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theholymackerel wrote:Quittin' tobacco is all about bein' stubborn and hard-headed.

If yer the sort of person that can fan a true anger into a blaze, and keep it stoked, you can quit smokin'.

I quit by takin' a good, close look at myself. I was furious with myself for payin' big money to support a habit that gave no pleasure, just relieved a need. I got out the last several years of my journal, and read over and over my annoyance of smokin'... how I didn't like the feelin' of bein' ostricised, how much money I wasted on tobacco, and I read and thought hard about and re-lived all my previous attempts to quit. I realised that all those failed attempts at quittin' were just self-torture... that's when I got really mad. I fed my anger, I coddled it and held it close, I made it bigger and stronger than my need to smoke.

It eventually got so that if I thought about smokin' I'd get so mad at myself that I'd get a stomache ache and a head ache. It worked a charm. I quit and haven't once back-slid.

Well said THM! Pretty much how I felt at the time.

I quit half a life time ago. I still recall the liberating feeling of getting up and just walking out the house not having to make sure I had enough cigarettes to see me through my return. Amazing

32 days without a cigerette.I still get the cravings every time I eat and when I get up in the morning,but they pass quickly.
Im still on the patch.Hows everybody else doing?

wineo wrote:32 days without a cigerette.I still get the cravings every time I eat and when I get up in the morning,but they pass quickly.
Im still on the patch.Hows everybody else doing?

OutStanding!

wineo wrote:32 days without a cigerette.I still get the cravings every time I eat and when I get up in the morning,but they pass quickly.
Im still on the patch.Hows everybody else doing?

You're a fukin hero mate, you got it licked now.

Just gotta go without ONE cigarette now

It's easy as pie if you don't convince yourslf you can just have ONE to show that you've licked it.

The way to show you have licked it is to NOT have one....EVER

Tried many times. Ex 3 per, 30 +. Tried the gum. Ended up chewing and sneaking out back for a puff. Tried the patch. Ended up chewing, patching and sneaking out back for quick puffs. Tried going smokeless. Ended up chewing, patching, dipping and sneaking out back for a few puffs. Tried hypnosis and ended up quiting. Never been a guy to go to bars but still occasionally go the the Mustard Seed to get a little secondary. Been 10-15 years now. still have the cravings. Do the odd cigar during my three hunting trips/year. I can still vividly recall waking in the morning, eyes still closed, right hand groping on the night stand for the pack and flame while coughing unendingly. Still miss the harsh hot lung burn and watching the mesmerizing smoke blow out from my lips early in the morning with a stiff cup of coffee. Oh well. I don't miss hacking away most of my morning and at 62 I'm glad I was able to kick it when I did. There's a lot though that I sure do miss. Probably the hardest thing you'll ever do.

warmest regards and best of luck

da2
ex smoker

wineo wrote:32 days without a cigerette.I still get the cravings every time I eat and when I get up in the morning,but they pass quickly.
Im still on the patch.Hows everybody else doing?

way to go man!

For what it's worth...You folks that have kicked the habit are an inspiration to those of us who aren't strong enough or stubborn enough. I've tried many times, the longest was 3 months without any on the patch, stress and weakness got the better of me in the end of that go, but I'll be back for another go one day.

I've never smoked so I guess I'm lucky... My gal quit cold turkey about two years ago after smoking for about 20 years... Cigarettes finally got expensive enough, even reservation brands, to a point where she decided that when the last carton was gone she was done... Not saying she wasn't a bit cranky for a while, but she got through it... With the price of a pack being close to $8 now I doubt you'll see her pick that bad habit up again... They just tacked on an additional $1.25 tax on every pack here in NY so I'm sure more and more people will be making efforts to quit...

Fell flat in my face about a week ago and have been smoking like freight train ever since. Trying to make up for lost smoking. Very disappointed in myself. Went to the store and got the patch. Starting over again.

As-Ol-Joe wrote:Fell flat in my face about a week ago and have been smoking like freight train ever since. Trying to make up for lost smoking. Very disappointed in myself. Went to the store and got the patch. Starting over again.

If at first you don't succeed....

Keep trying until it sticks Joe. I know what it's like to fall off or be pushed off the wagon and I have kicked myself in the butt every time for going back. I get more disappointed in myself for lapsing than I do for smoking in the first place.

Joe,your going to have to get really hard headed about it,and try again.Im still not smoking,but have been a little crazy.
So be it.2 days ago,I went from using a 21mg patch to a half of one.The cravings got stronger,but I havent smoked.I couldnt hardly sleep last night,and have had the sweats all morning,even in the air conditioning.It must be real withdraws from the nicotene.Man,this shit is worse than heroin.Im just going to have to grin and bear it I guess,cause Im not going to let it beat me this time.This is by far,the farthest Ive made it.

As-Ol-Joe wrote:Fell flat in my face about a week ago and have been smoking like freight train ever since. Trying to make up for lost smoking. Very disappointed in myself. Went to the store and got the patch. Starting over again.

Success is not defined as never getting knocked down.

Success is defined as getting up one more time than you were knocked down.

Just get up and dust your self off and get going again - nothing to it.

I miss the vivid dreams from the patches... real strong in the mornings fore you got up.







KeepItGoingBoysYou'llBeGladPunkin

Usin' patches, gum, or any other form of nicotene is just extendin' the torture.

Why do that?

Get the addiction over with a fast as possible so the torture ends as soon as possible.

Water and vitamins matter alot. Drink 3 or 4 quarts of water a day for the first week and get yerself a bottle of 500 multivitamins and take one every mornin' till they run out. This will both help ya kick the nicotene addiction and will also help with the up to 6 months of mild depression that most addicts deal with that quit tobacco.

I haven't tried it, but there is a new drug that blocks the nicotene receptors in the brain. I've had 4 friends try it so far and all 4 have been nicotene free since last autumn. They all swear by it and say the experience of quittin' sucked, but wasn't torture like before.

When I quit I gave myself a week of vacation to get over the worst of it. I took a vitamin every mornin', drank tons of water, and when day 5 hit I ended my vacation early and re-assumed my responsibilities. I was past the part where my brain was screamin' at me and I shook. The rest was easy. A couple weeks of vivid tobacco dreams, then a couple months of mild irritability and moodiness.

It was worth it. Totally worth it. My mind sped up immediately, I slept WAY better, I started to have a really good sence of smell and taste like when I was young. My endurance came back as did my appetite. I put on some weight, but it came off again. It's nice not to cough. It's nice to go years without gettin' a cold or gettin' sick at all. It's nice to make cuts based on smell and taste and KNOW what's it's gonna be like as a finished spirit. It's nice to not spend all that money on somethin' that hurt me, made me ostriscised, and didn't provide pleasure but only took care of a need.




Keep tryin' yall, I'm rootin' for yall.





I wish yall luck.

It was worth it. Totally worth it. My mind sped up immediately, I slept WAY better, I started to have a really good sence of smell and taste like when I was young. My endurance came back as did my appetite. I put on some weight, but it came off again. It's nice not to cough. It's nice to go years without gettin' a cold or gettin' sick at all. It's nice to make cuts based on smell and taste and KNOW what's it's gonna be like as a finished spirit. It's nice to not spend all that money on somethin' that hurt me, made me ostriscised, and didn't provide pleasure but only took care of a need.

I've found all that, but the thing that is best of all (except from not coughing and having lots more money) is the energy level i have now.
All my adult life i used to love an afternoon nap on a day off. Do some stuff round the house till one or two and come in for an hour and a half kip on the lounge.

I wouldn't have an afternoon nanny nap now any more often than once every six months, i just find things to do on my afternoons off.

Getting a lot more done, that's for sure.

Like I said earlier in this thread, I managed to kick the habit and found that the more you change your daily habits the easier it becomes.
If you get the cravings after a coffee, stop drinking coffee.
If you need a smoke after breakfast, go for a walk instead of just sitting there.
As soon as you have finished eating, go do something.
All of these things will help take your mind off of the nicotine.
After all, most of this habit is a mind thing so if you can change your mind set, you are mostly there.
You have to convince yourself you don't need it.
Stick with it.
Cheers.

wineo wrote:Joe,your going to have to get really hard headed about it,and try again.Im still not smoking,but have been a little crazy.
So be it.2 days ago,I went from using a 21mg patch to a half of one.The cravings got stronger,but I havent smoked.I couldnt hardly sleep last night,and have had the sweats all morning,even in the air conditioning.It must be real withdraws from the nicotene.Man,this shit is worse than heroin.Im just going to have to grin and bear it I guess,cause Im not going to let it beat me this time.This is by far,the farthest Ive made it.

keep it up man, your body will thank you soon.

If it helps any with motivation, it's not just the nicotine that's to blame... The big tobacco companies add in other chemicals to make the tobacco more addictive... And while, at least here in the US, the government allows a given percentage of these addiction enhancing additives, the manufacturers push those limits as far as possible... And when it comes to cigarettes from American Indian reservations, all bets are off because they aren't subject to the government regulations... Ammonia and formaldehyde are just two of the chemicals added in an effort to get your lungs to allow more nicotine in to keep you addicted... If it was Meth, Crack, or any other re-engineered chemical, they'd be dragged off to jail...

Never think you're weak, it's just that the tobacco dealers did a good job of making sure you got really addicted... Show them how wrong they are in doing this by cutting off the one thing they are addicted to - your money...!!!

Well,Its day 60 with no smoking.Im still wearing the patch,but its the 7 mg one,and I only have a few more left.I will be off the patch next week.It aint been easy,but Ive got it wooped for sure.Thanks for all the support.It helped.

Congrats.

Well done wineo, just don't get too cocky yet. I found giving up the patches the first time to be the time when i fooled my self.

This time next year is when you got it whooped for sure.

Keep it up, keep up the concentration and the determination, you're on the home stretch and you'll never regret giving up.

wineo wrote:Well,Its day 60 with no smoking.Im still wearing the patch,but its the 7 mg one,and I only have a few more left.I will be off the patch next week.It aint been easy,but Ive got it wooped for sure.Thanks for all the support.It helped.

Congrats to you wineo. Best gift you'll ever give yourself. Don't let yer guard down though, it'll sneak right back in on you.

Yep hang in there Its rough I got to the point I was cutting straws into cigarette's lengths to have something to put in my pocket and chew on to help beat the beast.

minime wrote:

wineo wrote: ... Don't let yer guard down though, it'll sneak right back in on you.

So true. Well done wineo.

blanik

Tip 'o the hat to you! I did it in '93 with the patch. Was a 2-1/2 pack a day man. Ain't looked back, and feel younger today than I did then!

Best advice, when quitting, I got was from me Mum who'd quite a couple years earlier. She was 53 when she quit.

"you'll have to hate it more than you liked it"

My motivation to quit was myself being an extreme tightwad, getting out of the USAF, I bought a quantity of cartons of cigs at $2:00 a carton at the BX. When they were gone (at 2-3 packs a day) I went to a vending machine and then decided that at 20 cents a pack I'd go ahead and kill myself, 45 cents was just too much!! (This was a looong time ago, 1970) neynonny

Think i am about to follow this path myself. I would much rather give up a habit, or calm it down than die from it. Just tough cause the whole family smokes.

Haven't had one in 15 years and there isn't a day goes by that i don't think about it. Just go one more day without a cigarette Rick it'll be alright tomorrow.

heynonny wrote:My motivation to quit was myself being an extreme tightwad, getting out of the USAF, I bought a quantity of cartons of cigs at $2:00 a carton at the BX. When they were gone (at 2-3 packs a day) I went to a vending machine and then decided that at 20 cents a pack I'd go ahead and kill myself, 45 cents was just too much!! (This was a looong time ago, 1970) neynonny

Heynonny, in 1997 they were up to $3 a carton at the commissary but that was with a $4 coupon on every carton, now I'm paying $4 per pack and $25 per carton. I've always smoked a pack aday since I was 15, crap I just realized that I've been a smoker longer than a non smoker. I ain't commited to quiting just yet but I'm gearing up for it.

An afterthought on those 'good ole prices' I was sent to Japan when the 'Pueblo' was seized by the North Koreans and there in the BX, beer was cheaper than coca cola as the japanese charged a tax on soft drinks. So beer was $2.40 a case while soft drinks were $2.40 + tax, go figure heynonny
(the only good that came from my tdy to Japan was I was at work at like 2:00 am when Bob Hope'sjet came in on his Christmas tour and gave 15 - 20 of us a short version of his show)