Me Quitting Smoking-How it will effect family

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LynnieLew

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Okay, I have struggled with nicotene addiction for years. I’m a closet smoker if you will. I am ashamed of it. I detest it. I don’t take it lightly as a “bad habit”. I truly believe I have an addiction. (That is so embarassing to say) :o

Tomorrow is my quit date and I am scared. Truly scared. I dont’ want to go to bed because when I wake up I will be a non-smoker.

When I quit smoking 2 1/2 years ago I was nasty and miserable and a pain in the you know what. I know I need to “tough” this out, but I don’t want my daughter to see me this weak. I want to be pleasant for my hubby. I want to be productive for my boss.

I know I have to quit. I have talked to a therapist, a priest and I will be trying a new method of quitting, it is an inhaler.

Many of you have similar stories and I really need to hear how you have done it.

I know God hasn’t given up on me and that is why I want to do this. For myself and for Him, to show my seriousness during Lent.

Humbly yours,
LynnieLew
 
LynnieLew said:
Many of you have similar stories and I really need to hear how you have done it.

I know God hasn’t given up on me and that is why I want to do this. For myself and for Him, to show my seriousness during Lent.

Humbly yours,
LynnieLew
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Well, I have never been a smoker so I can’t offer any advice. But I will pray for you during this lenten season! I know you can do it (if you let God help you of course;) ).
Please pray for me too. I am giving up something that may be just as hard to quit as smoking…
**taking out my frustrations on my hubby:o **
It is a very bad habit that is not fair to him and not the example I wish to set for my daughter. I need all the spiritual help I can get!!!
Oh, and if you focus on how this experience (of finally quitting) will change your life, it should help:
1) you will stop reducing your life expectancy and be there for your daughter longer.
2) you will increase your self-esteem tremendously by doing something soooo difficult.
3) When your daughter faces life challenges that she thinks are “too hard” then you can bring up this example of how anything is possible with God’s help.
I’m sure there are many more benefits to quitting smoking…maybe you could try listing them all?
Malia
 
Your family will hate you. You WILL be wierd. You will have a fuse soooo short it’ll be immeasureable. Hopefully you will have their compassion and support!

I’m on my 2nd week of Zyban, and my 5th day of smokeless…

I’m going nuts. I WANT A SMOKE DAMMIT!

The Zyban is blocking the Nicotine problem, but does nothing to block the “triggers” of day to day life.

I chose last Friday as my quit day… why? Because I’d be 300 miles into the Canadian wilderness with 12 youngsters on a Scouting excursion… can’t smoke, and can’t get any (unless they’re air-lifted in)…

Made it the whole weekend without a problem! As soon as I got back home WHAMMO! Where’s my smokes!

Fight it. You can beat a 1/4" x 3" paper tube. I’m breaking the physical habits now, not the chemical.

If the gum or patches don’t work, go to the Doc & get some chemical help for a chemical problem. I did the gum. I did the patches… didn’t work for me. I finally broke down and got some serious help.

I don’t take medication for anything. I’ll tough out colds, headaches, whatever because I hate introducing junk into my system… I’ll do the dentist sans Novacane, or stitches without a local… And I’m totally hypocritical because I’ll suck on a Camel every 5 minutes given the opportunity… such is the life of a Nicotine junkie.

The Zyban is wierd… As a smoker you know the “buzz” you get after a good drag on a heater…
After a week on Zyban you could chain smoke a pack and not feel a thing… it short-circuits the “buzz” thing about nicotine… it just leaves you to deal with the physical habits you need to break… which is where I am now - and can deal with this!
 
I know God hasn’t given up on me and that is why I want to do this. For myself and for Him, to show my seriousness during Lent.
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Dear friend, I too am quitting tomorrow (Ash Wednesday), I did it last year as well. I am NOT a closet smoker. I have been a comitted, devoted and obsessive smoker for well over 30 years. Last year I decided that the harderst, most painful sacrifice I could possibly make for Our Lord was to stop smoking for Lent. I too was terrified. I didn’t believe I could do it. I had never even tried before. But I knew the reason I was quitting had almost nothing to do with me. It wasn’t for health reasons, or financial gain, or for anything that might bring me direct benefit. I was quitting because I knew it would HURT and I could unite that pain and suffering with the suffering of Christ. The night before Ash Wednesday, I broked all remaining cigs into pieces, threw out my ashtrays, grabbed my rosary beads and crawled into bed. Every time I thought about waking up as a non-smoker, I panicked. Finally, after an hour of this nonsense, I simply told the Lord that I knew I couldn’t quit and that He would have to do it for me. I was going to give it completely over to Him. And I did. Fell asleep, woke up in the morning, and that was pretty much it. I didn’t smoke for 3 months and only started again because I wanted to. I had fulfilled my promise to stop for Lent, and gave myself permission after Easter to start again. So now, I am back in the same place and tonight I will once again give it all up to God. I KNOW I can’t stop smoking. But He can do it for me. Just pray, pray, pray. All things are possible with God. Please keep me posted and feel free to PM me if things get really dicey! I’m praying for ya!
 
Oh, and remember this: the actual urge to smoke, while overwhelmingly strong, only lasts a few minutes. All you have to do during those few painful minutes is NOT PICK UP A SMOKE! And pray. The urge will pass, of that you can be sure.👍
 
I quit on Ash Wed a few years ago. It WAS hard, but every single time I wanted a smoke, I would pray. Jesus help me! Jesus, be with me! Jesus!
I also used the patch, and then gum. It makes the physical part so much easier, that you can deal with the psychological part better.
And keep a supply of gum or candy nearby, you’ll need something to chew on when you want the cig in your mouth.
You CAN do this, just pray, pray, pray!!!
 
You are all my heroes…I quit for 11 years and picked up when Roddy (my beloved pet) died…it was that or go for a drink (which was my excuse at the time and which I really think, now, was a pretty lame excuse). BUT I am doing the same as all of you and will keep you in my prayers. YOU have helped me make this decision.
 
My DH has quit twice since we’ve been married. The first time he quit, he was such a bear I could have bought him cigarettes myself just to get him off my back. The second time he quit, he went to a licensed hypnotist and quit on his own. After getting hypnotized, he cut back from a pack a day to 2 or 3 cigarettes a day and then attended a class at work, chose a quit date and stopped. He hasn’t smoked in 17 months! I think you’ll do great! 👍
 
My prayers are with all of you who are making an effort to quit. I have never smoked, but I DO understand that it’s a powerful addiction. My mom has smoked for 50 years. In spite of my begging and pleading for her to stop, she continued. She now has terminal throat cancer and has probably two months to live. So, I wish you all the very best and will pray that Christ lifts you beyond this. In spite of the difficulties, it will be worth it.

“Lord, save me from my great arch-enemy, my weak and faltering self…”
 
After 42 years of being a pack a day smoker, I quit cold turkey 3 months ago this coming Friday. No patch, no gum;
Pnemonia over Thanksgiving weekend did it. The most frightening thing I’ve ever dealt with is not being able to breathe.
After I healed, I had 2 series of lung x-rays and by the grace of God, I have no lesions in my lungs.
I don’t kid myself. I know I’m on the edge and could fall over at any time. I’ve done it before. Once I went almost 2 years without smoking. One crisis and I was back at it.
Every time you feel the urge, go do something immediately. Walk around the block, something, anything.
To be honest, I’ve gained 8 pounds in these past 3 months. But I can get that off a lot easier than dealing with not being able to breathe.
KathyA, my heart goes out to your mother and you. I am hoping that fear of such a terrible illness will keep me from cigarettes forever.
 
LynnieLew said:
Many of you have similar stories and I really need to hear how you have done it.

I know God hasn’t given up on me and that is why I want to do this. For myself and for Him, to show my seriousness during Lent.

Humbly yours,
LynnieLew
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You can do this!

If you try and fail, try again as soon as possible. They say they average ex-smoker trailed and failed more than a few times before really getting off them. That was the story for me also.

I was hooked bad. Averaged 2 packs of Marlboro Reds per day for 14 years. I figure the first few years was probably one pack, but I moved up to 2 easily and quickly. Think of it! Over 40 times a day I was picking up a drug that would rush right into my nervous system via the lungs, not just once, but every drag I could get out of it; 10? 15? more drags per cig?. That adds up to hundreds of times per day my body was getting the instant gratification from the drug nicoteine. (So that is how often my body would be craving it if I stopped! Yes, that is scary) It is a serious addiction. I had quit other things in the past, but this one is tough and sneaky.

I smoked despite having asthma, various lung ailments and even a hospitalization for pnuemonia. I saw my ER records that night, it had 3 things on it. Pnuemonia; something about the oxygen ratio in my blood and, and #3: nicoteine addiction.
I smoked 7 more years after that.

Long story short; after quitting and failing 5 or 6 times, I figured I was going to live and die this way. Then I got married (kept smoking) and then we had our first child. I looked down at this baby and knew with my history, I would probably not even make it to her HS graduation, let alone pay for her college and walk her down the aisle someday. So, I thought, for her sake, I would I quit again. I used the patch. I begged God for help. I focused on a Day at a time. (the first couple weeks was minutes or hours at a time) It’s been over ten years now smoke free. (Jan 1997)
You can do this!

And since we’re on a religious board, I don’t feel silly saying this: I think Satan gets a big kick out of us damaging our own bodies. Us humans, the pinacle of God’s creation, hurting ourselves! I think the devil is happy about that. Just like he wants to defile and ruin all of God’s creation.

So what was I saying, oh yes:

You can Do this!👍

And like my old pulmonary doc used to say:
If at first you don’t succeed, quit, quit again!
 
Dear LynnieLew,

I’m so proud of you!!! Don’t worry about the effect your withdrawal will have on your family. Odds are your kids and husband are worried about you and will be thrilled you are quitting. You don’t say how old your kids are but most school agers know the risks of smoking now. Expain to them what you are doing and be accountable for what you do and say. The coming days may be hard on them but not as hard as watching you gasp for air with emphysema or cancer.

I am an oncology nurse and although the majority of smokers don’t get lung cancer, over 90% of lung cancers are related to smoking. I have watched too many people in their prime fight for life because of this deadly addiction.

God will give you strength. The Jesus prayer is a great way to refocus. I fight my own addiction to overeating one day at a time with some days more successful than others. I know that with my family history I am setting myself up for heart disease and diabetes. If you fall off the wagon you just have to pick yourself up and get back on and not beat yourself up. I ask myself what it is I am really craving or what is causing me stress when I feel a binge coming on. Most people try to stop smoking several times before they finally beat it. Look into the gum and patches if you haven’t tried them before. The gum might help in situations where you really can’t use the inhaler.

Also, put the money you would have used for cigarettes in a jar and buy yourself something nice (maybe a massage). I’m sure it won’t take long to add up! Your body starts to heal almost immediately so think of your lungs clearing out and working better.

God bless you. I will offer my day for you today.

Melissa
 
I am praying especially hard for all of you giving up smoking for Lent. Poster is right, you do need to change habit triggers. My mom said she could no longer talk on the phone when she quit, because she could not do it without a cup of coffee and the cigarette. you may have to change where you eat lunch and with whom, your whole social life, my sisters said until she had her drapes and carpets cleaned to get the tobacco smell out she could not avoid the craving.

My 5 bros and sis who all quit (both our parents died horribly of smoking related cancers) all agree that you need nutritional support, management for physical symptoms that occur when your body rids itself of toxins, psychological support even meds if needed, and an understanding spouse, for at least 8 weeks (well, I guess you could keep your spouse around longer).

SIL called me once and said, I threw a flowerpot at your brother.
Me: he quit smoking again right?

to answer OP question, one effect on your family will be their undying gratitude for sparing them the agony of watching your health decline due to smoking.
 
Chovy said:
My DH has quit twice since we’ve been married. The first time he quit, he was such a bear I could have bought him cigarettes myself just to get him off my back.
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:rotfl:

and thank you all for your prayers…together, in prayer, we can do anything…
 
I am really tempted right now.
My Grandma, whom I am close to, is dying right now. The Doctors gave her 2-3 days at most.
I have always dealt with a crisis by smoking. But I am trying so hard not to.

Please pray for her and for me.

LynnieLew
 
Praying that God gives you the strength to not quit. My prayers are also with you and your family as your grandma passes. I’ve been thinking about you a lot and am happy you posted your status.
 
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