Turkey's Triumphs: Page 33
Wisdom from cold turkey quitters who've remained nicotine-free for at least 1 year
Victory@WhyQuit.com
Thanks so much for this wonderful site. I quit chewing tobacco 7/17/2010. I think that for the first few months I would come to the site daily to remind and encourage me why I was quitting.
Bill
Each year I like to thank Whyquit.com for being the driving motivation behind my quit. The education, Joel Spitzer’s videos and the graphic pictures all made me make that choice. Thank you for having this site available to people. I am four years free.
With continued thanks,
Sarah Flood
My name is Pierre. I am a 47 year old male from Canada who successfully quit smoking cold turkey on July 21st 2008. It took 20 years before I decided to quit. It has been 6 years this summer since I quit and I can sincerely say this is one of my life's biggest achievement and the one I am most proud of. Beating nicotine addiction is a true gift of freedom and anyone can achieve it. It took commitment and faith but Joel's advice helped me tremendously. The WhyQuit.com site was my tool to succeed and I am grateful for stumbling upon the site. Cold turkey is the best and shortest route to victory!
Cheers to all, you can do it!
After a 24 year addiction on July 6th, 2014 I achieved five years of not smoking – FIVE Years! I never imagined that was possible. I was so conflicted when I smoked, because I knew I was harming my body, I had begun having physical symptoms, shortness of breath, wheezing terribly at night, and back pain. I was a constant quitter – quitting each Monday only to reward myself with relapse by Tuesday or Wednesday.
Reading the stories of Deborah, Noni, Kim, and Bryan had a profound effect on my smoking experience. Every cigarette I lit up I would think of them, see their faces, and remember their words. I'm extremely grateful they chose to help others by sharing their experiences at their lowest moments.
Since quitting my thought is so harmonious, cravings seldom come to my mind, and when they do they just float in and out. Most of my friends and family still smoke, so I am constantly around smokers. I come to WhyQuit before family events just to reinforce my quit. I'm very grateful that this web site exists! Thank you to all of the quitters and contributors!
Laura Wheeler
It's official, it has been 1 year since I smoked my last cigarette! Thanks everyone for your support.
Michael Reilly
Today is ONE FULL YEAR of NO smoking ...... oh ya ..... I made it ..... I am so GOLDEN
Janis Orndorff Patera
Exactly 366 days ago I held my cigarette box in my hand, took a smoke out lit it and inhaled the smoke deeply into my lungs, I was so scared, insecure and annoyed that I had made a commitment to myself to quit after smoking this cigarette that I was puffing on. I didn't even know how I was going to get through quitting after smoking for 43 years of my life. When I calculated the years I had been smoking I couldn't believe that I had only spent 13 years of my life smoke free, SCARY!!!!
On month two I was really going through a very dark patch and had terrible cravings. I cried most of the time I was desperate and after praying for guidance, I took my phone and googled for help. That is when I found the WhyQuit.com site!
I read and read until my eyes went squint and saw all these smiling faces of all the hundreds of people on Turkeyville all going through what I was, and some of them were saying, "Hey! don't give up, you can do it, you will get over it!" I joined in and that is what saved my lonely road to nicotine freedom, I had the best people backing me because they had been there and done that! THANK YOU TO EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU that I have managed to walk along the cessation path for ONE WHOLE YEAR!!! Praise God!!!
Jenny Gardiner
I made it finally 1 year!!! NTAP,ODAAT and 1=ALL- I am now officially gold! Thank-you for all for your support. — feeling happy.
Lynn Contreras
I quit smoking for good on July 21st 2013. So if you're going date wise my year mark is tomorrow. If your counting weeks it's today. Whenever the actual mark is.... I AM FREE!!!! I AM GOLD AND I NEVER THOUGHT I COULD DO THIS!! Thank you, thank you, thank you to all you beautiful turkeys for being here for me this whole year. Whether I posted frequently or not, when I did you have been there. I can never repay you for your support but I can be a beacon of example in my life.
Quitting smoking IS possible. I am living proof! And I will be alive a while longer now for quitting! Also, a big congrats a to my handsom husband Who is also a gold turkey today!! We did it!! Seperately, together!
ShaNon Miranda Pruden
Day 365! I did it! NTAP! I got this! Thanks everyone, here is to another trip around the sun nicotine free!
Aaron Allen
December 31, 2012 maybe around 9pm, was when I made the "DECISION", not to smoke anymore. The first days I would feel what I would call little flutters. I ignored them and proceeded to the next day. One of my motivating factors I mentally used to my advantage was to assess the monetary savings. It all worked for me. Today is July 16, 2014 and sometimes I want to cuddle with those smoking outside the store, but I have resisted thus far. I believe I am good to go.
Joanne Kenzy
Today marks one year nicotine free. I'm 35 and smoked about 25 years so if you think you can't.....you can. Thanks to Joel and whyquit.com helpers for helping me outsmart my addiction.
NTAP! Relapse is just one puff away.
Josh Hatton
One year baby! 7267 cigarettes not smoked. Thanks for the support!
Josemari Bucoy Carag
Today is one year since I quit!! N.T.A.P.!!!!!!!!!!
Melissa Hazlett
I had smoked for over 45 years. I quit over a year ago, cold turkey. I am not sure why it worked for me, and I never looked back, but it just did. I did not gain weight - I think I replaced the smoking activity with more constructive things....walking, gardening, music, etc.
I never long for it or miss it, I wish I knew what flipped my switch, I would so be willing to give it to others. I should say, I was not a two pack a day smoker...more a two pack a week smoker. Maybe that was the key, who knows. Best of luck to anyone trying...hang in there.
Pamela Payne
My name is Eric Ganung. On the Freedom message boards, my nic is Eric-Gold. We've spoken before. I think I brought to your attention that Allen Carr spoke favorably of you in his book Scandal.
Anyways, today I am celebrating 10 years nicotine free and I wanted to thank you for that. I don't think you know my story, but I'd like to quickly share it with you.
I had tried to quit before so many ways and so many times that I lost count. I decided right after the 4th of July 2004 that I was going to quit smoking. So with that, I slapped on a patch and gave it a go. The first day (the 5th) was pretty bad, but I managed to scratch my way through. The 2nd day though was an entirely different beast. I was experiencing high anxiety and panic attacks. I decided that I was just too weak to quit smoking and decided that I would give up.
My plan was that at lunch time I would run across the street to the mini mart and buy a pack of cigarettes, and when lunch came around that's exactly what I was off to do. On my way though, I passed by one of our company computers. Something told to search for something to help me quit smoking. I stopped and decided what the heck. I guess I figured by doing so, I could justify giving up this time and that I might find something to help me try to quit in the future (if I was even going to try again).
I stumbled upon WhyQuit.com and one of the first articles I read was the one you wrote titled, "Have You Ever Embraced a Crave?" As I began to read it, I also began to step back from myself so to speak and take a look to see if I was doing what you were suggesting in the article. I found to my amazement that this is exactly what I was doing! It was at this moment that the penny dropped for me. My anxiety started to disolve immediately and was replaced with hope and excitement. I read the entire lunch time and I never made it to the store that day and never smoked a cigarette again. In fact, by the end of my lunch break, I tore off the patch right then and there and that night after work, I threw all of my patches away and never looked back. July 7th 2004 was the first day of this journey without me ingesting any more nicotine.
While I have read many more articles from WhyQuit both from you and Joel among other people, it was that post that was my "AHA" moment. It was because of that post that for the first time ever, I actually felt that quitting smoking was doable. And while I am so grateful to have not only freed myself from this addiction, but also free my mind from the belief in the cigarette, there is something even better in all of this. You inspiring me has gone beyond just me. I have also helped many people quit smoking and have brought WhyQuit.com to many people.
So with that, I just want to celebrate my first 10 years by saying thank you.
Sincerely,
Eric Ganung
One Year old turkey today!!!!! I did not really believe a year ago today that I would make it this far. It hasn't always been easy and there were days in the beginning where it almost fell apart. Thank you for your support as a community and the articles that I go back and re-read each time when I am at my weakest. I will continue to be on my guard protecting my quit, because I know that one = all and that is all it would take for the addiction to take over again. Thank you once again for the support.
Jamie Marr
Today is my day. I've never posted on this site, but read it daily. Quit one year ago today & feeling mighty proud. So many unbelievable stressors in my life and I still did it!
Laura Merritt-Wiseman
Mine is not an ecouraging story. I quit last July, so it is now one year (I can't remember the exact date).
I have severe emphysema, due to a lifelong addiction to smoking. Even after I was diagnosed and was seeing a pulmonologist, I was unable to quit. This continued for almost two years. I bought Chantix at my doctor's recommendation (at $150 for the first go-round) and tried to follow their program wholeheartedly. It had no effect whatsoever, one way or the other. A complete dud.
Finally, I was having great trouble breathing after even minor exertion (one flight of stairs, bending over to do something, walking a slight uphill grade, etc.). That, plus two things my doctor said finally motivated me sufficiently. One thing she said was, "Everybody stops eventually." She meant that even if you don't want to stop, eventually breathing is so difficult and the disease becomes so horrible that you have no choice.
The other thing she said was that if I stopped immediately, some degree of improvement might be possible. I had always though this was a steady downhill slide. (So, it's a little sooner, a little later, what's the difference?) The fact that there might actually be a bit of improvement encouraged me. When I left the doctor's office that day, I decided to have one "farewell" cigarette (which turned into two). But then, I threw away the remaining half-pack, and haven't even been tempted to smoke since. In fact, I rarely think about it. I am on oxygen, and although I still go into the office and work daily, of necessity my life must be completely sedentary.
In my case, it has taken a virtual death sentence to break the addiction of a lifetime (from age 16 to age 74). Of course, I knew that something like this would be the probable result; I was not ignorant of that fact. But the tobacco companies bear some responsibility also. They actually blend certain additives with the tobacco, the only purpose of which is to keep you addicted. In my case, it worked very well. Thanks, R.J. Reynolds and pals. I hope you made a lot of money.
William Monell
wmonell@optonline.net
I don't come back to WhyQuit.com much anymore, but ... I stopped smoking 10 years ago today, and spent a lot of time here just before and after doing so. I waded in to all of the articles, read all of the stories and came out successful.
10 years!
Thank you -- you're a good curator of very useful information. Keep it going,
Ruth Ramstad
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