Quit Smoking

Thought I would check in.
It’s been over 9 months since my last cigarette. Even longer since I have logged on here. No cheating. Not even once. I still think about having one every day. I still want one ever day. I crave one, I should say. Not doing it though. Go me.

Let me begin by saying hello. There was a time where I was very active on 43things. Life and Facebook got in the way and I sort of forgot about this site. I am in a place in my life right now where this site and the support of others would come in handy for a number of the “things” I want to accomplish.

Now on to smoking. I started when I was 14 and smoked on average 20 cigarettes a day for nearly 20 years. I am 34 now. I did quit once for a few months and smoked minimally for about a year. What I mean by minimally is a couple cigs here or there when I was with friends. As a full time smoker-that is nothing. As a non-smoker, that is smoking.

I quit on the morning of February 21st, 2010. It has been 54 days without even one cigarette. The first few weeks it was all about lollipops and gum. I still crave them daily, but haven’t had one yet. I am so proud of myself and hope I continue to be cigarette free.

This is my first major accomplishment in 2010. This is the year of me!

So, it has been 15 MONTHS since i have purchased a pack of cigarettes, but when I see my smoking friends on the weekends, I find a way to justify it being ok that i have a smoke or two or three or four or five with them. The first 10 months I was doing fabulous, only having a handful of smokes…but life stress has gotten to me ( graduate school melt down, heart broken, work stress, etc.) and the occasional smoke has increased.

I do know I need to find a replacement behavior so I can do something else instead of smoking a cigarette when I am stressed out or mad and I am working on it. Overall, I am super proud of myself. This is one time when I don’t mind being a quitter. I can do this.

It has been about 4 months since I bought a pack of smokes.
Big.deal.
Huge.deal.
I have had a handful of smokes in that time ( I was drunk 2 of the times and I rarely drink) and I was in the midst of having my heart broken the other time ( and I rarely allow that to happen).
All in all….. this goal is being met.
I just need to learn to replace the cravings of wanting to smoke when I am having my heart broken … or when I blitzed out of my mind.

after smoking a pack+ a day for the last 16 years
...
last cigarette was 5/15/06 approximately 3:00 p.m.
current time/date 8/19/06 approximately 2:00 p.m.

it has been about
3 months

since i attempted to quit.

I have have had 5 cigarettes in that time.

I don’t want to say that I will never have a smoke again, but I am proud of myself for having only 5 in 3 months.

Within …
20 minutes
Your blood pressure, pulse rate, and the temperature of your hands and feet will all return to normal.

8 hours
Your blood oxygen level will have increased to normal and carbon monoxide levels will have dropped to normal.

24 hours
Your risk of a heart attack will have decreased by 50%.

48 hours
Damaged nerve endings have started to regrow and your sense of smell and taste are beginning to return to normal.

72 hours
Your entire body will test 100% nicotine-free and over 90% of all nicotine metabolites will now have passed from your body via your urine. You can also expect the symptoms of chemical withdrawal to have peaked in intensity. Your bronchial tubes are beginning to relax thus making it easier to breathe. Your lung capacity has also started to increase.

10 days to 2 weeks
Your brain and body have now physically adjusted to again functioning without nicotine and the more than 3,500 chemical particles and 500 gases present in each and every puff.

3 weeks to 3 months
Your circulation has substantially improved. Walking has become easier. Your chronic cough, if any, has likely disappeared. Your overall lung function has improved up to thirty percent.

1 to 9 months
Any sinus congestion, fatigue, and shortness of breath have decreased. Cilia have regrown in your lungs thereby increasing their ability to handle mucus, keep your lungs clean, and reduce infections. Your body’s overall energy has increased.

1 year
Your excess risk of coronary heart disease has dropped to less than half that of a smoker.

5 to 15 years
Your risk of stroke has declined to that of a non-smoker.

10 years
Your risk of death from lung cancer has declined by almost half if you were an average smoker (one pack per day). Your risk of cancer of the mouth, throat and esophagus is now half that of a smoker’s.

15 years
Your risk of coronary heart disease is now that of a person who has never smoked. Your risk of lung cancer has decreased by 80 to 90%. Your overall risk of death has returned to near that of a person who has never smoked.

after smoking a pack+ a day for the last 16 years
...
last cigarette was 5/15/06 approximately 3:00 p.m.
current time/date 6/14/06 approximately 10:00 p.m.

it has been nearly
30 DAYS, 7 HOURS AND 30 MINUTES
since i have had a cigarette.

after smoking a pack+ a day for the last 16 years
...
last cigarette was 5/15/06 approximately 3:00 p.m.
current time/date 6/06/06 approximately 8:20 p.m.

it has been nearly
22 DAYS, 5 HOURS AND 20 MINUTES
since i have had a cigarette.

i cannot decide which seems longer….saying 21 days or saying 3 weeks….. i just feel lucky that i am not having a hard time with this. i am not really experiencing cravings…. it is more the routine of it all….. i make a cup of coffee and look for my lighter and then realize i don’t need it.

after smoking a pack+ a day for the last 16 years
...
last cigarette was 5/15/06 approximately 3:00 p.m.
current time/date 6/03/06 approximately 12:30 p.m.

it has been nearly
18 DAYS, 22 HOURS AND 30 MINUTES
since i have had a cigarette.

after smoking a pack+ a day for the last 16 years
...
last cigarette was 5/15/06 approximately 3:00 p.m.
current time/date 5/31/06 approximately 5:30 p.m.

it has been nearly
16 DAYS, 2 HOURS AND 30 MINUTES
since i have had a cigarette.