yah.. im doing the trendy thing and making my new years resolution to quit smoking. i quit about a year ago for almost 8 months, but picked them back up during a weekend bender. i've only been smoking for about 7 years so it wouldn't seem it should be deathly difficult, but thats all i think about now. the last time i quit i used sunflower seeds and gum. didn't keep lighters or anything around. i've been told after the first week its way easier, but i dont remember from when i quit last time. anybody have any suggestions? whats worked for them? is it worth getting that gum, or patch crap? it kind of sounds like bs to me.
If you have a girlfriend or wife...and if they love you....every time you get the urge for a smoke, they have to ______ you.
If you want a little encouragement, here's the Dio version: don't sweat it too much if you fail. Just don't quit trying. Eventually, it will work. You've gone 8 months before, so you know you can do that. Now you're trying again, which is fantastic. I smoked for 16 years, from the time I was 12 to 28. During that span I quit twice for more than 6 months, only to fall back. Then just over three years ago I tried again and haven't had a puff since.
Also, I promise myself that I get to smoke again when I'm old. Definition of "old" to be defined later, but certainly not younger than 55. I love it so much, I'll be damned if I can't look forward to cigarettes and coffee in the morning.
Good luck.
<Nerdy pharmacologist chiming in> It's been shown in clinical studies that nicotine is THE MOST addictive substance out there, moreso than heroin or cocaine. The gum and the patch haven't proven very effective in the long run, and there is mounting evidence that nicotine itself has a number of side effects within the brain that are undesirable, so just ridding yourself of the tar isn't enough.
Quitting cold and sticking to it seems to be the best strategy, if you can pull it off. Good luck!
Quote from: L-ong-B-each-I-ggle on January 03, 2006, 05:35:08 AM
yah.. im doing the trendy thing and making my new years resolution to quit smoking. i quit about a year ago for almost 8 months, but picked them back up during a weekend bender. i've only been smoking for about 7 years so it wouldn't seem it should be deathly difficult, but thats all i think about now. the last time i quit i used sunflower seeds and gum. didn't keep lighters or anything around. i've been told after the first week its way easier, but i dont remember from when i quit last time. anybody have any suggestions? whats worked for them? is it worth getting that gum, or patch crap? it kind of sounds like bs to me.
20 year smoker. Just quit 46 days ago. It's hard, I'm not going to lie. I still get cravings every day.
I did two things. First, I focused on lung capacity. I get my heart rate up around 160 for 30min every day now. Smoking made that harder. Now I track my resting heart rate, and I'm trying to bring it down.
Second, I kept a log taped to the door. It was basically a calander with how many cigarettes I had each day. No judgement attached to it, just a hash mark number. When I stopped completely, I just focused on one more day without a cigarette. After two weeks the physical cravings were gone. Now I'm just working on changing the habit. I started out counting smoke free days. Now I just count smoke free weeks. Eventually, just smoke-free months.
Basically I just chose to quit, but used those two things to remind me why I'm quitting.
Quote from: qwert246 on January 03, 2006, 08:50:36 AM
Quote from: L-ong-B-each-I-ggle on January 03, 2006, 05:35:08 AM
yah.. im doing the trendy thing and making my new years resolution to quit smoking. i quit about a year ago for almost 8 months, but picked them back up during a weekend bender. i've only been smoking for about 7 years so it wouldn't seem it should be deathly difficult, but thats all i think about now. the last time i quit i used sunflower seeds and gum. didn't keep lighters or anything around. i've been told after the first week its way easier, but i dont remember from when i quit last time. anybody have any suggestions? whats worked for them? is it worth getting that gum, or patch crap? it kind of sounds like bs to me.
20 year smoker. Just quit 46 days ago. It's hard, I'm not going to lie. I still get cravings every day.
I did two things. First, I focused on lung capacity. I get my heart rate up around 160 for 30min every day now. Smoking made that harder. Now I track my resting heart rate, and I'm trying to bring it down.
Second, I kept a log taped to the door. It was basically a calander with how many cigarettes I had each day. No judgement attached to it, just a hash mark number. When I stopped completely, I just focused on one more day without a cigarette. After two weeks the physical cravings were gone. Now I'm just working on changing the habit. I started out counting smoke free days. Now I just count smoke free weeks. Eventually, just smoke-free months.
Basically I just chose to quit, but used those two things to remind me why I'm quitting.
Nice system.
here is a cool free program i used http://www.dedicateddesigns.com/qk/
I'm helping someone get ready to quit (February 1). One thing we found is actually on phillipmorrisusa.com...it gives medications, support groups, online stuff, a 48 page guide, the whole thing. A good offshoot of all the lawsuits.
reading 48 pages of anything makes me want to smoke
Quote from: Wingspan on January 03, 2006, 01:09:35 PM
reading 48 pages of anything makes me want to smoke
:-D
No worries, it's all big print and brief stuff...not really to read word for word, but peruse and pull out what you need.
Quote from: timone96 on January 03, 2006, 01:04:11 PM
I'm helping someone get ready to quit (February 1). One thing we found is actually on phillipmorrisusa.com...it gives medications, support groups, online stuff, a 48 page guide, the whole thing. A good offshoot of all the lawsuits.
Who invited this dude?
get back to work. or get back to posting in the Grouphug thread. it had dropped to the third page for shtein's sake.
Quote from: L-ong-B-each-I-ggle on January 03, 2006, 05:35:08 AM
yah.. im doing the trendy thing and making my new years resolution to quit smoking. i quit about a year ago for almost 8 months, but picked them back up during a weekend bender. i've only been smoking for about 7 years so it wouldn't seem it should be deathly difficult, but thats all i think about now. the last time i quit i used sunflower seeds and gum. didn't keep lighters or anything around. i've been told after the first week its way easier, but i dont remember from when i quit last time. anybody have any suggestions? whats worked for them? is it worth getting that gum, or patch crap? it kind of sounds like bs to me.
I'm making a run at quitting also..patchin it..will try Murphs suggested help site also ::)
Good luck all with kicking the smoking habit. It's tough as all hell, but it can be done if you really want to quit.
If you can't, the drug company I work for is developing a pretty nifty drug for the lung cancer you're likely to develop.... :paranoid
thanks for the advice people. also.. good luck to whoever is quitting as well. i used to wonder when i was young why people didn't just put these things down when they knew it was killing them. i don't wonder anymore.. i feel like chewing my finger nails clean off my hands.
Our smoker parents who told us not to smoke knew they were hypocrites. They also knew what those of us who didn't obey them have since learned: once you're a smoker, you are doomed to either smoke and wish you didn't, or stop smoking and wish you could pick it up again.
I was a 27 year smoker and quit last year, but my method was somewhat unconventional. I had a briar pipe that I'd owned for maybe 15 years and started smoking that, puffing more than actually inhaling. With the pipe I had to puff on it more just to keep it lit, so I didn't inhale as much when I did smoke it. The fact that you have to keep cleaning it also cut back on the time I spent actually smoking. After a couple of weeks I noticed the difference in how my chest felt(No severe pain or coughing), and the craving wasn't as bad. After about a month, month and a half, I got to the point where I didn't have the nicotine craving as badly and just stopped. (It was also a helluva lot cheaper in the process. :deion)
For me it helped that I did it in summer when I'm busiest. It's a lot easier to work with a cigarette hanging out of your mouth than a pipe. Cold turkey probably wouldn't have worked for me because smoking for me was almost as much a compulsive habit as a nicotine habit. Any time I would step out a door the first thing I would do is light a cigarette.
With all the cancer that has run through my family I knew I was running out of chances to stop though, and even quitting doesn't guarantee you're out of the woods. My father quit when he was 61, and it snuck up 20 years later and took him anyway.
Good luck!
I have been trying to quit dip for 20 years. No luck so far.
Quote from: EJ72 on January 05, 2006, 10:31:43 AM
I was a 27 year smoker and quit last year, but my method was somewhat unconventional. I had a briar pipe that I'd owned for maybe 15 years and started smoking that, puffing more than actually inhaling. With the pipe I had to puff on it more just to keep it lit, so I didn't inhale as much when I did smoke it. The fact that you have to keep cleaning it also cut back on the time I spent actually smoking. After a couple of weeks I noticed the difference in how my chest felt(No severe pain or coughing), and the craving wasn't as bad. After about a month, month and a half, I got to the point where I didn't have the nicotine craving as badly and just stopped. (It was also a helluva lot cheaper in the process. :deion)
For me it helped that I did it in summer when I'm busiest. It's a lot easier to work with a cigarette hanging out of your mouth than a pipe. Cold turkey probably wouldn't have worked for me because smoking for me was almost as much a compulsive habit as a nicotine habit. Any time I would step out a door the first thing I would do is light a cigarette.
With all the cancer that has run through my family I knew I was running out of chances to stop though, and even quitting doesn't guarantee you're out of the woods. My father quit when he was 61, and it snuck up 20 years later and took him anyway.
Good luck!
Cancer doesn't care. My 23 year old cousin died of lung cancer even though he never smoked anything in his life.
Cancer doesn't care, but using terbacky certainly makes it more likely.
Oh, I know it Tomahawk. But when you've seen a grandfather, father, and two uncles all die from cancer as well as two aunts and one brother barely survive it, as well as inlaws who have gone/are going through through cancer, COPD and emphysema, it gives you pause. My one sister will probably be a widow before too long.
Like you said, it's not the sole cause but it sure doesn't help. In my case, I knew I would be lucky to see 60 at the rate I was going, and I want to see my grandaughter graduate high school and get married.
Just hit the two day milestone using the system MURP linked on here. I'm also using the gum which helped a lot the first time I tried. Now if I could only stop smoking whilst boozing....thats the stat that really counts.
yah dude. when i drink the crave becomes almost unbearable. im using that little program too. the money saving is a thing i like to look at. take my mind off the headache, sinus stuffage, suicidal tendencies etc..
Quote from: EJ72 on January 05, 2006, 10:31:43 AMWith all the cancer that has run through my family I knew I was running out of chances to stop though, and even quitting doesn't guarantee you're out of the woods. My father quit when he was 61, and it snuck up 20 years later and took him anyway.
Sounds like what my mother went through. She quit in her 50s, and it finally caught up to her at 76. Her final moments were horrible, and she had told us before that she watched her father go the same way, and it was one of her biggest fears. Now it's one of mine. But I'm hoping to break that chain...and I'm glad I never took up the habit.
I had my last one (so far, at least) on January 1st at 9:30 PM EST, a date/time I won't soon be forgetting. The program MURP linked is a constant reminder, whenever I feel a bad craving...thanks for that, MURP. :yay
If I make it to $300 saved, I'm going to show it to my wife as justification to go out and reward myself with an XBox 360. The program shows me that I'll hit that threshold on 7/8/06.
Drinking this weekend with smoking friends will be the toughest part...I'm dreading that, and may be a hermit for a couple of days until the cravings subside a bit.
I'm trying to stick a nicotine patch on my tongue,,,doesn't work..gonna try a rubber band
So you're going to geld your own tongue.
Quote from: fansince61 on January 08, 2006, 11:41:32 AM
I'm trying to stick a nicotine patch on my tongue,,,doesn't work..gonna try a rubber band
use staples.
Krazy Glue works best, honestly.
Quote from: General_Failure on January 08, 2006, 08:12:57 PM
Krazy Glue works best, honestly.
depending on how ambitious he wants to get both would probably be successful. though.. blood loss and being poisoned might kill him sooner then the cigarettes.
So, for anyone else who quit at New Year's...how are you all still doing?
Here's my stats from MURP's desktop application, which I probably check every day or so (it's helped deal with cravings MURP, thanks again):
I have been quit for 1 Month, 3 Weeks, 6 Days, 1 hour, 10 minutes and 46 seconds (58 days). I have saved $92.87 by not smoking 464 cigarettes. I have saved 1 Day, 14 hours and 40 minutes of my life. My Quit Date: 1/1/2006 9:30 PM
Put on a couple of pounds, but am hoping to up the exercise when the weather gets a little warmer. Overall, I feel better, definitely breath easier, and after the first few weeks, have lost most of the urge to smoke. Drinking and work stress bring the urge back, but overall it hasn't been as tough as I thought, so far.
That's good to hear.
For the exercise, you should try playing sports, instead of just running/jogging if you have the time. I don't know how old you are, but if you are older, I know older people that went to my old gym all the time to play basketball and tennis outside. 50 year old guys trying to stay in shape that played a couple games every day.
It's always easier to lose weight and stay in shape when you are doing something you enjoy, so you might want to try to play a little sports while doing other exercises.
Just a suggestion.
i had to reformat so unfortunately the little program was lost.. i've been mostly good though. i still can't kick that damned drunk cig. i'm not even close to smoking a pack a day or anything like that. i maybe went through 2 packs since i "quit" and one was on my boys birthday. the fact i can negotiate stairs without grabbing an extra breath or two at the end is enjoyable. as is the fact that if i stay "quitted" i have a realistic shot of living beyond 65. and keeping my larynx as well.
I'd already "quit" before New Year's, but I really quit since. I had two cigarettes the weekend after my birthday, and I thought they both tasted like ass. I have no desire to smoke again.
Quote from: FFatPatt on March 01, 2006, 07:58:39 AM
I'd already "quit" before New Year's, but I really quit since. I had two cigarettes the weekend after my birthday, and I thought they both tasted like ass. I have no desire to smoke again.
You're lucky. I still get cravings pretty much every day, and I quit in October.
That occasional cigarette stuff didn't work for me in the past. I ended up smoking again every time. It's cold turkey or nothing with me, unfortunately.
Quote from: qwert246 on March 01, 2006, 10:05:17 AM
It's cold turkey or nothing with me, unfortunately.
That really sucks, man. But as long as you know, you can avoid having one in any situation.
Just don't try to give up booze, too. Impossible.
It's been 24 hours since my last cigarette. Not so much because I'm actively trying to quit......I've just been too lazy to go to the store. I guess I'll just ride this one out and see where it takes me.
It really sounds like you're committed to making this last right up until the time you next go to a retail location that sells cigarettes. My crystal ball says you'll fall off the wagon right about then.
:flipoff
Just got back from the store a few minutes ago. I needed milk for my Golden Grahams. I think I would have been ok except the local convenience store is one of the few remaining that still allows you to smoke inside and there was like 5 people in there puffing away and sucking down coffee.
I should have just poured water on my cereal. :boom
my real problem is alcohol. if i didn't drink i wouldn't smoke. i can go days without a cigarette...but if i drink a beer...i smoke a cig. i might move to canada. a case of busch cost 37 bucks and a pack of cigs cost 8. free health insurance yea!