Quitting Smoking

I find the cravings do diminish over time. For me, the worst trigger is watching someone make love to their cigarette in a movie -- just makes it look so damned good.

I broke a 5-10 cup-a-day of espresso addiction two weeks ago and it's much worse than quitting my 10 year cigarette addiction a couple of years ago. The psychological and physical torture is unreal (probably like crack addicts suffer.) Worse, I get insane panic attacks with even the slightest caffeine now, so I had to go cold turkey, or risk going to the psych ward.

Guess what I'm saying is: There are harder habits to break than the smokes. Pick up some nicorette or thrive mints if you get the extreme urge. I found popping a mint every once in while when I thought I couldn't resist a smoke helped re-strengthen my resolve, since you do get the relaxing effect of the nicotine. Also, stomach breathing helps -- inhale deep with your stomach, hold for 10 - 15 seconds, then exhale really slowly and deliberately (kinda relates to the rythmic breathing matt3 is talking about.)
 


bunch of little bitches in this thread.

1. ingrain it in your head that your lungs will rot out and you won't be able to breathe if you don't stop smoking. either that or your heart will pop and you will die. this is the reality.

2. stop hanging out with dirt bag losers who smoke. make them into more of "acquaintances" instead of "good friends". find new friends or hang out by yourself like a real man.

3. stop being such a drunk piece of shit, you may need to stop drinking all together. be honest with yourself.

4. get on the treadmill and run on a daily basis. run, don't walk. feel your lungs working like they should. respect this.

5. stop crying like a baby about how hard it is to quit. plenty of people quit smoking forever. don't be an inferior.
 
NetMillion said:
bunch of little bitches in this thread.

1. ingrain it in your head that your lungs will rot out and you won't be able to breathe if you don't stop smoking. either that or your heart will pop and you will die. this is the reality.

2. stop hanging out with dirt bag losers who smoke. make them into more of "acquaintances" instead of "good friends". find new friends or hang out by yourself like a real man.

3. stop being such a drunk piece of shit, you may need to stop drinking all together. be honest with yourself.

4. get on the treadmill and run on a daily basis. run, don't walk. feel your lungs working like they should. respect this.

5. stop crying like a baby about how hard it is to quit. plenty of people quit smoking forever. don't be an inferior.
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You're lucky that it's working out so well for you. I'm repeatedly quitting and re-starting my 18 year habit. Last time I quit after a solid year back on the cigarettes I was sick as fuck for over a month.

I used to take Chantix until it started fucking killing people. That is some NASTY stuff... I know multiple people who have been prescribed it and couldn't finish the script because they couldn't keep the pills down.

Lately I do well with the patch, but after 18 years I think it's safe to say I know how I'm going out.
 
I quit at the most stressful time in my life. Best decision I ever made.

I tried smoking again about 6 months after at a bar drunk off my tree and I ended up puking everywhere the moment I took a puff. The most difficult was the first month. The second month is hard mentally but the physically addiction is mostly gone.
 
You are a nicotine addict, plain and simple. You will be one until the day you die, there's no getting around that. With that said, just stop smoking for today. That's all you have to do. Don't worry about "forever", just make a promise to yourself, your friends, and your family that you won't have a cigarette today. Then repeat that tomorrow. If you break it up into small goals like that, it's much easier to manage.

If you think you're going to be in a situation where you might cave, have a plan in place so you don't give in.

I stopped dipping back in November and I thought it was going to kill me. I had tried quitting before but I just couldn't do it. This time around I joined a forum for guys trying to quit smokeless tobacco and it's been the thing that kept me from caving. It's like a mini- AA meeting. We all post roll each day and promise not to use chew that day. I thought it was lame at first, but the accountability factor is what keeps me going. I don't want to let myself down, or the other guys who are trying to quit, so I just don't chew. I'm on 118 days without having a dip and it's pretty fucking awesome. I too will be a nicotine addict until I'm dead, but knowing that I can manage it.

The cravings will get less over time, but you will still get in a funk now and then, even if you're 600 days quit. Be prepared for that so you don't go buy a pack. You can do it, just take it one day at a time.
 
You can always do the nicotine replacement thing. If you're on the gum or the lozenges the rest of your life, at least youre not gonna get lung cancer.
 
IceToEskimos said:
After far, far, too long, I finally decided to quit smoking cigarettes. I like smoking. I'm good at smoking, but smoking isn't good for me, so after 15 years of joyous nicotine immersion, I'm done.

I didn't use gum, or a patch, or an e-cig, because unlike many people, I actually wanted to break my addiction to nicotine, instead of simply changing the delivery method.

The first 4 days were difficult physically, but I got through them. It's been 14 days now, and while I don't feel bad. I don't feel good either. I'm constantly thinking about smoking and having to talk myself out of going to buy a pack.

My question is this...how long until the psychological cravings diminish?
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Go buy a pack. I don't know about you, but when I dont have things like booze, weed or smokes lying around -- I want it more. But when I have it I can just say "egh, no not today". I find it easier.

gl bro.
 
My question is, why don't people recommend ecigs?

With eciggs you're an addict to nicotine the same way coffee drinkers are addicts to caffeine. Sure it's not great for you, but it's not nearly as bad as smoking cigarettes. You don't have the bad breath, you don't stink, they're not bad for your lungs, etc etc.
 
Fellah said:
My question is, why don't people recommend ecigs?

With eciggs you're an addict to nicotine the same way coffee drinkers are addicts to caffeine. Sure it's not great for you, but it's not nearly as bad as smoking cigarettes. You don't have the bad breath, you don't stink, they're not bad for your lungs, etc etc.
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I have a bunch of ecigs here. I use them.. sometimes. On airplanes, in movie theaters, etc. But I like to smoke. I know, its gross, but I like actual cigarettes over the ecigs when im drinking, which is the only time I smoke.
 
Ok here is my take on this. In October 2011 I said to myself that enough was enough and after 20 years smoking I had to stop. Better said then done. Tried to quit cold turkey but after a couple of days was hooked again.

After numerous failed attempts, 2nd of January I started Chantix. Had a few weird dreams, got sick a couple of times, but the worst was to come. Stopped smoking after 10 days of treatment. Eventually I had to stop Chantix also because it was interfering with my kidneys. So I stopped both almost at the same time. Overall I would recommend the use of Chantix to anyone wanting to quit.

After a month I still have craves, but they are fading. The worst thing is hanging out with douche bags that offer you smokes. Already fought with one of those fuckers. What a hell... Solution: hang out with other people, those fuckers ain't your friends.

Anyway I'm struggling like you but realized that over time things become easier. So hang in there and know that a lot of others quitters are going through the same struggle.


Edit: Also read Alan Carr's book. Highly recommended.
 
xpathfucker said:
Ok here is my take on this. In October 2011 I said to myself that enough was enough and after 20 years smoking I had to stop. Better said then done. Tried to quit cold turkey but after a couple of days was hooked again.

After numerous failed attempts, 2nd of January I started Chantix. Had a few weird dreams, got sick a couple of times, but the worst was to come. Stopped smoking after 10 days of treatment. Eventually I had to stop Chantix also because it was interfering with my kidneys. So I stopped both almost at the same time. Overall I would recommend the use of Chantix to anyone wanting to quit.

After a month I still have craves, but they are fading. The worst thing is hanging out with douche bags that offer you smokes. Already fought with one of those fuckers. What a hell... Solution: hang out with other people, those fuckers ain't your friends.

Anyway I'm struggling like you but realized that over time things become easier. So hang in there and know that a lot of others quitters are going through the same struggle.


Edit: Also read Alan Carr's book. Highly recommended.
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Agreed about the friends part. If you're hanging with dudes who smoke, and even worse, offer you cigs even though they know you're trying to quit, you will never make it. And fuck those guys for being dicks.

I hung out with guys who dipped after I quit, but they never asked me if I wanted any, because they respected the fact that I was trying to stay off the stuff. You need a good support group around you, at least at first. If you can get through a month or so, you'll notice the cravings get better, but they never go away entirely I've found.
 
Fellah said:
My question is, why don't people recommend ecigs?

With eciggs you're an addict to nicotine the same way coffee drinkers are addicts to caffeine. Sure it's not great for you, but it's not nearly as bad as smoking cigarettes. You don't have the bad breath, you don't stink, they're not bad for your lungs, etc etc.
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Smoking an ecig is like smoking a really unsatisfying shitty cigarette
 
HiGhPeR said:
I have a bunch of ecigs here. I use them.. sometimes. On airplanes, in movie theaters, etc. But I like to smoke. I know, its gross, but I like actual cigarettes over the ecigs when im drinking, which is the only time I smoke.
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I guess to me it just seems like it'd be a lot easier to go from cigarettes to ecigs then it would be to quit cold turkey. I know it's not the same, but for me my addiction isn't to smoking, it's to nicotine. If ecigs have the nicotine in them, I think I am going to try to make the switch.
 
doubleseedee said:
Smoking an ecig is like smoking a really unsatisfying shitty cigarette
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yeah, I hear what you're saying. I guess I just have to try them and see how I feel afterwards. I'm under the impression that if I get my nicotine doss and it takes the edge off, I'll be fine. But if it doesn't take the edge off at all, and I'm still craving a smoke when I have a ecig, then yeah, I can see how it won't be very helpful.
 
Beach Affiliate said:
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).
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I definitely think everyone has to figure out their own method. My brother and girlfriend both quit after reading the book, but both used nicotine replacement.

However, sounds like OP is dealing solely with the mental shit right now, so understanding the mental addiction aspect in depth will probably help him. The stuff that he's saying is stuff we all go through when we quit. Once you stop looking at quitting as missing out on something, and you start embracing all the positives that come with being a non-smoker, the cravings become trivial because you know it's just your brain and the addiction playing tricks on you.
 
I stopped smoking after starting in my 20's, I only smoked for like 18 months but still couldn't go cold turkey without the patch, it worked for me though. I'll NEVER smoke again that was a disgusting habit.
 
Try exercise, especially swimming- and eat apples. Lungs clear up quicker.

I smoke on and off, especially when I take breaks from an exercise routine. I'm smoking now. The trick to keeping it under control is to enjoy each cigarette- and not make it a mindless habit. It's very easy to make it second nature to light up when you're waiting for something or every 20 minutes... I have a strict rule that I only smoke after a heavy meal or when drinking coffee or an alcoholic beverage. I have conditioned my brain to not think about or expect a smoke in any other situation. On average I smoke 5 cigarettes a day and I enjoy each of them. It's a fair tradeoff, I'm not going to live forever anyway and there is a lot more toxic shit in the air of any polluted city than a 5 stick/day habit.

I quit for 30 day periods every now and then. The first 3 days are the worst, but it's no big deal if you can block that thought from your brain. Once you decide that no matter what, you're on a quit- the cravings pass much sooner. It's entertaining the option of "just one cigarette" that makes life hell. Of course you'll never forget how good a cigarette feels, especially after a long period of abstaining the brain knows that it's going to feel so good to smoke - and it will for a few days, just like when one starts ;)
 
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