I Am Quitting and I Need Your Help!
One of the HARDEST things I am going to face in the next few months, is breaking a habit I have owned for almost 30 years! You see… I started smoking at the ripe age of 15, and I have smoked on and off (mostly ON) ever since… Anyone who tells you it’s easy to quit smoking, is lying, and I have handfuls of failed attempts on my end to tell them so!
Nicotine is an addictive drug that literally consumes you… I have tried to quit several times in the past and had varying degrees of temporary success, but as you hear now, it’s time to kick the habit for good and I am DETERMINED to succeed! BUT… I am also going to ask for your help, to remind me DAILY to keep up the good work and GIVE ME HELL if I don’t!
I’m Quitting Smoking and You Can Help!
As of this post being published today – you will notice I have pushed my right column banner box down about 2 inches, to make room for something MUCH more important than making a bit of money… improving my overall health! I will update this box EVERY DAY I am in front of a PC and have access to keep it updated! I will do so every morning by 10AM ET! If you notice it has not been updated… please send me an email or comment on this post and GIVE ME HELL – I deserve it!
Why Am I Quitting and Vowing to Get Healthier?
Do I really need to get into the reasons to quit? If you are over the age of 7, you already know! Due to my family history, lifestyle, and a few personal reasons, its time!
- My Father died last year of pancreatic cancer and 3 of his 5 sisters have lost various battles with cancer. This puts me in that category of high risk! I have known this for 2-3 years, yet still never had the balls or willpower to step up and do something.. until now!
- I have elevated cholesterol (220)
- I do not exercise enough (Changing that too)
- Its nasty… If a habitual smoker admits its nasty… guess what?
- Smoking does not help your love life after a certain age and the hydraulics don’t always work as good as they used to! (keepin it real here folks)
- I don’t ever want any of our kids to smoke! Fortunately, NONE of them think its “Cool” or even a good thing to try!
- They are expensive! There was just a new tax added to cigarettes… in NC, it means a carton of cigarettes now costs $33.00 – I CANNOT imagine how people in NY can pay $60/carton, but this is completely different conversation about Gov’t laws and the fleecing of the middle class IMHO. I mean… if they are that bad, which EVERYONE KNOWS they are, why not just make them illegal? Answer: Uncle Sam has GOT to have the #2 source of tax revenue continuing to flow in, that’s why!
- MOST Importantly… I want to be around to see my grandchildren grow up!
How am I Quitting Smoking?
If I tell you I have tried everything… I am not exaggerating! I have tried every known method of quitting! From cold turkey, to the patch, to gum, hypnotism, to the newest rave Chantix… Hell, they have a new clinic here in Charlotte where they give you 2 shots of some compound, behind your ears… I think not! I have mixed results with each of the above methods (Not the shot, won’t do it) and even quit for a few YEARS in the past! The ONLY method that helped me was Hypnotism.
On Friday (This week) March 20th at 11:00 am, I have an appointment with a hypnotist here in town and I am committed to making this work! Its $125 bucks… and anytime I feel the need for a refresher, she offers a discount to reprogram me again! :-)
Along with the smoking problem, I have also vowed to start getting healthier by walking or making use of the clothes hanger/elliptical machine I have right here in my office! Starting today, I am going to clear all the crap stacked on top of it (They make GREAT junk collectors don’t they?) and start walking for 10-15 minutes on it! 10-15 minutes is not much, but its a hell of alot better than 0 minutes! Once I conquer the 15 minute barrier, I will step it up to 30, etc etc. Exercise machines are really odd aren’t they? When we were on vacation, I walked for HOURS at a time and loved it… put me on that damn machine though, and after 5 minutes, I am counting the minutes to be done – it’s boring!
I am not overweight at 6’1 204 pounds… but the weight seems to have shifted around in the past few years and really likes to stay right there around my waist now! :-)
How Can You Help?
Like I mentioned above… that little box in the upper right is going to be my own little support system! Sure, Kim and the kids will support me, but I have always been one that’s somewhat easy to submit to peer pressure, and hate public embarrassment! Plain and simple… if I don’t update the box on a M-F, or you know no reason why I wouldn’t (Like vacation or something) Please Ask me Why?!
I AM going to quit and you can help if you want!
Join Me and Quit as a Team!
I’m sure I am not the only smoker who reads this blog… I know several of you personally and if you want to try and quit as well, lets do this together!
Previously Published Articles You May Like to Read:
- One of the Secret Ingredients to Finding Success in a Niche!
- Progress – Are You Making Any?
- I Almost Quit You Last Month!
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I have been doing my part to "Build the Internet" since 1994, when I built my first website! Since then, I have built hundreds of niche websites for myself and many others, focused on design, applications, ecommerce, search optimization and internet marketing.
Well done matey.
I have given up for 9 years now and it is worth it.
I still crave it sometimes, but only in more social times. The thought of getting up, having a ciggy immediately is horrid!
Well done!
YO! First off.. you WILL conquer this! No doubt in my mind! I’ve lost too many friends and family to cancer and that was always a huge reminder to me!
I smoked from age 9 to age 22 and haven’t picked one up since and i’m 43 now. To be honest.. i laid ‘em down and never picked ‘em back up! No it wasn’t easy but i did it!!!!!!!! and I never crave them thank goodness!
Take that hard earned money and put it towards that Mustang you love so much or that wife you love so much or those kids you love so much! Use that as an extra incentive!!
YOU GO BOI! KICK ASS!!
@ Tao and Jake – Thanks for the encouragement for sure!! I hope you both give me some flack if I slack off!! LOL
@ Jake – You must be happy about Duke? i know you bleed blue…
I’ll personally drive to your house and kick your ass hahaha!
Dude, did you see my last blog post? hahaha Misty had a bad weekend.. Jake had a GREAT weekend!! GO DUKE!
I quit smoking by reducing the number of sticks per day. You cannot quit smoking altogether. If you smoke 50 a day…try and smoke 45 the next…40 & so on…It helps.
Great idea. Lets do it together and support each other. We can encourage, harass, discrace … each other. Whatever helps. I have my chantix right here but I have not yet made that final decision.
Hey: Mark I am with you on this!!
Like you I have tried numerous times yet I have failed each time I was able to stop smoking for six month once but then I had a bad day and started over again.
It is time to give up this nasty habit.
I wish you the best of luck with this and hope we both succeed this time.
Hey,
Congrats on your desire to quit smoking. I am a former smoker myself. Weed had me by the balls and I can now admit that honestly.
One thing thats helped me stay clean is krav maga. It’s a hell of a workout, and you literally CANNOT smoke when taking that. YOu won’t make it through a session and you’ll feel like crap 10 minutes into it. I highly recommend that if only for the fitness aspect of it. There’s a really good school near charlotte run by Ryan Hoover.
http://www.rhek.com/
Good for you!
I have heard that if you are giving up one habit, you have to replace it with another. Most people will choose food. But try choosing healthy foods. Or any other habit that is at least good for you.
Exercise is also a great way to boost your mood when you feel anxious or depressed. Love those endorphins! Better than nicotine.
Have a plan for WHAT you are going to do when you are most vulnerable. What will you do when you just HAVE to have that cigarette?
One more suggestion, try meditation if you haven’t. It helps you get to know your body and your mind intimately. When you do, you won’t want to abuse it anymore.
Good luck-
Lorna
Good for you Mark! I quit almost 9 years ago, after having smoked for 25 years. By that time my body was ready to give them up, and mentally I made the commitment that that was enough. I tried a patch for about a day, but it gave me a heart arrhythmia so I basically was cold turkey after the first couple of days.
You really have to be ready to quit in order to do it. For years I never bothered trying, because mentally I didn’t want to quit yet, and knew I’d fail. I’m so glad you’ve made the decision! I won’t say it will be easy – those cravings that come out of the blue will bug you for years, but I’m sure you’ll be able to cope. I’ve heard good things about hypnosis so I’m rootin’ for ya!
Al
I never smoked in my life. I’m an anti-smoking activist and I think that smokers should all put themselves together and star a huge legal battle against those Big Tobacco Companies for what they did to the world. There are more smokers than non-smokers right now on this planet. Can you imagine how many people are killing themselves with smoking and most of them cant overcome the addiction? How many movies do your kids go to where the actors do not smoke? They can no longer advertise on billboards, but they do it in movies. They get them when they are young, when they dont know what a disaster smoking can be. I really feel sorry for smokers, because almost everybody I love smoke, wife, daughter, mother, son-in-law, etc… Something MUST BE DONE…
Well done. I quit 12 years ago when we were trying for a baby (I ended up with twins!) Why not put the money you will save into an account towards your grandchildren or some other funding?
Congratulations on deciding to make a change for the better Mark!
I wish you all the success in the world, I know you can do it!
You’ll beat the weed Mark, of that I have no doubt.
I stopped about 15 years ago, after numerous trys.
A book by a fella called Allen Carr called The Easy Way to Stop Smoking helped me.
He used to smoke 80 a day but just gave up, with no withdrawal effects.
That is another fallacy, once you get your head right about packing them in you’ll be glad to stop.
paul Mckenna, a british hypnotist has books and audio programmes to help too.
We are all behind you.
Good on you, and thanks for all your help with marketing and BANS.
CONGRATULATIONS! That is amazing and you have my full support!
Mark:
I’ve been fighting the same battle all my life. If I have them around, I smoke. Does Kim smoke? If so, see if she’ll quit with you or you’re in for an even tougher battle. You can do it. Put a thick rubber band around your wrist, when you get the urge, snap the hell out of yourself. The urge to smoke usually only lasts a few minutes, so when you get past it, you usually have some peace for a while.
Keep busy!! That helps more than anything else. Good luck!! Nicotine is out of your body after about 72 hours, then it’s all mental. Hard to do though. Have a picture of your dad next to your computer for sure.
Mark,
I’m real proud of you for making up your mind and committing to it in front of all of your readers. It looks like they all want you to succeed too which is fantastic.
I don’t smoke and haven’t for quite a while but I’m completely down with getting more exercise. You’re absolutely right-10-15 minutes is a great start. Too often people quit exercising because they try to get on the treadmill and do 45 minutes first day.
Hypnosis is for real. I beat IBS with it.
Take your time. Remember the journey AND the destination. Celebrate any victories and don’t linger on setbacks.
You can and will do it.
Jeff
Growing up, my mom smoked and I hated it. I used my allowance once to buy here some over-the-counter stop smoking pills, but among other things, she tried for awhile and then didn’t follow through. She died of cancer when she was only 50, shortly after I graduated college.
To know it was possibly preventable kills me to this day. Now I’m trying to get her sister, my Aunt to stop. I get tired of bugging her about it, but I guess she needs to decide for herself to stop, just like you did today.
So you WILL stop & we will help you do it.
Like Yoda says: DO, or DO NOT. There is NO TRY…
or else we’ll tell google to deindex you because you are spouting fraudulent claims….
OK, I’m getting carried away, but that’s how I strongly I feel. ;)
Man o Man… Thank you to EVERYONE for the support both in this post and all of the direct emails I have gotten!!
There is no doubt… I will be a quitter within a week, and I really look forward to it!
@ Sonia – That talk about reporting me to Matt Cutts and the G Team for spreading a lye is a GREAT reason to make sure I stick to my end of this! LOL
Mark
Go, Mark, Go!
I’m not a smoker, but my dad was until he had a heart attack in his 40s. The day he had the heart attach his wife drove him to the ER. When the triage nurse asked where my dad was, his wife said, “He’s in the parking lot having a cigarette.”
That was his last one, and he said he knew it. He’s never looked back and he’s so much happier now that he’s smoke-free.
Good for you for doing this now before you are diagnosed with cancer or have a heart attack.
I have no doubt that there will be people waiting in line to kick you around if you screw up on this (my guess is that Kim will be line leader!).
Rochelle
Mark,
Nicotine is a drug and like other addictive drugs smoking it is a SYMPTOM of a larger more in depth problem. This is where the work must be done if you are to quit. Your considerable WILLPOWER, which you may believe is working in other areas of your life obviously does not work with this addiction…if it did you would have just decided to quit before and would have been able to do so. I suggest a 12 step program to address issues that cause you to smoke something that wants you dead. The first step in the solution to your dilemma is to know that you and no other human power (including a hypnotist) can solve this obsession for you. Might be a good idea to “network” with others who struggle, like you do, and who can tell you their success stories about quitting. Your kids and and my sister Kim (your wonderful wife) deserve to have you around for a while.
Hey Mark
Well done on deciding to quick, a close friend of mine has just done it and she is as grouchy as anything so just make sure your not LOL :).
I can’t say that smoking is my thing but the last few weeks I have started cycling to the office instead of driving so that’s an extra 35 miles a week. So although it’s not quitting smoking, I am quitting sitting on my ass :)
Mark,
I am not a smoker and never have been … but I can relate to the feelings about the treadmill. (Mine is currently in the garage after having served faithfully for a couple of years as extra closet space.)
Instead of using the treadmill, I just walk my dog everyday for about 40 – 45 minutes. It doesn’t give the cardio workout of a treadmill but it gives me a lot of time to think and plan … and it IS exercise. Try walking outside at least several days a week (either with the dogs, Kim or any of the kids) and maybe the treadmill won’t be so difficult on the days you actually have to use it.
Here’s to your success!
The reason why you will succeed now is that you have decided to. Congrats man!
Hi Mark,
I am afraid if you have fixed a date (March 20th at 11am ET) for your quitting, you will NEVER be able to do it.
If you are to do a thing, the only way out is doing it RIGHT NOW and HERE.
Sorry to sound like a naysayer, but that is what the reality is!
(Also smoking has been a victim to a hyped propaganda, in the name of health, against it. I doubt if anyone knows about health better than I do.)
Good luck!
G B SINGH
Mark
That’s awesome. Smoking sucks. Try doing the P90X workout like I did to get into shape. You will never want a cig again.
Hey Mark-
Good Luck … I quit over a decade ago, when I had my first heart attack. You can do anything you set your mind to, I vowed on the operating table to quit… drastic measures for sure but I was highly motivated. I regret not quitting sooner. You will feel better.. my advice just do it NOW.
I wish you the very best in quitting Mark. I didn’t do so well and in 2004 I had a heart attack that stopped me right in my tracks. The damage was in-operable and it took me all of 5 years to get to the point that I didn’t think I was going to die every single day.
My 1 1/2 year older brother wasn’t quite so lucky though as he died April 1st, 10 years ago. He didn’t have a chance to recover, just dead.
My third brother, the oldest manages to survive his heart attack but eventually had to have a transplant just to live.
All because we couldn’t give up the smokes.
Well we all eventually quit. I quit the day of my heart attack. It was a lot easier to quit lying on my back wondering if I was going to be here tomorrow.
I feel a lot better now and of course haven’t touched a smoke since Friday Feb 13, 2004 the day that pretty much stopped my life.
Again, I wish you the best in quitting Mark.
BTW: I wasn’t allowed to drive my car, I wasn’t even allowed to open doors or lift any more than 10 pounds. But the worst for me was no fishing and I have been a fly fishing fanatic for more than 30 years.
I was able to go fishing last summer, a friend took me out a few times but it still sucks a bit that I can’t go alone.
That’s great Mark..Way to go..Good Luck. I dont smoke myself, but have a friend who recently quit. The days following your final cigarette are terrible..You would literally go mad because of your body still craving for that puff, but dont give up..It’s all worth it…
PS: If it doesnt help, buy my affiliate product..It will make me $25 richer ;-)
Mark,
Congratulations! You made the decision to quite, that your first hurdle. I’m sure it will work out for you this time because I don’t think you want to wimp out in front of all these people, RIGHT?
The wife and I quite cold turkey when our first child was born back in 84. We didn’t want our kids to smoke so we needed to set the example.
Set up your elliptical machine in front of the TV or listen to an iPod, time will go by faster that way. I started with 15 minutes for the first week then every day after that I increased it by 5 minutes until I had it up to 45 minutes. Good Luck!!!!
Why are we always doing the same things at the same time?!?!? Its getting really frickin scary! LOL
Good luck Mark, I started yesterday on the gum and decided this was the last time I quit! Although rather “edgy” today have done pretty good so far! Hope you do the same!
Shane
Congratulations, Its a hard thing to do but well worth it. I need to do it as well and start exercising more. That’s a great idea to get a whole community to get behind you and push you to become healthier.
Mark, You said to give you a hard time,,,your post update above says…Exercise Today: 10 Mins – Not Yet Done
..time to exercise or at least update….right
Mark,
That’s truly awesome and you really do sound determined. I hope you are able to hang in there and make it.
My sister was a heavy smoker, had elevated blood pressure and high cholesterol at 34 years old. Two years ago she had a brain aneurysm which triggered multiple strokes. She’s now paralyzed on the right side and suffers from aphasia and apraxia. The doctors tell us she most likely always had an elevated chance of suffering from an aneurysm. But without a doubt the smoking, which was a major cause of the high blood pressure, caused the early onset.
So now anytime I hear someone say they are serious about quitting I want to tell them my sister’s story to prod and encourage them. Everyday I think about the life she had before the incident and the life she has now. If it makes one single person stick to their guns and really quit then it’s worth it.
Even my mother quit when that happened. And my mother had smoked from the time she was 12. At the time of of the incident my mother was 65. She smoked for a long time and quit cold turkey. If she can do it, so can you.
Best of luck to you – we need you around for many years to keep us inspired in our website development efforts!
Good for you! My prayers are with you.
My aunt & uncle both quit with hypnosis. My mom quit (12 yrs now) when she fell and broke a few ribs and had to have her spleen removed. (try to avoid that method if possible!)
My dad died of cancer – he was a chain smoker.
Take a look at my squidoo lens if you want to see some really gross pictures. Smoking is the deadliest habit there is.
I quit about 12 years ago and totally glad I did it. I actually used hypnosis as well. It was a group session at the local Drury inn. I think it was like $75 or something. It was funny we all had a pack on us and smoked every break they gave us as we went through several sessions and at the end they told us all to throw the packs on the floor and leave. I did and went immediately to the nearest bar and played some pool and had for or five beers. This was my true test. I passed it and haven’t looked back yet… Next stop … 12 years later… I must ….. quit soda …AHHH!!! Anyways good luck! Do you twitter? Maybe you could also tweet about your quest and get some more followers there as well … just a suggestion. Later, Jonathan
It is great that you are making an effort. I have never been a smoker, so to be honest, I dont know what it is you are going through. But I have a pretty good idea it sucks bad. Having to get up early in the morning just for a smoke is a pretty sad sight. The smell on the clothes on people even after they are washed, does not go away. I have been around heavy smokers and their breath smells like shit. I am not exaggerating. This stuff goes on and on.
I have sickle cell trait. Sickle cell is a pretty bad disease. Sickle cell trait is not good, but it is far better than having Sickle cell. I do not get all the big problems from the full blown disease, but I still get some. I get crises. But I am somewhat active and I work full time. I recently learned that having sickle cell trait, it makes me somewhat immune to addictions. People with sickle cell do not get addicted to anything easily. You have to do your damn best to get addicted to something. I thought I had good will power. Ha, I had myself fooled. I have been taking some heavy painkillers for 8 years for the pain. For a while I had money troubles and no insurance. I could not get a refill unless I saw the doctor, but I could not afford the visit, so I just stopped. I had quite a bit of pain of course, but I didnt even have withdrawal symptoms.
Oh well. Have you ever tried to make a pact with someone and give them money every time you fell off the wagon? A fair amount. Not too big that you cannot pay it and not too small that it feels like pocket change, but enough that you WILL feel it if you do not commit. And dont cheat. Giving it to the wife would be like Bernie Maddoff wife saying that her money is separate.
Way to go! I will be watching your progress. I have never been a smoker but have a brother who quite several years ago. Not an easy task but I’m sure you can do it!
Exercise-try spinning! I love it and it’s a great cardio workout.
I’m with you! I just opened my last pack. Am on day 9 of chantix. Was on it last year and quit for nearly 3 months. Had a couple beers with smoking friends, and here we are back at square one. Good luck!
Good luck to you there Mark.
I gave up about 35 years ago after smoking for 20 years. I used to smoke on the way to school. Anyway I stopped when my girlfriend at the time complained about my smokers breath.
I still lost the girl but I’ve never regretted giving up. I’ve always thanked her for that.
It’ll be one of the best things you ever do. Well worth all the pain and suffering. Good luck again.
You can do it. I smoked 30 years heavy and quit 10 years ago this july. Here’s the deal. Simply prepare yourelf for this mindset: You will inflict almost constant self torture on yourself for the next 6 months. I liken it to setting an alarm clock every waking hour to go off every 15 minutes and at that time stick yourself with a pin…draw a little blood. (example is for non smokers to understand the pain) However, you must understand that after the 6 months you can set that alarm for every 1/2 hour. Then an hour and so on. After 2 years time (if you don’t cheat AT ALL) you will pretty much be rid of any loss of self control. From then on end it gets real good.
I’ts somewhat of a spiritual thing to quit. It really changes you a lot inside. Remember, you are a slave to those things. When you are free it’s a feeling that’s hard to describe but you shall see. Every thing wihin you will change. Your prospective on things and such. It’s far more reaching than just an expensive habit that’s bad for your health.
For most the worst part is the association part. Like every time you sit down at the computer, or drive, or phone, or the meal. You will find these the most distracting as they bring on the cravings.
Good Luck! You sound ready. You can do it. Remember, there’s no geting around the simple fact that it’s GOING TO BE SELF TORTURE for a while…but know that it WILL GO AWAY in time.
@ Everyone –
THANK YOU ALL again for all the support in this thread… this morning, I am smoking my last cigs and I am truly excited about 11AM this morning!
Should be an interesting few days coming up… :-)
Not only did your Dad Pass away from Cancer but your Grandfather Passed away at a very young 40-something from a Heart Attack.So you GO Mark,you CAN do it !!!!
! Linette !
Hey there Sis – Happy to see you finally comment on this site!…
Everyone – Meet Linette, My Lovely sister!
Love ya Sis… and thank you for the support!
Mark
hello Mark. I quit smoking 21 years ago (I smoked about 2.5 packs a day and had been smoking for 10 years) and have not touched another cigarette ever since. And I won’t. I used nothing to help me quit and I must admit, to this day, it was probably the hardest 6 – 10 weeks during the first leg of it. Once that was over – it was an annoying reminder, but after the first year of no smoking – I was done with it, and resolved that I would never allowing anything like that to control me, I vowed…never again. The first 6 weeks was the hardest, no sleep, unbelievable anxiety, and frustration – but looking back – all I could think of at the time was getting angry that this had gone so far, and anything that stupid had this kind of grip on me. Once I embraced that anger as an inner resolve/strength – nothing I was feeling during those 6 – 10 weeks would have made me even think about slipping up. It got easier every day. Good luck to you, this will be the best time in your life and you’ll pull from this experience many times. It’s all about inner strength and it was a great lesson for me to learn in my early 30′s. Take care.
I just dropped by to see how you are progessing and noticed that you haven’t posted an update on your blog for three days. How’s it going??
Rochelle
@ Rochelle =
More a case of being stupid busy than anything!
I am doing VERY well in the non smoking dept! I wont lie… I have fallen off the wagon a couple times, but overall, I consider myself quit!
Thanks for the reminder as well!!
Today 4/27
Last Update: 04/13/09 06:55am ET
You should at least give yourself exercise credit for walking those 19 miles in DC!
How r u doing with the fags? Remember you are not giving anything up! You r reclaiming your life!
Note -in the UK a fag is a cigarette!
@ All –
As you can see in the sidebar… I have fallen on and off my quit smoking wagon. Before I decided to stop, I was almost smoking 2 packs a day… I went almost 4 full weeks without a smoke, and gave into the urge. I am smoking again, but less than 10 times a day!
I DO NOT view this as a failure right now and actually celebrate the small win, as I continue working toward the goal of being smoke free!!
All I can say is that I failed at quitting, but succeeded at breaking several of the habits associated with smoking.
Time for an ass-chewing… go ahead! I deserve it.
No ass-chewing here. I’ve never been a smoker so have no idea what you are going through. Who am I to chastise you for this? Good job for your small win : )
Now where did I put Cutts’ number…
Sorry about your back, but you know they say recovery time for a sore back is cut in half in a smoke-free environment. ;)
You are making progress. Stick with it!
[...] of you will recall I tried to quit smoking several months ago – I failed! Sure it partially worked and I cut down considerably, but in [...]
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