The Quit Smoking Report Ezine

The Quit Smoking Report 12/14/99
Special Issue: Smokers' Stories

Brought to you by QuitSmoking.com - The Quit Smoking Company
http://www.quitsmoking.com

In this issue:

<> Letter from the Editor
<> Featured Product: Nico-Plex
<> Smokers' Stories
<> Unsubscribe Success Story

You can read previous issues of The Quit Smoking Report on our
web site. Just visit: http://www.quitsmoking.com/ezine/

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LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

Hello again everyone!

This special issue is devoted to stories from your fellow
subscribers. Learn from their successes or stumbles. Send your
thoughts to those who need help.

Fred Kelley
fredk@quitsmoking.com
The Quit Smoking Company

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SMOKERS' STORIES

If you can help these folks with your suggestions please send
them email.

Molli <jkennyk@bellsouth.net> writes:
Subject: Finally quit!!

Hi! I'm Molli, and actually I subscribed to this newsletter for
my husband, hoping it will motivate him to quit. I quit myself
almost 4 months ago. I am 35 years old, and a severe diabetic on
disability and like an idiot, I had smoked since I was 19 years
old. When I was very young, doctors had told me that if I
couldn't get my diabetes under control, I wouldn't live to be
30! So, since I had always had problems with it, I just
automatically assumed I wouldn't live long, so I figured I'd
live it up while I could! I started smoking when I was 19, and
gradually worked up to 2 packs a day, even though I had a heart
murmer and was at a high risk of heart attack being diabetic
anyway. I did try to quit, but the gum didn't work for me, and
the patch made me sick at my stomach, so I kept on smoking. I
was even considering hypnotherapy! One night a few months ago, I
woke up with severe chest pains that lasted for nearly an hour,
and I haven't smoked since. It scared me so bad-I think everyone
has their own way of quitting, but for me, that was like a scare
tactic. I realized that life is short enough, why make it
shorter? I'm trying to get my husband to quit, but no luck so
far-he's still a 2 pack a day smoker, but he says he has been
smoking less since I quit myself. Hopefully some of the
suggestions in here will help him!

+++

Charles Chisongo <CHISONGC@nchnet.zccm.zm> writes:
Subject: There Are No Benefits

Phew!!
This was a sigh of relief after having made a final decision
about being smoke-free. After smoking for 21 years, I've finally
decided to call it quits and quit for good (hopefully). For the
whole period that I've been smoking, there was never a time when
I attempted to quit let alone even think about it. I was
enjoying every moment of it.

I've been reading a lot of the stories from non-smokers who have
been compelled to stop because of varied reasons. Most of the
stories are from people who have had some medical problems of
one kind or another, some have done so to please their beloved
ones and friends, etc. I sometimes sit back and think about what
I have gained from cigarette smoking over the years. Truly,
there doesn't seem to be any benefits at all. In most cases, I
have had the feeling that I relieve myself from stress. Well, I
have found that one can actually cope with stress in many ways
and the benefits of being smoke-free are countless. Taking a
walk out in the open, for example, will give you a lot of relief
and strength.

Now that I've stopped, I have come to realise that I was
somewhat punishing my wife (thanks to her for the encouragement)
with the smell and litter from cigarette ash. The house smells
good and fresh all the time now. My clothes have a refreshing
smell all the time.

The difficult part has been to overcome the craving. It sometime
becomes so intense that one last time will always be the next
time, and if one is not very careful, that last time will always
be giving way to the next last time. This way one can find
oneself in some kind of never ending loop. It pays to make a
decision and stick by it. Analyse the pros and cons of the
situation and consult with close friends and may be pray and
meditate.

+++

Bill Mayer <batemanbill53@hotmail.com> writes:

I have been smoking since I was 12. Now at 46, the 30+ years are
catching up to me. I had an artery stented a month ago and you
would think that would be enough to stop me. But the addiction
is a strong one. Tuesday I started taking zyban and next
Thursday (thanksgiving) is the day that cigarettes and demon
nick leave and never return. I hope. Wish me luck.

If I can quit anybody can. This is real test of zyban and my
will to live another 40 or 50 years.
Bill

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Diane <grammie@fidalgo.net> writes:
Subject: ahhh breathing

30 years a smoker. 5 tries to quit last year. 3 tries this year.
Never made it more than a few days. Today 11-3-99 I am 18 days
smoke free. Living with a smoking husband and daughter. When I
was smoking, I wanted to quit EVERY day, wanted to not smoke,
not stink, not be addicted...you know, just wanted to QUIT. So I
figured that it was much easier to be a non smoker (and want to
smoke sometimes), than it was to be a smoker who wanted to quit
everyday. "Glory be to God", it's still easier to not smoke than
it was to want to quit (with every ciggie I smoked). Wore the
patch for about 2 weeks and now I just drink water, coffee, and
I can BREATH! (Don't stink anymore either)Good luck to you all
out there who are quitting and to those of you who will quit
someday. Diane

+++

Name withheld by request
Subject: quitting

I am a 16 year old who has smoked now for 4 years. Every one of
my friends smoke and our whole lives revolved around smoking. If
we were running low on cigarettes, we would spend our lunch
money and go hungry just to get some. A large portion of the
high school population smokes but rarely do most of them have
cigarettes. Many times you are forced to give up your smokes to
older people and you are constantly supplying people with your
cigarettes. Not only was smoking killing me, it was taking away
ALL of the money i had. For my own habit and other peoples. I
always said 'I am young and I can quit when i am a little bit
older. It's not a problem'. And if anyone ever says that
teenagers cannot get addicted to smoking, they are lying or they
do not know what they are talking about. Believe me, teens can
get extremely addicted to smoking.

Two weeks ago, something strange happened. I woke up and felt
terrible, which was not out of the ordinary. I spent a whole
night coughing and my chest was sore. While walking to school, I
lit up my favourite morning smoke and was relieved as soon as it
hit my lungs. But right after that, I suddenly got extremely
scared and put out my cigarettes and threw the rest of my pack
in the sewer. I have no idea what happened or what brought on
this panic attack. But from that day until today, I have been
smoke free.

It has been hard, but not as hard as I thought it would be. I
feel better inside because I know that I made an extremely good
decision that will help me in the future. I feel lucky that I
stopped now and I won't have to worry about any long-term health
problems. I know right now that I will never smoke again.
Smelling a cigarette or even holding a cigarette disgusts me now
to a point of nausea. Trust me, quitting is the best thing you
will ever decide to do.

+++

Janice <rj@visionol.net> writes:
Subject: My Little Story

Hi. I was a pack a day smoker for 20 years. With each cold
lately, I have had to have a puffer to help open the bronchial
tubes. The doctor said " This is just a sign of worse to come."
I pictured myself with an oxygen tank at my side. Nooo way. I
quit cold turkey with my last cold, 6 weeks ago.

Only those who have broke the habit know the difficulty of it
all. One thing that works for me is to walk. With each craving,
take a walk and remember why you are quitting. I can't believe I
used to smell like that. I really notice it now on other people
that smoke. And their breath. Oh how disgusting it all seems
now.

I do believe I look different or is it me looking at myself
differently? I am proud and I will continue the fight. Life is
already too short, don't make it any shorter.

Thanks for listening. Good luck everyone.
Janice

Where's your story? I'd sure like to share it with the other
subscribers to this email list. Submit Your Smoker's Story

I hope to hear from you!

Want to read more stories from successful quitters? Order a copy
of "The Last Puff - Ex-Smokers Share the Secrets of Their
Success". Read the fascinating success stories and interviews of
30 ex-smokers. For more information and to order visit:
http://www.quitsmoking.com/books/lastpuff/index.htm

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UNSUBSCRIBE SUCCESS STORY

When a subscriber to this ezine has quit successfully and asks
to be taken off the list, I ask them to tell their success
story. Here is this issue's story:

Andy <arknorr@rmi.net> writes:

My quitting story:

I had my first few smokes in the 3rd grade--my mother's butts
that she left in ashtrays. (That's one reason to quit, if you're
a parent.)

Now, I'm 48 and have smoked at various levels in my life--never
a pack a day--usually a few a day, some days none, more at
parties. Everyone told me that if they smoked the way I did,
they wouldn't worry about it. I loved to smoke because it was
rebellious. And I liked the immediate rush. But I hated the way
I smelled, the soreness in my throat just a few cigarettes would
create, the effect on my breathing ( I live at 8700 feet). I
successfully quit while I was pregnant and had my 2 daughters--a
hiatus of about 5 years. Then I started smoking again at parties
with friends.

Basically, I maintained that level of smoking--a few a day,
sometimes none, bumming from friends, occasionally buying my
own, smoking out in the back yard, hiding, then throwing the
pack away, after dousing it in water so I couldn't retrieve it!
I live in an athletic community where smoking is really
considered a stupid thing to do, and I felt stupid for doing it,
too.

I decided to quit smoking when my daughter left for college,
picking that date because it coincided with my 48th birthday,
and I wanted to be "clean" for the year 2000, instead of waiting
until Jan.1 to quit, one more time. Your web site helped me--it
connected me with others who were struggling and succeeding. I
ordered your smokeless cigarette, which I used about 2 days,
until I felt even more silly pretending to smoke. It made me
laugh at myself.

But the best thing that happened to me, was not really my doing,
directly. A very close friend of mine who had been a heavy,
sometimes belligerent, smoker up and quit. He and I had talked
about smoking for years--the ups and downs--the fact that
smoking was the only thing we could think of that both buzzed
you and calmed you at the same time. But after 40 some years of
smoking, he was starting to notice a cough. He quit, cold
turkey. I was impressed with his conviction, his idea that
quitting was a discipline from which he could derive pleasure.

He suffered terribly, with headaches, cravings, tremendous waves
of sorrow, sleeplessness, aches in his body, yet he didn't
waver, because as he put it to me, "I quit smoking. It is my
decision. Why would I smoke when I have decided not to? " Seems
very simple, yet difficult. It is the simplicity of his thought,
however, that appealed to me. He and I and you are in control of
our decisions. What we decide to do, we do. (I did remind him of
one thing I read on your web site--that cravings only last 30
seconds. He felt that was helpful.)

Since that time, I have experienced a serious crisis in my life-
-my husband's cancer has returned--and my first thought was to
go get a pack of cigarettes. But I remember my friend's thoughts
and realized that I didn't smoke anymore, and that I found
pleasure in that discipline. I found it helped to tell people,
when they asked how I was holding up, that I really wanted a
cigarette, but I didn't smoke anymore. It helped to remind
MYSELF by saying it.

I guess that's it--no magic tricks, just support showing up when
you need it. I will tell you that I feel very good about myself
now that I have finally licked it. It's been 2 1/2 months. I
know that I won't smoke again. I found that the discipline
required to accomplish quitting can truly be a pleasure, and
believing what you tell yourself (I don't smoke) does wonders
for your self esteem.

Believe yourself.

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You can find additional helpful quit smoking tips and
information at http://www.quitsmoking.com/quitinfo.htm

While you're there, take a look at our products page at
http://www.quitsmoking.com/products.htm for some helpful
quit smoking tools.

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Quit Smoking Cartoons: http://www.quitsmoking.com/cartoons/
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The Quit Smoking Company web site is a part of the growing
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http://www.ProsperousInternet.com for information on starting
your own Internet business.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Until next time, TELL YOURSELF YOU DON'T SMOKE ANYMORE,

Fred Kelley

Next Issue: 12/21/99

The Quit Smoking Company
Phone: 770-346-9222
Fax: 770-475-5007
Web: http://www.quitsmoking.com
Email: mailto:fredk@quitsmoking.com

© Copyright 1999 Fred H. Kelley
This email may be freely distributed and forwarded
as long as the entire email remains intact.

DISCLAIMER: I am not a doctor or professional therapist.
The information included in this email is my opinion and the
opinions of the people sending in their comments.
Fred Kelley and The Quit Smoking Company make no warranties,
either expressed or implied, about the truth or accuracy of the
contents of The Quit Smoking Report.

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