I confess

[empathy323]

Ok I confess I was at 47 days and cheated at a tailgating event 2 weeks ago.  It was one of those corporate sponsored things where a bunch of us 30 something’s ended up all drinking too much and then deciding it was a great idea to smoke a few cigs too.  Great "group think".  My husband even cheated and he had 8 months.  We have been fine since they were not "our brand" I think that helped prevent it from getting more out of hand.  I have been back on track now.  I had to stop the Chantix that had worked so well for me because I was getting terrible mental side effects.  So now I stick a patch on if I feel particularly weak.  It seems to help I know it’s just mental anyway.  I also did something else we had our annual enrollment and I listed us as non smokers.  I know that the consequences now of smoking are losing my health insurance.  For me that makes my choice to not smoke very simple.  Great motivation for me anyway.  The other thing that bothers me is the weight gain.  It has only been 3 pounds but I am a petite person and only weigh 130 so any weight gain bothers me and is more noticeable than if I were heavier or taller.  To many of you that may sound very trivial but it bothers me.  Thanks for listening!!

[kathyjo]

Hang in there : )

Stress is often the deal breaker and recently I received two very insightful thoughts:
1. go outside, take a seat, look up into the sky, take 50 slow deep breaths (Stylez37).
2. Just remember you will handle the stress just as well without the smoke. (teko)

Were always here for you so keep writing : )

[mr.lucky66]

Congrats Kathy, my quitting road has been an off and on one but over 80% smoke free for 1 year. That's not what I shooting for but it's better than before. Now I think I can not go back  after months of not smoking because of some frustration. It's a learning process.

[kathyjo]

Congrats Wayne and way to go!
Sorry to hear about your stomach woes mr. lucky. I had the same but in the end, it was so worth it! In 2 days I will celebrate a year of no smoking : )

I have to thank all here for their support and for listening to my complaints while I was in the early stages of my quit.
Who would have thought, that after 38 years of smoking, I would be able to quit! I am grateful that I did : )

[mr.lucky66]

Many people cannot drink without smoking. It impairs the judgement . I also take chantix but don't get mental side effects but stomach side effects. I don't want to stay on it much longer but it works.

[Wayne Baker]

The thing I noticed about those little slips in previous quits is that once I smoked just one or two and "got away with it", my addictive brain figured if I could get away with it once, I could again.  Of course that always led to total relapse and convincing myself that I could never quit.  

Today, I celebrate One Year, Two Months of smobriety - not a single puff.  If there had been a single puff (for me), I'd not be having this celebration today.  I think what I'm trying to say is that this is too important to mess around with.  Not one puff EVER !!

---
Wayne Baker
Nicotine Free:  1Y 2M 2h 16m
Not Smoked:  12,387
Money Better Spent $2,043.86

[empathy323]

Thanks Kathy Jo for the feedback you always have great imput!!!  I will check out whyquit articles again:)  I don't really feel it was as much as a real urge, want or need for me as it was just plain being stupid and making a dumb choice.  I don't want to smoke anymore for the most part.

The weight thing is just something I am going to have to accept.  It's a much smaller deal than the damage done by my smoking I know.  I also think I should spend a little more time here!!  Thanks again and have a great weekend.

[kathyjo]

I am so grateful that I can enjoy a drink or two without reaching for the smokes! That seems to be a major problem for ex-smokers and I have seen it happen over and over! According to one source, 50% of ex-smokers will smoke while drinking!!!

So, you found a trigger, you need to fix it. Do you have to give up drinking? Hmm.....maybe you have to limit the amount, just until you learn to disassociate cocktails & smokes. I'm sorry that I don't have a better solution.

As for weight gain...your metabolism slows when you first quit and up until about 4 months. Anywhere from 5 to 10 lbs. is about what you can expect, so you might need to substitute some goodies with helpings of vegtables. I ate a lot of carrots and celery sticks.
The weight will level off, so don't get to worried. I have dropped my gain and an additional 10 by just increasing my gym time. I am 53 and between menopause and the natural progression of life, I am working very hard on keeping my weight down.

I know you are not a fan of whyquit but there really are some great articles there, so you might want to take another look : )

I was able to have my monthly policy reduced by half, just because I am close to my 1 year anniversary (5 days away)!

Kathy Jo