"You Can't Do It"

[blas]

Quit smoking, that is.

My coworker and I set a quit date. This coming Saturday, August 1st.

She's doing it cold turkey, the way she's done it before. I called the Wisconsin Quit Line and got set up with my own online profile (a little tool that tells you how much you spend on cigarettes, you log how much you smoke per day, your plans and goals for quitting, etc. Really neat!) and got set up for phone coaching sessions once per week after my quit date.

You'd think people would be supportive. Well, most are.

There's a few people, who, I understand are just trying to be realistic, are coming across as really negative, and have actually said "I don't think you can do it".

The worst part is that my own boyfriend is one of them. He said "I'm glad you are going to do this, but I don't think you have the self control to go through with it for the long run."

This is really making my friend and me mad, being told that we CAN'T do it. Our mutual friend/coworker Mo also keeps telling us every night "I give you guys 3 days max and you'll be smoking again."

Gee, thanks for the support! It's one thing to say "This is going to be very hard and you're really going to have to try your hardest to fight it" and another to flat out say "You CAN'T do it."

[Bright_Star]

Do like Kojak used to do & get some lollipops...loll. "Who loves ya baby, you're beautiful"

[Broomjockey]

Quitting smoking is stupidly difficult. My grade 5 teacher said she'd quit smoking 15 years ago, had a dream about smoking, then woke up with cravings as strong as if she'd never stopped.

That said, if you WANT to do it, you CAN. The important thing will be not giving up entirely if you slip up. You're quitting with a buddy, so that will help. Also, if possible, avoid situations where you'd normally smoke as part of the activity - for the first couple weeks. That's how most of my smoker friends got caught up. They went out to the bar, had a few drinks, then just naturally bummed a smoke from someone, since they always smoked when they drank at the bar.

[blas]

That shouldn't be hard, BJ, as I don't go out very much anymore....once a month if that. And almost every bar in the city I live in is smoke-free.

I understand what you're getting at. That's why I'm trying to make a plan. Another thing bf said was "You don't PLAN on quitting smoking, you just do it". Well, that may have worked for him, but it doesn't always work the same for everyone. Everyone has their own way of doing things. I'm the type of person who makes plans and abides by schedules....and I want to plan this thing out and execute it when I get there. I can't just wake up and say "No more!" and be done with it.

Baby steps, baby steps.

[SengaKitty]

Blas, I'm right there with you. I'm on my last pack of cigarettes. I am NOT buying anymore cigarettes after this. And yet, people keep telling me I can't do it. That bothers me, too. It's like, you know, I'm trying really hard to do something for my health, and my wallet, can't you just be a LITTLE bit supportive?

Maybe we can coach each other, cause I know thi is gonna be really really hard.

[SengaKitty]

I can't just wake up and say "No more!" and be done with it.

Baby steps, baby steps.

I can't do that either, believe me, I've tried. My dad keeps saying "If you really wanted to quit, you'd just throw away the rest of your cigarettes and stop." Yeah, Dad that may have worked for you, but I KNOW it won't work for me. I'm here for you Blas

[blas]

I'm all for it if you want to PM me and update me as to how you are doing.

This morning I bought enough ciggs for the rest of the work week, and that's it. So that way, all I will have left on Friday are what's left in the same pack I took to work Thursday night, so about half a pack or a little less. And that's IT.

Especially when it costs over $15 for 3 packs of cigarettes. That's just obnoxious.

Perhaps if Mo ever decides to quit, I'll give her just as hard of a time as she's given me and my friend.

But at the same time, I've always been the type of person to get more motivated when told that I don't have a chance or that I CAN'T do something. I love proving people wrong.

Your dad and my bf should go bowling together. He's a lucky person who was able to just up and quit smoking....well, he will smoke when drinking or out with friends....but he doesn't need to smoke at work or at home.....he once had the same pack of cigarettes for several weeks....I'm just not like that!

Edit to add: You should see if your state has a Quit Line you can call. The Wisconsin Quit Line sends you all kinds of free stuff and FREE coaching (well, I guess it costs money because you do have to pay your cell phone bill lol) and you can even call them randomly if you're having problems.

[lush]

You can do it!

I ended up using Chantix to quit, the time before that I used zyban... My biggest thing is realizing my triggers and working around them..

[SengaKitty]

I love proving people wrong.


Edit to add: You should see if your state has a Quit Line you can call. The Wisconsin Quit Line sends you all kinds of free stuff and FREE coaching (well, I guess it costs money because you do have to pay your cell phone bill lol) and you can even call them randomly if you're having problems.

Actually, the place I work has one as part of their benefits. I plan to call them tonight when I get home. I'm only going to take four cigarettes with me to work today and leave the other four that I've got at home. If I have any left in the morning, they'll go with me. If I don't I'll be done smoking in the morning. I'm having my birth control removed next Thursday because it's been causing me heart problems, and I know the smoking's not helping either, so we'll see what happens.

As for proving people wrong, I get more motivated by that too. I hate having someone tell me I "can't" do something. I may not talk to my father anymore, but he did teach me something. Dad always said "can't never could." And I've always run with that statement. Anyone who's ever said "you can't" has been quickly proved wrong. So lets see if this happens

[blas]

I'll try to use that method of thinking. I've managed to do a lot of things that people told me I couldn't do...

My boyfriend is giving me two weeks worth of patches and the Quit Line is sending me two weeks worth of gum. At least that's free.....the quit smoking aids are quite expensive, almost as the ciggs themselves!

And Chantix....even with insurance, I'd still be paying upwards of $50 a month for it. My insurance is crap, just being honest. Some of my coworkers tried it, and while they did indeed quit wanting cigarettes, they got really depressed and just miserable.

[SengaKitty]

I've tried the patches and gotten a rash, and tried the gum, but it made me sick, so it's time to just try it through sheer will power. I can't afford the Chantix either, and I've heard the same thing about how it makes you feel. So I just have to look at it as, I KNOW I have to quit smoking, I KNOW I want to quit smoking, and I know I CAN quit. Plus, I want to have another baby in the next couple of years, and that's a great reason to quit

[RecoveringKinkoid]

Hey, Blas, how many of these doomsayers are actually smokers themselves?

Listen, you CAN quit. No negativity here. You sound like a pretty determined person. You'll be able to do this.

Hell, do it so that for no other reason than you'll be able to then rub their noses in it. Spite is a powerful motivator.

[Android Kaeli]

And Chantix....even with insurance, I'd still be paying upwards of $50 a month for it. My insurance is crap, just being honest. Some of my coworkers tried it, and while they did indeed quit wanting cigarettes, they got really depressed and just miserable.

Not everyone has the same reaction to Chantix but it WORKS -- my mother used it for a few months and the worst thing she had was weird dreams, that's it. She still wants a cigarette every now and again almost two years after quitting but it's just a passing thing -- heck, she now HATES the smell of cigarettes. She used EVERYTHING before getting Chantix -- the patches, the gum, quitting cold turkey -- but she wouldn't have quit and still be cigarette free if it wasn't for Chantix. Even though it cost WAY more then $50.

If you can, get Chantix even if it's expensive and if you can. If there's any weird side effects, aside from the weird dreams, that you don't like, quit using Chantix and contact your doctor.


You can do it, though. Good luck.

[freeatlast]

A friend of mine quit using Zyban, which insurance would not pay for. She quickly figured out that the $125 a month she was spending on Zyban was less than she had been spending a month on cigarettes. She took it for about 3 months and hasn't smoked since.

[blas]

What is Zyban? Is that like Wellbutrin?

One of my coworkers took Wellbutrin instead of Chantix, because he was already plagued by nightmares from working 3rd shift (that seems to be a common problem with us night owls) and it worked pretty well for him.

Another one of my coworkers got some patches, which didn't save her much money, if you use your insurance you don't pay taxes on them (so you save a few bucks) and she was on a roll until she and her husband started tiffing, so she started smoking again and now she doesn't know if she'll be able to get back into the quit routine again.

I'm really worried about falling off of the wagon, because the friend that's doing this with me DID quit before and was doing great, until a few horrible nights at work with Ann testing her patience, and she started wanting cigarettes again and then up and started smoking again.