I HAVE given up smoking

[obbie]

so what exciting thing will you buy with the money you will save..
Good luck

[gertbysea]

Mandi you go girl. Personally I don't care who smokes so long as they do not come near me because they really really  stink. Very good friend used to come for lunch but I asked her to sit away from me. One day she came for lunch and plonked herself next to me and I said she smelled great. She also had her teeth whitened which was not cheap and never smoked again. Something to consider.

You can do it!

Gert

[Emme]

Dede, wishing you well with your aim to give up smoking.  I gave it up many years ago and have never wanted or felt I needed to take it up again.  You can do it!   
Marie

[Katiej]

Dede good luck with your decision to give up smoking, you are such a strong person and once you set your mind to it I'm sure you'll succeed.  You will be so much healthier, happier and imagine what you can do with the money you save!

I've never been a smoker, so I can't offer you any advice.
Good luck!!

[jeninwa]

You can do it Mandi, it's the first few days that are the hardest, I gave up about 30 years ago, went cold turkey haven't looked back. I gave up before cigarets were $1.00 a packet. We thought we were saving a fortune back then. Both my DS smoke wish they would give up.

[cookie1]

Good on you dede. It will be so much better for your children as they won't have to see Mum sick with the consequences of smoking. I know that is a hard thing to say but yesterday afternoon we had a phone call from SIL. She was ringing to tell us that
DH's brother was in emergency waiting to be admitted to have the last toe on his right foot removed. He will now have no toes on the right foot and two on the left.  He can hardly walk as the veins in his legs are so narrow. He has had surgery on them several times to try and help but they keep narrowing.
Two years ago when he had a severe heart attack, they had to take veins from his arm for the bypasses as the ones in his legs were useless. He had another heart attack in hospital but they could do no more bypasses as he has no veins to use. This is all caused by smoking for 40 odd years. He is 64 years old.
So Mandi when you feel like a smoke let me know and I can always be mean and nasty and send you a photo of the toeless foot.
What you are planning to do is really great.

[Cuilidh]

Cookie that is a shocking story ... Mandi, that alone must be incentive enough to give up.

Hope your SIL's DH's brother (?) comes through this one, Cookie.  I am always amazed at the number of patients / smokers standing around puffing their lungs out when we drive by hospitals - surely the fact that they are in hospital would be enough to encourage them to stop (this comment from someone who has never smoked ).

[CreamPuff63]

Ouch cookie, its shocking when they show those ads too of people who are dying of cancer and yet they have a hole put in their throat just so they can poke a ciggie in and puff on. Even when you smoke yourself you just tend to ignore these graphic images in the hope that its not going to happen to you. There is a ciggie pack with a pic of a little girl lying in a hospital bed (passive smoker) that is the spitting image of my DD2 when she was that age and I always used to try and ignore it. Smokers are treated like lepers nowadays.

[astarra]

Cookie, I heaved reading your post, that must be so terrible to see. Does he still smoke?
Reminds me of when I was at the doc.s on Friday - I was actually in the room with the doc, he got a phone call asking him to go to the reception as a man was there with breathing difficulties, Dr had to rush out, and go to him. I heard him saying to another doc as they were waiting for an ambulance..."he's a smoker isn't he. Hope this is enough to stop him."  But the biggest shock was when I saw the man...he is only about my age, he has a child in Miss6's class.   
Sorry Mandi, don't suppose you need these scare stories, you will be strong, I can feel it! 

[dede]

All the scary stories are good to hear, as a smoker you really do ignore them, and shut off any thoughts about what might happen in a few years. I'm determined to stop this dirty habit. I'm sick of hiding it and ignoring the what might happen if I don't give up.
Thanks everyone for your support and advise, and even the stories. It will all help me stay a non- smoker when I get an urge.

[Amy :-)]

You can do this Mandi. We have seen how strong you are

My uncle died a few years ago from lung cancer. It was operable initially, but because he refused to quit smoking the surgeons refused to operate. So it just got worse and then he died. He had 5 young grandchildren of his own too.

[gertbysea]

Emphysema is a horrible disease. Really horrible to watch people die from it.

Gert

[goldfish]

Dede - Congratulations! you go for it!!  Not only will you notice the change healthwise, but just think of the money you'll save!! Although never a heavy smoker, I gave it up years ago . . . by taking a full packet and throwing them in the bin.  You'll never look back!!

[Amy :-)]

Emphysema is a horrible disease. Really horrible to watch people die from it.

Gert

Thats it Gert. I knew it started with E...

[judydawn]

DH still has a full, unopened packet of John Player Special out in the shed somewhere - he gave up cold turkey like me when his carton got down to the last packet.  Might be worth a fortune on ebay one day