GUS (Gave Up Smoking) is a community support diary for Kossacks in the midst of quitting smoking. Any supportive comments, suggestions or positive distractions are appreciated. If you are quitting or thinking of quitting, please -- join us! You can also click the GUS tag to view all diary posts.
Good morning, GUSsacks! Welcome visitors! Today is the one month anniversary of GUS time. The list of GUSsacks has grown from 7 original members to now a very impressive 55 members. That is a growth rate of about 800 % in one month. Some GUSsacks have hit day 30 with no smoking. Others have stumbled, gotten back up and continue to make great progress. All are committed to ending their addiction to nicotine.
Congratulations to everybody involved.
And now about the library.
There has been a ton of information on smoking cessation posted within the GUS diaries. To a new person with the desire to quit smoking it could seem a daunting task to go through the early diaries and hunt the information down. I propose we collect the best links and get them all in one place, a GUS library. The best way to accomplish this is a question I will open up for discussion in the comments.
I have gone through the first 5-6 GUS diaries and the collection as it exists at the moment is listed below. One of the best places for any person thinking about quitting smoking to start is dallasdoc's diary, Dallasdocs Guide to Stopping Smoking.
In dallasdoc's diary the following four links were provided and they are must reading for any former or current smoker.
Smokefree.gov
American Cancer Society
American Lung Association
When you have a good amount of spare time, check this site out. Web surfing paradise and a whole bunch of information.
About.com
This site is similar to the dKos GUS diaries only not nearly as fun, : ) . It is a quit smoking chat room, support group, networking sort of thing. Like GUS.
quitnet
This site is similar to quitsmoking, tons of information and tips. I picked one page out of the site because it is pertinent to many of us now. It is a quit smoking benefits time table with more detail than I have seen in most similar outlines. I picked out some of my favorites that are within most of our timelines.
Whyquit Benefits Table
10 days to 2 weeks
Recovery has likely progressed to the point where your addiction is no longer doing the talking. Blood circulation in our gums and teeth are now similar to that of a non-user.
21 days
Brain acetylcholine receptor counts up-regulated in response to nicotine's presence have now down-regulated and receptor binding has returned to levels seen in the brains of non-smokers.
2 weeks to 3 months
Your heart attack risk has started to drop. Your lung function is beginning to improve.
bsmechanic recommended this book in a very early diary.
Jacquelyn Rogers is the author of the book You Can Stop Smoking link, and the founder of the Smokeenders program. In this book, she emphasizes the importance of coming up with highly personal, even selfish reasons to quit smoking, as a means of postive motivation.
Some people have recommended this site so I included it here. I looked at it only briefly and I think it might cost you some money.
Allen Carr's "Easy Way to Quit Smoking"
I know there is more out there and I can include additional information in an update or two, or three. Please list anything you think should be included in your comments below. There is some stuff from last nights diary that I haven't had a chance to go through but I will.
Any lurkers, fence sitters out there? Please chime in, we would love to here from you. There are some GUSsacks we haven't heard from in awhile. Please check in and let us know how you are doing.
Current members of the GUS team! Please post a comment if you would like to join, or if your name is here in error:
1BQ
3rdGenFeminist
Abra Crabcakeya
amk for obama
Anne933
ArthurWolf
bgblcklab1
BirderWitch
blue husky
Blue Intrigue
bluestatedem84
breedlovinit
bsmechanic
Chocolate Chris
coppercelt
dadanation
dangoch
DRo
duckhunter
Fineena
flumptytail
FrugalGranny
greylox
gchaucer2
Im a frayed knot
Indexer
interceptor7
itsbenj
jvolvo's Mom
khloemi
labwitchy
ladypockt
langerdang
LarsThorwald
lmdonovan
luvsathoroughbred
maggiemay
magicsister
Mikeguyver
MinervainNH
nannyboz
ncsuLAN
Nick Zouroudis
Ordvefa
Pennsylvanian
rosebuddear
SallyCat
seenaymah
smartcookienyc
spmozart
Turn VABlue
uc booker
Vacationland
webranding
Wood Dragon
Anyone (on or off the buddy list) is welcome to write a diary for GUS. If you are interested, please leave a comment in the Butt Can (tip jar). NEW RULES: If you are looking for a current diary and the schedule has an open or snark entry, it is a go for it, first posted, first commented on situation.
Wed AM: bgblcklab1
Wed PM: SallyCat
Thu AM: open
Thu PM: open
Fri AM: seenaymah
Fri PM: Vactionland
Sat AM: bgblklab1