Scared As Hell

Hi Everyone!!

At the Risk of exposing my age and being laughed out of the group for
being 'old' .. I want to stop smoking .. and I have been on these
things for Forty Years!

Some questions?:
Have any of you been in the situation where you want to stop 'But"
don't want to stop?

I KNOW that the question seems really dumb But .. you lifelong smokers
will know what I mean.

Second question: IF any of you can/have answered the first question ..
Will the nicoderm patch work under these/those circumstances?

One more question: Should I start as soon as I wake up in the morning?
(Putting the patch on)

Uh Oh .. One more question: WHAT do you do about the "Hands" factor?

You know .. What do I do with my hands, How and what do I do with
them .. while .. Not doing the cigarette thing?

Thanks Everyone.

PLEASE .. Wish Me Luck. (I need it)

MC

On Jul 21, 9:20 pm, mrclose <prmin...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Hi Everyone!!
>
> At the Risk of exposing my age and being laughed out of the group for
> being 'old' .. I want to stop smoking .. and I have been on these
> things for Forty Years!
>
> Some questions?:
> Have any of you been in the situation where you want to stop 'But"
> don't want to stop?
>
> I KNOW that the question seems really dumb But .. you lifelong smokers
> will know what I mean.
>
> Second question: IF any of you can/have answered the first question ..
> Will the nicoderm patch work under these/those circumstances?
>
> One more question: Should I start as soon as I wake up in the morning?
> (Putting the patch on)
>
> Uh Oh .. One more question: WHAT do you do about the "Hands" factor?
>
> You know .. What do I do with my hands, How and what do I do with
> them .. while .. Not doing the cigarette thing?
>
> Thanks Everyone.
>
> PLEASE .. Wish Me Luck. (I need it)
>
> MC

MC - Pretty simple for us "old foggies". YES, you can do this. All you
need to do is WANT to do it. If you've made up your mind, just DO it.
Use the patch, use Chantix, use whatever works. Use a straw stuffed
with cotton, use gum, use carrots or celery or whatever works. You
don't need "luck" - but you have mine. Good luck. You just need
resolve. You CAN do this.
Hugs,
Pam

> MC - Pretty simple for us "old foggies". YES, you can do this. All you
> need to do is WANT to do it. If you've made up your mind, just DO it.
> Use the patch, use Chantix, use whatever works. Use a straw stuffed
> with cotton, use gum, use carrots or celery or whatever works. You
> don't need "luck" - but you have mine. Good luck. You just need
> resolve. You CAN do this.
> Hugs,
> Pam
Pam

"BIG HUGS BACK"

I don't mind saying .. I am scared to death!

Smoking has been a part of my life since I was thirteen years old.

I am actually sitting here .. looking at my last two cigarettes and
feeling like I am leaving a family member behind!?

I AM SCARED!!

MC

On Jul 21, 9:35 pm, mrclose <prmin...@gmail.com> wrote:
> > MC - Pretty simple for us "old foggies". YES, you can do this. All you
> > need to do is WANT to do it. If you've made up your mind, just DO it.
> > Use the patch, use Chantix, use whatever works. Use a straw stuffed
> > with cotton, use gum, use carrots or celery or whatever works. You
> > don't need "luck" - but you have mine. Good luck. You just need
> > resolve. You CAN do this.
> > Hugs,
> > Pam
>
> Pam
>
> "BIG HUGS BACK"
>
> I don't mind saying .. I am scared to death!
>
> Smoking has been a part of my life since I was thirteen years old.
>
> I am actually sitting here .. looking at my last two cigarettes and
> feeling like I am leaving a family member behind!?
>
> I AM SCARED!!
>
> MC

Scared? Of course you are. This has been a big part of your life for a
long, long, time. But think of all the harm it is doing to you, to
your lungs, to your health. You must have a reason - health, family,
self-respect - for you to finally reach this decision. None of us quit
because we "hate" cigarettes - we are addicts. The addiction doesn't
go away. You have to be stronger than the addiction. That's it; that's
all. And you CAN do this; just do it.
Hugs,
Pam

"mrclose" < wrote > Hi Everyone!!
>
> At the Risk of exposing my age and being laughed out of the group for
> being 'old' .. I want to stop smoking .. and I have been on these
> things for Forty Years!
>

I smoked HARD for 30 years. The last 15 was in a smokey pool hall where I
worked and smoked mine (3 or 4 packs a day) and everyone else's smoke. I
tried to quit a hundred times. I threw away full packs and even cartons of
cigs..... and dug through the trash the next day to get them out.....
blah.... blah..... blah..... We all have those stories here.

Then one day, I decided to quit, not to try to quit, but to quit. I put on 2
patches for about 3 days, found AS3 and never looked back.... well really I
looked back a lot, and stumbled and fell and got back up and read and posted
and read and posted (thanks Rosie) and...... well you get the idea.

There are a thousand ways to fail at quiting but only one way to quit.....
keep that shit outta yo' mouth!

GoMC!!GoMC!!GoMC!!GoMC!!
GoMC!!GoMC!!GoMC!!GoMC!!
GoMC!!GoMC!!GoMC!!GoMC!!
GoMC!!GoMC!!GoMC!!GoMC!!
GoMC!!GoMC!!GoMC!!GoMC!!
GoMC!!GoMC!!GoMC!!GoMC!!
GoMC!!GoMC!!GoMC!!GoMC!!
GoMC!!GoMC!!GoMC!!GoMC!!
--
Les Stewart 7y+
Beaumont, TX 30ºN 94ºW

mrclose said:

> . I want to stop smoking .. and I have been on these
> things for Forty Years!

Hi, MC. I don't think anyone here will laugh at you. There are probably
people her who have a few years on ya. I, however, do not, but I can tell
you that my Mom had been smoking for longer than you have (50 years,
starting in her early teens) and she just celebrated her first month
smoke-free on Sunday, and is enjoying playing 18 holes a couple times a week
without butt breaks. So it can be done. She was scared too, but she is
doing it. I think she sucks on a straw/chews on a straw/plays with a straw
and that is what she does with her hands. She is also using Chantix and
that seems to have made a big difference to her; she actually does not want
to smoke at all. I couldn't say about the patch. The patch is how I
ultimately quit, but I had tried it previously with only marginal success.
They key thing is to really, REALLY, want to be done with smoking. If you
want it badly enough, then any method will work. If you don't want it
enough, any method will fail.

Now, as for "when should you start." If you, like I was, are the type who
smokes as soon as you wake up, I might suggest at least starting by putting
on the patch before you go to sleep, so that when you wake up, you will
already be nic'ed up and either not want that first cigarette, or you may
want it out of habit but know that you can't have it because you're wearing
a patch. This helped me avoid the temptation to squeeze in a smoke between
waking up and putting on the patch. After a while, I personally had some
trouble sleeping with the patch on, so after I had broken the habit of that
first one in the morning, I slept without the patch and then was able to put
it on when I woke up. A little later on and I was able to do it after my
morning routine without much stress.

I hope this helps. And I wish you luck, only because you asked; but, more,
I wish you strength and heart.

You can do this. Really. Stick around here. There are so many good
people here who can help, inspire, distract, and amuse you.

All the best,

Jaime

I have achieved six months, six days, 0 minutes and 3 seconds, of smoke-free
living (and, with it, rather aggressive driving). This amounts to 5580
cigarettes not smoked, saving $1,332.08, and adding 2 weeks, 5 days, 9
hours, 0 minutes to my fabulous life.

Chantix a new quit smoking pill is working very well for me~after many
failed quits~
Good Luck~
mibabet

I have been quit for 2 Weeks, 23 hours, 30 minutes and 41 seconds (14 days).
I have saved $52.42 by not smoking 299 cigarettes. I have saved 1 Day and 55
minutes of my life. My Quit Date: 7/7/2007 12:00 AM
"mrclose" <prmincey@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1185067253.487448.41430@w3g2000hsg.googlegrou ps.com...
> Hi Everyone!!
>
> At the Risk of exposing my age and being laughed out of the group for
> being 'old' .. I want to stop smoking .. and I have been on these
> things for Forty Years!
>
> Some questions?:
> Have any of you been in the situation where you want to stop 'But"
> don't want to stop?
>
> I KNOW that the question seems really dumb But .. you lifelong smokers
> will know what I mean.
>
> Second question: IF any of you can/have answered the first question ..
> Will the nicoderm patch work under these/those circumstances?
>
> One more question: Should I start as soon as I wake up in the morning?
> (Putting the patch on)
>
> Uh Oh .. One more question: WHAT do you do about the "Hands" factor?
>
> You know .. What do I do with my hands, How and what do I do with
> them .. while .. Not doing the cigarette thing?
>
> Thanks Everyone.
>
> PLEASE .. Wish Me Luck. (I need it)
>
> MC
>

Hello, and welcome to our little corner of USENET.
If you're wanting to quit, then slap a patch on and go for it!
Quitting smoking has nothing to do with luck.
It's all about determination, having a positive attitude, understanding your
triggers, and most of all accepting the fact that you can never ever put
another cigarette to your lips.
You Can Do This...we have.


"mrclose" <prmincey@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1185067253.487448.41430@w3g2000hsg.googlegrou ps.com...
> Hi Everyone!!
>
> At the Risk of exposing my age and being laughed out of the group for
> being 'old' .. I want to stop smoking .. and I have been on these
> things for Forty Years!
>
> Some questions?:
> Have any of you been in the situation where you want to stop 'But"
> don't want to stop?
>
> I KNOW that the question seems really dumb But .. you lifelong smokers
> will know what I mean.
>
> Second question: IF any of you can/have answered the first question ..
> Will the nicoderm patch work under these/those circumstances?
>
> One more question: Should I start as soon as I wake up in the morning?
> (Putting the patch on)
>
> Uh Oh .. One more question: WHAT do you do about the "Hands" factor?
>
> You know .. What do I do with my hands, How and what do I do with
> them .. while .. Not doing the cigarette thing?
>
> Thanks Everyone.
>
> PLEASE .. Wish Me Luck. (I need it)
>
> MC
>

MC,
I smoked almost as long as you and at the end was smoking between 2 and
3 packs a day. I was disgusted with myself, with smoking, with feeling
poorly, so decided I would become a non-smoker.
I set a date to quit, read everything I could find about quitting, threw
away cigs, ashtrays, lighters. When I got up that first morning I threw
on a patch and drank tons of ice water and never looked back.
It was Not easy. I never said I was "trying" to quit, I just did it.
You can too! Don't over-think it, take one day at a time or one hour at
a time in the beginning. Keep busy and find something to do with your
hands (fiddling with paper clips or a pen maybe?). Change how you do
things, i.e. don't sit in your favorite chair, don't linger at the
dinner table, don't go in the store where you used to buy cigarettes.

Ann

MC! Welcome to AS3. I do think you will find us to be the most
support group of people you can meet and certainly get smober with.
You are not the only person to have smoked 40 years before quitting.
I can claim nearly the same amount of smoking and yet I now have over
5 months of smobriety. I did use Chantix this time around. I had
used the patch previously, and as Jaime stated, the patch is helpful
but there is still an underlying urge to smoke. If you do start the
patch tomorrow and it works, fine. But if you feel you need another
option, take a look at the FAQs in our 'unofficial website', www.quitbuddies.org.
The site is full of information about stopping smoking and staying
smober. There is also a section where many of us have sent in a photo
so that we have an idea of what we look like. And there is also a
great section full of humour. We all seem to have found that laughter
takes away the stress that we build up as we are getting smober.
Think about it, do you smoke & laugh at the same time? Hard to do.

Most importantly, read and post here as much as you need. There are
no 'dumb questions' or 'bad ideas' but we do share what we know and
you will find information here that will help you get and stay
smober. Look around as there are others who are just now quitting.
Follow each others quit as it does help to see that you are making it
with others.

Hang Tuff
Don't Puff

FlatironMike
Five months, one week, four days, 3 hours, 59 minutes and 46 seconds.
3223 cigarettes not smoked, saving $966.75. Life saved: 1 week, 4
days, 4 hours, 35 minutes.

Welcome MC

Nah, you don't need luck, what you need is resolve, detirmination and
stubborness. I'd package them all up and send them to you if I could.

I'd say, quit right now. Don't wait, just do it. Don't give yourself the
chance to bargain yourself out of it again. The best time to quit is always
now, there never is a right time. If you wait for the right time, you might
as well be waiting untill the doctor tells you to quit or die, or worse,
untill you actually do die. Now that's a grim outlook, isn't it? But sadly
it's been the truth for many. But as long as you breathe, it's never too
late!!

Can I ask you something? Do you think you can manage 3 days of a little
discomfort? Or do you want to stretch it over a period of months? I quit
cold turkey because all it takes is 3 days to get the nicotine out of your
system. And since we're all addicted to nicotine, it made little sense for
me to try break the addiction by administering nicotine through a patch, gum
or whatever.

As for wanting to stop but not wanting to, I think we've all been there.
Many still are but that's where you need the determination and stubborness.
And the awareness that all cigarettes are doing is killing you, while you
pay big $$ for it.

The "hands thing"never bothered me. It's not a habit, it's an addiction.
What will bother you is the lack of nicotine in your system wich you,
eventually, no matter how you decide to quit, will have to fight through.

My advice, educate youself . Have a look at www.whyquit.com and read,
read, read. Seriously, it's not scare tactics, it's the sad truths..

But if you still decide to use the patch, brand really makes no difference.
It's all the same nicotine, same nicotine as in your cigarettes, made from
the same plants. Keep reading, keep posting. No matter what you do, we'll be
here

"mrclose" <prmincey@gmail.com> schreef in bericht
news:1185067253.487448.41430@w3g2000hsg.googlegrou ps.com...
> Hi Everyone!!
>
> At the Risk of exposing my age and being laughed out of the group for
> being 'old' .. I want to stop smoking .. and I have been on these
> things for Forty Years!
>
> Some questions?:
> Have any of you been in the situation where you want to stop 'But"
> don't want to stop?
>
> I KNOW that the question seems really dumb But .. you lifelong smokers
> will know what I mean.
>
> Second question: IF any of you can/have answered the first question ..
> Will the nicoderm patch work under these/those circumstances?
>
> One more question: Should I start as soon as I wake up in the morning?
> (Putting the patch on)
>
> Uh Oh .. One more question: WHAT do you do about the "Hands" factor?
>
> You know .. What do I do with my hands, How and what do I do with
> them .. while .. Not doing the cigarette thing?
>
> Thanks Everyone.
>
> PLEASE .. Wish Me Luck. (I need it)
>
> MC
>

On 22 Jul, 02:20, mrclose <prmin...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Hi Everyone!!
>
> At the Risk of exposing my age and being laughed out of the group for
> being 'old' .. I want to stop smoking .. and I have been on these
> things for Forty Years!
>
> Some questions?:
> Have any of you been in the situation where you want to stop 'But"
> don't want to stop?
>
> I KNOW that the question seems really dumb But .. you lifelong smokers
> will know what I mean.
>
> Second question: IF any of you can/have answered the first question ..
> Will the nicoderm patch work under these/those circumstances?
>
> One more question: Should I start as soon as I wake up in the morning?
> (Putting the patch on)
>
> Uh Oh .. One more question: WHAT do you do about the "Hands" factor?
>
> You know .. What do I do with my hands, How and what do I do with
> them .. while .. Not doing the cigarette thing?
>
> Thanks Everyone.
>
> PLEASE .. Wish Me Luck. (I need it)
>
> MC

Good Luck you can do it. George a quitter here, smoked for over forty
years and he has managed it. Might not be easy but it is doable just
take it one day at a time, if it gets tough take it one hour at a
time, you can always do it minute by minute Keep it simple read the
quit buddies site

http://www.quitbuddies.org/

and keep reading and posting here. Might be a bit scary at first but
it soon passes. IT IS WITHOUT DOUBT THE BEST THING YOU WILL EVER DO
FOR YOURSELF. Got that

Good luck again
Regards Chris

Hi MC,
We are here for support and laughing with you, not at you, so please put
that idea out of your head.
I have smoked for 30+ years. I wanted to quit but I did not want to, just
like you said. But the "wanted to" won, so I quit. I did not want any
Nicotine in my system when I quit,because that is, IMNSHO, defeats the
purpose, so I researched, and read, and asked till I found Chantix. Let me
describe it to you in one word. MAGIC. I never thought I can quit smoking
but I did with the help of Chantix. I sound like a commercial...So, what?
It worked for me. Look into it, it might be just what you want, if you
really, REALLY, want to quit.

We're all here for you and to support you. Post often and believe you me,
one of us old farts will answer

--
AZ
"mrclose" <prmincey@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1185067253.487448.41430@w3g2000hsg.googlegrou ps.com...
> Hi Everyone!!
>
> At the Risk of exposing my age and being laughed out of the group for
> being 'old' .. I want to stop smoking .. and I have been on these
> things for Forty Years!
>
> Some questions?:
> Have any of you been in the situation where you want to stop 'But"
> don't want to stop?
>
> I KNOW that the question seems really dumb But .. you lifelong smokers
> will know what I mean.
>
> Second question: IF any of you can/have answered the first question ..
> Will the nicoderm patch work under these/those circumstances?
>
> One more question: Should I start as soon as I wake up in the morning?
> (Putting the patch on)
>
> Uh Oh .. One more question: WHAT do you do about the "Hands" factor?
>
> You know .. What do I do with my hands, How and what do I do with
> them .. while .. Not doing the cigarette thing?
>
> Thanks Everyone.
>
> PLEASE .. Wish Me Luck. (I need it)
>
> MC
>

In article <1185067253.487448.41430@w3g2000hsg.googlegroups.c om>,
prmincey@gmail.com says...
> Hi Everyone!!
>
> At the Risk of exposing my age and being laughed out of the group for
> being 'old' .. I want to stop smoking .. and I have been on these
> things for Forty Years!
>

Me too, I took my first puff in my early teens and was addicted before I
reached my 20's.

> Some questions?:
> Have any of you been in the situation where you want to stop 'But"
> don't want to stop?
>
> I KNOW that the question seems really dumb But .. you lifelong smokers
> will know what I mean.
>
> Second question: IF any of you can/have answered the first question ..
> Will the nicoderm patch work under these/those circumstances?
>

Whatever works for you is what you need. I used the patch for about a
week, got some harsh irritation from the glue and also read that patches
were simply switching the addiction from one source to another decided
to go cold turkey after about a week.
It was a rough couple weeks after that but I made it.
Having said the above being addicted to the patch is way better than
being addicted to cigarettes, there is nothing really harmful with
nicotine, just the delivery system. I may get some argument on that
thought though.

> One more question: Should I start as soon as I wake up in the morning?
> (Putting the patch on)
>
> Uh Oh .. One more question: WHAT do you do about the "Hands" factor?
>
> You know .. What do I do with my hands, How and what do I do with
> them .. while .. Not doing the cigarette thing?
>
> Thanks Everyone.
>

The craves will never go completely away, at least they haven't for me,
but they have become manageable. I've started having smoking dreams the
past few nights, maybe I'll open a new thread and talk about them.
Dave aka Hotair from BC
Six months, 8 hours, 47 minutes and 31 seconds. 7254 cigarettes not
smoked, saving $3,626.49. Life saved: 3 weeks, 4 days, 4 hours, 30
minutes. My quit date Jan 21, 2007 8PM

mr. c

You can do it. There's lots of different ways.
You will thank yourself forever.
If anyone gets laughed out of this group it will
be me. But I'll stay anyway.
Please let us know how it goes. And luck doesn't
have anything to do with it. But, I swear, when you have
been quit for a while you will consider yourself one
lucky bastard.

jacks, VOF

"mrclose" <> wrote in message
> Hi Everyone!!
>
> At the Risk of exposing my age and being laughed out of the group for
> being 'old' .. I want to stop smoking .. and I have been on these
> things for Forty Years!
>
> Some questions?:
> Have any of you been in the situation where you want to stop 'But"
> don't want to stop?
>
> I KNOW that the question seems really dumb But .. you lifelong smokers
> will know what I mean.
>
> Second question: IF any of you can/have answered the first question ..
> Will the nicoderm patch work under these/those circumstances?
>
> One more question: Should I start as soon as I wake up in the morning?
> (Putting the patch on)
>
> Uh Oh .. One more question: WHAT do you do about the "Hands" factor?
>
> You know .. What do I do with my hands, How and what do I do with
> them .. while .. Not doing the cigarette thing?
>
> Thanks Everyone.
>
> PLEASE .. Wish Me Luck. (I need it)
>
> MC
>

mrclose wrote:

> At the Risk of exposing my age and being laughed out of the group for
> being 'old' .. I want to stop smoking .. and I have been on these
> things for Forty Years!

I doubt anyone here would say anything about your age. There's
some pretty "seasoned" folks here.

> Some questions?:
> Have any of you been in the situation where you want to stop 'But"
> don't want to stop?

I think everyone here has at one point or another. It's not that you
don't want to stop, but your body doesn't want to give up the drug
it's addicted to. Either that, or you associate smoking with good things
in the past. Of course, if you hadn't been smoking, those good things
would have still happened.
>
> I KNOW that the question seems really dumb But .. you lifelong smokers
> will know what I mean.
>
> Second question: IF any of you can/have answered the first question ..
> Will the nicoderm patch work under these/those circumstances?

No. Nothing will work if you don't want to quit. The patch is simply
a substitute form of nicotine that will help you modify your behavior
by not smoking through the "triggers" that would normally call for a
cigarette.

> One more question: Should I start as soon as I wake up in the morning?
> (Putting the patch on)

There's a couple of schools of thought on this issue. One is that if you
put the patch on at night before you go to bed, you won't go through the
initial withdrawal that sleep imposes. You'll wake up without (at least the
physical) need to have a smoke as soon as your feet hit the floor. The
drawback of this (some say it is...I happen to enjoy them) is that the patch
has been known to cause very vivid dreams as a side effect for some people.

The other school is that you put it on first thing in the morning. That way
you get a fresh patch for the day. You still may get the dreams. I've
heard
of some people who take the patch off before going to bed and putting a
new one on in the morning.

> Uh Oh .. One more question: WHAT do you do about the "Hands" factor?
>
> You know .. What do I do with my hands, How and what do I do with
> them .. while .. Not doing the cigarette thing?

I'm not going anywhere *near* that one. Maybe Sue could suggest
something :-)

Cheers,
Rob

On Sun, 22 Jul 2007 01:20:53 -0000, mrclose <prmincey@gmail.com>
wrote:

>Have any of you been in the situation where you want to stop 'But"
>don't want to stop?

That is the very thing that was strongest in keeping me smoking.
I KNEW I had to stop, and did not DECIDE to stop.
And that is exactly why I quit every year or so-for a while.
On some quits I resented depriving myself of something that had been
my only source of comfort..I thought.
I stopped drugs when I grew up, I did not drink much at all, I did not
gamble, and very often I came home at night. I was DULL. Cigarettes
were all that was left.
Sometimes I restarted smoking because of people preaching at and
harrassing smokers, and it engendered a "Fuck You, I would rather DIE
than be Politically Corrected by smug moral "superiors".
Then many people I knew began to ACTUALLY die.

This made me realize, well, No. I said it but I did not mean it.

People on here are probably tired of me saying it again and again, but
you were probably not around while it was going on.
My neighbor was diagnosed with lung cancer on March 1. He used to be
an athlete (Pro). Fifty years of 2 packs of Lucky Strike a day. He
quit two years ago, which was many years too late.
On June 5, he filled his diapers and died in front of his horrified
daughters.
Having to go over there and lift him in and out of bed was what I felt
was my last warning, and for all I know, it could even be too late for
me now.
But I have seen enough. I STILL do not want to quit!!!

But I am not smoking.

It's not on the table.

I would rather die on my terms in a better way.
Perhaps a suicide note, an 8-Ball, and Viagra at age 99, with some
clapped-out hookers in some cheap motel, but at least on my terms, and
not like the way he went.

Sometimes it takes tough talk to myself when I "Miss" it.

Me at 4:00 AM to Me, upon waking and groping for the cigarettes that
are not there:
"You gutless self-destructive little TOAD of a spineless whining twat!
You resent what they cost, you KNOW they kill people, and because you
are a miserable weak-willed FAILURE and LOSER, you actually want to
put something like that in your MOUTH, you stupid fuckhead. You have
NO excuse because you actually PUBLISHED about n-nitrosamines, you
hypocritical dumb cunt! Your friends will LAUGH at you and urinate on
your deathbed for being such a pitiful spectacle that YOU made of
YOURSELF, you disgrace! "

On Sun, 22 Jul 2007 12:17:37 GMT, "Billy Bob F."
<billybobf@hotmail.com> wrote:

>mrclose wrote:
>
>> At the Risk of exposing my age and being laughed out of the group for
>> being 'old' .. I want to stop smoking .. and I have been on these
>> things for Forty Years!
>
>I doubt anyone here would say anything about your age. There's
>some pretty "seasoned" folks here.
>
>> Some questions?:
>> Have any of you been in the situation where you want to stop 'But"
>> don't want to stop?
>
>I think everyone here has at one point or another. It's not that you
>don't want to stop, but your body doesn't want to give up the drug
>it's addicted to. Either that, or you associate smoking with good things
>in the past. Of course, if you hadn't been smoking, those good things
>would have still happened.
>>
>> I KNOW that the question seems really dumb But .. you lifelong smokers
>> will know what I mean.
>>
>> Second question: IF any of you can/have answered the first question ..
>> Will the nicoderm patch work under these/those circumstances?
>
>No. Nothing will work if you don't want to quit. The patch is simply
>a substitute form of nicotine that will help you modify your behavior
>by not smoking through the "triggers" that would normally call for a
>cigarette.
>
>> One more question: Should I start as soon as I wake up in the morning?
>> (Putting the patch on)
>
>There's a couple of schools of thought on this issue. One is that if you
>put the patch on at night before you go to bed, you won't go through the
>initial withdrawal that sleep imposes. You'll wake up without (at least the
>physical) need to have a smoke as soon as your feet hit the floor. The
>drawback of this (some say it is...I happen to enjoy them) is that the patch
>has been known to cause very vivid dreams as a side effect for some people.
>
>The other school is that you put it on first thing in the morning. That way
>you get a fresh patch for the day. You still may get the dreams. I've
>heard
>of some people who take the patch off before going to bed and putting a
>new one on in the morning.
>
>> Uh Oh .. One more question: WHAT do you do about the "Hands" factor?
>>
>> You know .. What do I do with my hands, How and what do I do with
>> them .. while .. Not doing the cigarette thing?
>
>I'm not going anywhere *near* that one. Maybe Sue could suggest
>something :-)

Moi????? Did I post something in the past that I've completely
forgotten? If so, I deny it. Absolutely. Unequivocally.
Sue

>
>Cheers,
>Rob

On Sun, 22 Jul 2007 01:20:53 -0000, mrclose <prmincey@gmail.com>
wrote:

>Hi Everyone!!

Hello!! You've gotten lots of good responses so there isn't much left
to say, but I'll drag something up anyway.

>
>At the Risk of exposing my age and being laughed out of the group for
>being 'old' .. I want to stop smoking .. and I have been on these
>things for Forty Years!

LOL. Old?? You don't say how old you are, but you would never be
laughed out of this group for being "old". If you started smoking in
your teens then I'm older than you are. I probably smoked a total of
30 years (I blew an 8 year quit at one time and many shorter ones).

>
>Some questions?:
>Have any of you been in the situation where you want to stop 'But"
>don't want to stop?

I'm sure we've all felt that way. You have to tip the scales to "want
to".

>
>I KNOW that the question seems really dumb But .. you lifelong smokers
>will know what I mean.

Not a dumb question.

>
>Second question: IF any of you can/have answered the first question ..
>Will the nicoderm patch work under these/those circumstances?

As someone said - the patch will not work unless you are thoroughly
dedicated to quitting. It isn't magic. However, it sure helped me. I
followed the whole routine and by the time I took off the last one I
didn't even miss it.

>
>One more question: Should I start as soon as I wake up in the morning?
>(Putting the patch on)

Opinions vary as someone said. I put a patch on at bed time the night
before I quit so that my system would have the nicotine first thing in
the morning. After a few nights of those vivid dreams (which I
*don't* like) I was leaving it off at night and putting one on in the
morning. Seemed to work for me.

>
>Uh Oh .. One more question: WHAT do you do about the "Hands" factor?
>
>You know .. What do I do with my hands, How and what do I do with
>them .. while .. Not doing the cigarette thing?

I'm unclear why I'm the expert on this. ) I do *lots* of jigsaw
puzzles, but I was doing those before I quit. As odd as this sounds
you could knit, crochet or do some other needlework. In the event
that you think this is "unmanly" Roosevelt Grier, a well known
professional football player from decades ago, was quite talented at
needlework.
You may gain a few pounds. Nice if you don't, but don't stress on it
if you do. Just prior to my quit I'd lost 25 pounds. <sigh> Jelly
Bellies. Four months quit and I'd welcomed back all 25. OK. Welcomed
isn't quit the right word.

>
>Thanks Everyone.
>
>PLEASE .. Wish Me Luck. (I need it)

Luck hasn't much to do with it. Strength, determination,
stubbornness.
Here's a little secret that no one tells you. Quitting smoking is
easy. Really easy. It took me all of 5 minutes. That's the time
from when I got up that first morning to when I *didn't* have the
first cig. What's tough is *staying* quit. It's a battle. It's a
battle that you can win.
You didn't say in your post *why* you are quitting. If your reasons
are good enough and you are truly determined you can do it. We can
help. That's what we do. Remember, that everyone is different and
everyone's quit is different.
Another thing to remember - there is no such thing as just one.
Thousands of quits (including a couple of mine) have been blown
because people believed they could have just that one.
Another thing to remember - It's a great life if you don't weaken.
Another thing to remember - if you have a sense of humor kick it into
over drive. It helps a lot.
Be strong. Be courageous. Be stubborn.
Sue
Oh, get yourself a meter - like this -
One year, four months, one day, 10 hours, 9 minutes and 46 seconds.
16117 cigarettes not smoked, saving $2,683.64. Life saved: 7 weeks, 6
days, 23 hours, 5 minutes.


>
>MC

welcome to AS3 Mr. Close,

don't worry about being old we have some real old fogies around here. if
you look by my name you will see VOF meaning very old fogie. granted it does
not mean years in age but in years not smoked and we will get an OF by your
name soon enough.

you are not really any different than everyone else here. I quit not really
wanting to quit but just wanting to get through the next couple of hours
without smoking. I slapped on a patch and found this group and when it came
time that hubby brought home more ciggs I didn't need any I already had
enormous support here and the patch that took off the edge. I am not saying
it will work for you but it worked for me and why not take a chance?

you can put the patch on at anytime but remember it will take 1/2 hour for
it to kick in so I would buy a small pakage of NRT gum and try that first
thing in the morning right after you put on the patch.like a perk-me-up.
Some, like me, slept with the patch and had wonderful dreams others had
nightmares, everyone is different so if you don't want to wear at night you
don't have to.
I would also have the gum around if you needed an extra bump of nicotine.
the strongest patch works best for someone who smokes a pack a day. I smoked
way more but the patch worked except for those days when you felt like
ripping off an arm then a few chews ( yes just a couple of chews not all the
time) might make it easier on you.

Now what to do with your hands

type faster I used to type with one finger before coming here
knit,crochet,twiddle your thumbs,make finger puppets,twirl your gum,paint,
bite your nails,etc there are tons of things to do. do a few different
things.

you can do this MC now here is something Jef posts every week that will help

Your Weekly, All-Purpose, All-Weather, Multi-Function, One-Size-Fits-All,
AS3 General Information Posting!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Whether you're new here or you've been with us for a while, we like to
regularly remind you of the many resources available to this group.
You'll find answers to your questions, guidelines for acceptable newsgroup
behavior, and links to tons of smoking cessation-related material. We have
compiled some very useful tools to help you along, as well as some great
food for thought-- and even literal food!
--------------------------------------------------------------
The FAQs-- (Frequently Asked Questions) introduce you to what we're all
about, what to expect, and get you started.
The FAQs are available here: http://www.quitbuddies.org/FAQTOC.html
--------------------------------------------------------------
AS3 prohibits COMPOSTING (Spamming; advertising the sale of goods or
services via the newsgroup. A huge "no-no".)
Read all about it here: http://www.quitbuddies.org/Compost.html
--------------------------------------------------------------
Don't allow yourself to fall for JUNKIE THINKING! It's undone many a quit.
Read about the pitfalls here:
http://www.quitbuddies.org/JunkieThinking.html
--------------------------------------------------------------
Are you desperate for some real-time help? Many people find support in our
chatrooms.
Read all about it here: http://www.quitbuddies.org/ChatroomFAQ.html
--------------------------------------------------------------
Quit Buddies-- our Unofficial, Official website-- in addition to the
foregoing material, also has a
photo gallery of many of our quitters, cartoons, humor, graphical silliness
and all sorts of other distractions to offer.
It's available, 24/7 here: http://www.quitbuddies.org

See: http://www.quitbuddies.org/BuddiesLinks.html
and: http://www.quitbuddies.org/MiscInfo.html for a lot
of generally helpful information and some cheap laffs...!
--------------------------------------------------------------
After you've worked up an appetite from all that reading and chuckling,
check out our friend August's online compilation of our favorite recipes.
She calls it: "Yet another diversion for those of us trying to quit the
nasty habit of smoking!"

[And, as Jef. put it....
"It's another little glimpse into the lives of our peers. Aside from the
facets of themselves they reveal thru their writing
and the exchanges of information and humor we see here, we now get a sample
of their taste in food. How interesting!
How civilized! When's dinner?"]

Visit the AS3 Virtual Cookbook at:
http://web.ics.purdue.edu/~parkerv/as3/
(And please-- no drooling. You'll short out your keyboard...)


good luck MC we are here for you
--
Lynn <---VOF Leaper

"mrclose" <prmincey@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1185067253.487448.41430@w3g2000hsg.googlegrou ps.com...
> Hi Everyone!!
>
> At the Risk of exposing my age and being laughed out of the group for
> being 'old' .. I want to stop smoking .. and I have been on these
> things for Forty Years!
>
> Some questions?:
> Have any of you been in the situation where you want to stop 'But"
> don't want to stop?
>
> I KNOW that the question seems really dumb But .. you lifelong smokers
> will know what I mean.
>
> Second question: IF any of you can/have answered the first question ..
> Will the nicoderm patch work under these/those circumstances?
>
> One more question: Should I start as soon as I wake up in the morning?
> (Putting the patch on)
>
> Uh Oh .. One more question: WHAT do you do about the "Hands" factor?
>
> You know .. What do I do with my hands, How and what do I do with
> them .. while .. Not doing the cigarette thing?
>
> Thanks Everyone.
>
> PLEASE .. Wish Me Luck. (I need it)
>
> MC
>

I was very fortunate to have found such a wonderful group of folks
like you!

I will do my best to keep you up to date on how I am doing.

Thank You Everyone.


MC

MC... you found the right place. My 1 cents worth: It was scary for me
too when I was on that side of my quit. But after a week or so of not
smoking, I looked back and realized that, while it wasn't always easy,
it wasn't ANYWHERE near as bad as I thought it would be. My butt didn't
fall off and neither did any of my other body parts. You CAN do it.
Personally, I'm using the gum. And reading and posting here, in AS3, has
made a world of difference for me. Whatever other methods you use,
reading and posting here will give you even more armor against that
nasty nicodemon. Keep comin' back!

Phil
I haven't smoked in 2 Weeks, 3 hours, 29 minutes and 28 seconds and that
means that the TC and the taxman didn't get $70.71 of my money. The TC
gets to keep 282 sickarettes and I get to spend an extra 23 hours and 30
minutes of my life hangin' out with people I care about.



mrclose wrote:
> Hi Everyone!!
>
> At the Risk of exposing my age and being laughed out of the group for
> being 'old' .. I want to stop smoking .. and I have been on these
> things for Forty Years!
>
> Some questions?:
> Have any of you been in the situation where you want to stop 'But"
> don't want to stop?
>
> I KNOW that the question seems really dumb But .. you lifelong smokers
> will know what I mean.
>
> Second question: IF any of you can/have answered the first question ..
> Will the nicoderm patch work under these/those circumstances?
>
> One more question: Should I start as soon as I wake up in the morning?
> (Putting the patch on)
>
> Uh Oh .. One more question: WHAT do you do about the "Hands" factor?
>
> You know .. What do I do with my hands, How and what do I do with
> them .. while .. Not doing the cigarette thing?
>
> Thanks Everyone.
>
> PLEASE .. Wish Me Luck. (I need it)
>
> MC
>

Dear MC: Best wishes to you! No, that is stupid. Best tenacity to
you. Just quit and hang onto it for dear life, just get through each
day by itself and you will findoyurslef quit for 2-days, 3-days,
finally 5 days. and then its a week, and then its 10 days, and then
its ...

We all lost our best lying friend when we quit, but we gained our
dignity.

-Jsteam



On Jul 21, 8:20 pm, mrclose <prmin...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> PLEASE .. Wish Me Luck. (I need it)
>
> MC

MC,
You don't need luck you need mental strenth. I know what you feel
cause I quit after smoking for 38 years.

I can't answer most of the other questions because I quit cold turkey
and unplanned.

I can tell you for the first week or so except when you are working
keep reading all the posts here to keep the mind occupied and keep
replying to keep the hands active.

For the first couple of week I literally sat on my hands when I was not
busy. Got the most awful urges and a couple times was tempted to grap a
cigarette right out of the hand of another person.

Yep it is tough, and no matter how long you have been smoking it still
is doable. Make sure you realize you are not giving up anything but
rather you are gaining. Once you quit it is your choice to smoke or not,
but when you are smoking the addition controls and forces you to smoke.

Now for the big question you might ask. How long have I been quit?
Well look below my name and see.

Ian
TOF
12y5m2w5d3+h
154774 not smoked

On Jul 22, 11:50?pm, "IanFraigun" <ijfrai...@netscape.net> wrote:
> MC,
> You don't need luck you need mental strenth. I know what you feel
> cause I quit after smoking for 38 years.
>
> I can't answer most of the other questions because I quit cold turkey
> and unplanned.
>
> I can tell you for the first week or so except when you are working
> keep reading all the posts here to keep the mind occupied and keep
> replying to keep the hands active.
>
> For the first couple of week I literally sat on my hands when I was not
> busy. Got the most awful urges and a couple times was tempted to grap a
> cigarette right out of the hand of another person.
>
> Yep it is tough, and no matter how long you have been smoking it still
> is doable. Make sure you realize you are not giving up anything but
> rather you are gaining. Once you quit it is your choice to smoke or not,
> but when you are smoking the addition controls and forces you to smoke.
>
> Now for the big question you might ask. How long have I been quit?
> Well look below my name and see.
>
> Ian
> TOF
> 12y5m2w5d3+h
> 154774 not smoked

Ian! It's fantastic to see you here once again. I knew you have been
quit for a very long time and I have always been in awe of your
strength and persistence. Your counsel is always right on target.
You were a big help to me when I was just starting out on this long
and rewarding journey. I lost track of AS3 for a while, after AOL
stopped supporting newsgroups. But I finally figured out how to use
Google Groups so I am back and still not smoking.

MC, Ian knows what he is talking about. He is one of the champions of
AS3 and has helped probably hundreds of us stay on the smokefree path.

Be strong. Don't smoke. Not even one. Especially not one.

Joyce
9 years 8 months 2 days

On Jul 21, 9:20 pm, mrclose <prmin...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Hi Everyone!!
>
> At the Risk of exposing my age and being laughed out of the group for
> being 'old' .. I want to stop smoking .. and I have been on these
> things for Forty Years!
>
> Some questions?:
> Have any of you been in the situation where you want to stop 'But"
> don't want to stop?
>
> I KNOW that the question seems really dumb But .. you lifelong smokers
> will know what I mean.
>
> Second question: IF any of you can/have answered the first question ..
> Will the nicoderm patch work under these/those circumstances?
>
> One more question: Should I start as soon as I wake up in the morning?
> (Putting the patch on)
>
> Uh Oh .. One more question: WHAT do you do about the "Hands" factor?
>
> You know .. What do I do with my hands, How and what do I do with
> them .. while .. Not doing the cigarette thing?
>
> Thanks Everyone.
>
> PLEASE .. Wish Me Luck. (I need it)
>
> MC

Dear MC,

First of all welcome! You have found the nicest, most supportive
group you could ever wish for to help you quit. Someone is always
around 24/7 as we are an international group and if you post up a
'HELP' message you won't have to wait long for an answer.

I think being afraid of quitting is what kept me smoking all those
years. I was terrified nothing would seem satisfying or as fun, or
bring me as much comfort. I completely get this fear. Sometimes I
still feel it, but not often, not often enough to disrupt my life like
I feared relentless longing would do. It just isn't relentless, it
does abate.

I'm here to tell you that you will find other ways to comfort
yourself, and the pride and thrill of not smoking will replace a lot
of the fear.

I wish you very good luck and know if you throw yourself into the
group you'll do just fine. This group is my Higher Conscience to
which I refer when I grow weak.

all best, Stephanie

Hi mrclose!

I know exactly how you feel. Hell, I *still* don't want to quit
smoking, and I celebrated my first month smoke-free today. I felt like
I was losing a friend or a family member, too.

But here's what you have to remember: It's NOT a friend. It's not good
to you, not good for you and all-around just plain not good. NOT a
friend. It's a false lying friend that will hurt you just as soon as
it can.

I still miss it sometimes, but here's a secret that I hope makes you
feel not so scared: Not smoking isn't as bad as I thought it would be.
I basically had built quitting up in my mind to a huge demon of pain
and hurt. It wasn't. It hasn't been easy, but it hasn't been as bad as
I was anticipating. In fact, I've decided I like *not* smoking better
than I liked smoking. I sure do feel a lot better. And you will too.

I used the patch. I took it off at night and put it back on

If I can do this, ANYONE can do this. I know for sure you can. You
just have to *want* it. And it sounds like you do.

Big hugs and lots of luck to you.

Ashley

Hi mrclose!

I know exactly how you feel. Hell, I *still* don't want to quit
smoking, and I celebrated my first month smoke-free today. I felt like
I was losing a friend or a family member, too.

But here's what you have to remember: It's NOT a friend. It's not good
to you, not good for you and all-around just plain not good. NOT a
friend. It's a false lying friend that will hurt you just as soon as
it can.

I still miss it sometimes, but here's a secret that I hope makes you
feel not so scared: Not smoking isn't as bad as I thought it would be.
I basically had built quitting up in my mind to a huge demon of pain
and hurt. It wasn't. It hasn't been easy, but it hasn't been as bad as
I was anticipating. In fact, I've decided I like *not* smoking better
than I liked smoking. I sure do feel a lot better. And you will too.

I used the patch. I took it off at night and put it back on

If I can do this, ANYONE can do this. I know for sure you can. You
just have to *want* it. And it sounds like you do.

Big hugs and lots of luck to you.

Ashley