Turkey's Triumphs: Page 15

I have had my quit counter going since I had my last cigarette and today it kicked over into 6 years.

Thanks to the WhyQit web site I managed to stop and 6 years on am still "quit".

Unfortunately both my parents died in 2007 from their smoking. Mum @76 from emphysema and Dad at 77 from lung cancer.

Neither saw my son get into medical school (both had hoped for it but never saw it happen) nor are they here now to count the days/hours until their oldest granddaughter has twins - the first twins in our family!

There was an anti smoking advertisement in Australia many years ago that showed pictures of older non-smokers at significant life points of their family lives watching their children, grand-children, great-grand-children and being there and then they were contrasted with the smokers who were "dead... dead ....and still dead" at these same times. This year I have fully appreciated this message - they have missed so much and we all miss them too.

However - I'm still celebrating as I am so very glad to be quit. My brother who smoked 50 a day quit 2.5 years ago after watching our mum die of emphysema.

Take care of yourselves and don't smoke any more of that horrible poison!

TMS
Perth Western Australia

Yes-Move over Oscar-there is a new Golden Boy-boxing fans will get that one. I think Bronze was when I knew I had this thing licked. I truly can't remember my last crave but it was over 6 months ago at least. Keep climbing-or swimming-towards your own comfort zone. Its really nice to have beaten this deadly foe that I couldn't look in the eye for many many years. He's just not that tough.

Peace

Jeff-GOLD-Yeahhhhh!!!!

I have been quit for 1 Year, 3 hours, 31 minutes and 32 seconds (365 days). I have saved $2,190.87 by not smoking 14,605 cigarettes. I have saved 1 Month, 2 Weeks, 5 Days, 17 hours and 5 minutes of my life. My Quit Date: 8/4/2008 10:00 AM

I quit with the aid of your website three years ago. I thought you might like to know I just talked about WhyQuit.com for about 10 minutes on BBC Newcastle here in Northern England. Hope it leads to some new quitters.

Kind regards

Damian O'Neil
BBC TV
Newcastle

First I must apologize if this post is too long.

After 15.5 years of lying, cheating, stealing, begging, and digging through gutters and public ashtrays for any salvagable nicotine, I took my final hit of nicotine on July 21, 2008 at 9:24PM.

I had tried quitting before - cold turkey then deciding to be social smoker a week later in 2001; the patch in 2002, which lasted about 2 months (smoked through the first four weeks of the patch) until I decided to see if I'd still enjoy just one. Then about a half a dozen or so weak attempts from 2004 onward that never got me past three days.

I armed myself with the best excuses I could - I watched too many Guns N' Roses videos as a kid so I was tainted and could never change. It helps me think, I need some vice. Or my favorite - I lost 106 pounds in 2000/2001 so I'm excused from making any more healthy choices for the next ten years.

My 10 cigarette a day "habit" in high school was now a 30 cigarette a day deadly addiction at age 29. I smoked fast so I had 2 cigarettes at each sitting every hour. I puffed hard, held it in long, and loved the feeling of my throat burning. I was starting to pick up a wheeze that I'd try to hide from my wife, the never-smoker who'd occassionally give me a "you need to quit that" line. But she didn't know how I needed it to survive. All she knew about smoking is that it killed her grandfather shortly before we met. Anyway, my wheeze was getting worse and worse and obviously I never planned on smoking forever so I figured I might as well try to stop now.

Something told me on 7/21/08 that this was a good time to quit nicotine. My wife was now pregnant with our second, I had just gotten my masters which took away my "I need it to think" excuse, and there was that wheeze. So the plan was that I'd finish my current supply that day and wake up on 7/22/08 with a few hours already behind me. That's what I did. I don't know I ever made it past that first day, but one day turned into two, and halfway through the third day I was having a really tough time. I googled "Quitting smoking" and clicked a few links and suddenly was staring at this emaciated figure lying in a bed, mouth wide open, with a woman and child next to him. I'd met a man who would change my life forever that day. I met Bryan Lee Curtis.

There it was, this is what I needed to see. My struggles of "I want one" and waiting around for my usual relapsed suddenly vanished. Here I was five years younger than he was at his death and my comfort that I'm too young for lung cancer was taken from me. I was now never the same. I could never play dumb again and actually believe my defenses. I decided within five minutes of reading "He wanted you to know" that I would never relapse to chronic nicotine use ever again.

I came back to Whyquit.com many times over the next two weeks to read Bryan's story over and over. I also found Noni's, Kim's, and Deb's stories and realized that Bryan wasn't a one-time freak nicotine accident. This was a fate that I had a 50% chance of experiencing unless I got myself under control. I soon began to explore other parts of Whyquit.com and once I truly understood why I smoked and the concept of the Law of Addiction, the struggle became easier. I could now acknowledge that yes, I do want one hit of nicotine, but I understand that addiction doesn't work that way. I can have no nicotine or be back to my old level, but nothing in between. Once I truly believed that, I started to develop a real peaceful feeling about it.

By my one month anniversary, I'd tell anyone who would listen about how great my new life is. I still had plenty of tough times, but by the third month I believe I had my last positive thought about smoking and nicotine use. Somewhere around that time, my wife and I were driving in the rain and I caught of whiff of some amazing smell. I said to her "What is that smell?!?" She looked at me inquisitively, as I pressed my face against the A/C vent in the car. "Nope that's not it", then I rolled down the window and WOW..there that smell was. I looked at her in a "HA! I GOT YOU" kind of look and said "There, that's it. Don't you smell that?" She said very casually "I smell rain". I said "Wait..rain has a smell?!?". "Duh...yes" was her reply. I spent the next week asking anyone I saw if they knew rain had a smell...they all answered similar to her "Duh" answer.

I think I've read every word on Whyquit.com dozens of times; I've read Joel's book cover to cover enough to have most of it memorized. I've downloaded, printed, and bound about 5 copies of "Never take another puff" and given them to various people whom I think may be interested. I know that two people quit after reading it - one on my five month anniversary, the other on my eleventh - I'm not sure if it was directly because of it, but I'd like to think that if all users read the book and understood why they used nicotine that there would certainly be less smokers, dippers, and chewers in the world.

Around the sixth month, I decided to do something to show myself how different life is. I began training to run a 5K. I ran the 5K on the day that I would have had my 10,000 mandatory nicotine feeding if not for finding Whyquit.com. Around kilometer 4, my legs were hurting and breathing was getting hard. How did I get myself through it? Apparently I have Joel's article "So I can't run Marathons" memorized and started repeating to myself. I thought about how Bryan would have loved a second chance to quit and do what I'm doing right at that second. I placed 103rd out of 110 runners, but I knew that I had come a million kilometers from where I had been. I'm no athlete; just an addict.

So now at a full year later I'm writing to thank you for all of the hours spent on maintaining the site and thanking Joel for all of the wonderful and right-on articles about addiction. For all of you contemplating a quit, it's worth it, it's hard for a couple weeks, but it does get better. All you need to do is to never take another puff. For all of you new quitters, my advice is to stay with the site and read anything that you can. Always remember the law of addiction. And before you decide to slip, read the "Smokers Vow" to yourself. While my 366th day may be easier than your 1st, we're both one puff away from full relapse. It's true what they say though, life really does go on. I've survived a stock market crash, bad weather, bad traffic, and the birth of a child, and I didn't need to ingest new nicotine to celebrate or survive through them. The best advice that you could ever receive is just as Joel's articles say - Never Take Another Puff.

Gene Short

I've tried to quit smoking for over 2 yrs with no success. After searching the web, I found Joels Library and could not stop reading. I was amazed at what I didnt know about smoking and I promised to quit the next day. Well, 6 months later, I finally did it, please dont give up if your first try doesnt work, keep trying until you finally do it. Its worth it.

My husband was diagnosed with cancer and the holidays were around the corner, but I knew I had to do it to live a long and healthy life for my family, especially if something would happen to my husband. When I had my withdrawl moments, I would throw little fits, like yelling and hitting a pillow to get my aggression out, or I would go into another room and just pray for God to comfort me. It was only hard for me the first month or so, then you start to get used to life without cigarettes. I loved how great I started to feel, no more headaches, and my sense of smell came back in full bloom. My husband fully recovered and I got pregnant soon after!!

I always wondered what people who don't smoke do with their time, for example, what do non smokers do after dinner to relax, or what do they do if they're stressed. I've learned that they don't depend on cigarettes for anything and you actually have less stress when you quit. No more worrying about your next cig break at work or making sure you dont run out of cigarettes. Not to mention the money you save when you quit.

Just please try and keep trying, because its so much better living without that addiction. It will be hard the first week, but trust me, it does get easier with every day that goes by!!

Thank you so much Joel, God bless you for how many people you've helped.

Windy Shirley

My name is Erick and I came here about a year ago. Honestly, I don?t remember how I got here or why I was even searching for quit smoking material. I enjoyed smoking, but here I was at Whyquit reading as much as I could on Nicotine addiction.

That was it. I am quitting in a week I told myself. I did my upfront work. I was prepared. On June 3rd, 2008 I quit smoking for good.

I downloaded all of Joel's videos and let each day run throughout the night while I slept and when I woke in morning, there was Joel telling me I could be an ex-smoker if I just kept my promise to ?Never Take Another Puff?. Well, I kept that promise and I continue to keep it close to my heart today and for the rest of my life.

Thank you for being here Whyquit. This truly has been the most powerful tool in aiding me in my sticky quit. I joyfully and humbly tell you that with the help of everyone at Whyquit???

I have been quit for 1 Year, 3 Days, 1 hour, 11 minutes and 27 seconds (368 days). I have saved $1,955.25 by not smoking 9,201 cigarettes. I have saved 1 Month, 1 Day, 22 hours and 45 minutes of my life. My Quit Date: 6/3/2008 7:00 AM

Erick Borgard

After several failed attempts, i was finally able to stop the damage i was doing to my body for the last 23 years .I stopped using nicotine on December 07, 2007. I feel so much better about myself both mentally and physically. It was by far the hardest thing I have ever done in my life, but also the smartest. In the beginning I used this website many times to help me stay off cigarettes. I would read, educate and brainwash myself of the nasty effects of cigarettes. I was ready to stop, I was so tired of it.

I have read about other peoples stories about a dad, mom, aunt, uncle or friend who has died from this horrible addiction. I lost my uncle to lung cancer and copd in 1998 he was only 56. Before he passed, he told me to quit, but only after 9 more years of stupidity did I listen. To all of you trying to stop, you really can break free of nicotine with hope, willpower,determination and the info on this web site. Good Luck to all and stay healthy !!!

Scott 44
Seminole. FL

I will be smoke free for 5 years at May 24 '09!

I have not had one cigarette since I quit.

I sometimes look at other smokers and asked myself "Did I really do that?"

Thank you much and congratzs to all of you who have quit yourselves.

Quiting was the best thing I ever did!

R.Davis

Yesterday, 13/04/2009, I celebrated 2 years without nicotine. I used to smoke cigarrettes for 35 years, 20 by day. Quiting is not an easy task, but it is doable. If you are struggling against nicotine, please believe it is doable, you will succeed ! ! ! Life without nicotine is the real life.

I will always recognize the wonderfull help I got from WhyQuit all the knowledge and the cold turkey quiting method. - the most efficient, simple and cheap ! Once more I thanks all the people who manage or participate of whyquit.com: You do a wonderful job ! ! ! Thank you very much ! And NTAP ! ! !

Ismael Nogueira da Gama Orenstein
ismore@hotmail.com
Rio de Janeiro - RJ - Brazil

My self, Deepak Kulkarni,age 42 years,India visited whyquit site on internet five & half year back (October 2003). I studied tricks & tips in depth, this helped me to quit.

I Quit smoking on First January 2004 & I am proud that I am nicotene free since then. Enjoying freedom & life.My health improved lot & so as my saving.

I was addict of tobacco for 22 years & used to take dose every half an hour. I first tried to leave tobacco in June 1996 then Feb.98 but were in vain.

I really could break free due to help of Whyquit only. I am really thankful to you. Thanks again.

Regards

Deepak Kulkarni