Turkey's Triumphs: Page 39

My quit date was November 23, 2015, the day I met with the oral surgeon following my dentist seeing three small hazy spots on the lateral edge of my tongue. I had surgery November 29, 2015. Following the removal of a section of my tongue I was in a lot of pain and extremely stressed to wait two weeks for the labs results. I had squamous cell on my tongue.

I spent a year of my life studying oral anatomy to be a dental assistant and never noticed them myself. They developed in two months. I had recently been to the dentist and he noticed the change. My diagnosis was lucky ... they were a stage prior to cancer but because this moved so fast the doctor said literally any day this could have turned malignant.

Although I had quit cold turkey prior to finding this site and support group [Turkeyville] I was failing to have the truthful self talk that is necessary to keep quit. My inner junkie was starting to win and I knew the stress of so many things and being forced to quit without premeditation was going to do me in. Today I am two years quit!

I always knew I could go back to smoking and certain death of what I learned here was a lie. It wasn’t. Things got better one day at a time. I was not always patient...or reserved in my struggle...and I always managed to use what I learned here and get the support I needed when I needed it. You never know when a few hazy small marks without pain or discomfort might change your life forever.

I am happy that WhyQuit has helped me. I am so grateful. Never take another puff. One day at a time. Second by second, minute by minute, hour by hour, or day by day. Whatever you can manage ... don’t look forward just get through each period without smoking.

One day you won’t believe that you got the whole way to work and forgot to think about smoking. One day you will lay in bed and say, forgot to think about smoking! It comes when you least expect it and in so much less time than you spent smoking. I smoked for 25 years and am quit for 2 saying this today to you. Try it..keep with it, let yourself have a chance to feel the freedom. You won’t want to go back.

Joy Fait

I just remembered, I never did come back and say thank you for helping me off nicotine. I have been off it at least two years now. Losing count is definitely a good thing. I watched Joel's daily youtube video and he helped a lot. Sorry Joel, there were times I could have almost punched you because I was so pent up, desperate, and your arguments being correct just sort of taunted me.

I hated the cold turkey approach, it felt draconian. Nothing personal, my brain was hating you for taking my nicotine away. As the days went by though, I realised that what you said made sense but it didn't enrage me. You helped me understand what I was going through, understand the addiction, realise that I was an addict in the first place and what that meant.

The lesson that struck home most for me was "the perfect cigarette". That was when I realised just how pointless smoking was and how I was only kidding myself that I liked it. I still fantasise about it now but I fantasise about winning the lottery too! Anyway, from the bottom of my lungs, thank you.

Gordon Keenan

Today I have completed 5000 days of smoke free life. With the help of WHYQUIT, I left smoking on 1st Jan. 2004. I was 25 cigarette per day addict before above date and that too for 22 years. Now I also practice Yoga since last 17 years and all in all my health is very nice with combined effect of both. All this could be possible because of you and Whyquit.com. Thanks a lot! Warm regards,

Deepak Kulkarni Pune
Maharashtra, India

I remember sitting in my office stumbling across your website somehow and being shocked by all the people who died so young from smoking ... many very close to my age. Some of the stories were hard to read and the pictures hard to see, but it was EXACTLY what I needed. No doubt about that. I didn't quit that day, but very quickly after. I couldn't get those images out of my mind. I put out my last cigarette in the morning on August 5th, 2010. That was the best decision I ever made. I have never regretted it. Your site was the reason I quit. I remember you every year. I've never had even a puff in seven years and I never will ever again. As always, thank you for your site, the education, inspiration and motivation to help me NEVER TAKE ANOTHER PUFF!

***Special thanks to Joel. In those early days, your videos were what got me through. I think I watched all of them. They made ALL the difference! and I truly thank you for your work and time and education!

Grateful each year,

Sarah

Not since I was a child in the run up to Christmas have I been more excited to write a letter ( or these days an email) as I do today. Today is my 1 year anniversary since leaving my cigarette, my EX friend!

I know you probably get quite a few of these a day which is awesome, but that's not going to stop me expressing my thank you for every single word on your website which helped me become healthier! Please don't change a single thing about the website, no disrespect but the basicness of it was one of the allures. It was as close as sitting in a community centre on a old wooden chair with chewing gum stuck underneath it as you can get from a website! I can honestly say I doubt I would have kept on if it had been flashy, it felt personal, it felt like someone was In my corner someone who genuinely cared and knew the temptations rather than some corporate entity that had an angle to sell.

The best part for me was where it said that I would be getting X number of cravings a day and to set my watch as no craving lasts more than 3 minutes. If I knew it was that easy my mortgage would be lot more manageable lol!!!!!

Anyway, thank you from the bottom of my heart and I know if my family knew I was writing this email that they would thank you too!

God Bless

Yours

Mickey

I just want to tell you that your site helped me quit. It's 10 years now and I haven't smoked one cigarette. Your advice has helped me to be set free from an ugly addiction. I am passing it on to as many people I know that want to quit.

Blessings

Lori Pendergraft

I quit smoking, cold turkey, on the 22 November 1994. At that time I smoked 50 cigarettes a day. I haven't had a cigarette since then, not even a puff.

I've continued to travel to countries like Thailand, Vietnam and India, where smoking is allowed almost everywhere, and have never been enticed to take it up again. I still have friends who smoke, and smoke around me, and haven't been tempted. Sometimes I dream that I have smoked and wake up relieved, thinking "thank goodness it was just a dream".

Cheers

Joe

It has been over two years - 28 months - since I have quit smoking thanks to your website. I wrote you back in August of 2015, and only 8 months had passed. After reading the articles (or sometime during the series of articles) I went cold turkey from 3 packs-a-day to nothing. I am still not smoking after over 2 years, and enjoying the freedom. I have suggested the site and "method" to others.

Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.

Sincerely,
Christopher Winter

I smoked my last cigarette on a Thursday morning April 09, 1998 which is coming up on 19 years ago. Wow, and to think that once upon a time I couldn't imagine going one day without lighting up!

Quitting smoking was just about the hardest thing I have ever done. I craved and craved and craved my smokes! I thought for the longest that I would forever and the torment would never end until one day...it did. In all honesty it was probably a good five years before I turned the corner on my addiction and begin to live as a real non-smoker. These days I don't miss them a bit and it feels surreal to think I ever did at all....until the occasional dream comes along that reminds me. It's so strange how the mind works!!

My number one bit of advice to anyone thinking of quitting? It would be to make a vow. Vow to yourself that no matter what even if it means you will never live another happy moment in your life ever again (you will) and will suffer in agony for ever (you won't) you will never, EVER smoke again. You just have to make up your mind.

So pick a date in the not to distant future and smoke cigarettes to the fullest until that date and then go off alone and smoke your last one on that date. You'll be on your way to a better life, one that you can't begin to imagine right now. Trust me, I know.

Joe, Texas

December 31st 2015 I made the decision to stop smoking, stop toying with e-cigs, stop nicotine patches, to effectively end my 30 year relationship with smoking. I had set goals in the past, wouldn't smoke past 30, past 40, etc., but it became painfully obvious as I turned 50 that unless something changed I would die a smoker.

Reading articles from WhyQuit.com helped me understand what I was in for and to prepare for what I was undertaking. I took the week after Christmas off of work, stocked up on juice, found some relaxation/smoking cessation material on youtube and began psyching myself up for the big quit, my final quit. On New Year's Eve I drank and I smoked and I gave my old friend the Camel one last kiss on the lips around 11:30 p.m. I then threw the remainder of the pack in the trash and started for bed. I paused halfway down the hallway and went back to the trash to retrieve the smokes, as I knew from past experience that smokes in the trash would definitely be a temptation the following morning. I stood there looking at them and decided to twist them up into an unusable state, then just for good measure I rinsed the remainder of the product with water from the kitchen sink.

I had smoked butts out of ash cans, so I knew full well that nothing that resembled a cigarette, or anything that could be fashioned to remotely resemble a cigarette would be safe when the urge to smoke kicked in full blast. The next morning the urges hit full on and I struggled mightily, but this time was armed with some knowledge. Big drinks of juice and some quiet time alone listening to the relaxation videos helped. One in particular urged me to take a deep breath of clean air every time I got the urge and for some reason it worked.

Each time I would begin to stress or find myself in a situation that in the past had caused a trigger, a deep slow breath in and then exhaling and then repeating as necessary, would cause the agitation to evaporate. Fighting off one urge at a time, one day at a time, was a battle I decided I could win. I took much comfort in reading the trials and tribulations of others, the advice and articles, gaining hope from those who had won their own personal battles with nicotine dependency on WhyQuit.

Finally, understanding that I was an addict and that a simple drag off of a family member or friends cigarette would most certainly draw me right back in to the never ending cycle of nicotine dependency, has been my salvation.

I'm coming up on 14 months now and feel great. Just finished an extensive health examination that I'd been putting off for fear of what they might tell me and am grateful to be able to say that I got a clean bill of health. I know I may eventually have to pay for 30 years of bad choices, but I now realize that stopping was the most important decision of my life. I plan to protect my quit like my life depends on it, because I believe it really does.

I've began exercising again and have lost all of the 15 lbs. that I gained after quitting, plus a few. I'm able to climb stairs and walk up hills and exert myself without my chest pounding and lungs burning from lack of oxygen. My body is healing and I'm a better person, mentally and physically. I am proud of myself and now know that I am mentally tough enough to do anything I want to do. Thanks for your part in making that happen, I truly appreciate it.

Rodney