Im quitting smoking.

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!
DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE!!
:banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead:
WHY DID I EVER START THIS SUCKS SO BAD!


.... ok, now that that craving is over and i popped in a piece of nicrorette, yeah i decided to quit smoking the other day. I havent had a cigarette in two days now, which is pretty good for me. Im normally a pack a day smoker, so this is quite the change here. Oh yeah.. and it sucks too. I can't wait till it gets easier.
So... anyone else quit for good before? Any pointers? So far im going against the grain here and hanging out with my smoking friends, just to get used to being around it. I needa find something to preoccupy myself when i want a cigarette and i'm not at work. Like right now, im just kinda blabbering, but it sure is keeping me from going outside right now and lighting up.

belh this sucks.

Yeah mate, been there and done that and it hurts.

I suggest patches, the smaller and less obtrusive the better. Go on a step down system, but I reckon you can progress through it much faster than the drug companies suggest, they are simply trying to make some good coin from you by extending the addiction.

I suggest you also make some positive lifestyle changes - maybe start a new excercise regime or more balanced diet. Then tell yourself whenever you have a bad nicotine craving that the horrible feeling is simply your damaged body in the process of healing itself - makes it a bit easier to bear.

Best of luck Steel, be clear about your motivations for quitting and stick to them. Oh, and reward yourself periodically for non smoking - I suggest spending all the money you would have spent on cigarettes for 3 months on yourself in other ways instead to give yourself a pat on the back.

:cheers:

Yeah im thinking in a couple weeks once my lungs vlear out, i'm going to start riding my bicycle again, get in shape again. And the money i save i already know im getting 4 new 6.5" for my civic, cause that car really really REALLY needs new speakers. Yes.

Oh yeah, the girl that i work with too that im after (as per the relationship forum) seems to be impressed with my efforts. So. If this raises my likelihood of getting smooches from her, i have every reason to tough it through.

One question though, how long do these "bad" cravings last? 2, 4, 6 weeks? I've come to terms with the fact that as a 'former' heavy smoker, i will have to live with that little devil in the back of my mind for the rest of my life. And that's cool. But i hope this torture ends sooner rather than later.

The first two weeks are the worst - it gets easier after that. Excercise will actually help clear your lungs out. Best of luck chasing tail dude. ;)

Hmm, good ideas.

Few things that helped me:

1) Tell lots of friends you are quitting. And get their support
2) Try and avoid situations where many of your friends/co-workers are smoking. Breaks at work and such.
3) I got cravings whenever i watched somebody on tv or a movie smoking...so ignore those
4) I wore a stupid braclet out whenever I went drinking (because I tend to relapse after a few pints) to remind me not to smoke when I got buzzed

After a few weeks it gets significantly easier. But chances are you will relapse. Most everybody does. Take it in stride, and don't worry about it, don't mentally beat yourself up about it. Just start fresh the next day, don't allow yourself to go back.

Good luck.

Well having a few butts when im out drinking after not smoking for a while i wouldnt count as "relapse", as long as i dont buy a pack and smoke sober the next day. I'll just be another 'social smoker'. I hope.

I still hate this shit, day four and counting.

Take it like a man :).

haha no, i'm just kidding. I really hope you quit the cancer stick. With the huge crowd of new people on AF, we need all the old school members we can get. You can't help much if your in a wooden box 6 feet under now can ya? Ofcourse i'm just trying to help you out here man, lol.

Best of luck bro.

Hope you get though this man. I've tried quitting chewing and I simpily could not do it. I know that the guy I work with quit smoking by having just a few dips of Skoal every day to take off the edge. It did work for him and he's been smoke free for about 2 months now. And he was smoking about what you are/were. Whatever works for you and I truly wish you the best of luck.

You have to remember the day you stopped, or else it doesn't mean anything and I'll tell you why. Someone who thinks you still smoke might offer you a cigarette and you'll tell them that you quit, and they'll ask you when or how long ago. Then you can tell them and I bet they'll never offer you another smoke again. For me this day is September 14th 2002. I haven't had a cigarette since, and I smoked for nearly three years.

You have to want to go through with it or else it won't happen. Don't give in and have a smoke and blame it on something bad happening to you because you'll only feel guilty afterwards. I think about smoking sometimes, occasionally I'll have dreams where I'm smoking and I'll wake up feeling so ashamed of myself, but then I feel good knowing it was only a dream and that I still don't actually smoke. I feel great knowing that I had the power to stop when others cannot and they're still spending 10 bucks a day to smoke.

You can do it, I'm here to tell you.

wow, congratulations, man. I've been smoking since my freshman year of high school, but i had cold turkeyed it for two years straight. I picked up the habbit when i got to college, and i'm back on 1 pack a week. hopefully, it'll never get more than that.

i tend to get very edgy and tense if i don't have a cigarette, and oh god, sweaty palms!! I had 'quit' for a month this year for the sake of just one clean month, and i gotta say, sweaty palms was the thing that bothered me the most. I just ended up smoking weed to chill myself out and make myself less bitchy, but in hindsight, i guess that defeated the purpose of my 'one clean month' approach... well, congratulations man, it really will help you in life, like getting the girl. for one thing, your clothes will actually smell nice now, instead of smoke. you can run without keeling over and hurling after 100 yards, and, (something my friend did which i found interesting) open a new bank account, and deposit whatever you'd pay for a pack in whenever you get cravings while you're quitting. that way, when you're confident and know you're free, you can take out all the money and buy yourself something nice as a congratulatory gift.

Just think of all the money you'll save.

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!
DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE!!
:banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead:
WHY DID I EVER START THIS SUCKS SO BAD!


.... ok, now that that craving is over and i popped in a piece of nicrorette, yeah i decided to quit smoking the other day. I havent had a cigarette in two days now, which is pretty good for me. Im normally a pack a day smoker, so this is quite the change here. Oh yeah.. and it sucks too. I can't wait till it gets easier.
So... anyone else quit for good before? Any pointers? So far im going against the grain here and hanging out with my smoking friends, just to get used to being around it. I needa find something to preoccupy myself when i want a cigarette and i'm not at work. Like right now, im just kinda blabbering, but it sure is keeping me from going outside right now and lighting up.

belh this sucks.

Man good work! I hope ya stay off them too! I smoked when I was like 13 for 6 months but stopped, w00t!

:grinyes:

Perseverence.... Two weeks will see the cravings decrease. Easiest advice I've heard: don't even start, not one.

My wife smoked before we met, and said to this day she would still sometimes like to have one, but that she ignores it and it goes away.

Good decision! :bigthumb:

Two days and counting for me Steel. Tough, sure. I smoked for 12 years. I tried to look ahead and imagine how great it'll be when I haven't done it for a year. Seems too long. I'm just trying to not smoke today. I fully intend to start excercising tonight too. Didn't last night, too busy with the old lady!

Best of luick to you, pray about it too man. That always seems to help.

Welp. Im at a week now, going strong. I still have the times where i would kill for a smoke, like after eating, but i take some deep breaths, chew some nicorette, and feel better. Im down to only 3-4 pieces of gum a day too.

Few things i've noticed:
-i feel great! Waking up in the morning, my lungs dont hurt, i'm not coughing up lung-butter all day, and i'm starting to get more energy. I even have a cold right now, but it's not nearly as bad as it could be.
- damn can i eat a lot of food. Lucky for my high metabolism because i'd likely turn into a fatass with the way i'm eating now.
- except for the regression from the aforementioned cold, i'm starting to get my sense of smell and taste back. And yes, now i notice that my clothes dont stink like cigs. I never really realized how nasty that stale cigarette smell was. Oh yeah, and since the nicorette is minty (slightly, not overbearing like altoids) then i have constantly minty breath, instead of constantly smoky. *ladies may start sending in their applications now* :D
-I havent gotten on my bike yet, but that's cause it's been raining the past goddamn week.
- with the $5 a day I save, i'll have enough money for a new motor and steering rack for my car in a couple months. Awesome. BTW, anyone have a D15B7 that ISN'T burning oil that they wanna sell me?

Cool. So this is going good so far. Thanks for the support guys. I'm so elated to finally stop saying "I gotta quit these things" and instead be saying "I quit those things..."

:D

GL to you. I smoked a pack a day for 12 years and then quit cold turkey July 23, 2004 at 12:00pm. I never looked back either... no gum, no patch, no smokes with beers, nothing. At first it's difficult but you have to think about how badly you want to be healthy. For me, it was my eldest brother turning 40 having heart surgery after smoking cigarettes for 25 years. I found out I was type 2 diabetic and got smart. The cravings passed easily by doing exercise or walking around the building at work (instead of sitting on a bench smoking). I eat 5 times a day but have actually lost weight (think it's the diabetes). Anyway, I feel great. And even though I think about smoking sometimes, I just think about my brother and his heart surgery and my future and those cravings die real fast...

Cool. So this is going good so far. Thanks for the support guys. I'm so elated to finally stop saying "I gotta quit these things" and instead be saying "I quit those things..."

:D


you've just stuck it to the man! :boink:


great job, keep it up :thumbsup:

you've just stuck it to the man! :boink:


great job, keep it up :thumbsup:

"Aren't you the man, sir?"
"Yes."
"So you're.....sticking it to yourself?"
"....................Maybe."

"Aren't you the man, sir?"
"Yes."
"So you're.....sticking it to yourself?"
"....................Maybe."

wasn't that a cellphone commercial? lol

well I've been trying to wing myself from drinking for about a week now, so I guess we gots two quitters on the pages of AF now. My next feat after I stop drinking a fifth of vodka a night will be stop smoking two packs a day. Damn you call yourself a heavy smoker at one pack a day, damn I should have hell quitting too.

been a month and three weeks. feel much better. cold turkey, no bull sheet!lol
altho i had a few drags at the bar fri when i was totally wasted......

I have quit about 12 times now. My longest break was about 3 weeks.

Ill quit someday...

Best of luck to ya

been a month and three weeks. feel much better. cold turkey, no bull sheet!lol
altho i had a few drags at the bar fri when i was totally wasted......

Yeah, i did that too, but it's ok in my mind. As long as i dont buy a pack and smoke sober i figure that counts under the "social smoking" umbrella for bar etiquitte.

I thought the same thing Steel, and next thing I know I'm smoking more and more.....

:(

Unfortunately I don't think it works that way. All or nothing.

it will get somewhat easier, but not much, my dad quit 9 quit 9 years ago and he still has really bad cravings

true oz, thats how i started the other times i quit, but friday i would of did a 2 dollar hooker raw in the condition i was in.....i know cause i was saying hell no to my friend that was smoking earlier, then i was grabbin one out of his hand!lol i only had four drags total, but i still felt it in the morning......

OK Steel, so how are you doing?

im still good, i quite smokin budd also 3 weeks ago. tried a hit lastnight and basically remembered why i quit! i got light headed, tired and hungry. ordered chinese then passed out................lol

Meh, i cheated a bit the other night, but its ok.. still on the straight and narrow, just hit the rumble strip a bit ;)

same here, getting drunk three nights in a row didnt help my cause. i need to quit again....even tho i havent bought a pack, or been smoking, i still have nic in me and have cravings again!!!!!!!!!!!!

u know steel, i was reminded of this post when i bought a pack about 2 weeks ago...

5/22/06 = when i oficially started vacation. i chained an entire pack of Camel Wides in half a night on 5/21, i havn't picked up a bogey since. this cold turkey stuff is easy for me... until i get pissed off at something, even if its small. then, my day is ruined, and all i think about is buying a pack... i hope i can keep this up for a while. i'd like to get back into shape and i cant be wheezing after a small bike ride.

btw, coughing up lungbutter and having sweaty palms totally sux ballsacks :)

Stick to it. It usually takes people a couple of times to make it stick. Remember, it's a drug addiction, it's not just a habit.

Nicotine is a strong drug, and it's one the body develops a powerful addiction to. The tobacco companies put extra nicotine in those things for a reason.

It's no big shame to ask for help. Tons of smoking cessation programs all around now. Most programs use a combination of patches, gum, and medication.

You wouldn't have to watch too many 50-60 year old endstage COPD patients to see how horrible a death it can be.

here's a stupid question... is there nicotine in cigars? no, right? i was pretty sure, but i want to just make sure.

no, don't think so. but then you don't toke cigars. i did it once an it just hit me really hard, i couldn't get up or anything. really hurts.

i found cigars relaxing. it hit you that hard?

Of COURSE there is nicotine in Cigar's, there's NICOTINE in TOBACCO.


Duh.

You just absorb it through your mouth and throat instead of your lungs, which means you're much more likely to develop mouth and throat cancer than lung cancer.

i found cigars relaxing. it hit you that hard?

yea, i took a huge toke an dropped to the floor.

i thought nicotine was added to tobacco to make you smoke more? guess not.

It is, but it's also a main component of tobacco.

ooh..

you learn something new every day...

yeah, thats what i thought. i feel dumber now just asking that.

Welp

Hate to say it, but i fell off the wagon. Back to square one. Ah well. those 3 weeks were pretty cool, if not hair-tearing frustration.
luckily, i still have over hald of my nicorette left, so im still ahead of the game in terms of money.

im in the same boat! except i havent bought a pack yet, and i havent started smoking at work. yesterday i smoked two when my roomates girl came over, but if they r not around, ill just fiend. im gonna have to start from scratch again, especially knowing how good it is to be grit free!!!!!!

Tis a tough monkey to get off the back.

^the evil monkey is hiding in my closet... when i get back from vacation, i hope he doesn't jump me, i think the change of setting is the only thing holding me back from lighting up.

http://www.acton.org/images/ppolicy/anc/evil_monkey.jpg

3 weeks is still good, steel. atleast you got ur system cleaned out a bit, well, 3 weeks worth of tar and smoke. better luck next time you're ready to give another go.

WELL GUYS! i have an update.

I quit over 5 weeks ago. I have not cheated not even once. Im pretty sure its for good this time. I only get a craving at the WEIRDEST and most RANDOM times, and only maybe twice a week. I'll just be watching Voyager, appreciating Jeri Ryan for all that she is (and her nice tits) and BAM! want a cig. But the craving only lasts 10 seconds and i take a deep breath and im good. Get this, i was at a aprt a week ago, drunk as heck (and kinda high), was OFFERED a cigarette in a smokey room, and i REFUSED!

I fuckin rule.

I found that the patches helped me most. They allowed me to break the habit, and then once i was used to my day-to-day without smokes, i could kick the nicotine addiction.

So as of now, my cough is almost gone.
-My lungs dont feel like cracked skin when i stretch in the morning.
-I can SMELL stuff!
-I dont reek
-My car smells better too
-Even factoring the cost of the patches, i've saved $140 so far
-I'm more productive (generally) since im not using cig breaks as an excuse.

Theres a couple downsides though
-I'm definitley eating more. And its showing. Im starting to get skinny-man-with-a-beer-gut syndrome. But luckily the warm season is coming and i can start riding my bicycle to work off this stuff.
-I'm not nearly as cool without a smoke hangin outta my mouth all badass ;)


So yeah once i get out of this little depressed funk im in (ill save that for anotehr thread if it continues) than i'll be feelin like a million bucks!

So heres some encouragement to anyone trying to quit; IF I CAN DO IT, SO CAN YOU!!!

nice, good job. i've decided to cut down on the weed, not quit completely because i enjoy it alot, and i don't smoke it often. the thing is that i find when i smoke alot of weed in a day, or smoke weed for a few days in a row, i feel like crap for 1-3 days afterwards. i'm going to cut down to once a month, i won't go looking but if it's offered to me i'll take it.

The only way you will quit smoking is if you want to. Period. If you don't want to you won't.

The first 3 days are hell. After that, it's just habit. But that part is psychological. It will pass with time.

I haven't had the weed since Jan 1, 1994. And I will never go back. (I watched my dad die a slow death from lung cancer. I caught him smoking one time after he was diagnosed and given a year to live [he died in three months] and looked at me and said "What's it gonna do, kill me? I thought about that for a second and said "Good point".

I quit one other time for a year and I went to a party one night. I thought I could smoke just one and I'd be o.k. Not so. I was right back at it the next day.

You have to want to quit.

(btw. The same thing works for any other behavior you want to modify.)

Good Luck!:2cents:

My dad smoked for 40 years and it took him a 3 month stay in a hospital bed to quit :). An interesting fact for those of you that drink soda/energy drinks and smoke....anything with the ending 'ine' 'nicotINE', 'caffeINE', 'taurINE', all of those things are in the same family and can be considered remotely addictive...you learn something new every day :).

GJ burrito. I think you will find that cutting down on the reefer will help you out in school. But i have to say this: being addicted to tobacco and being 'addicted' to weed are two totally different beasts.

That being said, this past week has been a reefer week for me. i bought a dime and managed to stretch it out for 4 days. Why? I dunno. I just wanted to. But now i have that urge outta my system, i can concentrate on more important things.

STill going strong with the cigarettes too :)

it feels good to quit smoking. i just went cold turkey when i quit, it certainly wasn't fun.

it feels good to quit smoking. i just went cold turkey when i quit, it certainly wasn't fun.

I'm with ya there. Except for the mild depression that sets in from the lack of nicotine, i feel great. And smell better too. I'm loving this new lifestyle.

I have a friend who quit smoking for the new year and the best thing according to him, is the money he's saved.
cigarettes cost a hell of a lot of money here.

They aint cheap here either.

So far ive saved $210. Not shabby. That's $210 closer to a Garand :)

aahhh the joys of being a non-smoker

now you'll know its like to have smoke blown in your face and butts thrown out on the footpath, its gross.

But hey, at least you are now not one of those jackasses!

sweet as man :)