What's your addiction or to smoke or not to smoke

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
21

When I was 13, a friend of my older sister gave me my first cigarette. Unlike many folks, no coughing, it was “where have ya been all my life”. It became a part of me.

My sense of why it’s so addictive: It permeates not just you lungs and your clothing and your aura, but every aspect of your life. Finish dinner? have a cig. Apres sex? cig.
First one of the day, last thing before bed. “how far do I travel to work? one cigarette”. “do I have enough time for a smoke?” “do I have cigs/matches/lighter before I head home?” everything.

When I was 28, my (then) husband quit, as well as my boss. they both nagged me to death. So I quit. Except I was pissed off every single second for that entire week. Went back.

Then, when I was 29, I learned I was pregnant (this won’t work for you **manny, ** sorry). I knew that smoking was very, very bad for kidlet. I knew that I could not simply cut down. If I was smoking at all, I was smoking 2 packs a day.

So, I said “the kid’s too young to smoke, so I’m just giving it up while I’m pregnant”. For the first few months, I held on to the image of me on the delivery table huffing and puffing “he he he (inhale) whoooooooooooo (exhale)”.

I’m not sure when it happened during those months, but some where along that time I realized a couple of things.

Quitting smoking was hell on earth and a harder thing than I’ve ever had to do.

If I picked it up again, I’d have to go through that hell again.

So, it’s now been 17 and a half years (will be 18 years in August) that I’ve been smoke free.

And I still give cigarettes a wide bearth - I try to never touch them, the only thing I do is now and then check out the price per pack (yikes!)

Best of luck to y’all.

(by the way, while the pregnancy thing is impractical for many of you, the point of telling yourself, at least at first that you’re only giving them up for this finite amount of time, might help)

22

I don’t have an addiction either way, but I’m not a big fan of smokers. I hate the smell. I refuse to let people smoke in my car. I don’t give unearned cigarette breaks at work. You need a smoke? Grab a bag, you can pick up trash in the parking lot. Non-smokers don’t get paid breaks to stand around and do nothing, why should you?

Just my personal opinion…

23

Well, I’ve made it to day 15 without smoking. Could it be any harder? I don’t think so. My parents offered to pay me $500 if I don’t start smoking again in the next few days. However, if at anytime during the rest of my life I start back - I have to pay them $1000. Needless to say I’m a little nervous about taking the deal. One because I don’t believe in rewarding someone (this time myself) for quitting something I shouldn’t have started in the first place. Second because it just feels wrong to take money from my parents now (I’m 30) - especially since I don’t really need it.

What do you guys think? Decisions, Decisions.

I should probably also admit that one of the things that has kept me from smoking is being able to say - “I’ll just give it one more day and see how I feel…” - like what wring was talking about.

24

I appreciate you saying so, but we’re all fighting the same demon here. We’re all showing unbelievable control for as long as we can do this.

And we’re gonna. Just like Wally led a bunch of ex-smokers last year, we’re gonna lead ourselves.

And callie, I’d say don’t take the bet. Just tell them that if it works they should get you something extra nice for your birthday or something. Reducing this battle to a simple matter of a few hundred bucks is not going to help win it. Great job so far!

25

I’ve mentioned it several times on the boards already, but anyway. My father died a couple of years ago, primarily from smoking. He had his first bypass surgery when I was in high school, and his second one 10 years later and he died 10 years after that. I hate smoking. I’m behind y’all all the way and if you want a sponsor, I’m here for you.

I quit caffeine about 7 years ago, but I cheated. I quit the day I had TMJ surgery. I was under anaesthesia the first 12 hours of withdrawal and was off work for three weeks after that with access to really good drugs. :stuck_out_tongue:

26

Thanks Manhattan - I don’t think I will take the money. Way too much pressure on myself and I hate to spend money…(the main reason I quit). Tomorrow should be interesting - its the first time I’ll be around my sister and her husband - who both smoke. We have always gone outside to smoke together when we’re all at my parents house. We shall see…

And I agree with Jazzmine - you did show unbelievable control - don’t think I could have done the bar scene the first few days after I quit. I’m impressed!

Am I still on your crush list? :wink:

27

How is everyone doing?
[sub]I just don’t want to let this thread go quite yet.[/sub]

28

How are you doing, Tequila, callie, dewt, jayjay, and manhattan?

(sorry callie I didn’t even see your question before or I would have answered)

I’ve made it a week. And this has been the most bizarre week, quitting aside.

29

I have to admit, I’ve been bad. I have managed to cut down from a pack + a day to a half a pack per day though. I think I need to make a doctor’s appt and get some help with this demon. Hope y’all are doing better than I am.

30

As a several time failure at non-smoking(usually lasting about 3 months) I would say don’t take the deal. Usually the non-smoking goes well for a month or so . Then something happens, that stresses you out and depresses you. (At least for me) Something in my mind says, to hell with it, who cares about my health, and I buy a pack or two. If the stress goes away in a day or two, It’s easy enough to restart into the quitting thing, without too much lost time. But what you arn’t going to want is that extra guilt, from feeling like you failed your parents, and owe them money. This will turn the two day funk into a several week depression, which will turn the relapse pack or two into a full smoking habit again.

On the otherhand, My advice might be worthless, because I Have wierd ways of quitting smoking, For example, for the last two months I have only smoked on weekends.

31

Well after four months smoke-free followed by four weeks of giving in, I’m on the wagon again. It’s been 23 hours now, I’m not doing too badly because I’ve just been at home all day but when I go back to work tomorrow it’s going to be hell.

I just had to reset my old Quitmeter, it showed me that if I had remained smoke-free since the last time I quit I would have saved £775, now there’s a motivation.

Good luck everyone.

32

The first time I quit I didn’t start up for a little over a year. I stayed home with my daughter for 6 months and then I went back to school… that’s when I started up again. When I got pregnant the second time I quit again and started up about 4 months after he was born. I’ve tried to quit a couple of times since then but I failed. :frowning:

It was really hard for me not to smoke when I was pregnant for the 2nd time though. I was constantly craving a cigarette but I wouldn’t allow myself to have one for the baby’s sake. We’re planning on having another baby in a couple of years so I’m gonna quit again and this time I will not start up again!

You guys hang in there. I know it’s hard but you can do it!!

33

So I’m one of these social smokers. I rarely smoke more than once a week, and never more than three cigarettes in a day. I’ve gone months without smoking, even years. I crave them a little but I crave the buzz more; the less I smoke, the better the buzz.

So for me it’s not that much of an addicition thing. But I didn’t start 'til I was 24 and in law school - I suspect that makes all the difference. How old were you guys when you started? Several have said early teens, which seems pretty typical.

My grandmother quit cold turkey in 1984 after smoking 1 ppd for about 54 years. She lived another sixteen years. However, she also hadn’t started until she was about 20 and in nursing school, so it may have been easier for her…

It’s a good fight to win. And it’s worth the struggle; Gramma lived to see me graduate from high school, college and law school. Grampa didn’t - he died of emphysema.

34

Betting someone money. Wow! That’s an incredible idea. I bet if I bet a smoker friend at work 1/3 a paycheck I would never smoke again.

Has anyone else tried to bet someone? Did you both make it through to a smoke-free lifestyle?

35

I did OK today. My early morning craving was much weaker than it was on Saturday or Sunday, and my post-lunch craving was fairly weak and only lasted 15 minutes or so.

I had other cravings, more like pangs, throughtout the day. And I’m having a doozy of one right now, which is when I ususally have my “done with today’s work, time to get ready for tomorrow” cigarette. I’ll admit that if there were a cigarette in my office right now, I would probably smoke it.

But there’s not, so I can’t.

Made it another day. Hope y’all did, too. Tequila and Rachelle, why not take the opportunity to join us? There’s strength in numbers.

36

Well, I’ve just about made it through my 17th day without smoking. Why does it seem to be getting harder instead of easier? It makes me so very nervous (and its really depressing too!) to hear that so many people start back in a month to a year. Lord - I can’t imagine having to go through this again - and thats what has kept me from taking even one more puff. I have had fantasy’s about holding a pack in my hand - tearing off the little plastic thingy and pulling off the grey tin foil like stuff. Tapping the pack against my hand until one slides half way out… oh god - is there anything better in this world? ok - maybe I’m being a bit dramatic here but I just have really bad moments. Must… put… something… in… my… mouth. I can’t imagine what it is like to go a whole hour without thinking about smoking. Maybe one day…

jazzmine - may your second week be easier than mine was. Great job on making it through the week.

Tequila - let me know what advice the doctor gives you. And good luck!
xtnjohnson - I didn’t start smoking until I was 19 and in college. Started out only somoking when I drank… that lasted about one semester. Before I knew it I was up to a pack a day. That was about 11 years ago. In that time I don’t think I have ever gone more than four hours without a cigarette while awake. This is really my first (and hopefully only) time quitting. One time I did make it to 3:00 in the afternoon but I was just seeing how bad it would be.

wolfman - I didn’t take the offer - although they really really tried to talk me into it. And you do have weird ways of quitting :wink: Only smoking on the weekends? What kind of torture is that? I would be tempted to say - gee its saturday somewhere on earth.

Thanks for listening.