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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 12 of 12. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by NikkiT2 on June 3, 2004, at 9:20:35
So its been 3 hours since my last ciggerette. I smoked my last at 12:15pm, and my first session of hypnotherapy started at 1pm, finished at 2pm.
Feeling wonderful. very relaxed and calm and nice.. but just this second the first real pang hit me. It was a more a "right, time for a ciggie" pang than a real "goddamn I need a smoke and I need it now" kind of pang.
I'm fearing a chup chup addiction might come of this.. I couldn't find sugar free anywhere which was annoying.. and I couldn't find sugar free hard sweets anywhere - infact, the only hard sweets I could find were cherry and menthol *pukes* So, I have a pack of fruit flavour hard gums, and 5 cola flavour chupa chups (well, 4 and 9/10's seeing as I am sucking on one now *l*)
Tomorrow I will go to the supermarket to find some sugar free things.. don't want to get really fat just to give up smoking.The hypnotherapy was great.. not what I expected.. I was very concious and aware of everything, but had a really safe feeling of well being. I got a strange attack of the shakes about 5 minutes after she'd finished which was strange, but she talked to me and they passed.
She decided to work on insomnia and smoking at once.. so we shall we what happens there. I go back again in a week.Also, I couldn't find a "happy place"! You know, the "find a place you have been happy and relaxed".. couldn't do it.. she told me to nod when I'd found it, but it just wasn't coming.. so she talked around it, about colours and feelings, and my safe place was the colour red. Afterward we were discussing this, and I explained it was the kind of warm redness you see in your eyelids when looking at the sun.. she thinks I probably had my eyes closed in the place my brain thinks of as safe and relaxing!! How strange!
Well, this is just a ramble.. I'm going to keep a diary of giving up smoking, and will copy the posts over here each day when I remember.
Posted by Caper on June 3, 2004, at 9:42:19
In reply to My Diary of giving up smoking. Day 1, posted by NikkiT2 on June 3, 2004, at 9:20:35
Hi Nikki,
I'm not a smoker but just wanted to give you some encouragement. My father gave up smoking- he was 17 when he started and 40 something when he quit- so I know a little about the ups and downs. (I'm also an alcoholic, so I'm no stranger to addiction!)
I'm going to try to find an old e-mail I once received, about the benefits to your body when you quit. It goes from hours to days to years- how your body repairs the damage done. It's amazing how fast some of the damage can be undone, how fast the benefits of not smoking are apparent. If I can find it I will post it. (Gave it to dad years ago and I think he still has it.)
My older brother also recently quit after 10+ years of smoking. He found the nicotine patches helpful for about the first 10 days.
Good luck to you and keep us posted on how it's going.
Caper
> So its been 3 hours since my last ciggerette. I smoked my last at 12:15pm, and my first session of hypnotherapy started at 1pm, finished at 2pm.
>
> Feeling wonderful. very relaxed and calm and nice.. but just this second the first real pang hit me. It was a more a "right, time for a ciggie" pang than a real "goddamn I need a smoke and I need it now" kind of pang.
>
> I'm fearing a chup chup addiction might come of this.. I couldn't find sugar free anywhere which was annoying.. and I couldn't find sugar free hard sweets anywhere - infact, the only hard sweets I could find were cherry and menthol *pukes* So, I have a pack of fruit flavour hard gums, and 5 cola flavour chupa chups (well, 4 and 9/10's seeing as I am sucking on one now *l*)
> Tomorrow I will go to the supermarket to find some sugar free things.. don't want to get really fat just to give up smoking.
>
> The hypnotherapy was great.. not what I expected.. I was very concious and aware of everything, but had a really safe feeling of well being. I got a strange attack of the shakes about 5 minutes after she'd finished which was strange, but she talked to me and they passed.
> She decided to work on insomnia and smoking at once.. so we shall we what happens there. I go back again in a week.
>
> Also, I couldn't find a "happy place"! You know, the "find a place you have been happy and relaxed".. couldn't do it.. she told me to nod when I'd found it, but it just wasn't coming.. so she talked around it, about colours and feelings, and my safe place was the colour red. Afterward we were discussing this, and I explained it was the kind of warm redness you see in your eyelids when looking at the sun.. she thinks I probably had my eyes closed in the place my brain thinks of as safe and relaxing!! How strange!
>
> Well, this is just a ramble.. I'm going to keep a diary of giving up smoking, and will copy the posts over here each day when I remember.
Posted by NikkiT2 on June 3, 2004, at 11:33:32
In reply to Re: My Diary of giving up smoking. Day 1 » NikkiT2, posted by Caper on June 3, 2004, at 9:42:19
5 hours 17 minutes and counting *laughing*
I've tried the patches / inhalator / lozenges / nasal spray before.. I was actually allergic to the patches, the inhalator msde no difference to me, and lozenges made my mouth hurt *l*
So far this method seems to be working.. I wonder if it could help with alcohol and addictions??
Nikki x
Posted by Pfinstegg on June 3, 2004, at 20:30:35
In reply to Re: My Diary of giving up smoking. Day 1 » Caper, posted by NikkiT2 on June 3, 2004, at 11:33:32
As a former heavy smoker who succeeded in stopping, I suggest trying this when a craving hits: take a deep breath and hold it until the craving subsides. Good luck to you!
Posted by NikkiT2 on June 4, 2004, at 3:36:54
In reply to Re: My Diary of giving up smoking. Day 1 » NikkiT2, posted by Pfinstegg on June 3, 2004, at 20:30:35
If I could take a deep breath I wouldn't need to be giving up *laughing*
The hypnotherapy has given me ways to deal with the cravings... but they're an awful lot less than when I've tried to give up in other ways..
Nikki x
Posted by beatrix34 on June 4, 2004, at 9:14:44
In reply to Re: My Diary of giving up smoking. Day 1 » Pfinstegg, posted by NikkiT2 on June 4, 2004, at 3:36:54
I quit smoking too after 15 years of letting it control my life. I did it cold turkey as I too had tried everything , like medication, gum, lazer therapy, etc. I have to say, it was the hardest thing I have ever had to give up. I would find myself in my car yelling at my nagging addiction :)...things like "no I'm not going to give in", etc. It is definitely a one minute at a time sort of process sometimes, I think it's great that you are posting here. Keep it up! I was told to drink water when I had a craving as it helps to pass the craving. Also I bought myself the beginner's Tai Bo exercise tape and started trying to do that. It was a reminder of how much smoking was affecting my lungs, plus it helped to get me on my way to getting into shape...AND I didn't have to be around any people in a class as I was completely uncomfortable with the thought of that. It was great for me though. I have actually been running (if you can believe that) ad just finished my 7th 1/2 marathon :)
There is hope for us ex-smokers :) I think one of the first things I noticed that came back was my sense of smell. So much so that when I went shopping at the grocery store I bought so many fruits and veggies that they ended up going bad in the fridge lol :)
Anyway hang in there! I don't even think about cigs anymore for the most part...it's really a freedom that I thought would never come for me...keep up the good work!
Posted by NikkiT2 on June 4, 2004, at 10:44:30
Been tougher today in parts. Had to go out and shop, and being school holidays here there were millions of screaming brats all over the place. Why do parents let there kdis run wild in a lovely little book shop when I'm trying to look at books to buy?? And why do parents in the supermarket just let their kids scream and scream until I'm ready to break their necks??
So, I broke down and had a cigarette. Only one though.
The hypnotherapist said that thsi week I would probably smoke an awful lot less, but would probably still smoke (I have another session with her next friday), but I was determined to do this NOW. I guess one ciggie isn't the end of the world though.
Also had psychologist appointment, and am generally feeling pretty down today and despondant which isn't helping hugely.Mmm.. think I shall cultivate a coffee addiction now *l*
Posted by NikkiT2 on June 5, 2004, at 12:11:56
In reply to Day 2, posted by NikkiT2 on June 4, 2004, at 10:44:30
OK, so its not going so great.. I ended up smoking 4 yesterday, and I've had 3 today (its nearly 6pm).. But, that is a hell of alot less than the 20 a day i was smoking.
But, I've also turned into bitch from hell. 80% of people are really really really winding me up. People who's foibles I can normally just brush off are maiing my blood pressure rise and steam com eout of my ears. Where normally I can smile sweetly and just let it all wash over me, I just want to bitch and scream at these people. I want them to know how annoying they are (I know a few of thes epeople make other people feel the same way!).. I want to tell them they are pathetic!
Depression has also gone down down down.. feeling very hopeless and useless today. Job hunting is going very badly and its really getting to me. Feeling like I am destined to be a massive failure.
Anyway, back to the smoking. It is very strange.. As I have said, I was smoking 20 a day, and always had cravings for more. 20 was never enough, but I limited myself. Every 20 minutes or so the craving would kick in and I would have to give into it. But, the 20 minute cravings aren't there. Its been 2 hours since I smoked a ciggie, but there is no craving or desire to smoke. OK, so it does hit every now and again, but for it to hit 5 times a day instead of say 40 is a HUGE step, and I think with one more hypnotherapy session (booked in for friday) I think I can really nail this.
more tomorrow!
Nikki x
Posted by beatrix34 on June 5, 2004, at 16:38:08
In reply to Day 3, posted by NikkiT2 on June 5, 2004, at 12:11:56
Don't give up...you are doing well. It's SO hard. I look at it like exercise...the biggest reason I failed to continue to do it was because I couldn't do it perfectly. Keep moving forward, you'll get there.
I remember when I quit I found myself standing in the doorway of my apartment at the time, with a fist ful of change that I'd dug up from around the house, staring at the convenience store across the street. I gave in and bought a pack. I smoked a couple and gave the pack away.
Stay with it and be easy on yourself...this is a tough thing to do...damn those cigarette manufacturers for putting so many addictive chemicals in those things!
Be strong! You can do it!
Posted by NikkiT2 on June 5, 2004, at 16:45:07
In reply to Re: Day 3, posted by beatrix34 on June 5, 2004, at 16:38:08
I'm hanging in there.. and feeling very proud of myself for how well I am doing.
I think I just feel so frustrated at the moment in my job hunting that its spilling over a little.. but a call back today has given me a boost (rubbish job, but good pay and very very good perks (like 38 days a year holiday!!!!!!!!!))
Am bored and restless and ate myself sick on bombay mix tonight *lol*
Nikki x
Posted by beatrix34 on June 6, 2004, at 21:33:52
In reply to Re: Day 3 » beatrix34, posted by NikkiT2 on June 5, 2004, at 16:45:07
lol! Good luck with the job. I just moved countries and know how hard the job search is, definitely stressful. I still have moments of eating myself sick though I don't have the quitting smoking excuse anymore :) I have had just the opposite offer this past week, great job, terrible pay...it's hard to win sometimes. :)
Posted by panic_attack on June 13, 2004, at 15:08:37
In reply to Re: Day 3, posted by beatrix34 on June 6, 2004, at 21:33:52
Hey, I haven't seen any further posts. You didn't give up did you? Let us know how your doing...
This is the end of the thread.
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