Smoke Free

[Guest Lady.Violette]

So Last time I smoked a lot was in June. Since then I've smoked like 1 cig every week or every other week.

Its easier to stay away when you are not around people that smoke.

I also kinda broke the 'freedom' when I went t visit my cousin up in Atlanta (3 weeks ago), because she smokes WAY to much and she also smokes inside the house, so I smoked a bit with her, but since then I've only had 2 cigs.

I get craving every now and then (like now, thats why Im writing this ), but most of the time I can manage out of pure will, Video Games and Music

I really dont wanna go back to smoking a lot. I hope I can stay in the right path for eva

WIsh me luck

[Guest]

Yes! Very happy for you Violette,

That's not easy to do - it took me a lot of tries with different methods, but finally got away from those things.

What helps to stay off of them? At the outset, it's staying away from the triggers that make you want them. Later, try exercise, diet, and lots of water to help your body to feel better. Just waking up in the morning with a healthy breath of air will do wonders for you!

All the best to you!

Love, Kat

[Guest Esperanza Xochitl]

I am also trying to quit for the like millionth time. My body reacts really not well to the lack of nicotine.

[Guest sarah f]

I am happy for you. I know it is hard for some to quit but it really is better off for you. Just think of all the money you are going to save by quiting. You can use that money for transitioning. I hope you are able to quit for good.

Good Luck

[Guest Donna Jean]

.

Best of luck on quiting smoking...both of you...

Stopping smoking isn't like giving up Pork Rinds...

Nicotine is an addicitive drug....

And it's difficult ...I know...

Donna Jean

[Guest Pammy]

I know just what you are going through. This coming Tuesday will make 90 days off cigarettes for me. It's very hard when I cannot avoid my triggers to smoke but I'm toughing it out. I substituted hard candy for a smoke and that helps me some. But now I'm addicted to Werther's! LOL!

Just decide whether or you a smoker or not and the BE that!

I tell myself that Pamela is NOT a smoker and that the smoking was only a slow form of suicide from that other person who is now happily becoming absent.

Good luck!

Love

Pamela

[Guest miss kindheart]

WIsh me luck

vanna gives Lady V her lucky horseshoe

Good luck

vanna

[Guest Lady.Violette]

What help me the most to stay away is this computer

its either I'm at work, or home playing Starcraft2, making maps for SC2, reading and posting on this site or surfing the web in general

cuz I know that if I hang around my smoker friends (most of my friends are smokers) ill end up asking for cigs too....

So till I can control my urges better, I rather stay at home

I am quite introverted anyway, so its not so hard for me. hihi

[Guest Lady.Violette]

Oh yeah I forgot....

TY guys for all the support, I wish my family was more supportive in general

You guys are the best

[Guest BeckyTG]

Sweet Violette and Pamela,

I smoked 2.5 packs a day for decades and my longest quit attempt was 2 hours....

Prior to my own personal decision that transitioning was right for me, I researched all I could about the effects of hormones and transitioning.

I was shocked and dismayed to learn that smoking while on estrogen exponentially increases the risk of Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) and blood clots. It seems you can feel fine and drop to the floor dead in the next moment from a blood clot. This certainly had an effect on me, to say the least.

The very day I made my initial appointment to begin therapy, I told myself that when I woke up the next morning, I would not be a smoker. I believed it would be difficult, if not impossible, to get an estrogen prescription if I was a smoker.

The next morning, I awoke and wanted a cigarette (darn, didn't work...).

Here were my thoughts, if they might help you:

When I wanted a cigarette (like about every 10 seconds), I would say to myself, what are you doing wanting a cigarette? You don't smoke!

If you have a cigarette, you'll only want one worse in 10 minutes. Having one only makes it worse, not better.

If you do smoke, you can't become a girl, you'll have to stay living as a boy...

I did find the first 3 months to be more full than I wanted of moments of craving. Over time, the craving moments were easier to get over and didn't last as long.

From 3 months to 6 months, I'd realize that I went xx period of time without any conscious craving and the craving moments were over much quicker. Still, I did have times when I had strong cravings.

For me, it all seemed over at the 6 month mark. The cravings were very seldom, very fleeting and they actually gave me strength when they happened, for I knew in my heart that I could easily brush them aside.

It's been 10 months for me now with not one single contact with nicotine in any form.

I am not preaching, for there's nothing I hated more as a smoker than being around a reformed ex-smoker (insert obnoxious jerk here) and I promised myself I would never become one of those.

I still go outside for smoke breaks with my friends and co-workers, I just don't smoke and there are no cravings. I enjoy the outdoors and the breaks.

I eat more and have put on a few pounds, but my Doctor thinks I'm in great shape.

I now do really and truly understand why I smoked all those years. I understand why every pharmaceutical drug designed to help people get off nicotine didn't work for me. I understand finally, my incredible addiction to nicotine.

It was a death wish. I knew smoking would kill me and I was resigned that it would, eventually, cause my premature death. The truth was, I could not face living as a man any longer. Smoking represented my easy way out of the pain. I didn't like my male self and secretly wanted to die.

It's incredibly easy for me now to not smoke. I love my female self and I never want to do things to harm my precious (new) female body. It's all in the past for me.

Besides, smoking makes your face wrinkle and look old.

I hope some of you find this helpful.

Love and support,

Be a healthy girl!

Becky

[Guest OneSmallStep]

I feel your pain, I had to quit smoking 2 weeks before top surgery (June 30th), so on June 15/16th, midnight I quit. I downloaded an app onto my phone for quitting smoking, I put that I had had my last cigarette. The first two weeks were kind of tough, but knowing it was to help my surgery made it easy. Then after being basically drugged up for a week after surgery, well I didn't crave then. And the following week as I was slowly healing, every so often I thought about it, but not so much. Over the days, and weeks, and months it's gotten gradually easier. I find when I want to smoke I look at my app, it's got a count of how long it's been and how much money I've saved, and it gives me stars for each milestone. I'm competitive so thinks makes it into a tangeible thing I can see I've done. That makes it easier, and then of course the fact that I know my fiance` would be very disappointed in me if I smoked, as I told her I was done with it.

I will say, the other night I was around a bunch of smokers, I found myself wanting to smoke because they were, but I also found the smell was sickening.. that's a good sign I've heard.

Good luck! I know it's not easy...

... It's been 95 days, 5 hours, 16 minutes and counting.....

($523.71 saved)

[Guest Elizabeth K]

You have all the encouragement I can muster!

There was a family tragedy in my family caused by smoking - smoking is a pleasure to some, but it is absoloutely deadly.

Lizzy

[Guest Donna Jean]

.

on...

Just come here if you feel yourself backsliding...we'll support you...OK...

I'm wishing you strength...good vibes coming your way...

Huggs

Donna Jean

[Guest Kristi Lyn]

I too smoked 2 packs aday for about 25 years. I agree with Pammy and Becky, it was a slow form of suicide and it does stand in the way of being girl. I gave up transitioning about a year ago becuase all the attemps to quit failed. So in the back of mind I decided if I cant be a girl then I will kill myself by smoking and drinking heavily. Fortunately for me the will to be that girl won out and I just put them down one day and never picked them up again. It's definetly a self destructive behavior. I now feel so much better about myself and just resumed my transition and not until I was sure I could break the addiction. Good luck and all the will power to you.

Kendal Louise

[Guest Cynthia Of Creation]

You Can Do it

[Guest Sephiria Arks]

There are several options for quitting smoking, although the best one is cold turkey and also the hardest choice.

Either get the patch, gum, pick a new distraction to keep busy with or there is always the elusive e-cigarette(another form of not so deadly nicotine vapor mist without all the other nasty carcinogens.. or so they "say".)

But I can see why smoking needs to be quit, especially before any surgery as nicotine causes far too much vasoconstriction and decreases circulation. And I imagine estrogen hormone therapy must somehow coagulate the blood platlets alot more than normal(hence DVT). So another recommendation is to be on fatty acids like Omega-3/6 and other oils that keep the blood running thin.

Good luck on quitting, you'll start feeling alot better when your body isn't poisoned anymore.

[Guest 91curiouskitten]

Just pojkin around

Two things

1: GOOD LUCK!!!

2:

Your avatar scares me o.o"

[Guest Melissa 67]

Ya, I smoked 2-packs a day for 29-years myself, and still can't belief I quite but I did. I'm just so thankfull everyday because I was able to do it. I just think of all the possibilities it has opened up for me.

Love

Melissa 67

[Guest jennifer normal]

I quit eight years ago for my third time. The motif was my doctor would not allow me taking estrogens while I was a smoker 3 packs I told her half pack. That was enough incentive to stop. I don't miss it Good luck Jennifer

[Guest Cynthia Of Creation]

Get a psp, I put 13 hours on it in one day lol, So addicted

the game was Kingdom Hearts Birth By Sleep

and that was one character

to help when your out lol.

I dont smoke but if i ever thought about picking it up I just found a great new addiction lol