I'm sure you won't remember me but I signed up with the Olympic Quitters way back in the summer of last year. I was doing quite well at it to begin with and even managed to get a few months of not smoking under my belt before I fell off the wagon and started smoking again.
Well I've been smoking between 10 and 15 cigarettes daily since almost the beginning of the year and promising myself that each packet I bought would be my last. It didn't take long after my relapse for my old smoker's cough to return or for me to notice that I was wheezing and getting short of breath if I did anything that required any exertion on my part.
Friday night was when I think I had some sort of 'epiphany' about where my smoking habit was leading me. I had the usual coughing spell that a lot of us smokers get when we go to bed and my chest felt uncomfortable, probably due to the strain from coughing. I suddenly decided that I 'had to' stop smoking before I did any more damage to myself. I know I've said this before but this time it really felt different, probably because I was finally aware of what smoking was doing to me and it scared me.
At 3am I decided to get rid of my cigarettes so I got up and destroyed the remaining 15 that I had in the house. I spent the next 2 hours thinking about what a fool I'd been for smoking for so long but I knew I was ready to stop for good - it was last chance saloon time for me.
I am now into the 3rd day of my new no smoking life and I know I can do this this time. Just the thought of smoking terrifies me and I have had no 'cravings' at all - there have been reminders of smoking for me at times such as after meals but I have not really missed it in any way.
My wheezing has just about disappeared along with the chesty cough that has been my constant companion almost since I went back on the fags. For this to happen in such a short time is absolutely amazing and all the proof I need that smoking is damaging my health.
I know I will not smoke again and I mean it. If I do experience any difficulties in the future I will just think of my health and that scary Friday evening that finally brought me to my senses.
I just hope that this improvement in my health continues, I can't tell you how much better I feel with just 2 days of not smoking under my belt.
I will keep reading and joining in the forum if you will have me back.
I also wonder how the old Olympics Quitters have got on, any signs of Mark or Derek or any of the others?
I can say with conviction this time that I am determined not to smoke another cigarette ever again.
Linda
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I'm sure you won't remember me but I signed up with the Olympic Quitters way back in the summer of last year. I was doing quite well at it to begin with and even managed to get a few months of not smoking under my belt before I fell off the wagon and started smoking again.
Well I've been smoking between 10 and 15 cigarettes daily since almost the beginning of the year and promising myself that each packet I bought would be my last. It didn't take long after my relapse for my old smoker's cough to return or for me to notice that I was wheezing and getting short of breath if I did anything that required any exertion on my part.
Friday night was when I think I had some sort of 'epiphany' about where my smoking habit was leading me. I had the usual coughing spell that a lot of us smokers get when we go to bed and my chest felt uncomfortable, probably due to the strain from coughing. I suddenly decided that I 'had to' stop smoking before I did any more damage to myself. I know I've said this before but this time it really felt different, probably because I was finally aware of what smoking was doing to me and it scared me.
At 3am I decided to get rid of my cigarettes so I got up and destroyed the remaining 15 that I had in the house. I spent the next 2 hours thinking about what a fool I'd been for smoking for so long but I knew I was ready to stop for good - it was last chance saloon time for me.
I am now into the 3rd day of my new no smoking life and I know I can do this this time. Just the thought of smoking terrifies me and I have had no 'cravings' at all - there have been reminders of smoking for me at times such as after meals but I have not really missed it in any way.
My wheezing has just about disappeared along with the chesty cough that has been my constant companion almost since I went back on the fags. For this to happen in such a short time is absolutely amazing and all the proof I need that smoking is damaging my health.
I know I will not smoke again and I mean it. If I do experience any difficulties in the future I will just think of my health and that scary Friday evening that finally brought me to my senses.
I just hope that this improvement in my health continues, I can't tell you how much better I feel with just 2 days of not smoking under my belt.
I will keep reading and joining in the forum if you will have me back.
I also wonder how the old Olympics Quitters have got on, any signs of Mark or Derek or any of the others?
I can say with conviction this time that I am determined not to smoke another cigarette ever again.
Linda
Hi Linda,
I'm also fairly new to the site, so wasn't here the last time you quit, but well done for climbing back onto the wagon!
What you've said really hits home and I sincerely hope that I (and the rest of the awesome people I've met on here) never get back to that point of "wishing" I could stop.
I have been ranting and raving today about a book written by Allen Carr called "The Easyway to stop smoking". Have you tried this out before? It is, so far, my saviour and has really changed my way of thinking.
Though, it sounds like you've come to around to the way of thinking you need all on your own.
Again I'm new(ish) so haven't met you before, but it sounds like you've really got the bit (instead of a fag) between your teeth!!
It's great that you realised the damage you were doing to yourself - and absolutely brilliant that quitting has made your cough vanish - didn't realise at the time the number of things I had that I just put down as "normal" that have gone since quitting.
You're powering through now, and this will be *the* quit for you!!
I have been ranting and raving today about a book written by Allen Carr called "The Easyway to stop smoking". Have you tried this out before? It is, so far, my saviour and has really changed my way of thinking.
You're one of the best adverts for that book I've seen Have heard people say it's brilliant but seeing you before and after reading it - wow!!
You're right, I really do mean business this time. I know that I have to do this and I know that I can do it - I don't want to smoke any more, I know my health is suffering and it's all through smoking.
I'm sure there will probably be testing times ahead and that my willpower will need to be stronger than it's been in the past but I feel so different this time in that I'm not worried about my cigarettes being missing - I'm just relieved that they're gone!
I just hope and pray that I can continue to feel the way I do now and that my resolve to stay quit will see me through. It's a shame it's taken me so long to come to my senses but I've given smoking such a lot of thought and I'm ready, and glad, to see the back of it for good.
Thank you also Sarah Lou, Kat 73 and Gemma Lou for the warm welcome.
I am so happy to be back and even happier to have stopped smoking.
There have been so many reasons in the past why I've wanted to stop but my only reason this time is my health.
I have always been lucky to have enjoyed reasonably good health but from time to time I have had the odd, unmistakeable smokers' cough which I've usually chosen to ignore or at least 'cut down smoking' until it disappeared. I know this is stupid and that I should have listened to the previous warnings and not waited until I was wheezing as well. Listening to my horrific cough and wheezing chest on Friday night really did gave me a fright and made me stop and think.
I am relieved that my chest and cough have considerably eased over the past two days so I hoping that I will be lucky in that I haven't caused too much lasting damage to my lungs. Like a lot of us I never really thought about the effect smoking was having on my general well being until I realised that something was wrong.
I wish you all well with your quits and look forward to chatting with you again.
Welcome back to the Forum my love. Yes I remember you, (I'm an Olympic Quitter!) Haven't seen much of Derek, Mark or Zozie for ages, but Magic posted today, and Josivi still quit too.
You know, reading your post, I think this may be be 'the one' for you. You sound so, so positive Linda. I think being unwell makes us take a long hard look at what we're doing to ourselves, and it's scary!
I wish you all the very best as you embark on your 'final' quit journey Linda.
Well done to you, you have done so well to have come this far. I'm pleased to see that Magic's still here and going strong too. You are both stars.
I do think that this is 'my time' to quit, at the moment I feel that nothing could tempt me to smoke again probably because I've had such a fright.
I really believe that I'm done with smoking for good but I'm not going to underestimate the powers of nicotine. I've smoked for far too many years to do that but I know that it's in my hands to finally kick nicotine in to touch before it does any more damage to my health.
I've almost completed 3 days without craving a cigarette so I know something's changed for the better. Whatever happens though I don't think I'll be smoking ever again, I've been reading about smokers' coughs and how in the long term they can cause serious health problems - I just hope I haven't left it too late to start taking this thing seriously.
It's only been 3 days since I've had a cigarette but already I am feeling the benefits healthwise. I've saved about £13 and I don't have any of those little doubts or worries that have always plagued me during previous attempts at quitting.
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