Quitting Smoking

I’m a sucker for subliminal recordings.  What can I say?  They work, though, I don’t know that they always work for the intended purposes.  It’s like using cough drops as a tool in my arsenal to quit smoking.  The cough drops were not intended to be sucked all day long, but I have to say when you suck on a cherry mentholated cough drop and combine it with a cup of black coffee you end up with a god-awful taste in your mouth that, strangely enough, reminded me of having just had a cigarette.  I did that for the first 3 days after I quit smoking.  It worked and I’ve not had a cigarette in 6 years.  

I remember how terrible it was to quit smoking.  I’d tried so many times to quit.  I can’t tell you why the last time worked when all the times I’d tried before had not worked.  The only thing I could say was that I kept trying to quit.  Now that I have the advantage of hindsight I can see that each of those failed attempts to quit were not actually failures, but were steps I needed to take to quit.  They were stages.  I really didn’t realize it at the time.  If I had, I think I would have tried more often to quit.  You’re talking to the number one person who can’t seem to do easily what everybody else does with ease.  Or, at least with style.  

I was horrible.  I was mean.  I was nasty.  I was terrible.  I gained 50 pounds.  I still want a cigarette every once in awhile, but the cravings aren’t as terrible now.  It’s just a passing fancy I get every once in awhile, generally when I’m stressed out.  But, it goes away.  I had no idea when I quit that 6 years later I’d still want a cigarette, but there you are.  It isn’t a crippling need, though.  I can get through it.  The cravings generally last all of 2 seconds.  And, then it is gone.  My sister quit smoking 20 years ago.  She said she still craves a cigarette when she’s in an elevator.  Twenty years later.  She gets over it too.

I’ll tell you, though, I’ve saved a lot of money.  Actually, I do remember now what the final straw was for me that made my resolve strong enough to quit smoking.  It was the money angle.  Whatever works.  Anyway, I just couldn’t justify spending as much money as I was spending on my cigarettes anymore.  

I can tell you my stats:  It’s been 6 years, 2 months, 5 days, 6 hours, 56 minutes and 4 seconds since I quit smoking.  I have not smoked 67,688 cigarettes.  I have saved $14,180.78.  I have saved 7 months, 3 weeks and 40 minutes of my life.  This comes from a little freeware program called LastQuit version 1.1.  Unfortunately, I don’t see that this program is available on the internet anymore.  But, there are others.  Quit Meter Counter is available from Download.com for $10 and, from the description, seems to do the same thing as my little program.  http://www.download.com/QuitMeter-Counter/3000-2129_4-10212373.html?tag=lst-4-6  

My husband would encourage me to look at it in the days just after I’d quit.  I really wasn’t interested.  Actually, I’d have chewed on a sock with more enthusiasm in those days, but I’m glad that I have it now.  Every once in awhile I pat myself on the back and have a look at those statistics.  

But, the advice I have for anybody trying to quit smoking?  Keep trying.  Try all sorts of things, one after the other, after the other.  The point is to distract yourself.  Save up some money to use as an “Indulge Yourself” fund while you are in the early stages.  Spend it on things to reward yourself because you’ve been good.  Spend time in places where you can’t smoke.  I remember I took a lot of showers in those early days.  Remember that each day you get through without a cigarette is bringing you closer and closer to the time that you can consider yourself smoke free and safe from relapses.  

Here’s a run through of what happens time-wise as you quit smoking.  This is from a reference article that came with my LastQuit program:

Quitting smoking can make a big difference to your health and the health of your family. While some benefits will take time, others are experienced almost right away.

Even people who have already developed smoking-related illnesses can benefit from quitting. Among smokers who have already had a heart attack, quitting smoking reduces the chances that they will have a second heart attack by 50%, compared to those who continue to smoke!
The message is clear. The sooner you quit, the more you and everyone around you will benefit.

Physical benefits of quitting smoking.

20 minutes after your last cigarette:
Your blood pressure drops to normal.
Your pulse rate drops to normal.
Your hand and foot temperature rises to normal.
8 hours after your last cigarette:
Your blood carbon monoxide levels drop to normal.
Your blood oxygen level increases to normal.
1 day after your last cigarette:
Your chances of heart attack and stroke start decreasing.
2 days after your last cigarette:
Your senses of taste and smell begin to heighten.
Certain nerve endings begin to re-grow.
Nicotine by-products are removed from your body.
3 days after your last cigarette:
Your bronchial tubes start to relax, making breathing easier.
Your lung capacity begins to improve.
2 to 12 weeks after your last cigarette:
Your walking and aerobic exercises become easier.
1 month after your last cigarette:
Your circulation improves.
You experience more energy.
1 to 3 months after your last cigarette:
Your lung function increases up to 30 percent.
Your bronchial cilia begin to re-grow, increased ability to clean lungs, reduce infection, clear pollutants.
Your overall body energy increases.
1 to 12 months after your last cigarette:
Your coughing, sinus congestion, fatigue and shortness of breath decrease.
2 to 4 months after your last cigarette:
Your risk of developing Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease reduces by 5%.
1 year after your last cigarette:
Your risk of developing Coronary Heart Disease reduces by 50%.
2 years after your last cigarette:
You reduce the risk of recurrence of ulcers and improve short-term healing.
Your risk of death from heart disease declines 24%.
3 years after your last cigarette:
Your risk of heart attack and stroke approaches that of someone who has never smoked.
5 years after your last cigarette:
Your risk of developing mouth, esophageal, throat and bladder cancer reduces by 50%.
Your chance of dying from lung cancer decreases by half for one-pack-a-day smokers.
5 to 15 years after your last cigarette:
Your risk of stroke reduces to that of someone who never smoked.
10 years after your last cigarette:
Any pre cancerous cells are replaced by healthy, normal cells.
You have a 50% to 70% reduction in the risk of developing lung cancer.
Your risk of pancreatic cancer is reduced.
10 to 14 years after your last cigarette:
Your risk of developing Heart Disease drops to that of someone who never smoked.
15 years after your last cigarette:
Your risk of developing lung cancer is the same as non-smokers.
For Congestive Heart Disease, your risk reduces to the same as someone who never smoked.
Your life expectancy is as long as that of a non-smoker!