Quit smoking with Nicoderm CQ - Day 45

Day 45 - I will make this post simple.

QUIT SMOKING AND ENJOY LIFE!!!!

Non-Smoking versus Smoking, You decide.

 

Quit smoking with Nicoderm CQ - Day 44

Day 44 - I have been having some great days lately.  I feel more energized and willing to do more.  I am not sure if it is because I quit smoking or because my wife and I have started eating healthier as of this week.  I just feel good, I want to do more and enjoy life.  I want to head out west and have a great time in the mountains.  My wife and I are planning a vacation soon and I think we will head west and just have a good time.  Another great day of enjoying life and just feeling the freedom of not smoking.

Quit smoking with Nicoderm CQ - Day 43

Day 43 - Yesterday was the beginning of Step 2 for the Nicoderm CQ patch.  2 weeks of this and I will be ready for the final step.  Still feeling great with minimal urges if any for the need of a cigarette.  Another day down.

Quit smoking with Nicoderm CQ - Day 42

Day 42 - Yesterday was the last day of Step 1 of the patch.  I look forward to moving on to Step 2 and getting through the whole 10 week patch process.  I have now not smoked for 42 days and I am very proud of this accomplishment.  I plan on continuing to Blog everyday until the patch process is done and then I will still continue to Blog on a weekly basis.  I have nothing more today other then, quitting smoking has been the best decision I have made that will benefit my health and my family.

Quit Smoking and be #1

Quit smoking with Nicoderm CQ - Day 41

Day 41 - I find that as each day passes, I think a lot less of cigarettes and more about things I want to do in life.  My wife and I, since we both stopped smoking at the same time, want to do so much with each other such as biking, vacationing, and just spending time together.  It feels good not to rely on cigarettes as being a part of our lives anymore.

Quit smoking with Nicoderm CQ - Day 40

Day 40 - 2 more days and Step 2 begins on the Patch.  I am looking forward to seeing what happens when the nicotine level is reduced.  I certainly hope the urges don't increase again.  I finally hit a point in my journey that I no longer feel the need for a cigarette and I hope this feelings stays the way it is.  I just remember to keep telling myself I am a non-smoker and that is who I am.

Quit smoking with Nicoderm CQ - Day 39

Day 39 - Well, I must admit, it is nice to see people visiting this Blog and I hope that it is helping some.  I have noticed from my stats on this Blog that people from all over the world are viewing it.  I am almost at a 1000 views, a little ways to go but I am sure we will get there.  Quitting smoking has been quite the journey for me.  I have worked through the urges, anxiety, and just the detoxing period and I must admit, it was all worth it.  I feel better and I hope that my journey is helping others in their journey's to quit smoking.  I have 3 more days until I start Step 2 of the patch.  The journey with using the patch is getting closer to ending and the feeling of that is great, because I will now start the journey of being weened of nicotine for good.

The journey continues.  Thanks to everyone for your support.

Quit smoking with Nicoderm CQ - Day 38

Day 38 - Just when you thought I may run out of things to talk about for quitting smoking.  I was driving home today and this car was speeding right by me and I thought to myself, smoking is like speeding in a car.  What do I mean by this?  Speeding feels good in the beginning but over time there are consequences that will catch up to you, just like smoking, it feels good when you start, you get that rush or buzz for a while but the consequences catch up to you over time when you have a hard time breathing, you health heads south, and eventually it will end up killing you.  It is so much better to drive in the safe lane then it is taking the chance of dealing with consequences in the fast lane.  Okay, maybe the whole analogy was not the best, but I think you get what I was trying to say.

Quit smoking with Nicoderm CQ - Day 37

Day 37 - It was another great day today.  I find myself at work during the day, no longer thinking about cigarettes.  I am starting to have the feeling that I am truly done with smoking, out of site, out of mind.  Each day recently has been very easy to not think about cigarettes or even having any urges to want a cigarette.  I just tell myself, I am a non-smoker, that is who I am.  I feel healthier a little more each day, I am breathing easier and I just feel more healthier.  Being a non-smoker is just the right choice to make.

Quit smoking with Nicoderm CQ - Day 36

Day 36 - Yesterday was just another great day of not smoking.  I feel that quitting smoking has made me a little happier.  My wife and I smile more and are just enjoying life.  For anyone who smokes, you don't need them, they are just a thorn in your side, one that needs to be pulled.  Cigarettes do nobody any good unless you enjoy the fact of knowing that every cigarette you smoke is putting you one step closer to that whole in the ground.  I was there, I decided to change and no longer think about when am I going to die, but rather now, how am I going to live.  Life is full of to many adventures and I plan on enjoying as many as I possibly can.  Anyone who wants to quit and just doesn't know where to start, see the links in my Blog, read my Blog, do whatever it takes to get started down the road to becoming a non-smoker.

Quit smoking with Nicoderm CQ - Day 35

Day 35 - I was sitting back and remembering my previous Blog on how much time and money I have spent on cigarettes and it hits me, what the hell was I thinking.  I have probably spent more money on cigarettes then I have anything else in my life.  Anyone who reads this take a long thought of how much you have spent on cigarettes, how much time you have wasted.  Below, I have put together two images, 1 is how many packs of cigarettes you would go through if you smoke 1 pack a cigarettes everyday for a year and the second picture is how many cigarettes you are smoking if you smoke a pack a day for a year.

 365 packs of cigarettes

 

7,300 cigarettes (yeah that is a lot of cigarettes and smoke in your lungs)

Quit smoking with Nicoderm CQ - Day 34

Day 34 - It was another great day.  My wife and I took a walk through Lake Geneva and got some ice cream and just enjoyed spending some time together.  I have noticed a lot more now, that there are a lot of people out there that smoke.  I was amazed, this is something I never paid attention to when I was a smoker, but now I notice everyone that is smoking.  I can't believe so many people smoke, I saw a guy get out of his car light a cigarette for his 30 second walk to the entrance to a store and then put the cigarette out and I thought to myself, I used to do that.  What a waste, do you really need to smoke for that 30 seconds?  Man, I can't believe I used to do that.  The thought of each cigarette lit was about 37 cents, that is crazy.  I calculate how much cigarettes were costing my wife and I for just one year and $5417 a year on cigarettes is ridiculous.  I could have had my car paid off by now with this amount, or my wife, kids, and I could have had many great vacations with this money, but no, smoking was more important.  Just the thought of the time and money I have wasted on cigarettes makes me sick.  I alone, spent 36,500 minutes of my life a year smoking which equates to roughly 608 hours which equates to 3.62 weeks a year spent on smoking.  If you are a smoker and have never done the calculation, I suggest you do your own calculation, this is a wake up call.

How to figure the calculation:

1. Number of cigarettes per day x 5(minutes) = total minutes per day spent smoking
2. Total number of minutes spent per day smoking x 365 (days per year) = total minutes per year
3. Total minutes per year / 60 (minutes per hour) = number of hours per year
4. Number of hours per year / 168 (number of hours in a week) = number of weeks spent smoking

Quit smoking with Nicoderm CQ - Day 33

Day 33 - Since I stopped smoking, it has given me more time to actually think about where I want to be in life.  I have advanced in my career pretty good in a short term and I continue to grow with the company I am with now, but is it enough?  I ask myself this everyday, I set goals to reach before I turn 40, one was to quit smoking and so far I have met this goal.  Another goal I set was to be making a specific amount of money by the time I turn 40 (not disclosing the amount here).  I am close to the money I set as my goal, but I am not quite there, but I do have the experience to get there and this is a constant thought on my mind.  I guess it is good to have this thought because it keeps me from thinking about smoking.  One thing to find out if you plan on quitting smoking, see if your company has a cessation program that may be able to help you.  I am in a very supportive company when it comes to employees wanting to quit smoking.  This is a big help especially if you have co-workers quitting the same time you are, it gives you more support.  I quit and it is the best decision I have ever made.

Quit smoking with Nicoderm CQ - Day 32

Day 32 - The struggle continues.  I find that some urges I have throughout the day are getting stronger.  I am not sure if that is because I am more stressed, which I really don't feel more stressed, or is it just a normal part of quitting.  I ask myself, is the expectation when quitting to have good days and bad days?  The answer I guess would have to be yes.  Nicotine is an addiction just like any other drug and when you are trying to break the habit, you will continue to have that little voice in your head saying you want nicotine, you want a cigarette.  I am still on the patch, so the nicotine is covered for now, but now I think, what is going to happen when I am no longer using the patch.  One thing I make sure to do is get my thought process off of the thought of no more patches so I don't get more anxious.  Currently, I can control the urges I get and when they get really bad, I just listen to a song or two with a headset till they pass.  I think music is a good thing to turn to, because it gets you thinking about other things if you actually listen to the words.  I found this one video on YouTube that is not only good but also has some funny parts.  Hope you enjoy!!!

Quit smoking with Nicoderm CQ - Day 31

Day 31 - I think I may have mentioned this over time but one thing to remember when you are trying to quit smoking is that your daily routine will change.  If you do not like change, then this will be hard for you.  Everyday is a new routine as you get used to doing things to fill in the time you used to smoke.  I have learned that since I stopped smoking, my routine daily is not a routine anymore.  Everyday is something new and it does feel good to do new things.  My new daily things I do to pass the cigarette times is to maybe take a short walk around my office or take 5 minutes and listen to a song on YouTube, or even just go outside and get some air, everyday is something new.  The best part of not having a routine, is not having a routine and getting healthier not having one.

Quit smoking with Nicoderm CQ - Day 30

Day 30 - Yesterday was a great day.  1 month down and many more great months to come as a non-smoker.  I feel good even with a few urges and anxiety, I feel good.  I am learning that each day comes and a new routine begins.  It makes life interesting when everyday is a new day.  I feel that good things are to come as I move forward as a non-smoker.  I certainly hope people are reading these posts and are finding them useful.  If not that is alright because I do this for me, just like quitting smoking, you will being doing it for yourself.  You are doing it to be healthier and so that you can be their for your family, but if you truly don't want to quit and you are doing it because someone told you to, you will not succeed.  Please feel free to ask any questions for anyone of my posts or just leave comments, I will reply.  Anything you want to know about quitting just ask and I will be happy to tell you everything I have been going through that may not have made it on this Blog.

Quit smoking with Nicoderm CQ - Day 29

Day 29 - As the end of the day yesterday, my wife and I have completed 1 month of not smoking.  This to me is an impressive milestone.  I never could have imagined a month ago that I could have gone this long without a cigarette.  To me, smoking is a bad addiction and one that is very hard to quit.  There is no easy way of quitting and until you make that decision you are done, you will never quit.  As I believe I have said in the past, prepare yourself for what is going to be when you quit.  You will have urges, your mind will make you very anxious, your body will go through changes, it just feels different and this difference is what you will need to get used to.  The difference you feel after quitting smoking is good, but remember it is different and you will need to make sure you are prepared for this.

Quit smoking with Nicoderm CQ - Day 28

Day 28 - Another great day of not smoking.  I find myself each day thankful for the next because I know I am doing what needs to be done to live a healthier life.  Nobody is going to live forever, but I am going to live as long as I can.  All I can say today about not smoking is it has given me a new lease on life.  I am feeling better as each day passes and my energy level has increased.  Nobody knows this feeling unless you are/were a smoker who has quit or is quitting.  Some times I feel anxious because I have so much energy, I don't know what to do with it.  These are the times to watch out for so you don't allow yourself to be fouled into smoking again.  This anxiety can make you feel the urge to smoke, just relax and it will pass.

Quit smoking with Nicoderm CQ - Day 27

Day 27 - Yesterday was a great day, my wife and I had a date night and we saw the movie Tammy.  Anyone who wants to see a funny movie, I would highly recommend going to see Tammy.  I couldn't tell you the last time my wife and I went out to a movie theater, and it was such an enjoyable evening.  I find now that I don't smoke, I want to get out and do more.  Before, when I was a smoker, I just wanted to spend a lot of time at home because most places you go to, you can't smoke, and smoking was that much a part of my life.  Yesterday I also had some time during the day to watch some YouTube videos and I came across the commercial that was a big influence on me deciding to quit.  I want to share this video with everyone.  I will put up a viewer discretion as the video can be disturbing to some, but the fact of what it presents should be shown.  If this video doesn't motivate you to quit nothing will.

Quit smoking with Nicoderm CQ - Day 26

Day 26 - Yesterday was a great day.  It was Friday so why wouldn't it be a great day and on top of that it was payday.  It feels great to move forward each day as each day is closer that I will no longer have to use the patch to quit smoking.  I have roughly 6 weeks and 2 days left on the patch and then I am on my own.  I think I will do fine as I am not feeling any remorse about quitting smoking.  I still have urges, but I have found was to deal with those.  I think back to the days when I did smoke and what a routine that was.  If your are a smoker, look at your day to day routine and you will know what I am talking about.  I would get up everyday and go to the bathroom and then go have a cigarette, this was a daily routine for years.  Then throughout the day I had my cigarette breaks timed and I would keep that routine everyday.  Pretty boring if you ask me.  Now, I don't have a routine, I get up each day as a new day and new things to do and it feels great.  Let's see what I am not putting in my body as a daily routine:

 

OK I found one thing in the picture that I am putting in my body still and that is Nicotine from the patch.  I will soon be off of the patch so then everything in the picture will not be going into my body.

Quit smoking with Nicoderm CQ - Day 25

Day 25 - Yesterday was about urges.  I had many urges yesterday for a cigarette and I am not sure why.  They did pass but it took longer.  I am not worried though because I know that quitting was the best thing I have ever done for my family and my health.  I may have said this before but if you ever get an urge to have a cigarette, just listen to a good song that is at least 3 minutes long.  I find sometimes it may be better to listen to a song that you would normally never listen to because it keeps your mind focusing on the song and not your urge.  Below is a song I found that actually has a decent beat and help me through an urge to smoke.

Quit smoking with Nicoderm CQ - Day 24

Day 24 - Yesterday was all about relaxation.   One thing I have learned throughout this process of quitting smoking is to know when I need to just take a minute and relax, not exactly a minute, more like 3 minutes.  I found that 3 minutes is an acceptable time to just calm down and relax when the urge for a cigarette comes on and comes on strong.  Once you learn how to relax, the urges go away much faster.  Some ways I have found to relax are to:

1. Take a quick walk
2. Listen to a song
3. Watch a 3 minute timer roll back

There are other ways you can relax, you just need to find what works for you.

Quit smoking with Nicoderm CQ - Day 23

Day 23 - As I progress on my journey of quitting smoking, I find myself very thankful I made this decision to quit smoking before it was to late.  Now, I know that there is always a chance that I may incur some type of cancer, but I feel my chances now are much better in avoiding it.  I am still young enough to allow my lungs time to become healthy again.  Everyone has their vise, mine happened to be smoking.  I don't drink, I don't do drugs, and now, I don't smoke.  I feel in some ways I have been reborn.  The opportunity to start over doesn't happen everyday and I feel I am starting over because I have freed my lungs from the toxins I having been filling them with over the paste 25 years.  I am not always about mentioning my business on this Blog, but the business side of me has to plug my business at least once.

I have worked very hard to put together an Online Classified Website that people would be proud to advertise on and I would be proud to own.  I think I have accomplished my goal and now I would like all my readers to help spread the word.  Yes I know, there is Craigslist out there, but I wanted to create a site with better security and to provide for those that provide for us (veterans).  Please visit and help spread the word and together we can make my site very successful.

Quit smoking with Nicoderm CQ - Day 22

Day 22 - Back to work after a great vacation.  It felt so good to enjoy a vacation without smoking.  I am so glad I made the decision to quit smoking.  I am at the point of no more counting days, I am counting weeks, and soon I will be counting months.  Nothing gives you a sense of satisfaction better then succeeding at a goal you set for yourself.  This week is all about success and succeeding at whatever you want to accomplish.  You can do it, nothing can stop you from accomplishing all your goals if you just set your mind to it.

Quit smoking with Nicoderm CQ - Day 21

Day 21 - Just another day of feeling good.  Not much more to say about day 21.

Quit smoking with Nicoderm CQ - Day 20

Day 20 - On this day my wife and I went out to look at the new bicycles we are going to buy.  Since we don't want the quitting smoking to go to waste, we are going to add in exercising to fill in some gaps of the smoking urge.  I am so happy on how far we have come so far and I look forward to being a non-smoker for the rest of my life.  To anyone who reads my Blog and is a smoker considering becoming a non-smoker, when you first begin it will be hard, but just remember how much better you will feel in a couple of weeks after quitting.  I am full of energy and sometimes it is bad because I don't know what to do, but I guess I would rather be full of energy then not have enough energy.  Let's all be energized and enjoy life.

Quit smoking with Nicoderm CQ - Day 19

Day 19 - I think some of my blog's may have confused some people.  Each post I make is the day posted the day after the completed day so I can blog the full day.  So Day 19 was actually yesterday.  So this post will discuss what I went through yesterday.

Yesterday was the 4th of July and also my wife's birthday, so we decided to go out shopping for new furniture for our living room.  We were doing more of window shopping to decide what we want for new furniture in our living room.  Finding things to do to keep yourself busy is a crucial part keeping your mind off of smoking.  When you first quit smoking the number one thing on your mind will be the urge for a cigarette.  You will have to get past this urge as it will be strong the first week.  After the first week it does get better.  I think as I move forward, the better thing to do is on a day to day basis, you find things to change what your routine was and this will help to keep you mind off of the cigarettes.  It feels good to live free.

Quit smoking with Nicoderm CQ - Day 18

Day 18 - Another day has gone by and I am finding easier and easier to forget about smoking.  This Blog really is my only reminder of what once was.  I continue the Blog because it will give me something to come back to in case I ever need a cigarette.  I went through all of yesterday without one urge or need of a cigarette.  Time to move forward.

Quit smoking with Nicoderm CQ - Day 17

Day 17 - Moving forward, we just got home from our vacation yesterday and it was a fun time for the family and I.  I must admit that being a non-smoker has made it easier for me to do things such as walking up stairs, taking long walks, and just wanting to do things.  When I smoked all I cared about was when I was going to have that next cigarette.  Now I think, what can I do now such as take a walk, go for a bike ride, just spending time with the family.  You will never understand what it feels like to be a non-smoker until you become one (aimed at those who smoke).  It feels like every day is a new day instead of the whole routine you have when you are a smoker.

I am happier now, I feel healthier, and I just feel like I want the live life to the fullest.  Everyday is a new day and life is full of adventures.  Being a non-smoker, I look forward to all the new adventures I take.

Quit smoking with Nicoderm CQ - Day 16

Day 16 - As each day passes, I am thankful to have made the decision to stop smoking before I turn 40.  To anyone out there that reads my Blog, understand that if you smoke, I have been there, I know how hard it is to finally make that decision to quit smoking.  My titles for this Blog right now are quit smoking with Nicoderm CQ, but once I am done with the patch the title will change to reflect how things are going since being of the patch.  The patch is the tool I use to quit smoking, this may not work for everyone.  Whatever you choose to use to quit smoking follow these simple rules:

1. Don't set a date to quit.  I have tried this in the past and it never works, you will just keep adding to the date.  When you set your mind to quit, you will just quit.
2. You have to want to quit.  If you don't have your mind made up that you want to quit, you will not be able to quit.  Understand there is give and take when you decide to quit.
3. If you know someone else that wants to quit, do it at the same time.  This will give you someone to help support through the hard times.  There are also other support avenues you can get online, like Blog your day such as I am.  When people comment, it gives you that good feeling of support you may need.  Read other Blogs or forums to help support you in your quitting.  Help is out there, you just need to use it.
4. Realize you will still have urges.  I am on Day 16 and I still have urges, but the key is knowing how to ignore the urges and get your mind on something else.  The urges do pass, some quicker than others, but they do pass.
5. Don't turn to food.  When you decide to quit, remember, most people turn to food to offset the need for a cigarette.  Try to include vegetables or fruit into your day to fill you up during the times you may feel the need for a cigarette.  Make sure to include walking in your daily routine, it has really helped me and it helps to curve the urges for a cigarette.
6. Last but not least, refrain from hanging around people that smoke for at least 2 weeks.  I did this and I tell you, it makes it a lot easier to deal with if you give yourself some time to cope with not smoking before being around others that smoke.

You will learn that when you stop smoking, your daily routine changes and you just need to make sure you find others things that you can do to keep your mind away from your original smoking routine.  One hard one for me was, I drive 45 minutes to work everyday and I would always smoke going to work.  I could not change this so I made sure I had life savers to cope with the need for a cigarette and in time the urges to smoke while driving have gone away.

Quit smoking with Nicoderm CQ - Day 15

Day 15 - Who would think that when beginning to stop smoking you would get to the point where days are no longer your counting point.  I remember just a couple of weeks ago I was counting 1 day, 2 day , 3 day, etc. and now I am not counting days, because counting days just gives a reminder of the habit.  I still want to keep track of how long I have not been smoking, and this Blog will help me to do that, but other then that, I will celebrate each week I have quit and soon, that will change to each month I have been a non-smoker.

I want to aim this next statement to anybody who reads this that is trying to quit smoking.  YOU CAN DO IT!!!! I thought after 25 years of smoking a pack a day, I would never be able to quit smoking.  Well, I am starting week 3 and I have not touch a cigarette.  The feeling you get from not smoking is amazing, you just feel more energized and it feels good.  You have to want to quit, or quitting will never work for you.  Good luck to anyone else trying to quit smoking and I hope my Blog may be able to help you get through some of the hard times.