Quitting smoking....

Melissa Herndon

Melissa Herndon

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Silver Member
OK....since it has been exactly 1 week, I can now officially announce that I have quit smoking! I didn't want to say anything at first...just in case my willpower didn't hold up....but now that it's been 7 days....I feel comfortable announcing it to the world.

Why is she telling us you ask? Well, I just wanted to share part of my world with you all...and hopefully, I can count on your support now if I ever feel my resolve crumbling!

Even though it's only been a short time, I do feel better. My friends and loved ones still smoke, so I am still around it...and I still love the smell of it believe it or not....but the urge to take it back up just hasn't hit me yet. I do not know what prompted me to quit....I just woke up one day and did not feel like smoking. I had 2 cigarettes that day, and 2 the next, and nothing since. I am sure that sometime in the near future, I will wake up and crave my Marlboro's again....but I hope that I will be able to "Just Say No" because I really don't want the habit anymore.

BTW, this post was not intended as an anti-smoking campaign or anything. I still believe that this country discriminates against smokers and should knock it off. And I am not going to be one of those horrible "ex-smokers" that runs around telling everyone else to quit. I always knew I wanted to quit one day, but that I wouldn't until I was ready...and I think that is what is making it so easy for me now.

Anyhow, I look forward to meeting anyone who will be in Vegas for the BCA event! Please come and introduce yourself at anytime.

All the Best!

Melissa
 
The hard part is over Melissa but you will likely have urges for another 2 months. Remember you cannot "just have one" Hang in there. You have a long life ahead of you and in a little while you will be free of this burden for the rest of it, if you stay strong. Do it! No one ever regrets quitting.
 
I usually don't regret stopping smoking except when I'm in Vegas, especially at the BCA tournament in May in the hallways of the Riviera. My eyes start tearing from not having to be around smoke in L. A. - my tolerance to smoke has been reduced to zero it seems.

Cory Harper said that when he was on the road recently that the smoking in other states is dense - a blanket of smoke while your shooting or sweating.

There may be a synergy to smoking and pool for Jessie Mojica said that if he took the game seriously that he would have to start smoking again - at the sake of his family and kids.

When I quit I started to put on weight which was OK but I didn't want to buy a new wardrobe so I took the advice of a bodybuilder friend who said to eat massive quantities of canned tuna like he does to get the cuts in his muscles.
So I'm on the Atkins diet instead of smoking LOL ;-)
 
Melissa good luck. I hope you succeed. I tried to get my mom to quit for 30 years. She came from the years of having a martini with dinner, a steak, and a cig. When she found out she got lung cancer she quit cold turkey. But then it was too late. She lasted a year. She should have had 10 years left. Cigarettes are evil.
 
Melissa,

Congratulations!!! :) :) :) It is a really tough thing to do and you have been able get the toughest part started. I believe that, in some cases, you can just decide to do something without an external trigger. Good for you.

We will be pulling for you and hope to see you soon.

Jerry
 
Good for you Melissa.

Just tell yourself "I choose not to smoke".

I have quit twice before for extended periods only to take it up again at stressful points in my life. What a mistake that was.
 
Thanks everyone! I keep waiting for it to get hard...for the unbearable cravings to set in...but so far, I have been lucky and it has been relatively painless.

LAMas, I know what you mean about Vegas. Fortunately for me, I enjoy the smell of it, but at the Riviera it goes almost too far. This dense cloud of stale smoke just hangs there for the entire tournament. I am 100% sure that I won't smoke between now and Vegas...but the real test will come when I get to the Riviera and everyone is smoking around me.

Nostroke, I hear ya about that "just have one" thing. One of my friends quit at the beginning of the year, but she will have one every now and then, so she has not truly quit yet. I am proud of her that she has cut it down to the occasional cigarette, but I can't shake that sinking feeling that she might start up again since she never really stopped.

Jkjerry & Yobagua, Thanks for the encouragement. I don't know what triggered the change, but I am happy about it and plan to stay an "ex-smoker".

Wally, I completely understand how easy it is to return to smoking. Many years ago (when it was still legal to smoke in pool halls), I quit smoking for about 1 year. Then one day I was in the pool room and playing a stressful session...and I unconsciously picked up someone else's cigarette and was exhaling smoke before I realized what I had done. It sucked....but that was my "glorious" return to Marlboro addiction. Now that I am older and wiser, I hope that I can find alternative ways to deal with stress & that smoking will no longer be an option.

:) Melissa
 
Melissa I am so proud of you!! THat is AWESOME!!! I will totally be here for you for support in anyway shape or form (o:


Love ya!
See you soon! Vivvo!
 
Hang in there girl.....don't do like I did and quit for a year....and one day ...just decide to buy a pack thinking I could put them back down....Best of luck in Vegas...I hope Samstown will have the WPBA back next year...I'll be there to keep you off the Blackjack tables and keep you in the matches! :D mike
 
Hi Mike!

I know that I could never be an "occasional" smoker, so hopefully I just won't start again.

I am 99% sure that we signed with Samstown again for 2005....which is great! I know it is a favorite venue for the girls...we all look forward to it every year.

As far as the blackjack tables go, you are absolutely right that I need to stay away! Problem is....I love playing blackjack...especially when I am on a roll...like I was this year. BUT, I will control myself better next year...spend more time on the pool table than the blackjack table....

All the Best!

Melissa

maughanm said:
Hang in there girl.....don't do like I did and quit for a year....and one day ...just decide to buy a pack thinking I could put them back down....Best of luck in Vegas...I hope Samstown will have the WPBA back next year...I'll be there to keep you off the Blackjack tables and keep you in the matches! :D mike
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Melissa, IMHO, it is impossible to be an occassional smoker. I was a heavy smoker, at one time. I had to smoke or quit. There was no in-between ground, for me. Don't even consider having a cigarrette. If you get the urge, remind youself that you no longer smoke.

Good luck. Just take it one day at a time, for the rest of your life.

BTW, it may be years before you realize what a great move you are making. Many years, after I quit smoking, I had a little health problem. Every doctor I met, asked if I smoked. When I told them I had quit many years before, they all, without exception, indicated that quiting smoking, when I did, saved my life. :D
 
Rich R. said:
Melissa, IMHO, it is impossible to be an occassional smoker.
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Hi Rich! How are you?

I disagree a little bit. I think it would be impossible for you or me or any other "ex-smoker" to become an occasional smoker...since we were once addicted to the habit. But, I know many people who have the occasional cigarette in social situations...and then won't have another for weeks or months even. Those are the people that I was referring to when I talked about occasional smokers. They do not have an addiction...they just do it every now and then for whatever reason.

I totally agree, on the other hand, that I could never become one of those people. If I were to cave and pick up a cigarette again, I would start smoking regularly. So, my choice is to not do that. But I will have to say that last night was pretty tough. I was having a boring evening at home...and I wanted to smoke to ease the boredom...but I didn't! YEA!

Melissa :)
 
Melissa Herndon said:
Hi Rich! How are you?

I disagree a little bit. I think it would be impossible for you or me or any other "ex-smoker" to become an occasional smoker...since we were once addicted to the habit. But, I know many people who have the occasional cigarette in social situations...and then won't have another for weeks or months even. Those are the people that I was referring to when I talked about occasional smokers. They do not have an addiction...they just do it every now and then for whatever reason.

I totally agree, on the other hand, that I could never become one of those people. If I were to cave and pick up a cigarette again, I would start smoking regularly. So, my choice is to not do that. But I will have to say that last night was pretty tough. I was having a boring evening at home...and I wanted to smoke to ease the boredom...but I didn't! YEA!

Melissa :)
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Hello Melissa

Very pleased that you are fighting this dreadful habit. As for me, pack-a-day keeps jitters away when my horse decides to run on 3 legs...on the eight and nine ball, no less. Time to cough up my lungs again, I guess...
 
Melissa Herndon said:
I was having a boring evening at home...and I wanted to smoke to ease the boredom...but I didn't! YEA!
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Good for you! :D
Just continue doing the same. You will have challenges on many days.

When you are bored, it is so easy to fall back. In my case, I also look to the refrigerator, which is another big mistake. :(

Keep busy, the best you can, and you will not think about the smoking as much. After all, you could always practice. :D

OK, so you can also find a hobby, for when you don't want to practice.
 
Great job Melissa

I have always told myself that the day I get pregnant with my first child will be the day that I quit! I am afraid it won't work that way though. I have very little willpower when it comes to quitting something I need to...best of luck to you!!!

If you find an urge...play pool instead...cook a nice meal...take a walk...write a letter to a good friend...visit family...there are hundreds of alternatives, just pick one!! Stay with it, you'll be amazed at how much better you feel!
 
Thanks Diva!

It has now been 14 days. I look forward to the moment when I can stop counting the days (like you do with an infant's age)..and just say "It's been a long time."

I am feeling pretty good still....no major yearnings. Every now and then the thought enters my head that I want to smoke...but for the most part, I am still having an easy go of it. When I think about it, 2 full weeks smoke-free is a long time for someone who smoked everyday...so I am very proud of how I am doing!

Thanks again to all of you for the support! Have a great weekend!

Yours truly,

Melissa
 
I quit a little over three years ago it was on my second try (the first I cracked after a few days) I also didn't tell anyone that I was trying to stop, less presure I think. I even took my smoke breaks at work, the routine was to have a cig at the corner of the building, get our coffee and go back to work. I just went to get my coffee earlier than everyone else nobody noticed I wasn't smoking for at least a month. Two weeks is great you're over the hump. I noticed more stress but I think that it's good when I react properly at least.
 
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Thanks Kyle. I also didn't want to really say anything to anyone until I was sure I could make it for a few days at least. It's no good to say you "quit smoking", then to get caught smoking a couple days later...LOL.

Unfortunately, I don't feel like I am "over the hump" yet. Even though I am not having major cravings...I still wake up every morning and have to remind myself that I am not going to have any cigarettes. It is a strange feeling because I am missing a part of my life routine.

I know it gets easier every day..and I am happy with the decision to quit. Thanks again to everyone for the well wishes!

Melissa
 
Melissa Herndon said:
Even though it's only been a short time, I do feel better. My friends and loved ones still smoke, so I am still around it...and I still love the smell of it believe it or not....but the urge to take it back up just hasn't hit me yet. All the Best!

Melissa
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Melissa, sometimes I wonder if that liking the smell stuff ever really leaves a person. My mother quit, I am guessing, 25 years ago. Last fall I stayed with her for a couple of weeks and would smoke outside. She was coming outside, basking in the smell, and even asked me for a drag to which I said no. i started taking a walk so that she could not be around me when I smoked because she is now older, and it would kill her in short order because of some physical problems she has.

I quit at the age of 21, and much like the alcoholic, for years I had smoking dreams every six months or so. After 25 years, I was hanging out with some friends outside a recovery meeting and took a drag off someone's cigarette as a lark. That was all it took. I picked it back up, 5 a day, then 10 a day, and was back up to a pack. It is a nasty addiction and I now know that in the last five years of smoking again, I have quit for two weeks, sometimes a month, but all it took was smoking one person's cigarette and I was off to the races again.

Since you have quit, here is something I learned in my training as a medical technologist, at that time a non smoker. In our red blood cells, there is hemoglobin which is involved in noourishing all of the tissues in our body. What nicotine does is this. It causes the normal healthy hemoglobin to be replaced by another type of hemoglobin which does not function and the result is that about 1/3 of our red blood cells are not able to nourish the tissues. While everyone talks about the association of smoking with lung cancer and heart disease, it is much sinister than that. This also results in a drying of the discs which are in between the vertebrae in our backs, resulting in more disc problems as we get older.

When you look at it, it makes since why a smoker has less stamina and less ability to work out. It is not just decreased lung capacity. The red blood cells are what 'oxygenate' our tissues, including the brain, so all parts of our bodies are affected. Even if I do not get lung cancer, I do know that, until I can kick this habit, I will not be in optimal health. Like an alcoholic has damaged the liver if the person has drunk too long, and the damage may be irreversable, I believe the same thing about smoking.

I think that quitting smoking takes strong desire and motivation. Once again I am motivated. Thanks.

Laura ---> hoping
 
Bluewolf said:
I think that quitting smoking takes strong desire and motivation. Once again I am motivated. Thanks.

Laura ---> hoping
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Laura,

Does that mean that you are going to try to quit again? It sounds to me like you want to....

If you are going to quit again, let me know so that I can send you positive thoughts and willpower!!!! I know it isn't easy....I am experiencing that firsthand right now. But having supportive friends makes the whole process easier and more rewarding because there are people cheering you on and being proud of your efforts. Just like you won't let your Mom smoke again, you need friends to do the same for you!

Best of luck in all you do! And thanks for the interesting medical facts. I love that kind of stuff.....very Discovery-channel! It is neat that I feel better since I quit smoking...but it is really cool to know what my body is doing at the cellular level and how that affects my health and well-being. Keep that kind of info coming sister!!!

All the best,

Melissa
 
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