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BS: THANK YOU MUDCAT(S)!!!
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Subject: BS: THANK YOU MUDCAT(S)!!! From: *daylia* Date: 03 Jan 03 - 03:26 PM There once was a smoker named *day-liah* Whose efforts to quit had met *fay-liah* But now she's found Mudcat And worked her way through that She's tryin' on smoke-free *rega-liah*! From the bottom of my lungs I thank you ALL, for the support and encouragement, and for the chance to work out all that bull**** I had blocking me ... and for all the information, entertainment and companionship I've found on this WONDERFUL site ... Grateful blessings daylia |
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Subject: RE: BS: THANK YOU MUDCAT(S)!!! From: GUEST,Frank Hamilton Date: 03 Jan 03 - 03:29 PM Congratulations, Day-liah. Hang in there! You're not just helping yourself, but everyone around you. Frank |
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Subject: RE: BS: THANK YOU MUDCAT(S)!!! From: Allan C. Date: 03 Jan 03 - 03:33 PM Great news! |
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Subject: RE: BS: THANK YOU MUDCAT(S)!!! From: jeffp Date: 03 Jan 03 - 03:35 PM Congratulations!!!!! The first step is the hardest one. It does get easier with time. |
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Subject: RE: BS: THANK YOU MUDCAT(S)!!! From: Ebbie Date: 03 Jan 03 - 04:53 PM Congrats, day-liah! (And now I know how to pronounce 'day-liah' :) |
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Subject: RE: BS: THANK YOU MUDCAT(S)!!! From: Don Firth Date: 03 Jan 03 - 05:32 PM I smoked for thiry years. Heavily! You could always tell when I was coming because, like a battleship at flank speed, you could see this great plume of smoke on the horizon before I actually appeared. I quite twenty-four and a half years ago. I was a bit twitchy for a week or so, but it tapered off real fast. Now, I don't miss it in the least. Way to go, *day-liah*!! Don Firth |
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Subject: RE: BS: THANK YOU MUDCAT(S)!!! From: CarolC Date: 03 Jan 03 - 05:50 PM Good for you daylia! You (and your friends and loved ones) will be glad you did it! |
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Subject: RE: BS: THANK YOU MUDCAT(S)!!! From: Jerry Rasmussen Date: 03 Jan 03 - 06:02 PM Good for you, Day-liah! You don't happen to live in Sedalia, do you? Jerry |
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Subject: RE: BS: THANK YOU MUDCAT(S)!!! From: katlaughing Date: 03 Jan 03 - 06:06 PM You go, womon!! Whoo-hoo!!! Bring on that fresh air(e)!!:-> kat |
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Subject: RE: BS: THANK YOU MUDCAT(S)!!! From: open mike Date: 03 Jan 03 - 06:09 PM congrats! I tapered off smoking tobacco by first forceing myself to roll my own. then by chewing on licorice root sticks. I smoked menthols for a while so probably still have green crystals in my lungs..but I kicked the habit and I'm glad you did too! Now i just have to do the 12 step program for chewing gum!! Take a deep breath of fresh air and pat your self on the back! |
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Subject: RE: BS: THANK YOU MUDCAT(S)!!! From: Genie Date: 03 Jan 03 - 07:03 PM Congrats, Dayliah! Hang in there. Just remember: there are lots better things to put in your mouth! Genie |
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Subject: RE: BS: THANK YOU MUDCAT(S)!!! From: ballpienhammer Date: 03 Jan 03 - 07:17 PM Great job! Hang tough, now! You got it made! |
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Subject: RE: BS: THANK YOU MUDCAT(S)!!! From: nutty Date: 03 Jan 03 - 07:17 PM I've said it all before .......really glad to hear that you are on track. Congratulations |
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Subject: RE: BS: THANK YOU MUDCAT(S)!!! From: kendall Date: 03 Jan 03 - 07:48 PM What did you have in mind, Genie? hehehe |
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Subject: RE: BS: THANK YOU MUDCAT(S)!!! From: JennyO Date: 03 Jan 03 - 09:55 PM Hi Daylia, got your own thread, now! I hope it's going well for you. I got your PM's this morning. Thank you so much for your support, and far from thinking you were rambling on, I appreciated the time you took to send me all that information. I will PM you back as soon as I have time to write at more length. We are 16 hours ahead of Mudcat time here in OZ, so it is 1.55pm on the 4th as I send this. {{{{{:-)}}}}!!! Jenny |
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Subject: RE: BS: THANK YOU MUDCAT(S)!!! From: *daylia* Date: 03 Jan 03 - 11:02 PM {{{ :-) }}} hehehe - you cats are just purrrrrrrfect... ALL of you quit? Don, for 24 years no less?! WAY TO GO!!! I know I can do this...I know I can do this...it's easy for me to do this...I know I can do this ...I'm off to Sedalia now... daylia |
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Subject: RE: BS: THANK YOU MUDCAT(S)!!! From: Mudlark Date: 04 Jan 03 - 01:08 AM Congrats Daylia. It is a great gift for all those who know and care about you. My best friend just spent 6 wks with me. A 2-pk a day smoker, tho she was good about not smoking in the house, her clothes always reaked of smoke and her desperation for a "ciggy" when deprived for 30 min. or so saddened me. But not as much as my fear for her health. We've always thought we could foil bagladydom by living together, if necessary, but I now realize how equally difficult it would be to live with both smell and worry. Keep up the good work. It really is worth it! Nancy (who used to LOVE smoking) |
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Subject: RE: BS: THANK YOU MUDCAT(S)!!! From: Genie Date: 04 Jan 03 - 02:28 AM Day-liah, I just passed my 26th anniversary of quitting smoking (for good). [I quit 3 other times before that for a year or less and kept easing back into it, because quitting was fairly easy. The last time, my cravings lasted a whole month and it was really hard, so I resolved never to have to go through that again.] So I know you can do it if/when you've a mind to. Hang in there, and congrats. Genie Kendall, like I said, "...lots of things..." ;-D |
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Subject: RE: BS: THANK YOU MUDCAT(S)!!! From: *daylia* Date: 04 Jan 03 - 10:15 AM 26 years Genie? Ahhhh, you're just a ray of hope to follow! For me, because I'm not (sorry, I WASN'T) a heavy smoker (10-12 cigs a day) it's not so much a chemical hook as it is an emotional/behavioral one. At least that's what I tell myself - makes it sound easier... And you're right - there ARE better things to put it my mouth :-O !! But I know I have to careful. Last night I spent the evening with a friend who quit two years ago. She looks much healthier - more colour in her face, less 'wrinkly' - but she's gained a considerable amount of weight (about 50 lbs!) and she still has the odd 'cheat smoke'. She's become one of those people who bums smokes off others all the time. Not very encouraging ... Also, the last time I tried to quit (about 9 years ago) my mom helpfully bought me a big tub of hard candy to help with the hand-to-mouth 'fixation'. A few days later I broke a tooth on the stupid things, got really p****** off and decided I'd rather smoke than break my teeth. So I won't be doing the candy thing this time ... candy is dandy, but sex won't rot your teeth ... oops STOP IT NOW! Nancy who used to love smoking - I hear you! I think the things that bugged me the MOST about smoking lately were (1) the desperation you spoke of when I really WANTED one, like after a meal - and when you're the ONLY one at the table who has to excuse themselves so that they can go have a smoke it really centers you out and makes you feel like a fool! (2) the constant worry that the smell will offend someone - I've been rudely insulted by non-smokers who reeked so badly of cheap perfume/body mist it nearly knocked me over - but they still figure they have the 'right' to insult you cuz your just a lowly smoker, and (3) even though I'm healthy, I worry about my lungs and throat. I WANT TO GET MY SINGING VOICE BACK .... Oh yes, and I refuse to support the tobacco industry and their chemicalized product, OR the propoganda machine and their mind-warping assaults on every pack I buy (sorry, BOUGHT). Gee, I've armed myself quite well now against any temptation to smoke today - I'll just read this thread over! THANK YOU AGAIN for the opportunity to do this ... :-) smoke-free daylia who feels like :-( :-) :-( :-) :-( :-) |
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Subject: RE: BS: THANK YOU MUDCAT(S)!!! From: SINSULL Date: 04 Jan 03 - 10:26 AM Congratulations, *day-liah*. Keep us posted on your progress. According to the experts, sex provides almost pure protein. Of course the candy stays hard longer - I didn't say that did I? |
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Subject: RE: BS: THANK YOU MUDCAT(S)!!! From: CarolC Date: 04 Jan 03 - 11:02 AM Hi daylia. No, I've never been a smoker (although I've had to break my share of self-destructive habits). My mother was a smoker. She had very healthy eating and exercise habits, but she died of a massive heart attack at the age of 70 (that was two years ago, on Thanksgiving day). The heart attack came as a big surprise to us, and we attribute it to her lifetime of smoking. I was alone with her and holding her during the worst part of the heart attack. I would never wish an experience like that (either her experience or my experience) on anybody. |
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Subject: RE: BS: THANK YOU MUDCAT(S)!!! From: Hollowfox Date: 04 Jan 03 - 11:18 AM Awl-Riight, Lady D! |
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Subject: RE: BS: THANK YOU MUDCAT(S)!!! From: GUEST,ghost Date: 04 Jan 03 - 11:51 AM Hmmm....Is there no end to the curayive powers of this place? The Mudcat Cafe your perscription to better health and you don't even need a perscription. |
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Subject: RE: BS: THANK YOU MUDCAT(S)!!! From: GUEST,ghost Date: 04 Jan 03 - 11:52 AM read curative |
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Subject: RE: BS: THANK YOU MUDCAT(S)!!! From: Little Hawk Date: 04 Jan 03 - 02:25 PM Nice going, day-liah! By the way, the cold you've been experiencing is probably at least partially a reaction to quitting smoking. Give your body a few days without smoke and it wakes up, says "Hey, time to clear out this garbage!" and starts de-toxifying itself by stages. That can lead to days or even weeks of hacking, coughing, runny nose, and so on. Keep it in mind. What we refer to as "sickness" is often a cleansing process, and a good sign of change. The medical fraternity doesn't see it that way. They usually prescribe drugs to suppress the symptoms (and stop the cleansing). The sooner your body clears itself, the better, and it usually knows very well how to do that, if given half a chance. - LH |
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Subject: RE: BS: THANK YOU MUDCAT(S)!!! From: Jeri Date: 04 Jan 03 - 03:09 PM Further to what Little Hawk said, you have these little microscopic hairy things in your respiratory tract called cillia. The sort of swish the junk up out of your lungs. Smoking destroys them and your body's ability to get that junk out and can result in chronic bronchitis and all the gross stuff associated with it. (coughing up gunk, gurgly lungs.) When you quit smoking, the cillia start growing back and pushing stuff out again. The small nerves in your nose, mouth, throat and lungs start growing back and working again too. Not only do things taste and smell better, but you may feel more irritation than you have for a long time. All of this passes, but it's a sign that you're healing. Sunflower seeds are great. I think it takes about as much in calories to get the suckers open as they contain. Toothpicks work, sugar free gum if your fillings don't come out, drinking lots of water, occasional deep breathing, walks, playing an instrument are some things I can think of doing instead of smoking. |
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Subject: RE: BS: THANK YOU MUDCAT(S)!!! From: SINSULL Date: 04 Jan 03 - 03:17 PM Crochet, knit, tat, whatever. Keeps hands and minds busy. |
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Subject: RE: BS: THANK YOU MUDCAT(S)!!! From: Little Hawk Date: 04 Jan 03 - 03:36 PM You can get whole bags full of unhulled sunflower seeds at the health food store (get them RAW!), and not spend all that energy getting the shells off. They're cheap too. - LH |
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Subject: RE: BS: THANK YOU MUDCAT(S)!!! From: *daylia* Date: 04 Jan 03 - 04:12 PM CarolC so sorry to hear about your mother ... really gets me thinking...thank you and my heart thanks you too! Little Hawk, Jeri thanks for your input. I'd put the cold (my first in about 2 years) down to the stress of spending Xmas with my parents/sibs for the 1st time in about eight years! And I was even grateful for it because it's so much easier not to smoke when sick, and each puff feels like a knife stabbing down your throat. Been there, done that ... and geez it sounds insane doesn't it? I AM feeling much better today though - just got back from shovelling the driveway and taking a long walk through the beautiful (but icy!) forests ... you're so right about the deep breathing and fresh air Jeri ... like kat said "WHOOOO HOOOO bring it on!!! And it's cold out so THAT naturally encourages lots of respiratory "clearing" too - how pleasant!! Bring on those great Canadian winters!!! OK now I must really be losing it... GUEST ghost right on! Stranger things than the mystically healing effects of Mudcat HAVE been known to happen I'm sure ..... though I'm not sure where ... I'm very grateful for this thread right now and to ALL who posted above! So you'll just have to put up with all this mushy, simpering gratitude a little while longer - keepin mind and hands busy! :-) daylia PS. SINSULL don't the experts agree that depends on how big it is? The candy I mean ... :-~ |
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Subject: RE: BS: THANK YOU MUDCAT(S)!!! From: Ebbie Date: 05 Jan 03 - 03:24 PM refresh, for support |
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Subject: RE: BS: THANK YOU MUDCAT(S)!!! From: *daylia* Date: 05 Jan 03 - 03:32 PM Thanks, Ebbie! Don't want to take up space on the Forum with my personal "stuff" - except to say THANK YOU again - and encourage anyone else whose thinking about making positive changes in their lives too. I saw a song from Newfoundland called "The Tobacco Song" on a thread the other day - I remember it had mentioned some funny alternatives to smoking tobacco. Think I'll look that up now ... if you catch me smoking banana peels or moss you'll know I've really lost it he he he twitch twitch daylia |
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Subject: RE: BS: THANK YOU MUDCAT(S)!!! From: Genie Date: 06 Jan 03 - 04:09 AM Day-liah, re your friend ( She looks much healthier - more colour in her face, less 'wrinkly' - but she's gained a considerable amount of weight (about 50 lbs!) and she still has the odd 'cheat smoke'. She's become one of those people who bums smokes off others all the time. Not very encouraging ...and here's a kiss that will not fade away.) That "odd 'cheat smoke'" and bumming "OP" cigarettes [i.e., "Other People's"] -- that's how I started smoking again 3 times after quitting for 3 months, 9 months, and 1 whole year. It was only after I convinced myself that I was not going to be able to be a casual, occasional smoker that I was able to quit for good. And now, partly because I have asthma, partly because I see what 15 years of smoking did to my face, partly because I want to keep singing, and partly because I am no longer surrounded by smokers smoking in offices, parties, etc., I am not only smoke free but haven't the slightest desire ever to smoke again. I didn't develop asthma until about 4 years after I quit smoking, and it runs in my family (where I'm the only one who ever smoked), but those years of smoking probably did not do my lungs any good. I am heavier now than when I was a smoker, but if I factor in things like how much I exercise, I'd say being a non-smoker only accounts for about 10 extra pounds. The time I felt and looked my best (not quite my skinniest year, but my most fit), in fact, was a year or two after I quit smoking (a time when I was exercising about 2 or 3 hours a day on average). If smoking is a key part of your lifestyle, you probably will need to find a substitute. (Non-fattening, non-carginogens to put in your mouth: harmonicas, kazoos, bagpipes, jaw harps, penny whistles ... . Of course you can try sugarless gum, pencil erasers, pacifiers, etc., too.) Regular aerobic exercise will lessen the cravings, too. Again, good on ya for quitting. Genie
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Subject: RE: BS: THANK YOU MUDCAT(S)!!! From: *daylia* Date: 06 Jan 03 - 10:06 AM Genie thank you so much for taking the time to post your experiences here. I was only 20 minutes into my day when I read it and it really boosted my resolve to CARRY ON with quitting. Early morning IS one of the worst 'craving' times for me, and I appreciate the help. The only one of my three kids who smokes (thank God) is staying with me right now, and though he's very good about not smoking in the house he leaves these very tempting half-cigs in the ashtray outside all the time. I must confess I've been availing myself of them when things get really tense - in spite of this voice in my head scolding me - but there was none there this morning AARRRGGGGHHHH - so I'm glad I found you instead. I am NOT going to turn into a "butt-picker" - gads that sounds GROSS - or a pest that smokes only "OP's". For me I know I have to let them go completely, I've been smoking so long. I do love to exercise so I hope that helps me from turning into the good-year blimp. And my meditations/affirmations, along with the deep breathing that goes with them, have been helping me SO much! I've also been using breath mints - the kind that are so small you can't chomp on them, in deference to my teeth. And playing my instruments more, and writing posts for Mudcat, and singing at the top of my lungs when I'm out walking (I wait till I'm far enough away from others so they don't call the men with the big nets...) It's pretty strange how my voice is so hoarse these last few days! I did have a cold but it's gone now, and I'm left with this raunchy little cough even though my throat's not sore. Maybe it's the 'clearing' process LH and Jeri were mentioning. I was at a 'jam session' with some other guitar players Sat night and I think I was the only non-smoker there. Everyone was smoking inside and I was almost dizzy from the second-hand smoke. I figured - if you can't beat 'em, join 'em - h*** one can't hurt anyway - but that one I bummed made me feel dizzy and really hurt my throat. So I just had to leave early ... I'm learning ... Anyway that's it for my 'true confessions' for now anyway! I'm off to do my stretching/walking - WHOOOOEEEEE bring on that fresh air!!! twitch twitch fidget fidget daylia |
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Subject: RE: BS: THANK YOU MUDCAT(S)!!! From: CarolC Date: 06 Jan 03 - 10:48 AM Thanks daylia and Genie. Yeah. It wasn't a very pleasant experience. It gave me a pretty wicked case of PTSD for a while there, which I still have to deal with from time to time. So I would have to say that when you quit smoking, you are doing a very loving act, both for yourself, as well as for the people you care about. |
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Subject: RE: BS: THANK YOU MUDCAT(S)!!! From: Little Hawk Date: 06 Jan 03 - 05:36 PM I doubt that anything could turn you into the Goodyear Blimp, day-liah. So, all this news about your progress is very encouraging! Now if we could just get Spaw to quit self-abuse and possum-blowing... - LH |
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Subject: RE: BS: THANK YOU MUDCAT(S)!!! From: Genie Date: 07 Jan 03 - 05:04 PM Yes, Carol, quitting is definitely a loving act for others as well as for yourself. I never realized, during at least the first 12 or 13 years I smoked, just how annyoing the smoke was to non-smokers.* I tried to be considerate and would not light up without asking permission -- except where "everyone else was." And in the '60s and early '70s, there were folks lighting up nearly everywhere -- even in college classrooms at some Universities where I taught. Restaurants, grocery stores, department stores, offices, bars, parties, just about any public place except at the library or in church, were full of smoke. It was not until the mid '70s that nonsmokers began to be more assertive (as more and more smokers were quitting). This made it A LOT EASIER for me to quit and stay quit. I'd be the ONLY one smoking in a faculty meeting, some colleagues giving me dirty looks. So when I became a non-smoker there was an increasingly heavy burden of social disapproval lifted from my shoulders. Now that I see my still-addicted friends having to go stand outside in the cold to get their nicotine fix in January or smoke in a "smokers room" thick with smoke, I am extra glad that I broke the habit before it got that bad. But I wonder how many opportunities (e.g., for business, romance, or recreation) I may have missed in my 20s and early 30s because I smelled like an ashtray, exposed others to second-hand smoke, and couldn't sit through a 2 1/2-hour movie without having a nicotine fit. You said you were a moderate smoker, Day-liah, and that may mean you'll need stronger resolve to stay smoke-free. For me, the strongest motivational aid was that I hated being a slave. Another was that the nicotine "master" was alienating me from others. Again, keep on non smoking, Day-liah. (Maybe Spaw will lend you Cleigh O'Possum as a pacifier for a while.) Genie |
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Subject: RE: BS: THANK YOU MUDCAT(S)!!! From: Ebbie Date: 08 Jan 03 - 12:48 AM Genie, if I were smoking today I would stay continuously furious, I do believe. Not only are the prices of cigarettes outrageous, but the 'rights' of the smoker are being disrespected, belittled and ignored. The 'lepers colony' that lurks at the entrances of every state and federal and professional building is a constant visual thorn of reminder of how badly smokers are being treated today. That said, looking back, I am appalled and mortified at how oblivious I was in my smoking days (years!) of the rights of non-smokers. Ebbie |
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Subject: RE: BS: THANK YOU MUDCAT(S)!!! From: Deckman Date: 08 Jan 03 - 01:41 AM GOOD FOR YOU! It's not an easy thing to do ... quitting smoking! There is one side effect that has not been researched often, and that has to do with your increased sex drive. I wasn't going to mention that but I thought it might make SINSUL smile. Seriously, I've often wondered how long it will take Americans to realize the duplicity in the smoking 'habit' and the U.S. Army! I was virtually forced to smoke when I first went in the Army. When I walked onthe troop train in 1955, I didn't smoke. My sargent, damn his eyes, gave me $20 and a pack of cigaretts. All through basic, every hour, you'd hear:"BREAK TIME. SMOKE 'EM IF YOU'VE GOT 'EM ... POLICE CALL IF YOU DON'T!" Police call meant you had to crawl on your hands and knees and pick up the cigarette butts of those who did smoke! I learned to smoke early on. So again ... good for you! CHEERS, Bob(deckman)Nelson |
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Subject: RE: BS: THANK YOU MUDCAT(S)!!! From: *daylia* Date: 08 Jan 03 - 02:40 PM Increased sex drive? WHEEEE HOOOOOOOO...except I'd probably be biting a few heads off right now. AAAARRGGHHHHH I've been doing really rotten the last 2 days folks. I'm turning into a distracted, bad-tempered down-on-herself loser. I liked myself a whole lot better before, and that's the truth. I yelled at my son for the first time in ages this morning... I've been voicing my opinions on the War/Peace threads lately, which I should KNOW BETTER than to start into because it always tempts me to talk about things spiritual. Most people haven't the first clue what I'm talking about (no experience) and I get called everything from flaky and deluded to childish and neurotic. Yesterday it got so bad I almost quit Mudcat too. If it hadn't been for JennyO's timely PM from Australia I would have. Anyway, I haven't lost all hope yet. Thanks Bob and Genie and LH for keeping this thread alive. I didn't even want to look at it today. I'm such an addict, and I feel like such an idiot sometimes ... Sorry about the bitchin daylia |
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Subject: RE: BS: THANK YOU MUDCAT(S)!!! From: Jeri Date: 08 Jan 03 - 05:07 PM Dayia, you're not "turning into a distracted, bad-tempered down-on-herself loser." You're going through withdrawal. It WILL get better. As long as you don't give in (and that also means giving up if you mess up), you're a winner. A grumpy one, but still a winner. Things will get better. Plan a nice meal out in a smoke free restaurant for your reward. (Better wait until you're not apt to dump a glass of water over someone's head though.) |
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Subject: RE: BS: THANK YOU MUDCAT(S)!!! From: Col K Date: 08 Jan 03 - 05:59 PM Keep it up it gets better eventually. You have done well, so far I'm on my 26th day without and its hard work still, but I am going to persevere at it, are you going to keep me company, we CAN do it together. Keep it up, for both our sakes, we can help each other despite the miles between us. All the best Colin |
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Subject: RE: BS: THANK YOU MUDCAT(S)!!! From: Ebbie Date: 08 Jan 03 - 06:19 PM Good for you, Colin. |
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Subject: RE: BS: THANK YOU MUDCAT(S)!!! From: Genie Date: 08 Jan 03 - 09:44 PM Just remember, Day-liah (and Col K), if you're going through Hell right now and you give in to those cravings, after having come this far, you'll just have to go through it all over again the next time you try quitting. If you persevere, you'll only have to go through this particular Hell once! Though I always quit cold turkey, I understand that some people find the nicotine patches help them gradually withdraw from the nicotine addiction. Might be worth a try. Of course, I sex is an option, it would seem to be a healthy outlet for that excess energy and craving. If not, try chocolate for a few days. You can work of the few extra pounds after you kick the nicotine habit. Hang in there! Genie |
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Subject: RE: BS: THANK YOU MUDCAT(S)!!! From: CapriUni Date: 09 Jan 03 - 01:37 AM Increased sex drive? WHEEEE HOOOOOOOO...except I'd probably be biting a few heads off right now. AAAARRGGHHHHH ah... the Praying Mantis approach to sex *Wicked Grin*!! Just to give you more encouragement -- thank you Thank You Thank You for quitting... You know, when my mother was pregnant with me, she was given no warnings about not smoking during pregnancy, and she'd been a smoker since her teens. The only warning she'd been given was to avoid too much salt. Ironically, the Surgeon General's warning against women smoking during pregnancy came out the day I was born. I say "ironically" because I was born nine weeks premature, and at very low birthweight -- all of 21/4 pounds -- with an infection in one lung. My life was touch and go for the first night, and then a shot of penicillin saved me. But that critical period of not getting enough oxygen to my brain caused me to have cerebral palsy (a life-long condition). Then, at around 16, I developed asthma. I'm not certain that I was more likely to develop asthma because of the trauma to my lungs early on, but I wouldn't be surprised... Mostly though, it's how second hand smoke aggrivates my asthma now that bothers me. Being around tobacco smoke doesn't usually trigger an immediate attack, but in an hour or two after exposure, when I'm back home (where I can go for weeks without an attack at all) -- that's when the wheezing starts, and if I don't use my inhaler right away, the attacks get worse -- and they are very much like attacks -- you can breathe in, but you can't breathe out, and there's less and less room for the fresh air. And you can't tell who has asthma and who doesn't just by looking. So, *day-liah*, and Col. K, and anyone else who has quit or is in the process of quitting: thank you Thank You Thank You for making sure there is a little bit less of that smoke in the air. |
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Subject: RE: BS: THANK YOU MUDCAT(S)!!! From: katlaughing Date: 09 Jan 03 - 03:38 AM It is a proven fact that men who smoke gradually lose their ability to keep it up as the smoking constricts their blood vessels thus leaving less and less "volume" to fill their willies when desire strikes. (Give a whole new meaning to Lucky Strikes doesn't it?) I am told this improves once they quit.:-) daylia, Jeri and LH have got it right. When we sludge our bodies up with gunk for years on end, it can take a while of feeling rotten and worthless, etc. as it purges before we start to really feel better. I've been working on this with my acupuncturist after years of not the best eating habits plus effects of being highly sensitive to prescription drugs. We've been working on it since last August and I still have days when I feel like one big backed-up swamp. It's getting better with exercise and better eating AND PATIENCE. Those three things are very important for you, too, IMO. Be patient with yourself, keep up the exercise, be sure to eat well. Maybe try a glass of water each time you feel the urge to smoke. Most people never hydrate themselves enough. I'd be sparing with the sunflower seeds as they are high in fat and if you get the salted shells the sodium content goes out the roof. Not a good idea if you have any blood pressure issues. To alleviate concern about weight, try to eat small, low calorie meals throughout the day with lots of fresh veggies and fruit, heck you can suck on baby carrots, esp. if you dip them in a low fat dressing!**bg** Another thing you might try is making a tape of affirmations to which you listen as you go to sleep at night. Your voice carries authority with your subconscious. If you program your subconscious it will do its best to manifest whatever you dictate. If you'd like to talk about this some more or need suggestion, just give me a holler by PM, okay? Every minute, every hour, every day that goes by that you are successful at being smoke-free is a Victory!* All the best, kat *IMO it's okay that you yelled at your kid considering what you are going through. Personally, I'd ask him to make darn sure he didn't leave any butts anywhere, not even outside. You need his support, not sabotauge.:-) |
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Subject: RE: BS: THANK YOU MUDCAT(S)!!! From: nutty Date: 09 Jan 03 - 04:15 AM Daylia ....I've not looked in on this thread for a while so I'm delighted to see that you are still battling through. It really is a one day at a time thing and yes there are times when you hate not only youdself but the whole world for putting you through this. It has always seemed to me most unfair that addiction to any other drug get you a whole load of help and support from people whereas the smoker is pretty much left alone to get on with it. Not if they have Mudcat though. Use the thread for the down times as well as the up. Post your triumphs ... be proud of them and each day not smoking is indeed a triumph. Colin ... CONGRATULATIONS AS WELL ...... It's 27 days now ..... then it will be a month then two months ...... Then you will reach a point where you will think "If I start smoking again all the pain and frustration that I have just gone through will have been wasted and the next time I want to give up smoking I'm going to have to go through it all again". Thats what will keep you on target. This year 2 years after giving up I'm trying to do battle with the weight. I'm not setting a particular weight target but there are some clothes that I would like to get back into so hopefully you will see me a lot slimmer by the summer. Anyway Good Luck to you both. |
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Subject: RE: BS: THANK YOU MUDCAT(S)!!! From: An Pluiméir Ceolmhar Date: 09 Jan 03 - 11:56 AM Good work, Daylia, keep it up. And when you've got smoking beaten can you give me tips on how to stay out of the political threads? With them I'm like an alcoholic trying to walk past a bar without going in, and even if most of the time I try to make lucid, calm contributions, what I find there still raises my blood pressure. |
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Subject: RE: BS: THANK YOU MUDCAT(S)!!! From: Bobert Date: 09 Jan 03 - 01:20 PM Hey, dayliah. Ahhhh, ain't nuthin wrong with a smoke 'er three... kaeaaufffghghghfff. Sorry, and the tax money goes to cooooufffffzztfget. Excuse me, Like I was trying to say... kkkkkauauaufffffghghdfferf. Excuse me. Like I was ayong, ahh, the cckckckoooofffffffsdlkjiu&%$#T&&^%^_. Excuse me but I'll have to get back to you on this.............. KKKKKKKKKKKKOOOOOOOFOFOFOFOOJKLKJDGFT^%$#@^&^(&^%&)(*..fffffffff. Whew. Bobert p.s. Just funnin'. Hang in there and if ya gotta take the teenager out back fir a good butt whoppin' to get ya' thru, then that's what they'er for, ain't it? |
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Subject: RE: BS: THANK YOU MUDCAT(S)!!! From: *daylia* Date: 09 Jan 03 - 01:20 PM Oh, thank you so much to EVERYONE! That you have enough 'love' for a perfect stranger to take up your valuable time listening and encouraging me just brings me to tears ... of gratitude and happiness that is. There's so much wisdom and good advice above, I want to respond to each of you personally but I have time constraints right now ... I'll get back to you all later - including the ones who PM'd me. Right now I just want you all to know that everything posted above is so helpful and much appreciated and that I'm taking all your ideas into consideration - deep into my heart so to speak - as I formulate a new 'plan of attack' for myself... GOOD FOR YOU Colin! Keep it up - we are bigger than this addiction! I know it's true - know it's true! Gonna keep trying now, never give up... LOL daylia |