RC135Linguist
Bronze Member
For more information go to SmokefreeVets.org
Hello Everyone,
I'm fairly new to this forum and I must say that so far I'm very impressed with what I've been reading. It's a sincere atmosphere of sharing and caring; something that many of us have desperately needed at one point in our lives or another.
My own PTSD went undiagnosed and untreated for most of the past 40 years. As such, I've suffered through lost jobs, severed relationships, and the abuse of more than one substance. I still struggle with binge drinking, but one addiction that I was finally able to get under my control is cigarette smoking.
In the summer of 2010 I was still smoking at the rate of 4 packs per day. When I tell that to people, many of them absolutely refuse to believe that a person can smoke that much in a day. I'm here to tell you that it's true, and I have the credit card statements to prove it (that is, if you insist on seeing them.) It was also during that summer of 2010 that I was diagnosed with the beginning stages of COPD (emphysema.) I was scared shitless when I found that out.
Upon hearing the news, I finally took my doctor's advice and signed up for the smoking cessation program that September at my VA Medical Center in Loma Linda, CA. Honestly, never in a million years did I think I could ever quit smoking - it was more than an addiction with me; it was an obsession. My entire life seemed to revolve around figuring out when and how to buy my next carton of smokes and I scheduled all of my activities around places where I would be allowed to smoke them.
The VA's smoking cessation program, or at least the one I attended in Loma Linda, is phenomenal. They offer it free to us veterans, including free classes, free one-on-one counseling sessions with doctors, free medications (including Bupropion, Chantix, etc,) free stop smoking aids (such as nicotine gum, lozenges, inhalers, etc) and ongoing group support sessions with other nicotine-addicted veterans. I took advantage of everything they offered me and I finally snuffed out my last cigarette on September 29th, 2010 and haven't had another one since then. Incredible!
I'm still struggling with my own PTSD, but I do have some talents. As a way of showing my appreciation for having quit smoking, as well as to keep myself focused on quitting, I've created an informational web site for us veterans who have to, want to, or need to quit smoking. I get no money whatsoever from this site and, in fact, I pay out of my own pocket for the monthly hosting of it while using my own time, energy, and skills to keep it up to date. I encourage any of you who are still smoking, as much as you may not want to quit, to visit the site and at least read each and every word on each and every page. With as much emotional trauma as we have all suffered through, the last thing we need to deal with is the physical damage and suffering caused by cigarette, cigar, or pipe smoking.
Go to SmokefreeVets.org to visit my site and then call your local VAMC for specific information on its smoking cessation program.
Sincerely,
Len B.
P.S. I tried to create links that go directly to the stop smoking site, but I was prevented from doing so since it tells me that I haven't composed enough posts to this forum yet. If the forum administrator thinks it worthy, then perhaps he can override this requirement.
Hello Everyone,
I'm fairly new to this forum and I must say that so far I'm very impressed with what I've been reading. It's a sincere atmosphere of sharing and caring; something that many of us have desperately needed at one point in our lives or another.
My own PTSD went undiagnosed and untreated for most of the past 40 years. As such, I've suffered through lost jobs, severed relationships, and the abuse of more than one substance. I still struggle with binge drinking, but one addiction that I was finally able to get under my control is cigarette smoking.
In the summer of 2010 I was still smoking at the rate of 4 packs per day. When I tell that to people, many of them absolutely refuse to believe that a person can smoke that much in a day. I'm here to tell you that it's true, and I have the credit card statements to prove it (that is, if you insist on seeing them.) It was also during that summer of 2010 that I was diagnosed with the beginning stages of COPD (emphysema.) I was scared shitless when I found that out.
Upon hearing the news, I finally took my doctor's advice and signed up for the smoking cessation program that September at my VA Medical Center in Loma Linda, CA. Honestly, never in a million years did I think I could ever quit smoking - it was more than an addiction with me; it was an obsession. My entire life seemed to revolve around figuring out when and how to buy my next carton of smokes and I scheduled all of my activities around places where I would be allowed to smoke them.
The VA's smoking cessation program, or at least the one I attended in Loma Linda, is phenomenal. They offer it free to us veterans, including free classes, free one-on-one counseling sessions with doctors, free medications (including Bupropion, Chantix, etc,) free stop smoking aids (such as nicotine gum, lozenges, inhalers, etc) and ongoing group support sessions with other nicotine-addicted veterans. I took advantage of everything they offered me and I finally snuffed out my last cigarette on September 29th, 2010 and haven't had another one since then. Incredible!
I'm still struggling with my own PTSD, but I do have some talents. As a way of showing my appreciation for having quit smoking, as well as to keep myself focused on quitting, I've created an informational web site for us veterans who have to, want to, or need to quit smoking. I get no money whatsoever from this site and, in fact, I pay out of my own pocket for the monthly hosting of it while using my own time, energy, and skills to keep it up to date. I encourage any of you who are still smoking, as much as you may not want to quit, to visit the site and at least read each and every word on each and every page. With as much emotional trauma as we have all suffered through, the last thing we need to deal with is the physical damage and suffering caused by cigarette, cigar, or pipe smoking.
Go to SmokefreeVets.org to visit my site and then call your local VAMC for specific information on its smoking cessation program.
Sincerely,
Len B.
P.S. I tried to create links that go directly to the stop smoking site, but I was prevented from doing so since it tells me that I haven't composed enough posts to this forum yet. If the forum administrator thinks it worthy, then perhaps he can override this requirement.
