Spinal Cord Injury

Posted on: Thu, Apr 16 2009 6:37 AM

Posted by: scipilot Posts: 253

Have given up smoking after 30 years of enjoying the devils weed, decided it was either that or die!

After a longggggg week of no smoking this normal laid back considerate guy is at the point of ripping the heads of of cute babies if they come his way

Anyway i'm sure this will pass and the babies will survive, however as a spinal cord guy I am finding i'm getting very stiff, smoking was obviously a musle relaxing drug for me, i'm using nicotine patches (job to get them to light though) and they are helping to kill the cravings but can't find an answer to this stiffness.

Any spinal cord guys or gals in here given up smoking and can throw some light on this?

Posted on: Thu, Apr 16 2009 6:58 AM

Posted by: rainey826 Posts: 8,891

Hello , I am Rainey and have polio and yes I am a smoker ... I am aware of the damage yet I will be honest and say I enjoy it .. my vice . If the prices keep going up here in CT I may have no choice but to quit !!!  Good for you keep up the good work I am sure it is no easy task . HANG IN THERE !

                                              Rainey  xo   

Posted on: Thu, Apr 16 2009 7:34 AM

Posted by: cudachaser Posts: 2,230

 I copy Rainey on that...moderation is the Key

Posted on: Thu, Apr 16 2009 8:46 AM

Posted by: Finetooner Posts: 1,080

cudachaser:

 I copy Rainey on that...moderation is the Key

I'm an ex-smoker (35 years ago) and I wish I could have smoked like my Grandfather: ONE in the morning, ONE at noon, and ONE in the evening with a couple of large gulps of whiskey. It may have affected his health because he probably could have lived to 100+ but only made it to 96! LOL. 

Posted on: Thu, Apr 16 2009 8:48 AM

Posted by: rainey826 Posts: 8,891

Finetooner:

cudachaser:

 I copy Rainey on that...moderation is the Key

I'm an ex-smoker (35 years ago) and I wish I could have smoked like my Grandfather: ONE in the morning, ONE at noon, and ONE in the evening with a couple of large gulps of whiskey. It may have affected his health because he probably could have lived to 100+ but only made it to 96! LOL. 

ONLY 96 ? WOW   LMAO 

Posted on: Thu, Apr 16 2009 12:31 PM

Posted by: scipilot Posts: 253

ONE in the morning, ONE at noon, and ONE in the evening 

Posted on: Thu, Apr 16 2009 12:45 PM

Posted by: rainey826 Posts: 8,891

scipilot:

ONE in the morning, ONE at noon, and ONE in the evening 

If only life were that simple

REALLY !!!    XO     YOUR DOING GREAT ................

Posted on: Thu, Apr 16 2009 1:17 PM

Posted by: swan Posts: 235

I'm an ex-smoker, too, and smoking actually helped my asthma. I checked it out and found out the reason was that smoking relaxes the diaphragm. Ahhh, that exhale . . .

So, when I quit I started doing some breathing exercises - like pursed lip breathing and deep breathing that relax the diaphragm and that not only helped the asthma but it also relaxed my upper body which is where I have stiffness and pain.

I also switched to "smoking" mullein. If you're not familiar with it, it's an herb - actually it grows all over the western US - and you can get mullein tea in any natural food store but if you harvest the fresh stuff and let it dry, you can roll it and smoke it and it soothes your lungs (except for the fact that you are breathing in SMOKE) - and it gives you something to smoke that is non-addicting. I only used it for a few days to kid myself that I was really smoking . . . .

But, I must say that after smoking off and on all my adult life, that when I was finally, totally, no more forever, through with it - I felt such FREEDOM! I had never known how hooked I was, how thinking about cigarettes - my  next one, if I had some, if I could smoke here, where can I smoke, etc etc - and how much of my mental energy was now FREE!!! of that. Hang in there - it is worth it. . . . swan . . .