Quitting Smoking Blues

[Nine Toes]

Any ex-smokers here who can offer me some advice on quitting?

I've been smoking since I was 18, at about a pack a day (lately, almost 2).  I can't run anymore without my heart feeling like it's going to explode, and I've become so dependent on nicotene that if I go more than an hour without a cigarette my head spins and I vomit green pea soup all over the place.

Only about a week ago I decided that I WANT to quit.  I've "tried" to quit smoking before, but my plan was to "work my way down" - smoke less and less each day... Obviously that didn't work out at all.  I finally decided, the only thing that's going to work is quitting cold turkey.  My mom (an ex-smoker) said that it takes about four days for all of the nicotene to leave your system.  She also said, "You will be restless, bitchy, irritable..." ...isn't that a typical day for me?   Sounds like fun, but it's gotta happen.

I just finally decided, "I'm not going to buy anymore."  I think about the thousands of dollars I've wasted on cigarettes... (no lie, THOUSANDS... (roughly $3.00 a pack x 365 days in a year) x 4.5 years = $4927.50 ... and that's only at a pack a day) I could have bought a halfway decent car with that kind of money...

It's kind of tough when all of my friends, my girlfriend, and a vast majority of my co-workers all smoke... and I've already given in three times this last week.  I can never seem to get past that second day...

I'm not going to resort to the gum, or the patch:
1. I want ALL of the nicotene OUT of my system.  I remember hearing on the news a while back that nicotene was one of the things that caused cancer (by inhaling it), I don't really know if there's any truth in that, but...
2. I can't chew the gum, it tastes like pepper, and I f---in' HATE pepper!  It makes me gag!
3. They're both too expensive anyway, and the whole idea here was to quit so I can SAVE some money.

I've tried keeping myself busy so I don't think about it, working on my game, cleaning my apartment, napping (hoping I could sleep through my withdrawals), but like I said, I can never get past that second day.  Is it just a test of willpower?

[Anarcho]

I have sympathy for you.  I've been more of a casual smoker myself, though I was smoking a lot for a while mainly because my girlfriend smokes, but it's hard when people around you smoke.  I stopped---but my dilema can't compare with yours.  I think the cold turkey thing is the way to go.  It's definitely a matter of willpower.  I always find that everytime I want a cigarette I just think about dying.  And how that would suck.  Hmmm, good luck!

Let us know how it goes.

[Haddas]

Try having only one cigarette handy. It's when you don't have any you just want more. Don't buy that next pack. buy a videogame and play it instead. Use my philosophy. If I don't have any, I won't smoke any. Works for me. I'm immune to most drugs thanks to that. I like to smoke every day, but I can stop just like that. I've been smoking for about 4 years, but I don't smoke during the summer vacation, which lasts 2 months(!). Then when school starts again, I start again. I'm not really interested in my health that much, and I've never had any side-effects by not smoking.

[Venus]

I'm not a smoker and never was, so I can't really help you with personal experience, BUT I know a lot of people who tried to stop smoking and they read this book. It's not that expensive. It's actually quite entertaining (read it myself to support my friends who tried to stop smoking) AND it seems to work. I recall 23 persons that tried to stop smoking with this book and it worked for 21 of them and they were facing the same problems you are experiencing right now.
The book offers you a view behind a smoker's psyche. It explains how this addiction works and what effects it has on you physically and mentally. You can only fight against things you know and understand, at least imo.

Alright, I think I should write to Allen Carr to demand some money for all this advertisement  .

Seriously now, I think it's worth a try. And if you have problems with all your friends smoking around you, why not try to convince them to quit together?!?

Anyway, good luck. Hope you'll succed.

[DCillusion]

Don't buy that next pack. buy a videogame and play it instead.

...I can't count how many things I've bought something & then returned it using that trick....

I've tried to quit many times, I could never get past day 3 before chewing/hitting/screaming any & every material I could get my hands around.  I'm, also, a Say & Think that I'm a 1 pack, but really end up more like a 2 pack per day person.  I wouldn't discount the patch.  I swear it isn't doing anything, but I haven't really freaked out since I started it 10 days ago.  I wouldn't use it for 9 weeks like some people, but to get you over the hump - it helps.

People say 4 days, 7 days, etc.  I don't know.  It's gotten a little easier, but it's still all I think about.  It's like a having a girlfriend you know you have to break up with, but don't really want to.  I think I'll always miss it, even if I know it's the right thing to do.  I wouldn't keep any cigarettes around.  Yesterday, it took all my energy to keep walking past the gas station.  If some were just sitting on the table......well, I just don't know.

& don't let people tell you crap about how you're not going to be a slave to something like smoking anymore, because you're still a slave to taxes, sleeping, eating, etc.  Hell, I think we're only in control of ourselves 1 - 2 hours in a day. 

The only way to quit is to stop for a while.  Quit for a week.  If you feel up to it, quit for 2 weeks.  If you don't, start smoking & quit in the near future.  Quitting is like training.  Runners don't say, "Time for that Marathon."  They train.  Forever is a long time, & it sets you up for failure.

[Las Naranjas]

$3 a pack? Think of the money you'd waste if you lived in excise happy countries. Then you'd be wasting money that you could have spent paying for the excise laden petrol you could put in the car you'd buy with the money you'd save.

[Barbarian]

Try getting in some regular exercise, even if it's just something like going for a nice leisurely walk.Ã,  Or perhaps take up going to the gym or some other physical activity. Once you start to get in "better shape", you'll tend to build up a better resistance to bad-habits such as smoking.

Another suggestion, anytime you have an "urge" to have that smoke, drop and do 20 pushups (if you can't do 20, shoot for 10 at first), and by the time you're finished, you'll be breathing a bit harder, and feel less like wanting to inhale some dirty smoke, and hey, it's also a great way to get in shape.

You can also "numb" the cravings a bit by sucking on an ice-cube anytime you have an "urge" (this may also helps for trying to lose a few pounds, as once the taste-buds are "numbed" you'll feel less like eating / smoking for that moment).

Have a rubber-band around your wrist. Anytime that strong "urge" to have a smoke kicks in, pull the rubber band, let it go to have it *snap* against your wrist. The little bit of "pain sensation" will help "wake you up", bring you back to your senses, and remind you that you're trying to quit smoking.

Ã,  Well, those are just a few suggestions. They may or may not work, but hey, it's worth a try.Ã,  ;)Ã,  Best of luck.

[Nine Toes]

Try having only one cigarette handy. It's when you don't have any you just want more.

I don't know if that would work for me... I'll just sit with the cigarette in front of me on the table, or in my breast pocket, and I'll be drooling just looking at it/thinking about it. (Think of the little devil on your shoulder saying, "Go on.  Light up.  You know you want to... One little cigarette won't hurt... nobody's gotta know...")  I'll eventually end up smoking it, and then I'll not have any, and want more... so it's kind of a catch 22.  I think I would just have to suffer through not having any at all if this is going to work.

And if you have problems with all your friends smoking around you, why not try to convince them to quit together?!?

I did say something to my friend, Paul, about maybe doing a "buddy system"-type thing.  He smokes about the same as I do (did), thing is, he's got a horrible ulcer, and it's always getting worse because he smokes and drinks all the time.  So I dropped a few hints at him, "Maybe it's time to quit...?", also mentioning the new smoking ban in Appleton, and the $1.00 tax increase on cigarettes.  However, I haven't seen him in a week, so I don't know if he has even tried to stop... He also has a really well-paying job, so he doesn't care about the whole saving money thing.  I guess if he doesn't want to quit just yet (or at all for that matter), I'm not going to push him into it.  I know how it feels to be pressured into quitting, one of my ex-girlfriends did that to me... I know she wanted me to quit because she was concerned about my health, but she just kept pushing, and hard too.  All it did was piss me off... and frustration only made me want to smoke EVEN MORE... So that's kind of a catch-22 as well.

The same with my girlfriend.  She's not an extremely heavy smoker, a pack can last her 2-3 days (I think).  And I really only get to see her on weekends, so I'm not always around her.  She did mention she was going to quit too, in light of the new smoking ban in Appleton (where she lives, her school is actually ON College Avenue, where the smoking ban has been placed).  I'll support her, but I'm not going to push her.

Another suggestion, anytime you have an "urge" to have that smoke, drop and do 20 pushups (if you can't do 20, shoot for 10 at first), and by the time you're finished, you'll be breathing a bit harder, and feel less like wanting to inhale some dirty smoke, and hey, it's also a great way to get in shape.

Hmm... yeah... I'm not even sure if I can do 20... I know I can do 10, but I break out into a horrible sweat and I get all flushed.  But I guess it's worth a try.

Have a rubber-band around your wrist. Anytime that strong "urge" to have a smoke kicks in, pull the rubber band, let it go to have it *snap* against your wrist. The little bit of "pain sensation" will help "wake you up", bring you back to your senses, and remind you that you're trying to quit smoking.

I actually did that just for the heck of it one day, all I could tell was that it stung for a second... I never understood how that was supposed to help you quit smoking until you just explained it.

I don't know why, but as I was just reading that last part of Barbarian's post, it kinda reminded me of Lord Of The Rings... You know... I'm trying to quit smoking, Frodo is trying to destroy the ring... everytime he felt himself slipping, he should have snapped a rubber band against his wrist... I dunno, I thought it was kinda of funny.

[TerranRich]

Oh, and it's not (just) the Nicotine that causes cancer...it's the 400+ chemicals and other hazardous material in that thing that will kill you.

[Blackthorne]

Don't quit.

We're all dying a slow death anyway, so why not enjoy your eventual demise with a glut of excess in your youth?


I quit for a while; then I started up again casually.  Try moderation.


Bt

[InCreator]

I know that I won't quit before I get accidentally hit by a brick, which causes amnesia, so I won't remember all these moments where cigarette brought me peace and relaxation (sp?).

But! I've tried many times, with a week success. Problem is that I don't really have a reason to quit. 21-years is not the age people think too seriously about health. I'm not against smoking, but I'm definelty against the smell it leaves to hands, clothes, teeth...
Well, life's tough.

I don't know how often you smoke, so I just assume you do it as me, so following may work for you:

* Mornings! Mornings are extremely hard. You may be confident and strong in the evening, like "I quit" and "screw this".
The next morning you reach for the pack... and if it's not there, you're ready to kick world upside down to get it and only "screw this"-thought is TOWARDS the quitting-idea . So you better build up some ways to get instantly up in the morning and do some excercise and other stuff so there won't be enough time to be angry and think about smoke.

* Eat lightly. But more often. I don't know if it's same to you, but a strong meal is not a meal if I don't get my cigarette after it. So eat salad & juice for awhile. You'll be gaining rapidly weight anyway after quitting, so it's not a big loss.

* Sunflower seeds! Pistachios! And any other similar low-feeding but long-eating snack thingies are good for you. They won't fill you up, but keep your mouth in progress and people can't usually eat and smoke anyway. I somehow find that eating 80 grammes of salted sunflower seeds take my smoke-will away for few hours.
Sunflower seeds are also quite healthy things to eat... Remember Fox Mulder eating them all the time in X-Files series?
So what if my mouth is full of salt in the next morning and tongue is burnt from salt? At least no smoking.

* Sleepfest! It proved to be most powerful and working one. But hardness relies in having enough time and money.
Practically, you just have to isolate yourself for few months, and live only for bed and TV. After a week or two sleeping 8-9 hours a day, you'll start to sleep longer and 14-18 hours sleep is no miracle for you. Sleeping people don't smoke.

* If anything won't help, Just make a strong budget. Separate money for cigarettes, a pack a day and buy only super-lights.
After some time, the amount of nicotine in organism decreases.

Then you can make budget tighter and make it a pack for 2 days.

Good luck to you.

[Timosity]

I can't be much help as I've been smoking since I was 15 and now 14 years later I'm still smoking.

I'm actually fitter now than I have been for years, but I'd probably be fitter if I didn't smoke.

When I started smoking it cost less than $3 AUS for a pack and now it costs anywhere from $10-$12. The last day I went without a ciggy was in 1995, I lasted 24 hours and 10 mins (after the 24 hours was up I went straight to buy a pack)

I probably smoke about half a pack a day, but when drinking I may smoke a pack in a night.

I know it's all about associations.

Eg. get out of bed in morning (have a smoke)
Eat a meal (have a smoke)
go for a drive (have a smoke)
have a break (have a smoke)
just before bed (have a smoke)

so the easy solution is don't get out of bed, don't eat, don't go to work

and seeing as that's not practical, I have no idea.

I want to quit before I'm 30 so I have less than a year (I also said that before I was 20) so damn it, If I did that then I wouldn't be in this mess now.

and yeah, I probably could have a nice sports car by now if I'd saved all that money, or a good deposit for a house.

Good luck

[TheYak]

Good luck.  I have no idea what'll help.  I've been smoking for 10 years (18-28) and have been thinking about what I'll do to quit.  My feeling is that I have to either not enjoy it or very much want to quit.  Difficult with everybody I interact with regularly being a smoker (sister, ex, all friends). 

So, my feeling on it is that I'll cut back as much as possible, setting times I can have a cigarette or a max per day (going ultra-light/light may help but you might end up just smoking them harder for a near-equal amount of nicotine).  After I've cut back a bit (cutting back seems smart..  going from Xmg per day to 1/2Xmg per day can't make withdrawl any worse) I'll plan on an isolation period.  I'll get away from most stresses, take a couple days off, sleep a lot and keep busy with art, chores, whatever I can find to do where I don't regularly smoke. 

I know I should but I really don't want to right now.. I don't have noticable health problems (shortness of breath, phlegm in the morning, coughing, etc.) so it makes it more difficult for me to rationalize the need.

[sedriss]

I recently quit.
I had been smoking for about 6 years, but one day i realized how much it sucked, and i started feeling ill when i smoked.
I only smoke a couple of cigs while drunk now. I dont feel the need to smoke anymore.
I cant give you any good advice other than to remember that you are dragging pure poison into your lungs.