Regardless of the smoking, I think a lot of us feel that kind of pain when trying to sleep. I know I do. Are you taking anything to help with the pain?

Are you currently under the care of a physician?

Hugs,
ladybrannon

No I am not yet seeing a doctor, I am trying to get through this on my own due to medical insurance problems.

I smoked for 20 years and finally quit for good 3 1/2 years ago. The bad news is there is only one way to quit, you really have to want to quit! I tried using zyban, which is the anti-depressant (starts with an m), and it got me down to 4 cigerettes a day. The best thing is it is also an appetite suppressant, when you quit most people gain between 8 to 15 pounds. The rest of the way is good old fashioned, cold turkey.

You feel much better after you quit!

Good luck,

mia

I smoked for 20 years, tried to quit many times, my health had been poor for years before I quit, I knew that I didn't have the will power to quit, but one day i'd picked up a book,( i'm sorry I don't recall the name of it ), it was the story of a preachers walk with the lord... Anyway, one story stood out to me , about a older military man who smoked stogies and one day after a sermon, given by this particular preacher, (he was a military clergy at the time) this older military man approached the pastor and said, that very day his doctor had told him to stop smoking now , or make funeral arragements. He wanted the pastor to pray that the lord would help him quit....He'd been smoking for many years. The pastor had preached on the lords ability to heal and deliver people from all sorts of things. Ofcourse the pastor prayer for him, but as the pastor prayer he dughted in his heart that the man would quit smoking, and really did't believe that the lord would do anything. A year or so went by , the pastor is at another base giving a talk, afterward, a man came up to the stage and asked if the pastor remembered him. Of course he met many people in his line of work so he admitted he didn't recall him. The older military man got quite excited, and reminded him of the time he'd been prayed for. He said that after the pastor had prayer for him, he too had significant doughts. He said he went to the "head", where he took out a stogie and lit up! But was suddenly over come by extreme nausia , he couldn't ever stand to be around the smell of smoke since ! This story stuck in my mind and as you may guess as to were my story is going, I too prayed that the lord would help me quit, I told my husband about what I had done ... But everyday for a week he would bring me cigarettes, one day I showed him a box I had filled with the packs . He was stunned ... So was I for that matter! I never once found my self searching for a cigarette! I thought about it only when I drank coffee, so for a while I quit drinking coffee! And yes I even tried to go back to it ... I had the same reaction as the older military man! I can't say that my health improved, but I smell better and I saved alot of money :d
i give all the glory to our lord jesus christ! Amen ! Hope this helps someone................. Lily

You really do have to want it. You have to want it so much! I have quit a couple of times. I quit once for a little over three years. I got really stressed out and started again for which I will never forgive myself. It has now been about three years since I started again. I quit for a couple of months in november, but once again I started. My main thing is when I go to the bar and have a beer or two, I smoke. I cannot drink without smoking. And I love both! I hate both, but love both. I think you all know what I mean.
Anyway, it can be done. I know that I can quit for good and I do want to, but right now my desire is just not strong enough. It is sad, but true. If you really want to quit all you have to do is convince yourself that it is disgusting and that it will make you sick and kill you. Now, I know everyone knows that, but I mean drill it into your head. My anxiety actually is what helped me quit. I had my self so convinced that it was going to kill me that even when I smelled smoke from someone else's cigarette I started to have a panic attack for fear of my life. Of course that is not healthy either, but that is what you have to do. Convince yourself!
Anyway, sorry for rambling my point is the best way to quit is cold turkey. Once you get through the first couple of days and the nicotine is out of your system the craving is for the actual "act" of smoking. But it does get easier. So good luck to all and god bless.

Lilke I pointed out, my quiting had nothing to do with my power , but from the lords power, I have been with out tobacco for 20 years , the same amount o ftime that I smoked! But once you put it in gods hands, he is able to do abundantly above what we could ever imagine!
Lily

Well I am very happy for you, but not all people are christians like yourself.

Oh my dear! You don't have to be a "christian" to call on god ! He hears us all !! love lily

Well of course he does! All I was saying is for people who do not believe in god and who are not going to "call on him" then they can try my way of quitting. Convincing their mind that it will kill them (which it will eventually)
of course, I know that I could not have done it those times without god's help, but not all people share our faith.

Why is it when some one says somthing about god ---so called people of " faith " crawl out of the wood work to denounce it !!???? How afrid are we suppose to be, to not be able to talk freely about some thing which is so vital ?? If you are of a "faith " you should applaud and even encourage the fact that all people no matter thier faith of lack of it can try to sim;ply say if your really there .... Help me! This is not some muslim nation ! We are allowed in this country to talk about all kinds of faiths, r lack thereof
take a chill pill and relax! Lily

"this might not be a muslim nation", but we might very well have muslim friends who post here. I have seen post from asian areas, and most are not christian. I for one am jewish. So I say, believe in what you believe in and be proud of it, but be careful no to step on the toes of those who are here for our common goal, to find help and support for lupus.

And to the question of quitting smoking, more than anything else, you have to have faith in yourself. You control your own destiny and you have to decide it is time for you to quit!

I took up needlepoint to keep my hands busy, it is as much a physical craving and a repetitive action replacement that you need. Find something to keep your hands busy, besides eating. Most people who quit smoking gain between 8 and 15 pounds in the process!

Good luck,

mia

You know what karl, backoff. I did not denounce it. You gave your way of quitting and I gave mine. You can preach all you freaking want to, I don't care. I was not trying to stop you and I did not tell you to stop! I simply said that there are people who come here who do not believe in god. So, you telling them to call on god for help isn't going to do them any bit of good now is it? No. And you know what, there are plently of religions out there other than muslim, so I don't know what you even meant about that. People have their right to choose whatever they do, say and believe. You can do whatever you want and how dare you refer to me as "so called people of faith." just because I am not a bible beater does not mean I am not a "person of faith" so, if anyone needs to relax it is you! If you are going to get accusatory and defensive then take it somewhere else!

There is a thing called "freedom of speech" as well, which you won't find in those "other" nations. And as a" person" I can give my story of how I deal with things that have been successful. I can also say quite truly that unless some one at one time in my life, would have failed to mention to me that I could "pray," and ask god to help me, when I didn't want to even live anymore....I know I would not have been here today! They taught me how to pray. That book I read showed me how to pray, and I didn't even have to be full of faith ..I just put it in "his" hands. By the way if you are a believer , then you know that as a christian we have each been called to take his word before us.....And tell of his word and his life and his death opps ! I am acctually going to write the name above all names jesus!!!! Whaoo how dare I !!!!It is because of my faith in him that I am able to do the things I do each day ... Inspite of this thing called lupus.... And my life with lupus has taught me more about "his" love for me then the best moments of my life!!! And that is because, ""he lives!!"" by the way I am lily

Obviously you do not even read posts before responding so I am not even going to waste my time with you. If your name is lily more power to you, your user name is karl.....And I refer to people by there usernames.

I might have taken a beating for what I say but I defend my right to say it. There are other sites for people who struggle with lifes difficulties. Be lieve me there are lots of "people talking of god " and you never have any bashing for what you say about praying or asking for prayer , or for thanking god for his help. If any one is interested you can go to grannys ear @msn .Com, and there are several others which people post of their struggles with dissabilities , pain ect. This is the only health site i'v been to were attacks come hot and heavy when ever the lord is mentioned. Thats so sad. Because when you are suffering, all help should be accepted . I would think that it would be a ripe place to hear people call out to god , or ask for prayer!!! This is lily powell , (i use my husbands computer ) for give the confusion!!!! Lily

I never said that you shouldn't talk of god! You did not take a beating. And I am not trying to be mean, but you really need to read posts thoroughly enough to understand them and then respond. You are jumping to conclusions that are not even there. No one bashed you. I am sorry for the confusion, but I am done here.

there are many faiths & many ways of dealing with problems of addiction etc. All advice should be read & comprehended befoer people post replies which show a lack of comprehension.

Prayer is a way of obtaining help.

Positive thinking is another way.

Negative visualization (or positive) is another - like imagine (this is gross!!) kissing an ashtray full of butts etc every time you think about lighting up!!

god by the way helps those who help themselves & in my opinion that applies regardless of your faith or lack thereof so regardless of what you use to overcome your addiction (prayer, will power, visualization etc) you have to do it before it will happen!!

This forum is to help not argue. For the record I am a christian who believes in re-incarnation, spirits & that god (by whatever name you chosse to call him/her) is an energy that is in & of everything & as my son (age 9) says that god is even in your stomach

Mia and purple333--
thank you for wrapping things up and being brief about the other topic within the topic.

We must remember that yes, tempers do flare and we tend to go on about our opinions, which is our right as human beings.

But we also must remember that these forums and their topics are for everyone to read about. Should a topic transition into something else then please whoever is involved take that "something else" into a private discussion.

Thank you.

Clarebear

A note from the moderator:

this is a friendly place...*everyone* has a right to their opinions! *everyone* please keep that in mind!

Also remember that not everyone may feel the same way that you do and we must be mindful of that as well!

hugs to all!
Ladybrannon