# Convince me to stop smoking! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 29, 2010, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/convince-me-to-stop-smoking/562315 "2010-11-29T19:16:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Doctor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Doctor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2010, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/convince-me-to-stop-smoking/562315/101 "2010-11-30T19:58:06Z")
> [@Clothahump](#): > > Doc - > > When you hit two weeks of being cig free, treat yourself to a steak dinner. It’s gonna be absolutely amazing how much better that steak is going to taste. That is definitely something I can get into. I will do so! ---
**Author:** ![Doctor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Doctor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2010, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/convince-me-to-stop-smoking/562315/102 "2010-11-30T20:01:51Z")
> [@Stoid](#): > > WOOHOO! > Feel GOOD, Doc…it’s all GOOD! I finished it, **Stoid**! I agree Carr has some good points. I already did understand some of his points from my earlier research, but his layout is good and leads you up to it well. I actually feel pretty damn good right now which is amazing for being in the middle of the worst time period when quitting (first 3 days). :D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D ---
**Author:** ![Stoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stoid/32/272_2.png) [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2010, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/convince-me-to-stop-smoking/562315/103 "2010-11-30T20:02:44Z")
> [@Malthus](#): > > Sounds like good sense to me at least, and if Mr. Carr’s book lays it all out in a persuasive manner, it is obviously worth the money - I’m merely reacting to the way the message is sometimes delivered, and not only here. Pretty well any forum discussing smoking has its Carr advocates, and their fevour can be a trifle unsettling. Well, when you are someone like me, the fact that I’m ten years out and I don’t ever think about it is the real-world equivalent of a miracle. And I know from the experience I had prior to that that I never would have been able to do it without Carr’s book. So if you were the recipient of what felt like an honest-to-god miracle, wouldn’t you be a little over the top about it? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Stoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stoid/32/272_2.png) [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2010, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/convince-me-to-stop-smoking/562315/104 "2010-11-30T20:05:21Z")
I had a great reinforcing experience right after I quit. I had to have a mammogram and in the waiting room was a man who, as far as I could tell, was about 10 minutes away from dying right there from wet, loud, relentless, revolting coughing that had to have been brought on by the constant smoking he had to have done to have reeked like a walking cigarette the way he did. He was like a commercial for how grotesque smoking can really be. ---
**Author:** ![Stoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stoid/32/272_2.png) [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2010, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/convince-me-to-stop-smoking/562315/105 "2010-11-30T20:06:29Z")
> [@Doctor](#): > > I finished it, **Stoid**! I agree Carr has some good points. I already did understand some of his points from my earlier research, but his layout is good and leads you up to it well. > > I actually feel pretty damn good right now which is amazing for being in the middle of the worst time period when quitting (first 3 days). > > :D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D That’s what it’s all about… being HAPPY you quit, not miserable! YOU’RE FREE!!! ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2010, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/convince-me-to-stop-smoking/562315/106 "2010-11-30T20:07:10Z")
Yay! Just keep on not putting that little white cylinder between your lips and lighting it on fire. 🙂 (I should say, I’m not an ex-smoker, but I’ll gladly support anyone who wants to quit.) ---
**Author:** ![Doctor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Doctor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2010, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/convince-me-to-stop-smoking/562315/107 "2010-11-30T20:11:25Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > Yay! Just keep on not putting that little white cylinder between your lips and lighting it on fire. 🙂 > > (I should say, I’m not an ex-smoker, but I’ll gladly support anyone who wants to quit.) Gosh, I think I forgot where my little cylinders went…oh yeah! I threw them away, and my lighters! Hard to light the non-existent little cylinder with the missing lighter. I like your support as you don’t try to make a guy feel like a fool for smoking – heck, we already know we are fools, just too proud to admit it, ya know. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/brown_eyed_girl/32/3574_2.png) [@Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brown_Eyed_Girl)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2010, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/convince-me-to-stop-smoking/562315/108 "2010-11-30T21:21:51Z")
> [@Doctor](#): > > _Sigh_ Now I’m going to need a new bad habit! I seem to remember that it is written somewhere that everyone needs at least 1 bad habit, right? 😉 Here’s one for you: Stink up public restrooms with the healthy poos you’ll have because you will now be able to run farther than 10 yards without gasping for breath. Running, notably beneficial for intestinal efficiency, is also very good for your heart and your lungs and will help repair the damage you’ve been doing to your body for so long. In the 2.5 years since I quit, I have made the most of improving health by losing over 20 lbs., ditching anti-depressants, lowering my cholesterol to healthy levels, and starting distance running. I have never been healthier or happier; and, I embraced the 40th birthday I had been dreading. I quit with the aid of Wellbutrin, that I was prescribed for depression. I had read that they were starting to prescribe it for smoking cessation as it eased the cravings and mood fluctuations, so I thought I may as well take advantage of it. It certainly helped. What also helped was disassociating every activity and situation that I had previously associated with smoking. You’re doing great! I have the utmost confidence in your success. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![drpepper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/8baadc/32.png) [@drpepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drpepper)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2010, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/convince-me-to-stop-smoking/562315/109 "2010-11-30T21:31:19Z")
I’m a little late to the party here, but I’d like to put in another vote for the Carr book. Many years ago, when I was but a young and naive Doper, I was a smoker who was weak and powerless over cigs. I had tried to quit many times and, being the undisciplined weakling that I am, always caved and went back. I thought I was condemned to be a lifelong smoker, and that cigs would rule my life. I read a Dope thread in which _many_ Dopers (Stoid included; thanks, Stoid) extolled the virtues of the book. Not sure where they all are now, there used to be many more around who would jump into these threads and recommend the book. Since it could be had from Amazon for something like six bucks, I bought it and gave it a try. After all, what did I have to lose? I didn’t know what to expect and it felt a little weird - after all, how could just _reading_ solve things? This was a hardcore chemical addiction! Carr talked about how one of the biggest obstacles is FEAR of quitting - we have such fear of being without our little friend, our prop (the cig), that often readers will deliberately read only one page of the book at a time. Or, some people even _refuse_ to finish the book (which, incidentally, is a very easy and quick read), because of the fear that they will _have_ to quit when it is done. (Which of course is nonsense - you certainly don’t have to quit. You don’t \*\* have\*\* to do anything!) But it made a lot of sense. And shifted my thinking. So I quit. Lasted a week or so. Relapsed. But I knew there was something about that damn book. It took me a lot of courage to pick it up again – I AVOIDED reading it – but I finally picked it up and read it again. And again I quit (or more accurately, escaped). Successfully. Stoid is exactly right – it is not necessarily _easy_ - you still experience withdrawal and cravings; but it is _simple_ - you know exactly how to react to the withdrawal/cravings. I still can’t believe it. Probably the best thing about the book is, once you’re free, it instills the mindset that _one never wants to go back_; so that when a future random craving hits, you roll your eyes and celebrate instead. ---
**Author:** ![Doctor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Doctor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2010, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/convince-me-to-stop-smoking/562315/110 "2010-11-30T21:45:31Z")
> [@drpepper](#): > > I’m a little late to the party here, but I’d like to put in another vote for the Carr book. Many years ago, when I was but a young and naive Doper, I was a smoker who was weak and powerless over cigs. I had tried to quit many times and, being the undisciplined weakling that I am, always caved and went back. I thought I was condemned to be a lifelong smoker, and that cigs would rule my life. > > I read a Dope thread in which _many_ Dopers (Stoid included; thanks, Stoid) extolled the virtues of the book. Not sure where they all are now, there used to be many more around who would jump into these threads and recommend the book. Since it could be had from Amazon for something like six bucks, I bought it and gave it a try. After all, what did I have to lose? > > I didn’t know what to expect and it felt a little weird - after all, how could just _reading_ solve things? This was a hardcore chemical addiction! Carr talked about how one of the biggest obstacles is FEAR of quitting - we have such fear of being without our little friend, our prop (the cig), that often readers will deliberately read only one page of the book at a time. Or, some people even _refuse_ to finish the book (which, incidentally, is a very easy and quick read), because of the fear that they will _have_ to quit when it is done. (Which of course is nonsense - you certainly don’t have to quit. You don’t \*\* have\*\* to do anything!) > > But it made a lot of sense. And shifted my thinking. > > So I quit. Lasted a week or so. Relapsed. But I knew there was something about that damn book. > > It took me a lot of courage to pick it up again – I AVOIDED reading it – but I finally picked it up and read it again. And again I quit (or more accurately, escaped). Successfully. Stoid is exactly right – it is not necessarily _easy_ - you still experience withdrawal and cravings; but it is _simple_ - you know exactly how to react to the withdrawal/cravings. I still can’t believe it. > > Probably the best thing about the book is, once you’re free, it instills the mindset that _one never wants to go back_; so that when a future random craving hits, you roll your eyes and celebrate instead. Yep. It’s not magic or anything. It just makes you think and shifts your perspective so that you can actually quit. The “over-the-top” recommendations are probably a turn off for some people. But, I suspect, these are the people who thought they would never quit and are totally shocked that it worked for them. All I can say is that you have nothing to lose by giving it a shot except for that expensive, dirty, stinky “habit” that you probably want to lose anyways. I find it helps because it lets you change your state of mind on the subject. ---
**Author:** ![Stoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stoid/32/272_2.png) [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2010, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/convince-me-to-stop-smoking/562315/111 "2010-11-30T22:12:41Z")
> [@drpepper](#): > > I read a Dope thread in which _many_ Dopers (Stoid included; thanks, Stoid) You are so welcome, this makes me so happy! > [@](#): > > Or, some people even _refuse_ to finish the book (which, incidentally, is a very easy and quick read), because of the fear that they will _have_ to quit when it is done. (Which of course is nonsense - you certainly don’t have to quit. You don’t \*\* have\*\* to do anything!) This was me. I started reading the book in late 1999. Then I put it down because I knew I was afraid to quit. I didn’t actually finish it until late summer of 2000, shortly after Wellbutrin landed me in the hospital with raging hives so horrible I needed an adrenaline shot before I tore my skin to pieces. ---
**Author:** ![Stoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stoid/32/272_2.png) [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2010, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/convince-me-to-stop-smoking/562315/112 "2010-11-30T22:16:30Z")
> [@Doctor](#): > > I find it helps because it lets you change your state of mind on the subject. Yep. That’s all it really boils down to: Carr has a way of shifting the way you think about it, and that’s what sets you free. If you can really change your perception, you can change your experience, and Carr is really gifted at leading you to a different perception. Which, incidentally, is kinda true about life in general: it’s really all perception. ---
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2010, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/convince-me-to-stop-smoking/562315/113 "2010-11-30T22:52:29Z")
> [@Stoid](#): > > Well, since the message is just “the info in this book can save you from lethal addiction in a manner more tolerable than you ever hoped and you can buy it used for a dollar and that’s the beginning and end of it”, rather than “buy this book and join us on SeaOrg!” don’t you think your filter sensitivity is a little silly and could do with some calibration? The nature of the message has little to do with the matter. Carr’s _message_ I could not agree with more. As I’ve pointed out, I apparently quite independently came up with similar points. The problem is that, though Carr may be the best thing since sliced bread and has apparenly saved many people, comming on so strong in his praise, while it may interest some, turns off others - not because they fear the awesome power of Carr’s message may actually get them to quit smoking (and don’t want to stop), but rather because in _most_ cases, those promising seemingly “miracle” cures are selling bunkum. Note I’m not saying Carr is selling bunkum. Far from it. From what I hear, his message is a good one, and valuable. I’m merely commenting on why his boosters sometimes meet resistance. ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2010, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/convince-me-to-stop-smoking/562315/114 "2010-11-30T23:20:12Z")
> [@Clothahump](#): > > Doc - > > When you hit two weeks of being cig free, treat yourself to a steak dinner. It’s gonna be absolutely amazing how much better that steak is going to taste. This is just not true for me (and probably at least some others). People talk about how smoking diminishes your sense of smell and taste but my nose and tongue remain extremely keen–my nonsmoking coworkers frequently comment on my (lame) superpower of picking out people’s dinner ingredients by odor alone. And I’ve quit once for several months after smoking for more than a year. I did NOT notice any miraculous return of the senses–I noticed no change whatsoever. I smoke lightly, half a pack a day, so perhaps that is relevant. But I’ve always been extremely sensate, too. My fingers also never turned yellow, I have a very pleasant/sexy phone voice, not raspy. I don’t have a cough or chronic bronchitis. And I’ve smoked for around 5 of the last 6 years. It becomes really hard to take nonsmokers seriously when they run around claiming all these awful side effects of smoking that I have literally never experienced. ---
**Author:** ![Stoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stoid/32/272_2.png) [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2010, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/convince-me-to-stop-smoking/562315/115 "2010-12-01T00:08:23Z")
> [@rachelellogram](#): > > This is just not true for me (and probably at least some others). People talk about how smoking diminishes your sense of smell and taste but my nose and tongue remain extremely keen–my nonsmoking coworkers frequently comment on my (lame) superpower of picking out people’s dinner ingredients by odor alone. I was always a supertaster as well, smoking or not. And your post reminded me of another Joy of Not Smoking: colds are actually OVER in 3-4 days, as opposed to a lingering cough that takes three weeks to shake. Of course, I was the hardest of the hard core: I could have the mother of all colds, a miserable coughing fit, the sorest throat, the snottiest, most burned out sinuses…and still light up to get my fix, bracing myself for the torture of it with every puff. I gave my sister an old computer of mine that promptly seized up…when the fixit guys opened it up, they found a thick coating of cigarette tar and nicotine all over everything. I used to sit and chain smoke 120’s, one after the other, right in front of my computer. Yikes! The more ya learn about me as a smoker, the clearer it should be why the fact that I managed to quit feels like nothing less than a miracle. ---
**Author:** ![Doctor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Doctor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2010, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/convince-me-to-stop-smoking/562315/116 "2010-12-01T02:11:40Z")
Made it almost to a day and half now. The withdrawal is really nothing today. Been through breakfast, lunch and dinner with no cigs and those are my primary smoking times! Oh sure, I have a twinge here and there for a cig mostly, it seems, due to psychological triggers. But I actually don’t _need_ a cigarette nor do I really want one. It is amazing what one can do with a proper mental attitude. ---
**Author:** ![Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/brown_eyed_girl/32/3574_2.png) [@Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brown_Eyed_Girl)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2010, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/convince-me-to-stop-smoking/562315/117 "2010-12-01T02:57:00Z")
> [@rachelellogram](#): > > This is just not true for me (and probably at least some others). People talk about how smoking diminishes your sense of smell and taste but my nose and tongue remain extremely keen–my nonsmoking coworkers frequently comment on my (lame) superpower of picking out people’s dinner ingredients by odor alone. > > And I’ve quit once for several months after smoking for more than a year. I did NOT notice any miraculous return of the senses–I noticed no change whatsoever. I smoke lightly, half a pack a day, so perhaps that is relevant. But I’ve always been extremely sensate, too. > > My fingers also never turned yellow, I have a very pleasant/sexy phone voice, not raspy. I don’t have a cough or chronic bronchitis. And I’ve smoked for around 5 of the last 6 years. It becomes really hard to take nonsmokers seriously when they run around claiming all these awful side effects of smoking that I have literally never experienced. I agree with this. I had hoped that my taste buds would light up like a sports arena on Super Bowl night, but it was not to be. Everything tastes great, but I don’t recognize any new or more intense tastes that I didn’t have before. I do think my sense of smell became a bit more acute, however. Especially when it comes to cigarette smoke and the smell that lingers long on even outdoor smokers. I had no idea. Also, perfumes and scents overpower me far more easily now. I stopped using fabric softener in our laundry and I rarely wear perfume anymore. I just cannot stand strong smells (other than cooking smells, oddly). I never experienced any of the other things you mentioned other than a bad cough, particularly when I laughed heartily. Talk about embarrassing: standing around in a group and everyone breaks out in laughter; then, just as the guffaws begin to taper, the uncontrollable coughing starts…and continues…and does not stop until the eyes have watered, the face is beet red, and the group looks on in awkward silence waiting for me to either keel over or excuse myself. > [@Stoid](#): > > Of course, I was the hardest of the hard core: I could have the mother of all colds, a miserable coughing fit, the sorest throat, the snottiest, most burned out sinuses…and still light up to get my fix, bracing myself for the torture of it with every puff. :: raises hand shamefully :: Why? How stupid, in retrospect. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2010, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/convince-me-to-stop-smoking/562315/118 "2010-12-01T03:26:46Z")
> [@Doctor](#): > > Made it almost to a day and half now. Congratulations! 🙂 > [@Doctor](#): > > The withdrawal is really nothing today. Been through breakfast, lunch and dinner with no cigs and those are my primary smoking times! Were. _Were_ your primary smoking times. > [@Doctor](#): > > Oh sure, I have a twinge here and there for a cig mostly, it seems, due to psychological triggers. But I actually don’t _need_ a cigarette nor do I really want one. It is amazing what one can do with a proper mental attitude. And sometimes that’s the hardest thing to achieve. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2010, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/convince-me-to-stop-smoking/562315/119 "2010-12-01T03:28:58Z")
> [@drpepper](#): > > I’m a little late to the party here, but I’d like to put in another vote for the Carr book… If the book is that good at changing the mindset around smoking, I wonder whether it would help change other mindsets. I don’t smoke, but I have other things that have bedeviled me over the years… ---
**Author:** ![Stoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stoid/32/272_2.png) [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2010, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/convince-me-to-stop-smoking/562315/120 "2010-12-01T04:09:44Z")
Well, I know that Carr tried to apply the same principles to weight loss, and it didn’t work. For reasons that are obvious to me. I think it could apply to other drug addictions, though. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/convince-me-to-stop-smoking/562315.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/convince-me-to-stop-smoking/562315.md?page=7)