[Mr.PD]

I was just reading an old thread from last year on quiting smoking. I have been planning on quiting this coming December.
Since that thread went a little south into the Cheech & Chong territory I decided to start a new one.

I read how some of you quit years ago and some were trying to quit last year. Some names I didn't recognise and I figure they don't frequent here anymore. Other names I see a lot.

So, anybody quit in the last year? Anybody trying to quit now?
How about some helpful pointers? How about you guys that quit years ago? feel free to jump in here.

I need more money for headphones and a better source, what better way than to save $30 plus a week by not buying cigarettes?

 

[Onix]

Lately, I smoked again, until some two weeks ago, as a promise since the baby had laringitis. I haven't smoked since and sometimes I feel like I want to have at least a cigarrette, but then I remember my promise and forget about it. I also promised to quit on Coke and other sodas, and believe, that's harder for me than quiting smoking.

 

[millerdog]

I been trying to set some non smoking places for myself.
I don't smoke in the car.
I been trying to set a non smoking thing for myself indoors..but..
I need some advice too.
md

 

[ai0tron]

I quit smoking, it was hard. It took over 2 years for cravings to dissapear completely/mostly. A couple things I noticed made it harder were: drinking alcohol, going to smokey clubs, procrastinating (hard work helps divert the mind), WOMEN, financial woes.

Things that made it easier: running, lifting weights, drinking lots of water, staying away from sugary stuff, eating healthy food.

The only way to do it is cold turkey IMO. Yeah you'll be grumpy for about 2 months but its the surest way. Once you make it past two months its all downhill.

 

[millerdog]

thanks,
Smoking is one vice I gotta let go of. Your comments were helpful.
Cigarettes here are like five bucks a pack. I just can't see burning my money away anymore.
md

 

[DanG]

I've been trying to quit for some time now. I was a very light smoker -- maybe a cigarette or two/day, having started last spring during finals (at that point it was 1/4 to 1/2 pack /day). I really didn't think I could get addicted smoking about one pack/month but it did happen, and soon enough I started smoking a couple packs a week. So then I tried to quit since it started costing more, Northeasterners really look down on smokers, and I got a smoker's cough.

The withdrawal symptoms probably aren't as bad for me as they are for those who smoked more and for a longer time, and I can go almost a week without a strong craving. For me, since I started smoking because of high stress and having too much hard work to do in a short time, the best strategy has been (when possible) to plan out every week so as to have stuff to do (takes mind off cigarettes), but not to have too much stress. If I get too depressed I'll want a cigarette, so I try to avoid depression (not clinical -- just being upset at all the schoolwork, etc.).

Also, this might be obvious, but... if you do have to smoke a cigarette when it gets too much, don't buy a pack thinking you'll save it for emergencies. You won't, and you'll smoke the whole pack and convince yourself quitting was a bad idea after all (unless you have a S.O. to force you to quit again). Bum a cigarette if you have to have a smoke, it's embarassing so you won't want to do it and you won't have 19 more cigarettes in your pocket to smoke.

Hope that helps at least a little. Good luck!

 

[kin3tix]

Quote:

Originally posted by millerdog I just can't see burning my money away anymore. md

yeah, just put all the cig funds into the headphone hobby

.

 

[gaineso]

Be 3 years New Years.

SO and I both got the Flu real bad over Y2K New Years Holiday. Barely able to breath and SO ended up at Docs. We didn't smoke for almost 2 weeks because 1.) we didn't have the strength to light one and 2.) breath was just too damned precious at that point.

When we started to get better, we just decided, why start back. She did great. I used patches for about a month. Still occasionally want one, and I think it would be tougher if I drank, but neither of us do, so that helps.

Plus, being in Florida, it will be a lot easier soon. Smoking, by Constitutional Ammendment, will be illegal just about everywhere.

 

[chadbang]

Aiotron is right. It could take up to two years to completely lose the cravings. I quit two years ago come December. I would say I realized my cravings were completely gone after a year and four or five months. But what really did it for me was, about 10 months without a cigarette, I snuck three at a party. My lungs ached and ached for a week. I caught the flu. Even though I had already "quit" that horrible aching made me say, "I'm never even going to get near one of those f$%^ers again." Now if someone smokes near me and I get a dose of second hand smoke, my lungs hurt the next morning. Believe me, when your lungs are repairing themselves and you get a dose of cigarette smoke making them ache like you've been punched in the chest, you'll quit. Maybe it's because I was a really heavy smoker (two packs daily) but, unlike some people who can quit and tolerate second hand smoke, it's now poison to me. Here's another good reason to quit. My best friend at work, a fellow audiophile who worked for the BBC as a recording engineer (and was my backup on my belief that Grados are blown away by Sennheisers), just died three days ago. Emphysema. He was 52. They will kill you. Quit.

 

[gaineso]

One of the guys I work with just had to retire because of Emphasema (sp?) 6 months younger than me. I guess I quit just in time. I have some permanent damage, but not anything that's gonna lay me up bad.

GET RID OF THOSE DAMNED THINGS!!! They don't call them "Coffin Nails" for nothin'.

 

[Mr.PD]

Thanks folks.
I'm in the middle of developing a plan of attack here. I smoke 11/2 to 2 packs a day. It's been 2 years since my last attempt, which lasted for a month. I haven't set a date yet. My wife smokes also and she has been trying to quit for some time now. She is planning a hip surgery in late December so we figured that would be a good time to stop.

Please keep posting your experiences.

 

[joelongwood]

This is probably not the right thing to say to someone who's trying to quit, but I have no desire to quit smoking, as I find it to be one of life's great pleasures. I've tried in the past and got nowhere. I actually stopped for about a year..........worst year of my life. All I could think about was smoking.
Now, I roll my own, so it's a ritualistic kind of thing. I never roll any in advance......it's one at a time.......hand-rolled. The whole operation, from rolling to taking the last drag takes about 10 minutes. Hand-rolled last a lot longer than commercial ones.
Rolling is also a helluva lot cheaper..........it cost me $4.50 for about 150 cigarettes. I roll 'em real thin.

 

[dohminator]

I started about a year ago. It started out as 1 or 2 cigs a day. Then slowly but surely I increased it to a pack a week, and now a pack lasts half a week.

I keep trying to quit but I only last a week or two. It is good though that I last a week or two because it (hopefully) is keeping me from getting even worse addicted.

I really need to quit because I'm fat and being a fat smoker means I'm screwed.

Yesterday I finished my last cigarette (hopefully).

 

[Mr.PD]

Quote:

Originally posted by joelongwood This is probably not the right thing to say to someone who's trying to quit, but I have no desire to quit smoking, as I find it to be one of life's great pleasures. I've tried in the past and got nowhere. I actually stopped for about a year..........worst year of my life. All I could think about was smoking. Now, I roll my own, so it's a ritualistic kind of thing. I never roll any in advance......it's one at a time.......hand-rolled. The whole operation, from rolling to taking the last drag takes about 10 minutes. Hand-rolled last a lot longer than commercial ones. Rolling is also a helluva lot cheaper..........it cost me $4.50 for about 150 cigarettes. I roll 'em real thin.

Two things Joe............I understand about no desire to quit. Up until I started hacking up so much **** I didn't think of quiting either. In fact I still like to smoke about half the cigs that I do smoke. The rest of them are out of habit or need, not for enjoyment.
Second.........I never could roll one. I tried and tried with that green stuff, finally gave up and bought a pipe.

I did buy one of those rolling machnes for tabacco products, I'm too lazy to keep up with that.

dohminator; good job. At the rate you were smoking quiting will be much easier than when you get to a pack a day.

 

[dohminator]

I really don't feel any physical symptoms of withdrawl, but it is the psychological ones that are the bitch.

Before and during work is when I feel the most craving for a cigarette. That is of course when my conditioning for a cigarette being pleasurable was at its highest.