Quitting Smoking
- Thread starter IceToEskimos
- Start date
I highly suggest Chantix for those wanting to quit. It did cause some crazy ass suicidal dreams with myself but it helped a lot with the psychical and psychological effects with picking that fucking cig up.
My problem was giving into some fuckers offering me a cig, just ONE, which is what fucks most of us up when trying to quit. I also went into many months of chewing, sacrificing my mouth and gums, instead of my lungs. Needless to say I chew and smoke now.
I still firmly believe it has nothing to do with the traditional "will power" people will preach upon you. The same goes for alcoholism and my drinking. I want to quit smoking and drinking but have yet to come across any real reason to do so.
It's up to you to decide to quit your own habits. Whether it be the love of your children, your parents, your siblings, your wife (lol), yourself, or what the fuck ever.
My problem was giving into some fuckers offering me a cig, just ONE, which is what fucks most of us up when trying to quit. I also went into many months of chewing, sacrificing my mouth and gums, instead of my lungs. Needless to say I chew and smoke now.
I still firmly believe it has nothing to do with the traditional "will power" people will preach upon you. The same goes for alcoholism and my drinking. I want to quit smoking and drinking but have yet to come across any real reason to do so.
It's up to you to decide to quit your own habits. Whether it be the love of your children, your parents, your siblings, your wife (lol), yourself, or what the fuck ever.
Dude totally do yourself a favor and get an e-cig or cigar. Even if you're trying to quit nicotine completely, if the cravings come, at least you won't be looking for a cigarette or whole pack. Smoking for me was like a nervous twitch or something because I could quit. Not smoke for months, but then somehow the shit starts again. Now I just go take some puffs of the ecigar and chill. It still gives you that feeling like your smoking, and a wicked head rush at times. After a month the taste in your mouth comes back, your breath smells better, I can jog without getting winded... the whole nine. You'll appreciate it even if you make it a tool to quit nicotine completely.
Not to mention the money that you spend in it. I used to smoke nearly a pack every day but I quit 5 years ago. Since then I bought a new bed, a couch, a whole new ski equipment and I just recently upgraded my pc too solely from the money I used to spent on cigs.
It was one of my best decisions to quit. The first months will suck but just don't let anyone or anything to tempt you.
Good luck.
It was one of my best decisions to quit. The first months will suck but just don't let anyone or anything to tempt you.
Good luck.
I quit smoking about 2 weeks ago too. Probably my 4th or 5th real go at it in 15 years. My most successful run was about 8 months and I quit with the e-cig. Than it blew up in my face so I decided that real cigarettes were less harmful to my health.
On the real, been using the patch and lozenges for about 2 weeks and scaled down to 3 lozenges a day. Will probably be completely nicotine free next week.
On the real, been using the patch and lozenges for about 2 weeks and scaled down to 3 lozenges a day. Will probably be completely nicotine free next week.
Here's what I'm doing to quit, seems to be working so far. I've been a smoker for the last 13 years, and a pack-a-day smoker for the last 5 or so. Going cold turkey was too difficult for me, and I refuse to put more chemicals (Chantix) in my body to just to get rid of one.
1. Quit smoking Marlboro's or whatever. Switch to an All-tobacco brand like Winston, or American Spirits. Atleast then if you do smoke you're not getting the carcinogens, you'll just end up with emphysema or something instead of cancer.
2. I bought a cigarette case off ebay for $3. Everyday I load my pack of cigarettes into that case. All 20. Thats what I get to smoke for the day. Whatever is in the case.
3. Each week I put 1 less cigarette into the case. So the 2nd week I only put in 19, third week 18. So basically I'm smoking 1 less cigarette each day, per week.
Thats pretty much it, ween myself off of them slowly. So far I'm down to 15 cigarettes a day. Doesn't sound like much but I've reduced my intake by 5 cigarettes a day at this point which is a 25% reduction in my habit.
I'm hoping by the time I get to say 3 or 5 cigarettes a day I'll just stop smoking all together. We'll see. Its working so far.
1. Quit smoking Marlboro's or whatever. Switch to an All-tobacco brand like Winston, or American Spirits. Atleast then if you do smoke you're not getting the carcinogens, you'll just end up with emphysema or something instead of cancer.
2. I bought a cigarette case off ebay for $3. Everyday I load my pack of cigarettes into that case. All 20. Thats what I get to smoke for the day. Whatever is in the case.
3. Each week I put 1 less cigarette into the case. So the 2nd week I only put in 19, third week 18. So basically I'm smoking 1 less cigarette each day, per week.
Thats pretty much it, ween myself off of them slowly. So far I'm down to 15 cigarettes a day. Doesn't sound like much but I've reduced my intake by 5 cigarettes a day at this point which is a 25% reduction in my habit.
I'm hoping by the time I get to say 3 or 5 cigarettes a day I'll just stop smoking all together. We'll see. Its working so far.
I think reduction has it's benefits. I was a pack a day smoker for years, but with this quit, I just didn't buy a pack one night.
This left me with 4 smokes to get through the next day, and when I smoked those, that was it.
It's a little bit of a steeper reduction than what you are talking about, but it definitely softened the landing for me. Good luck.
Getting over the nicotine addiction is easy. Completely flushes out of your system in a few days. But the psychological addition (like you said) is a different story altogether.
That could take months, years, or you might never get over it. I still catch myself craving on occasion and I've quit since '09 (with a couple of vacation relapses).
That could take months, years, or you might never get over it. I still catch myself craving on occasion and I've quit since '09 (with a couple of vacation relapses).
The commit lozenge worked for me. Just tucked it into my lip like a dip. I still enjoy a cigar on the weekends.
Read the [ame="http://www.amazon.com/Allen-Carrs-Easyway-Stop-Smoking/dp/0615482155/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1330009321&sr=8-1"]Easy Way to Quit Smoking by Allan Carr[/ame] and it will help you immensely.
You've already gotten through the hardest part. Read that book and it will help break the mental addiction.
edit: I hate how it auto links- the name of the book is Easyway to Stop Smoking
You've already gotten through the hardest part. Read that book and it will help break the mental addiction.
edit: I hate how it auto links- the name of the book is Easyway to Stop Smoking
I read that twice. It helped get me in the right frame of mind, sure. But I don't think it would have been very fun to quit cold turkey with just the book.
The more tools in your arsenal, the better off you'll be though.
One thing that I found that helps me is how much like TOTAL ASS cigarettes taste when I've slipped up in the past.
And after I finish one I don't feel better at all. Just way worse (and guilty).
It's never worth it. Embrace the withdrawal cravings and make them your bitch.
Or punk out like I did and try the lozenge (feels good man).
I'd agree, my wife smoked for around 7 years. She stopped cold the moment she found out she was pregnant (over ten years now). Like mimoza said she can't stand being around people smoking or the smell of it. Certainly it was hard at first, but it got easier and easier to the point where she no longer had "cravings" or desire to smoke. I don't remember how long it took to get to that point. Every once in a while she has a dream where she was smoking, still. People that "quit several times" have only stopped, never did they quit.
My great grandfather smoked 2 packs a day until he was in about 90 and his doctor told him to quit if he wanted to live. He did. His doctor told him to get tic tacs and take a couple whenever he wanted to light up. It helped him.
Good luck.
I quit 5 years ago after smoking for 10 years, cold turkey of course. I just stopped one day and never took another puff. The 2 first months were the hardest for me, coffee didn't taste good, beer neither and I had constant cravings. Now everything tastes so much better than back then. I can breathe freely, my mouth isn't dry, fuck I can even run without getting a heart attack.
What motivated me enough to quit, was the realization of how smoking controlled my daily routine and in fact my whole mindset. I was sad so I needed a cig, I was happy and I smoked, I had to do some work or was stressed, I smoked to get through it.
And I don't even want to start about when I ran out of cigarettes.
Fuck this shit! I mean I don't need this. And when I quit, I saw how centered people were around their habit, I even felt a little superior. I think it would be good for you to associate the negative stuff with smoking. So every time you want to smoke, think about how your clothes will stink, how physically bad you sometimes feel after smoking a lot, about bad breathe and your heart beating like it's going to explode. And it's not even like you have to do something to not smoke. You just have to not do something. Just don't smoke, it's easy.
About the cravings, I still have them, but maybe once or twice a year, mostly when I'm out with friends who smoke. And it's more like a faint memory that goes away quickly. Most of the time I'm annoyed and disgusted by cigarette smoke and it also seems so unnatural to me to voluntarily inhale smoke, the picture seems not quite right. It definitely gets easier and it's an achievement you can be proud of.
I'd say good luck but you don't need luck to do it. Just hang in there!
What motivated me enough to quit, was the realization of how smoking controlled my daily routine and in fact my whole mindset. I was sad so I needed a cig, I was happy and I smoked, I had to do some work or was stressed, I smoked to get through it.
And I don't even want to start about when I ran out of cigarettes.
Fuck this shit! I mean I don't need this. And when I quit, I saw how centered people were around their habit, I even felt a little superior. I think it would be good for you to associate the negative stuff with smoking. So every time you want to smoke, think about how your clothes will stink, how physically bad you sometimes feel after smoking a lot, about bad breathe and your heart beating like it's going to explode. And it's not even like you have to do something to not smoke. You just have to not do something. Just don't smoke, it's easy.
About the cravings, I still have them, but maybe once or twice a year, mostly when I'm out with friends who smoke. And it's more like a faint memory that goes away quickly. Most of the time I'm annoyed and disgusted by cigarette smoke and it also seems so unnatural to me to voluntarily inhale smoke, the picture seems not quite right. It definitely gets easier and it's an achievement you can be proud of.
I'd say good luck but you don't need luck to do it. Just hang in there!
I did it this way and it worked really well. I smoked 1 1/2 packs a day for a long time, and I really really liked smoking. I had tried quitting cold turkey and it just turned me into an asshole that none of my friends wanted to be around and only lasted 2 weeks. What worked for me was starting with a pack, I'd smoke 20 cigs a day for 3 days and then drop it down to 19, and every 3 days I'd drop down by one.
My body got used to less nicotine over a gradual period, and made it easier. It was still a challenge, but much easier.
I replaced the cigarettes with sugarless gum. I chewed gum every waking moment of my life for the first 3-4 years after quitting smoking. The cravings for smoking finally did go away, and now I've been smoke free for 17 years. I don't miss them at all, in fact I can't stand the smell of them.
I quit the things that went hand in hand with smoking such as coffee and beer. Once I got past the cravings, I started drinking coffee again.
Don't give up, it's hard but not impossible, and it will pass eventually.
I always found that exercising helped with the cravings. After doing some push-ups or anything that gets your lungs working hard the thought of breathing smoke into them seems disgusting.
Yeah, I should have done more of that when I quit, I gained a bunch of weight afterwards.
It goes away... I quit 5 years ago. The main thing is your reasoning behind it. Your "why."
It's gotta be more important to you than the feeling you like about smoking. I had a very difficult time because smoking was a pondering tool for me. It also induces rhythmic breathing which we perceive as a way to relax (unconsciously), while actually increasing our blood pressure. Learn how to to this on your own.
It's gotta be more important to you than the feeling you like about smoking. I had a very difficult time because smoking was a pondering tool for me. It also induces rhythmic breathing which we perceive as a way to relax (unconsciously), while actually increasing our blood pressure. Learn how to to this on your own.