day I get nauseated when I smell smoke. I applaud you for resolving to be smoke free!! You can do it!
FeeDen · 7/17/2011
Well done. I stopped smoking over 16 years ago, it was really hard but one of the best things I did. I stopped smoking on and off but started to smoke again when my husband underwent surgery for a subarachnoid brain haemorrhage. A year or two later I read a brilliant little book by Allen Carr and was determined to give up . I think it def worked like hypnotherapy and I just decided to quit and followed his instructions. The best thing is to think of all the benefits you get from not smoking, better health, nicer smelling hair and clothes, less wrinkles when you are older!, more cash to buy all things pole related etc. Put that little cigarette demon in his place and do anything but smoke when you are tempted as the feeling does pass and def think of the long term positives which outweigh that little moment of pleasure. Good luck.
JiggaLuv87 · 7/18/2011
Congrads on taking the first step! I have been smoke-free for 4 1/2 yrs and haven't looked back. I decided to quit halfway through med-school, especially when i realized that the only thing i look forward to during the school day was the lunch break. I was a boaderline CHAIN SMOKER and was buying cigarettes by the box! I tried just quitting cold turkey but....quickly realized that was just DUMB in my case. It took a combination of nicotine patches and begging my BF NOT to buy anymore cigarettes for me to successfully quit. And like https://www.studioveena.com/users/view/bc3555ca-d89d-11df-ab19-12313b090e12 said, it got to a point when i couldnt even stand the smell of smoke anymore. I replaced cigarettes with music and drawing (i have two drawings on my profile) or i'd just go for long walks. Now i have my pole (thank to a USPDF viedo) and so far it has been the best stress reliever 😀. You have my full support!
KrissyK79 · 7/18/2011
Woohoo!! I quit in April, for the 6th time, but this one I feel good about. I have learned different things from each time I quit, and now I know that I can NEVER HAVE JUST ONE!!! Good luck, and you will feel better soon, I know I do!!!
JBStarryEyedGirl · 7/18/2011
Congrats Bumby! I just got over the 90 day quitting hump and am so pumped about being a NON SMOKER forever too! It's possible! You can totally quit! I did accupuncture and I haven't touched a cig or had a craving for one since! I feel amazing, and healthy, and I smoked for 12 years!!! You can do it!
KateSykerd · 7/18/2011
Yay well done :-D My sister in law decided to quit when she found out she was pregnant, and I know how tough she found it. She had cravings all the time which were terrible since she was pregnant, and she did start smoking again once or twice. She made a big collage of reasons why she decided to quit (like her scan picture, a mum running with her kids in the park, a picture of her own mum who died of cancer when she was young) and stuck it on the fridge - next to where she kept the lighters. It meant that every time she was going to light up she remembered why she wanted to quit in the first place. She did quit in the end :) Good luck Brumby! Sure if you really really want to you'll get there in the end :)
Brumby · 7/18/2011
Thanks for all the inspiring quitting stories. You are all wonderful and cheer me up immensely. I still haven't had one. But I haven't met certain other challenges either. I haven't had a cocktail yet, with out smoking, or gone to a bar without smoking, or spent time with smoker friends without it either. I suppose those things can wait tho. I do hate the smell of it.
Kobajo84 · 7/18/2011
Yay good luck to you! It is very difficult but is so worth it! My husband and I are both quitters so I can empathize what you're going through. Stay strong! ❤️
MissChiefNYC · 7/18/2011
Good for you! Today is day one for me, and I can empathize how difficult it may seem at times.
J Harris · 5/22/2013
Well done !!! I gave up 6 months ago and ive saved the money up to get a stage pole !!! So worth it eeekk :)
JBStarryEyedGirl · 5/22/2013
Update from 2011 - I made it to the 2 year mark of being a non smoker! :) This thread just reminds me how many things have changed for the better since I started pole.
Storypole17 · 5/23/2013
I struggle with this addiction...I've quit 4 times in the past several years and I just recently started up again. I really think I need to do hypnosis or acupuncture or something. It's like I need to have my brain reprogrammed in order to kick it once and for all. My main issue is I seriously gain about 10 pounds in the first 2 weeks of quitting. I have a small frame so it's crushing when after 10 pounds, I can no longer fit in my clothes :-(. Then within a few months, I start smoking again and lose the weight. This happens even though I continue to eat clean and work out. That's why I think I need hypnosis or something.
Dwiizie · 5/23/2013
I tried to quit seven times before I succeeded. I tried patches, gum, replacement bubblegum cigarettes, everything. In the end I just got tired enough of it all, which made me angry, which made me determined, and I quit and have never looked back (It helped that they raised prices on cigarettes in my state the week after I quit). The money I save is amazing. I did gain some initial weight right after, and yes it put me into sweatpants/teeshirts mode for a minute, but I lost whatever I gained about a month or 6 weeks or so after I quit. It just took a bit for my body to adjust. Good luck to everyone working on this, and congrats to those who have kicked the habit.
FitChix1 · 5/23/2013
@storypole - I used acupuncture / auricular therapy to quit smoking. I went to a traditional Chinese medicine doctor and after 2 sessions I literally could not put a cigarette in my mouth without feeling sick. I am definitely a skeptic, but I had tried smoking cessation classes, prescription meds (wellbutrin), tobacco inhaler, nicotine patches, nicotine gum, snapping a rubber band on my wrist when I had urges, etc! It's definitely the best $75 I ever spent to quit smoking forever!
J Harris · 5/23/2013
I think quitting smoking has improved my life in many ways! Not just pole dancing.
Tamarinda · 5/23/2013
I've been smoking a pack a day since I was 16. When I first got my pole I read somewhere that smoking really hurts your flexibility and strength. So I quit for a month a half. That's the best I ever did in my life and I have made many attempts. About three weeks ago I started again because people happened. I noticed my flexibility progress wasn't steadily increasing anymore and actually seems to be regressing. And of course my breathing isn't as easy. I really want to quit. I am definitely going to try acupuncture once my funds get stable again. I have one question when you guys quit did you have any strange side effects... I was fine the first week (other than wanting to kill everyone, and very tired) but once week two hit my face broke out like it never had in my life. My face was a greasy oily mess. I was also bloated like crazy I looked pregnant. I know this is TMI but I really need other people's opinion if they went though things too. I was constipated it seemed to screw up my whole digestive system. I ate fiber and took natural supplements even took laxatives when that didn't work and even that did nothing I thought I was going to have to go the doctor (No health insurance right now so that's a problem.) I was getting ill because of this. When I started smoking again all the acne, bloating, and constipation went away😲. What the heck. (I can't believe I am posting this on a public forum Smh) Please someone tell me I am not a freak of nature and they dealt with strange side effects too. I am going to make another quitting attempt soon cuz I just feel better without it. Does acupuncture lesson these side affects? Also how do you deal with living with smokers when you are trying to quit?
Storypole17 · 5/23/2013
I go through the exact same thing! Acne, bloating, constipation...it sucks! And the longest time I quit - which was 8 months - it never went away!!! I've tried cold turkey and the patch. That's what I'm wondering too - if these other "alternative" methods help alieviate these side effects. Everyone that has quit kept telling me that I would feel so much better after a month or so of quitting, but even after 8 months, I still felt awful! It was like my body was so pissed off at me for quitting and was holding a grudge :-P. I know this might be a controversial thing to say, but I do believe I read that cigarettes do actually help the digestive tract. I obviously know it does way more harm, but it does keep you regular lol!
DharmaDancer · 5/24/2013
I struggled with the smoking/quitting seesaw for way too long, tried everything you all have mentioned. Now I use the Logic brand electronic cigarette, which delivers nicotine via water vapor with zero products of combustion. I haven't touched a cigarette since the day I bought a Logic in January. I did gain eight pounds but I lost them quickly by some easy diet modification. Nicotine is only harmful to use while pregnant. For everyone else, it's a stimulant like caffeine, that can temporarily elevate heart rate and blood pressure. However, I think the Logic has saved my life. My partners on the ambulance all used to be chain smokers like me, and all but one has completely quit cigarettes and only use the Logic. Would it be better to not even use that, and quit nicotine entirely? Perhaps, but I have zero irritability and frankly I really just enjoy using it!
Tamarinda · 5/24/2013
Wow storypole, I can't believe you went through that for 8 months. I only went a month and a half and it was a major blow to my self-esteem. I can only imagine how you felt. After a while, mentally I felt better. But physically after week two hit it was bad. I kept waiting for it to plateau and taper down. It just kept getting worse. As someone stated earlier you learn something with each quitting attempt. My next try I'm going to buy natural supplements for my skin, and digestive health. I'm going to find out the right things to eat, the right way to care for greasy skin. I read somewhere when you quit that your testosterone levels spike and causes acne(??). I have good skin normally and I don't know how to properly care for greasy skin and I guess I am going to have to treat my skin as such for a while... I am also going to try this acupuncture thing people speak of... I hope it reduces some of these side effects... People say as long as you get over the three day hump you are fine (LIES!!)... I guess everyone is different...
untamedshrew · 5/24/2013
I quit smoking almost a year and a half ago, after being diagnosed with COPD: chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Usually heavy smokers get that diagnosis in their 60s or 70s, but I'm an overachiever and it hit me at 40, probably spurred on by mono. I'd be lying if I said it's easy. I gave myself permission to do whatever I wanted, besides smoke. I started drinking pots of green tea (teavana) everyday. I've put on about 30 pounds. Sadly, my lung function has not really improved and I still get winded after 1 flight of stairs. I still have moments when I'm really stressed and crave a cigarette. Especially when I think about the fact that I'll probably never get to hike the Grand Canyon or Appalachian Trail. That's not all the lungs' fault, I have a knee giving out now, too. Here's your quitting motivation: don't become me.
Dwiizie · 5/24/2013
I had some lingering side effects, but I think they had more to do with the onset of depression as I was quitting smoking rather than the lack of nicotine itself. I was soooo depressed, and of course you want a smoke when you're crying your eyes out and nothing makes it better and you're just getting fatter and who cares that you smoke anyway because all your friends smoke you are suddenly "healthy helen" and you thought you would get rewarded by "not having to stand out in the cold to smoke anymore" but really you just have a smoke free home and the whole party moves outside every hour. It was really hard socially. I don't think nicotine kept me any more regular than caffeine but I have a friend who has unsuccessfully tried to quit and she will smoke to be able to poop. I think pot does a better job of that. I really hope that everyone who wants to quit can overcome the BS that comes along with it. <3
Yanille79 · 5/28/2013
I'm a smoker .. I smoke like. A chimney.. I want to be healthier and want to quit as I've been a smoker for over 15 years .. Gonna try tomorrow. Cuz I know that will help me in the long run .. Not only To prevent cancer but to exercise more and without getting sob. Congrats gonna try tomorrow . Wish me luck!
kmccool · 5/29/2013
Good for you guys who are quitting or have quit. I quit after only after year and a half of smoking. I quit cold turkey. I smoked just because I was bored and it was enjoyable to do with friends but when I moved back into my mothers non-smoking house I just stopped. Once in a while I got a craving and would busy myself with another activity.
Judy Jovanelly · 5/29/2013
Hey Brumby ! This is great news -- I did it 6 years ago, with the incentive of my hubby promising a nice gift. Best thing I ever ever did !!! Do you have a way to really super reward yourself or have someone who would do it for you? Having that carrot on a stuck really helped me in weaker moments. I also upped my water intake, and had a little mantra for myself "no thanks, I don't smoke" which I said to myself . Good luck you can totally do it because you really are ready now!

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