Quit Blogs

Hi, just a quick note cos I have to go to work soon. Have made it to day 50 and feel a bit vulnerable. Like, I feel like I'm going to give in again and smoke again. So I'm going to keep my quit reasons in mind and stay strong. Hugs to everyone on their quit journey. Am still reading all the blogs. :)))

I've decided not to let my crappy job bring me down. Just been talking on the phone to a friend of mine who is dying of cancer and I realised when I was moaning to him about my life just how silly I was being, I mean, he's dying and I'm whinging about my job, my life, you name it. He's only got months and he is keeping so cheerful and pleasant, now that is courage. Got my daughter visiting this afternoon which I am really looking forward to. Spent most of the morning writing a character reference for a friend and editing a cv for a workmate so have been keeping busy. Also got outside and lopped a branch off my magnolia tree which was obstructing the footpath and clipped back a rose bush that was obstructing my garage door. So just laxing out now with a beer but no smoke of course. Hope everyone else's day is going well. Not smoking has so many benefits but it's true that you can take this for granted and forget these things and that's when you get the nicodemon on your shoulder whispering in your ear... don't let him get his way, folks. :))))

Was so drained by the end of the working day, working at a call centre and some of the callers were a downright nightmare to deal with. 5 days of that and you just want die. Maybe, not quite, lol. One of my workmates wants to give up smoking and has ordered a quitline card for patches. He was still smoking today so I don't know when he's going to start his quit, but I aim to give him some support if I can. He's also heard me talking about quitting and I hope that's what has given him the motivation to quit, or helped anyway. I have been on late shifts so not getting home until 8 pm every night. No time to do anything really except feed myself and cat and crawl into bed. Great to read all the blogs and hear from all the newbies, and oldbies of course. Hope you're all having a great evening, love Friday nights, yay... clem x

All going well here. Sorry I haven't been posting much support last couple of days but I have been reading all the blogs. 44 days - it feels great but have to admit to missing the cigs from time to time. Espec. mornings and when my smoker friend is around. Didn't get the job I interviewed for last week but I don't really feel that disappointed, only worried cos my current job finishes next month and I don't have anything else yet. As one of my girlfriends says, keep trying!! :)))

Just a quick hello to wish you all a happy and smokefree day. On day 42 here - 6 weeks - and am happy as about that. Kia kaha :))))

Reached 40 days smokefree today - yay, it feels good. My chest is clear and I'm proud I'm sticking with it. I have saved nearly $300. Won't write a novel as am too tired anyway. Only Monday and I feel like I've worked a whole week. Job is so tiring, but I sleep well. Carry on all you lovely folks with your quits, am sure it's one of the best decisions we'll ever make. Kia kaha. xx

My daughter did turn up around midday and spent all afternoon with me. We had fun playing cards and yahtzee and we went for a drive and got her a new cellphone. It was lovely. I had accidentally blocked her text messages so it took a bit of sorting out to find where the setting was on my phone that I had to change so I could get her texts again. Talk about technically challenged!! I haven't even had a slight craving for smoking today, in fact I can't think of anything I would want to do less right now. I'm on late shifts at work for next 2 weeks, so won't be home until 8pm in the evenings, but have some time to myself in the mornings which will be handy. Am on top of my gardening at the moment, except for a few bits I didn't get around to. I don't have a big section, but the old weeds seem to pop up with boring regularity and I also have a big hedge that needs maintaining, as well as bushes that need trimming. I have had a great weekend really, it's so nice not to be feeling guilty for slipping up with the smoking which I was doing nearly every weekend a while back. My last quit started in November last year and my slip ups weren't that often so really my smokefree days are probably in the region of about 80 days but I did reset my stats because I needed to, to get on top of the weekend smoking thing and get back to a proper smokefree routine. So it will be day 40 tomorrow, and that seems like a bit of a milestone for me so might give myself some sort of treat. Even a proper coffee and a muffin would do the trick. Anyway, hope everyone also had a great weekend, am stoked to be part of this online community. I enjoy everyone's story. :)

Coming up to day 40 tomorrow. Am feeling good - been catching up with some gardening and housework. Waiting for my daughter to visit but can't reach her on her phone so hoping she's still coming. Have 18 days of the low dose patches left then will be coming off nrt, except for some gum. I usually have a few days of difficulty when coming down off the patches so am expecting that when I come off them altogether. Hope everyone is going strong with their quits and enjoying having the extra $$ in their budgets. Take care. Clem :)

Certainly does feel like odaat when you blog your quit days every day like I do, lol. Still am staying strong. My good friend was here last night and today and he's still smoking but seems to have reduced it a bit which I was pleased to notice. I wasn't even interested in a puff this time even though we sat and had a couple of beers, which has been a trigger in the past. I am SO GLAD to be a non smoker, I almost haven't got words to describe how much better I feel about myself. I am certain that even if I cave again (which I reckon is pretty unlikely now) I'll be back on the wagon again asap. But it's so not worth it lapsing, you have awful feelings around that time and it makes trying again so much more of a chore. Anyways, hope you're all having a good weekend and that you stay strong in your quit journeys. Life will never be perfect and smoking will never make it so, it just makes you a slave and a stinky one at that!!!

Three more days to day 40, yay. Had a most stressful day at work today, the worst I think I've had so far. Almost wanted to join the smokers on the balcony but when I saw them sucking on those dirty white sticks I felt sorry for them instead. I am pretty sure I can keep it up now. I don't really have a lot of cravings but I may have to try and chew a bit less gum cos I tend to reach for that quite a lot which makes me wonder if I'm still a bit nicotine addicted.

It was about this time that I relapsed on my last attempt. Am going to be especially on my guard this time around. Have to go to work soon, looks to be a nice day. Thanks so much for your support lately and yesterday when I went for the job interview. It felt really good. Am thinking of you all, and rainbow, hope you are alright today, sending you warm vibes )))))

I did my best at the job interview today but I think the competition is pretty tough from what I can gather. They need 5 people so I guess the odds are in my favour a bit more than if it was just a single person they were looking for. Apparently there are going to be 8 people picked to go to a second interview so I'll know next Tues if I'm one of them. Will keep you posted. On the smoking front, I've needed a bit of gum today so my nicotine craving was a bit up there. Getting used to the smaller patches now though, at last. The first couple of days was awful. When I come off those, I imagine I'll get the same problem, so I'm prepared for it. Hope everyone has a peaceful evening. :)))

hi, i'm feeling well and i don't want to spoil it by going back to smoking. I just have to remember that it gives me chest pain, even a few puffs, so I have to stay with it. Lots of other benefits - cleaner skin and breath, healthier bank balance (um, still don't seem to have any money but at least it's not going on smokes), more stamina, and luckily so far no great weight gain. Saw the doc this morning and had an ok health check. And this afternoon I've got a job interview. My current job is temporary and finishes next month so am keen to find something more permanent. Not greatly keen on job interviews but has to be done - there's also some testing so the whole thing is going to take nearly 2 hours. Making sure I'm rested before I go so can put all I've got into it this afternoon. Had to duck work today so feel a bit naughty lol. Been reading all the blogs and supporting where I can. I'm glad to see people trying again after they've relapsed. Am sending good vibes to all those on their first week or two - hang in there, it's so worth it, but tough I know... kia ora to everyone :)

Smoke free days 33 days
Cigarettes NOT smoked 330
Money saved $244.80

Has been really worth the effort and I'm glad to be where I am right now with my quit. I still have days when I want to smoke but not that often. Has been hard the last 2 or 3 days since I've been on the low dose patches, my mood hasn't been good, but I know that a smoke won't make it better even if it seems that way. Am into my second month now and it's going to be so good to get to the end of that. It will be the furtherest I've got in my quit attempts so far. :)

Hi all. It's been really tough today to resist smoking. I think it might have to do with going to the smallest patches a day or two ago. I have been feeling quite down in mood. I still have the gum but the patches have been the biggest help in fighting the cravings and I guess the small patches are giving half the nrt that the medium ones were. Will just have to keep strong until I get used to it. Work tomorrow so won't have time to think about smoking, or at least not as much time. Everyone sounds really onto it with their smokefree journey, so great to hear it, and this is truly a wonderful community - lovely people doing an awesome job. :)

Having a very quiet day so far. On my own so it's a good chance to catch up with some housework. Went on to the smallest patches this morning and I have about four weeks of those, then it's only gum I'll be using and hopefully cut that back too. Been good reading all your blogs - seems everyone's doing OK at the mo. That's great. Hope you're all enjoying this long weekend. :)))

There are smokes in my house at the moment but I'm not greatly interested in them so I guess I've turned the corner on slipping up now. I'm glad I don't want to slip up again, it was so conducive to going back to hard out smoking. If the nicodemon is still lurking, he is being kept away by good sense at last. I've had a good morning so far, did my grocery shop and had a coffee with some girlfriends. Going to do some cooking this afternoon and just take things at an easy pace. :) Wishing rainbow and bmsgirl and anyone else who has been having a hard time with their smokefree day, the sun will shine soon, give yourself time, do anything that works to get over the bumps (except smoke of course). Am thinking of you and will be here when you need to blog. :)))

Hi, I got an overwhelming response to my blog about my friend from all you lovely caring peeps and thank you all so much. Maybe all your good vibes did something cos today he rang me to tell me that he has made some moves towards getting work. He is not intellectually disabled but his level of formal education was very poor so he comes across as a bit challenged. That has been one of the major obstacles to his finding work but he has been in touch with an agency that finds work for the disabled and he is going to give them his cv. He sounded much more motivated today and I also got in touch with his support worker who said he'd been on leave and that was why he hadn't seen my friend for a while. His sore leg is healing too. So am really encouraged by his efforts to pick himself up a bit in general. He is actually quite intelligent. I got him interested in the stuff news daily quiz a while back and his general knowledge is pretty good. He has changed my life in many ways - taught me how to relax more and we have shared a lot of our lives with each other. Anyhoo, am still on the quit train and it's my 30 day mark tomorrow. Will be going onto the small patches in a couple of days, then that will be it for the nrt, except maybe the gum for a bit longer. Take care, and thanks again for your support - xoxox

My friend (the one I'm always having to resist smoking with) is deteriorating and I feel useless to stop it. He has very little money and doesn't seem to care about himself anymore. He has stopped looking after himself pretty much and I don't know what to do. He has given up looking for a job and lives the saddest life I know of anyone. His doctor has got him on medication that dulls his mind and he seeks relief in alcohol and weed. I feel so powerless to help, yesterday he came around with an infected sore on his leg the size of a small saucer and he wouldn't let me take him to see a nurse. I made him promise me he would see someone about it today but I couldn't take him cos I work an 8 hour day. I am so stressed with my job too and the pay is so poor but I have spent quite a lot of money on my friend, bought him shoes and some household items etc. Unfortunately I have also bought him things like smokes and beer which don't do him a lot of good in the long run. He had a support worker who seems to have abandoned him lately and I am so afraid for his welfare. I give him a place to sleep and good food when I can but it is breaking my heart that he can't look after himself properly and seems to be getting steadily worse. He looks to me for support and I care for him in return because he is an affectionate, sweet person but it's all getting me down at the moment. Thanks for listening guys. I'm still not smoking and I don't even want to now really. Glad to hear most of you are doing well with your quits. :)

Had a few sneeky puffs this morning. Drat it all, I never learn. It's started the cravings again not to mention that my chest hurts a little bit even from a few puffs. I feel like I've let everyone down but it's really me I've let down. How long am I going to slip up like this??? I gave myself permission to do it, so the problem is me, as usual, sometimes though I don't think I can dredge up any more strength to completely leave the darn things alone. Feel like I'm at the bottom of the world right now. It was only a few puffs but I had been so determined not to even go there and now I feel like an idiot. :(