Quitting smoking

[carnivorousplant]

Satan!
Dude, it's been since 4:00 AM 29 June and I would kill for one now if I didn't know that it would kill me. How long does this last?

[E5C4P3]

I quit smoking in March and stopped chewing nicotine gum in July. I found that I was addicted to nicotine and did not really want the cigs. The cravings got less severe over time, but I still have them today. The worst part is that it took me about 6 weeks to get in a good mood. They say that your brain needs about 4-6 weeks to make enough chemicals to naturally replace the chemicals that it did not have to produce while you are consuming nicotine. These are the chemicals that make you feel good. I hate cigs and I am so glad that I quit. Hang in there it is almost over.

[carnivorousplant]

Chemicals. Cool.
A good woman is a good woman, but a good cigar is a smoke.
-Walt Kelly

[jb_farley]

uuuuuurggggeh,

i have tried uitting a few times. those who don't smoke don't understand the power of nicotine. and those who quit a while ago (at least those that i know- mom and dad to name a few) seem to forget how strong a hold the stuff has on you.

long time quitters, how often do you think of a smoke? those who quit a short time ago, what keeps you off? grrrrr, i love nicotine but i realize it's the devil. what to do???

[tcburnett]

Originally posted by jb_farley
uuuuuurggggeh,

i have tried uitting a few times. those who don't smoke don't understand the power of nicotine. and those who quit a while ago (at least those that i know- mom and dad to name a few) seem to forget how strong a hold the stuff has on you.

long time quitters, how often do you think of a smoke? those who quit a short time ago, what keeps you off? grrrrr, i love nicotine but i realize it's the devil. what to do???

I'll tell you so you will know, jb. Nicotine IS addictive, but most of it is psychological. If you want to quit, go get the patches. Put one on and get on a plane to Tahiti, or anywhere else that takes over 8 hours. When you get off the plane, have a friend meet you at the airport and take you to a tropical paradise where there is no canned food and little water. After one day trying to feed yourself, you will forget to use the patches and it will be all over.



If you don't like Tahiti go to Arizona, it doesn't matter. All you are trying to do is break the habitual lifestyle you are in and think of something else for a week. Survival is pretty effective at keeping you focused.

As soon as you stop thinking about it, it goes away. I smoked for a few years in the 70s. One day I realized that I smelled like an ashtray and so did my clothes, house and car. I also started wheezing and figured out that even if you don't die right away, very soon you will be unable to fight, f**k or run a footrace. I like to swim, scuba dive and play vollyball. I like sex too, and I don't intend to get winded in the middle of it. I like my teeth to be pearly white and clean. AND, I like to go out with women whose teeth are pearly white, their kisses taste sweet, and they smell good. They deserve the same from me. In fact, why should anyone settle for anything less?

I'm not trying to preach to you (much). You do what you want, it's none of my business. You can break your poor mother's heart if you want to.

I just decided to quit one day and that was the end of it. I had a few cravings on and off for a couple of days but I WANTED to quit. So ask yourself: Who is in charge of your body? You, or someone who is living in a 200 million dollar mansion because you are his slave (no, I don't mean the President)?

If you have an extra 10 bucks a day to toss around, mail it to me. That's 4 grand a year you are spending to kill yourself slowly and painfully.

My body is giving me a nice life and, in exchange, I don't abuse it too much. Inhaling tar and Carbon Monoxide didn't do it for me.



Wait....I forgot the other bit: If you absolutely MUST have the nicotine and you can't go directly to patches, quit smoking and start chewing snuff. Oh, I know all about the lip cancer, but it WILL allow you to stop smoking if you wish, easily and without any cravings. Then in a few weeks, switch from that to nicotine patches. Then in a few weeks, you are cured.

[tomas]

tcb's on the right track here, smoking is a very strong addiction both mentally and physically. I smoked 2 packs a day for 25 years. I quit six years ago. I must have attempted quitting twenty times before that, unsuccessfully. The first two months are the killer, there are so many triggers that remind you of cigarettes; drinking, coffee, breaks from hard work, etc. I found myself reaching into an empty pocket for smokes for years after.
The most useful trick that I finally used was to tell myself that I did not smoke anymore, not that i was trying to quit. Sure, its a mind thing, but what the hell, whatever works , right?
To this day, when I am drinking a beer, I still have to fight the slightest urge to pick up a buddy's pack----Good Luck!

[LouisB]

tcburnett said:
Wait....I forgot the other bit: If you absolutely MUST have the nicotine and you can't go directly to patches, quit smoking and start chewing snuff. Oh, I know all about the lip cancer, but it WILL allow you to stop smoking if you wish, easily and without any cravings. Then in a few weeks, switch from that to nicotine patches. Then in a few weeks, you are cured.

I just have to disagree with this piece of advice. TC means well, I know, but he is discounting the possibility of becoming addicted to the smokeless stuff. I know guys who are addicted to it and I believe it is as hard to quit that goop as it is to quit cigarettes.

Plus, I have had three surgeries for oral cancer. My surgeon seems convinced that my cancer is a direct result of my having smoked for forty years. He is also convinced that users of smokeless tobacco are more liable to develop oral cancer than are smokers.

Whatever method of quitting smoking is used, the important thing is to quit. It is difficult but it can be done. And once one has been smoke free for two months, the worst is over.

[Spider Woman]

My mother had a stroke in spring of 1988 and was no longer able to smoke because my father wouldn't buy cigarettes for her. Her stroke was believed to be smoking related, and when she was finally well enough to buy her own cigarettes, she chose not to do so. But until her death from lung cancer in spring of 1991, she craved cigarettes every day (maybe not on the last day because of the morphine)(also she was unconscious and unable to tell us if she was still craving cigarettes). For a while after that, when my father was in waiting rooms in doctors' or dentists' offices, he took a marker with him and put a big skull and crossbones over any tobacco advertising he found in magazines. Now there is a label that can be attached to the outside of the magazine that warns of toabacco advertising within its pages.

[tcburnett]

Originally posted by LouisB
tcburnett said:
Wait....I forgot the other bit: If you absolutely MUST have the nicotine and you can't go directly to patches, quit smoking and start chewing snuff. Oh, I know all about the lip cancer, but it WILL allow you to stop smoking if you wish, easily and without any cravings. Then in a few weeks, switch from that to nicotine patches. Then in a few weeks, you are cured.

I just have to disagree with this piece of advice. TC means well, I know, but he is discounting the possibility of becoming addicted to the smokeless stuff. I know guys who are addicted to it and I believe it is as hard to quit that goop as it is to quit cigarettes.


In defense, I must say that I did specifically mention oral cancer, and I realize that nicotine in ANY form is addictive. But what's the difference if you chew that nasty shit as an aid to quit smoking, or just smoke and get the same kind of cancer? Whatever it takes to quit smoking is the deal here. THEN we move on to dropping the other forms of nicotine. It's MUCH easier to stop chewing than stop smoking. Or at least it has worked for those people I suggested it to that tried it.

[wring]

back to original questions - I smoked like a fiend from age 13 until age 29. up to 2+ packs a day, tried quitting like once in that span of time, was REALLY pissed about it, so went back.

It took about 9 months before the conscious urge to smoke wasn't hovering. to this day (and I've been smoke free for 16 years, 11 months, 3 weeks, 2 days, 8 hours, 15 minutes, 23 seconds, but who's counting?), I feel that if I so much as picked one up that I'd be back at it quickly. But, what keeps me from picking one up is the knowledge that I'd have to go through that hell hole of quitting again.

use whatever works for you. For ME, I didn't tell myself I was quitting, nope, just couldn't smoke right now. wasn't giving them up entirely, just giving them up for several months..... after all, cigarettes were my FRIENDS.......

People who meet me know can't believe that I ever did smoke.

[carnivorousplant]

Originally posted by wring
People who meet me know can't believe that I ever did smoke.

Ok, forgive me, but why? Did you cut your horns off or what? :)

[Mr. Cynical]

I went on the Zyban pills about 2 months ago. I found them to be most effective, as I'm no longer either taking them, or smoking. It made it extremely easy for me.

[Diver]

tcburnet said "It's MUCH easier to stop chewing than stop smoking."

Not in my case. I used the smokeless stuff to help me quit smoking. Stopping the smokeless was much harder for me. Used it for several years, then when I stopped, I actually had what felt like withdrawal symptoms for three or four days on top of the strong craving. When I stopped smoking I just had strong cravings for a few days, then every few weeks I would get a renewed craving for a little while.

When you chew or "pinch", more nicotine is delivered to your system in a shorter period of time than when you smoke. I believe this causes a stronger addiction.

Like the other poster I had oral(tongue)surgery twice. Mine was for pre-cancerous lesions. Boy that was fun!
The only good thing about that is that it's easier to see the lesions on the side of your tongue than way down in your lungs. They just keep growing down there.

[wring]

Originally posted by carnivorousplant
Originally posted by wring
People who meet me know can't believe that I ever did smoke.

Ok, forgive me, but why? Did you cut your horns off or what? :)


Yep, glad you noticed...... :eek:

[LouisB]

Diver, I didn't count my first surgery because it was for pre-cancerous lesions on the tongue. Since that time, I have developed cancer in several spots on my tongue and the floor of my mouth. I got a clean check-up a few weeks back, so I am keeping my fingers crossed.

You are absolutely right in your comment about "fun." Having your tongue sliced and diced is really amusing.

[rjk]

I don't know about the U.S., but here in Canada the nicotine gum has been non-prescription for a while. It's smokeless and probably a lot less carcinogenic than tobacco. It does stop the craving (for a while), but it just isn't the same as that first drag ...

[Gatsby]

Originally posted by carnivorousplant
A good woman is a good woman, but a good cigar is a smoke.
-Walt Kelly

And a woman is only a woman, but a good cigar is a smoke.
-Rudyard Kipling

[pkbites]

No big deal. Just stopped. Cold turkey.

I will have a cigar on very rare occassions (the last one I had was August of 1999) but no cigarettes. Just quit. Forget all that patches and gum crap. When ever you want to have a smoke, do something else in it's place. Have a drink. Eat some good food. Boink your spouse. Do something else that's pleasurable. If you smoked 2 packes a day, boink 40 times.:) It won't give you lung cancer.


Lay off the chew. Guys I know who chew are far more addicted to nick than any smokers could be. I know one guy who ended up having to have some kind of growth scrapped off his gum because he chewed. His doctor implored him to stop chewing. His response was that he didn't care if they had to remove his entire jaw, he would never stop chewing because he loved it so much. Now THAT'S addiction!!

[Qwisp]

I smoke. I'm sorry, but I don't think I'll be quitting anytime soon. I keep hearing from X-Smokers who say they still crave cigarettes after 5, 10 ,20 or even 30 years.I don't want to live like that. I was recently in the hospital for a week. I couldn't smoke. I was awake for 80 hours straight. I was so hyped I kept walking back and forth from the bed to the window to the bathroom I was so nervous. (I had hip surgery and was barely able to move even with a walker)If that's what it's like to quit count me out, I don't EVER want to go through that again. Just for the record I smoke a pack and a half when I'm not working.I smoke about a half a pack on days I work. When they come out with something other than Zyban that really works I'll try to quit smoking. Untill then I don't need the frustration.

[Girl Hermit]

When i quit smoking I changed every routine I had. When I smoked my a.m. routine was: I woke up, had a smoke;had a shower, sat on my bed to put makeup on, had a smoke, ate breakfast, watched the news and had a smoke....and so on. When I quit I got up, jumped in the shower, did my makeup in a different room, at breakfast in a different room, and so on. At work I took my breaks in different places than normal. I drove a different way home. Believe it or not, this helped enormously. Part of smoking is routine. I would reach for a smoke at times I did not even want one only out of habit. Change your routine and smoking is not associated with the new one. Worked for me anyhow.

[tcburnett]

Originally posted by pkbites
No big deal. Just stopped. Cold turkey.

His doctor implored him to stop chewing. His response was that he didn't care if they had to remove his entire jaw, he would never stop chewing because he loved it so much. Now THAT'S addiction!!

[i] Originally posted by Diver[i]

Not in my case. I used the smokeless stuff to help me quit smoking. Stopping the smokeless was much harder for me. Used it for several years, then when I stopped, I actually had what felt like withdrawal symptoms for three or four days on top of the strong craving. When I stopped smoking I just had strong cravings for a few days, then every few weeks I would get a renewed craving for a little while.

JESUS CHRIST!!! I bow to the (now) obvious fact that addiction is really more serious than I have ever experienced or can even imagine. I don't have whatever genetic makeup allows addiction, so when I quit smoking, I just quit and within 48 hours I didn't think any more about it. And I chewed snuff too for a few months out on a construction site to see what the thrill was, but when I went back to civilization I just stopped. My apologies to all to whom I may have used the best of intentions to give bad advice.

Maybe this is why I don't drink or do drugs. I'm already brain-dead so they have no effect? But seriously, I CANNOT become addicted. I should give someone a blood sample for DNA analysis. Curing addiction would be a nice present for the next generation.......er....can you be addicted to sex if you aren't getting that much? I tried THAT a few times and I still get cravings!!

[carnivorousplant]

Originally posted by Gatsby
Originally posted by carnivorousplant
A good woman is a good woman, but a good cigar is a smoke.
-Walt Kelly

And a woman is only a woman, but a good cigar is a smoke.
-Rudyard Kipling



The cartoonist who drew the Pogo comic strip. Another quote of his was in a Len Deighton book, attributed to a "subversive American cartoonist" :)

"We have met the enemy and he is us."

Hey, not a bad sig...

[shorin-ryu]

On Saturday it will be 6 years since I quit smoking. Yeah, it was hard. I kept a journal, which was really helpful--it gave me a place to obsess endlessly about how much I wanted a smoke (friends got real tired of listening to me). I sucked hard candy. I worked out, which was great because my body gave me feedback pretty quickly that quitting smoking was a great idea. It was amazing how much and how fast my endurance improved!

And, before six months had passed, I hated cigarettes. I'm more sensitive to the smell than my friends who never smoked; won't check out library books that smell like smoke. I've talked to other former smokers who feel the same way.

[Morgan]

I had been smoking for about 8 years before I quit. I did it by going out and bying myself a pipe. If you have never smoked a pipe, it is an ordeal. You need to pack and repack the tobacco, regulate the air flow, and continuously relight it. You really need both hands and cannot be doing anything else. Also, if you happen to be in your 20s and even a little self-aware, you will realize that you look ridiculous smoking a pipe.

So, when you really need a smoke, (regardless of whether it is for the oral stimulation or the nicotine) you will sit yourself down, pull out your pipe and satisfy your craving. Otherwise, you will be too busy or too embarrassed to indulge.

Eventually, I just stopped smoking all together because I was no longer addicted to nicotine, and I just couldn't be bothered anymore. I don't remember how long it took (probably about a year), but I found it an extremely easy and painless way to wean myself off tobacco.

[tcburnett]

http://communities.msn.com/FreedomFromTobaccoQuitSmokingNow&naventryid%3D227

[rjk]

[continued hijack]

Pogo!

http://www.halhigdon.com/kelly/ has a nicce essay.

http://www.okeswamp.com/General_Info/Pogo_and_the_Walt_Kelly_Museum/pogo_and_the_walt_kelly_museum.html (if the board software doesn't choke on the URL) is part of the Web page for the Okefenokee Swamp.

[/hijack]

[rjk]

Try this (http://www.okeswamp.com/General_Info/Pogo_and_the_Walt_Kelly_Museum/), and click the last item in the list, or http://www.okeswamp.com/General_Info/general_info.html and follow the link all the way at the bottom. The full URL is too long.