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 (or want to support quitters), please - join us! We kindly ask that politics be left out.
You can also click the GUS tag to view all diary posts, or access the GUS Library at dKosopedia for a great list of stop-smoking links. Check it out!
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A message to all quitters: you don't have to avoid GUS if your latest attempt to quit didn't work out. We won't give you a bad time and we consider the attempted quits as "practice" for the real quit
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Writing a GUS diary is a great way to pick up a few new skills. Reading them is a great way to meet a nice bunch of new people who will help share the pain of quitting in the first few months. It really is a nice distraction from your brain's old habits screaming at you during the first days of your quit.
I did any and everything during the first few hours to distract myself from the withdrawal symptoms. Fortunately I had set aside a couple days to hide in the house while my body was flushing out the nasty nicotine. And fortunately that was all that was really needed to get over the worst of it. I drank a few extra India Pale Ales and smoked some mullein once or twice, but all that really did was drag the process out a little longer: no biggie. After a LONG weekend of essentially cold turkey it was down to the waiting game, proving that I was more stubborn than my weenie habits. Your Mileage Will Vary, but find whatever works for you.
I wandered around Daily Kos and read a bunch of great stuff, learning more than I really wanted to know but needed to anyway. I hung out at GUS for hours. I listened to and watched music over at U2b [You Tube] for days. I shredded the old habits and spit them out. I invented a new, improved self from the ashes.
It was all about learning how to ignore these impulses that were trying to tell me "You won't feel crappy if you just have a cigarette" How F@(%#D UP is that? But I made it through. A couple of days, then a week. Two! ! ! Game Over. I won. I knew I had won even though the monkey was still there; it was shriveled and ugly and I didn't want to go through that again to get here. I had toughed it out; it was actually rather easy to get into the quit for several days and then just a little more patience was needed. Just a little more distraction and my body would flush itself of a bad, bad habit.
1BQ, 3rdGenFeminist, Abra Crabcakeya, Actbriniel, addisnana, AfroPonix, aishmael, Alise, Alpha99, A Man Called Gloom, ambeeeant, American in Kathmandu, amk for obama, andsarahtoo, angry marmot, Anne933, anodnhajo, aoeu, aquarius2001, arcadesproject, Archie2227, arodb, Arthur Wolf (in memoriam), assyrian64, awkawk, b4uknowit, bamablue, BARAKABETH, barnowl, b barrie, bdizz, beatpanda, beefydaddy18, BFSkinner, bgblcklab1, BigAlinWashSt, Bike Crash, BirderWitch, BJKay, bleeding heart, blingbling65, blue husky, Blue Intrigue, bluedust, BluejayRN, BlueJessamine, Bluerall, bluestatedem84, BoiseBlue, boudi08, Brahman Colorado, breedlovinit, BrenP, Bronxist, BrowniesAreGood, bsmechanic, buddabelly, bumbi, BusyinCA, Carol in San Antonio, CathiefromCanada, CathodeRay, CDH in Brooklyn, cee4, Cen Den, ChiTownDenny, ChocolateChris, ChurchofBruce, ciganka, cinnamondog, citizenx, ClapClapSnap, Cleante, Code Monkey, codobus, Coldblue Steele, Colorado is the Shiznit, coloradomomma, common green, commonmass, Common Sense Mainer, congenitalefty, coppercelt, dadanation, dangoch, DarienComp, dauber, Dauphin, Dave in AZ, Dave in Northridge, deedogg, demkat620, Dexter, Diana in NoVa, Dickie, DiegoUK, Dingodude, dirtdude, distraught, djMikulec, dolfin66, donnamarie, Donna O, dotsright, DRo, droogie6655321, Dube, duckhunter, Eclectablog, Eddie C, EdgedInBlue, effervescent, elbamash, El barragas, el vasco, ericlewis0, Everest42, Ex Con, ezdidit, fhamme, Fineena, fiona2, fishhawk, Flea, flumptytail, Friend of the court, fritzi56, FrugalGranny, Garrett, Gator, gchaucer2, GDbot, Geiiga, GenXangster, glpaul, gooderservice, gooners, gravlax, greylox, grndrush (in memoriam), GrumpyWarriorPoet, gzodik, Haole in Hawaii, HappyinNM, henlesloop, HeyMikey, hideinplainsight, High Tide, hiliner68, hold tight, hulibow, I love OCD, Im a frayed knot, imisa, Indexer, indubitably, indyada, Interceptor7, Inventor, I said GOOD DAY sir, itsbenj, Jahiz, JamesEB, janl1776, Janeo, JayinPortland, jayjaybear, jbou, Jeffersonian Democrat, jmadlc55, jmonch, Joes Steven (aka Steven), john07801, johngoes, johnny wurster, jsfox, JVolvo's Mom, jwinIL14, Kai99, kailuacaton, Kamakhya, kat herder, Kelly of PA, kestrel9000, khloemi, Khun David, Kitsap River, kittania, KrazyKitten, Kristina40, Ksholl, labwitchy, Lady Kestrel, ladypockt, Lahdee, langerdang, LarsThorwald, LA rupert, last starfighter, LaughingPlanet, Laurie Gator, Lipstick Liberal, litoralis, lmdonovan, lockewasright, Lonely Texan, longislandny, luvsathoroughbred, maggiemay, magicsister, mango, Marc in KS, Marjmar, Mark E Andersen (Kodiak54), marknspokane, marsanges, maryabein, Matt Esler, mdemploi, Meteor Blades, Micburke, michael1104, MillieNeon, minerva1157, MinervainNH, Missys Brother, mjbleo, MnRaindog, mntleo2, Morague, Mr Bojangles, mrsgoo, mskitty, msmacgyver, MsWings, Murphoney, nannyboyz, ncsuLAN, NearlyNormal, Nedsdag, Nick Zouroudis, notgivingup, NY brit expat, OleHippieChick, one pissed off democrat, Onomastic, operculum, OrangeMike, Ordvefa, Overseas, Over the Edge, Pager, paige, PaintyKat, paradox, parryander, paulitics, Pennsylvanian, phrogge prince, Positronicus, post rational, PowWowPollock, Proud Mom and Grandma, psycho liberal, ptolemynm, Purple Priestess, PvtJarHead, racheltracks, randallt, ray bob, real world chick, red mittens, Reepicheep, regis, relentless, revelwoodie, revsue, Rex Manning, rexymeteorite, RiaD, rickeagle, ridemybike, rightiswrong, Rileycat, rincewind, rkex, roadlion, Roger Fox, Rosebuddear, roses, rscopes, Rudini, Safina, SallyCat, Sanuk, Sark Svemes, sboucher, scooter in brooklyn, Scrapyard Ape, seenaymah, sfbob, sgary, Shahryar, sheddhead, shesaid, Shifty18, shmuelman, shopkeeper, sidious666, slowbutsure, smartcookienyc, smeesq, Smoh, snoopydawg, snorwich, SnyperKitty, SoCalHobbit, sofia, soonergrunt, sostos, sowsearsoup, SpecialKinFlag, spmozart, spotDawa, SpotTheCat, StateOfGrace, Statusquomustgo, stiffneck, sunbro, Super Grover, Syoho, tallmom, Tay, tdslf1, teknospaz, theatre goon, The Eyewitness Muse, TheGeneral, TheStoopingRabbit, TigerMom, Tim DeLaney, tiredofcrap, TomP, tonyahky, Toyotabob7, TracieLynn, TreeFrog, triciawyse, tripodisblack, trs, trueblueliberal, ttanner, Tulsonian, Turn VABlue, Turtle Bay, Tyto Alba, uc booker, UncleCharlie, Unduna, Unforgiven, ursoklevar, USArmyParatrooper, VA02 femocrat, Vacationland, valadon, Vayle, Vetwife, vgranucci, Village expects idiot home soon, waytac, webranding, weelzup, Wes Opinion, Whimsical Rapscallion, willy be frantic, willy mugobeer, Wood Dragon, wolfie1818, Wordsinthewind, Wreck Smurfy, x, xopher, yet another liberal, Zotz
AND, before I knew it, a year and a month has gone by. How happy am I that I did it? Do you really have to ask? It is without question one of the best things I ever did for myself. I thank myself, and my friends here in GUSville, for finding whatever I needed to do it. Just do it. I am so glad I became one of the People of the Quit.
What a nasty habit. I wish I had never had the opportunity to pick it up. I have someone I could blame and the tobacco companies themselves, but that doesn't really do much good. I just have to keep thinking of other things, like how to post this diary.
Have you had some experience with the effects of smoking, and want to write a GUS diary or host an open thread? Please sign up in the Butt Can (Tip Jar), and name the day and time that works for you (AM, PM, late-night, early-bird...)
Weekly GUS Diary Schedule (regular diarists featured in bold)
Thu AM: Be Here Now
Thu PM: Open
Fri AM: flumptytail
Fri PM: SallyCat (WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!)
Sat AM: Open (effervescent skipping town)
Sat PM: SallyCat (ONE MORE TIME!! WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!)
Sun AM: bgblcklab1 (filling in for Safina - thanks!)
Sun PM: Open
Mon AM: Open
Mon PM: boudi08 (subbing for a very grateful VL)
2s AM : Dunno
2s PM: Dunno, probably one of them newbies
Wed AM: Got me. Maybe labwitchy, but Summer has this all messed up
Wed PM: Hopefully Frugal Granny again, but Summmer heat is confusing...
Thu AM: And the Wheel Keeps on Turning........
So. Is there a point to this GUS diary? YES! [not really] I had to find many things to fill up the moments that my addicted brain used to fill with nico5@#%. And I did, and it was easy to do so, and I am so glad to have the time now to fill with it other, more productive and rewarding pursuits and pastimes than puffing away....