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Anyone here a smoker or an ex-smoker. please help?

ThecureThecure Posts: 814
edited June 2008 in A Moving Train
i don't know if teh MT is teh place to ask this but i have been smoking for close to 16 years and over the weekend i was helping a friend build a pool and i felt like shit. i have a half a pack of smoke left and i hav efinally decided to quit smoking. this is teh first time that i have decided this and i was just wondering if anyone here has quit smoking and if so ho wdid you do it. i have told myself that i will quit as soon as i finish my pack is that smart or should i just say fuck it and just quit.
People demand freedom of speech to make up for the freedom of thought which they avoid."
- Soren Aabye Kierkegaard (1813-1855)

If you haven't got anything nice to say about anybody, come sit next to me."
- Alice Roosevelt Longworth (1884-1980)
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Comments

  • VictoryGinVictoryGin Posts: 1,207
    you have to do what feels right to you. it's the only way it will work. do you need a ritual or somehow to say 'goodbye' to your cigarettes? then smoke what you have. if you don't, destroy them.

    i used tea tree stick things (dental pics) i got at a health food store, ate carrot sticks, etc. it's really hard. you have to want it.

    good luck :)
    if you wanna be a friend of mine
    cross the river to the eastside
  • MrBrianMrBrian Posts: 2,672
    I just stopped smoking, I started getting busy playing sports and whatever else, really at the end I just did'nt feel like smoking.

    But I still smoke the green, sometg I plan on cutting back anyday now.
  • decides2dreamdecides2dream Posts: 14,977
    i will celebrate 5 years smoke-free this decmeber. :) i smoked for 20 years and loved it....now i loathe it! amazing that transformation. that said, it really comes down to you MUST WANT to QUIT. sounds like yea...duh...but it really is IT! i tried quitting numerous times and went back and back and back. only once i finally realized i really WANTED to be free from cigs, never to tocuh em again, was i successful. past quit attempts WERE helpful though, b/c it helped me to 'learn' the whole process, the withdrawl, the pain, the habit, etc...and what i personlly needed for success. me, i picked a quit goal date and started taking wellbutrin (same as zyban) 2 weeks before.....and i used the nicoderm CQ patches to gradually ween myself off the nicotine. sure, it still was rough at times....but for me, enormous help in keeping me 'even'...and i stayed focused on being smok-free. once i hit the 6 week mark - my previous 'longest time without cigs' - i was psyched and determined to succeed. it's a choice, and a hard one...but the BESt one you can make for yourself. you can do it, IF you truly want it...good luck! :D
    Stay with me...
    Let's just breathe...


    I am myself like you somehow


  • he still standshe still stands Posts: 2,835
    LSD works for some people :)
    Everything not forbidden is compulsory and eveything not compulsory is forbidden. You are free... free to do what the government says you can do.
  • El_KabongEl_Kabong Posts: 4,141
    i used to smoke but not too much...seems like i only really did it when i was driving or at work...sometimes if i was at a bar or if i was smoking pot i might have a cig afterwords...but one winter i got sick and i lit a cigarette and it made me throw up so horribly...and i wondered 'why the hell do i smoke, anyways?' and i couldn't answer it...at least w/ pot i like how it makes me feel, cigs never really did much for me...so after i got better i kept that in my head and i just didn't want to anymore. i've smoked a little bit here and there when offered but i haven't bought a pack in years and even the last few times someone gave me one i didn't finish it

    it's all in the mind
    standin above the crowd
    he had a voice that was strong and loud and
    i swallowed his facade cos i'm so
    eager to identify with
    someone above the crowd
    someone who seemed to feel the same
    someone prepared to lead the way
  • NevermindNevermind Posts: 1,006
    he still stands wrote:
    LSD works for some people :)
    Makes me smoke more.
  • ThecureThecure Posts: 814
    decides2dream wrote:
    i will celebrate 5 years smoke-free this decmeber. :) i smoked for 20 years and loved it....now i loathe it! amazing that transformation. that said, it really comes down to you MUST WANT to QUIT. sounds like yea...duh...but it really is IT! i tried quitting numerous times and went back and back and back. only once i finally realized i really WANTED to be free from cigs, never to tocuh em again, was i successful. past quit attempts WERE helpful though, b/c it helped me to 'learn' the whole process, the withdrawl, the pain, the habit, etc...and what i personlly needed for success. me, i picked a quit goal date and started taking wellbutrin (same as zyban) 2 weeks before.....and i used the nicoderm CQ patches to gradually ween myself off the nicotine. sure, it still was rough at times....but for me, enormous help in keeping me 'even'...and i stayed focused on being smok-free. once i hit the 6 week mark - my previous 'longest time without cigs' - i was psyched and determined to succeed. it's a choice, and a hard one...but the BESt one you can make for yourself. you can do it, IF you truly want it...good luck! :D

    how much did you smoke a day if you don't mind me asking. i smoke abotu 1 1/2 packs a day. i don't have a doctor right now which i need to get the patch for free and i can really afford paying for it, so i will be using good hard work.
    People demand freedom of speech to make up for the freedom of thought which they avoid."
    - Soren Aabye Kierkegaard (1813-1855)

    If you haven't got anything nice to say about anybody, come sit next to me."
    - Alice Roosevelt Longworth (1884-1980)
  • he still standshe still stands Posts: 2,835
    Nevermind wrote:
    Makes me smoke more.

    I realized how ignorant it was to smoke while under the influence... Made me realize people see me and remember me as a "smoker" and I wanted to devoid myself of all labels. (Labels, fads, titles, poop! LOL) Also, I realized that smoking is part of our "death instinct" and after going through "the fear" I cherish life more than I thought possible.

    A great thing to do is have someone, a "shaman," lead you through the experience and they will sense what problems need to be fixed by your actions and dialogue during the experience. Obviously has to be a close friend, who has done it before, and you trust immeasurably. Probably better than any other method to quit smoking, IMO.
    Everything not forbidden is compulsory and eveything not compulsory is forbidden. You are free... free to do what the government says you can do.
  • decides2dreamdecides2dream Posts: 14,977
    Thecure wrote:
    how much did you smoke a day if you don't mind me asking. i smoke abotu 1 1/2 packs a day. i don't have a doctor right now which i need to get the patch for free and i can really afford paying for it, so i will be using good hard work.



    probably the same, 1.5 packs a day. of course, not for 20 years...hahaha...yikes!....but the last 5 or so, if not 10....most definitely. i was a heavy smoker and loved it.

    wow, they give the patch for free now? i had to pay for em. the wellbutrin was a way around getting it covered by my prescription plan, so only a copay...b/c zyban would've been an out of pocket expense. how they figure it all i have no idea....but another discussion.


    that said, sure, for ME anyway....using both helped me enormously. however, PLENTY of people quite without either, so you certainly can! :) i am sure i could've at the time too...i think the whole 'motivation factor' is THE most important. using those tools just made it a wee bit easier...and quite honestly..probably a LOT easier on my husband/family/friends. :p some didn't even realize i had quit, which is testament to the anti-bitch factor involved in those aides for me. :D


    YOU CAN DO IT!!!
    :D
    Stay with me...
    Let's just breathe...


    I am myself like you somehow


  • NevermindNevermind Posts: 1,006
    he still stands wrote:
    I realized how ignorant it was to smoke while under the influence... Made me realize people see me and remember me as a "smoker" and I wanted to devoid myself of all labels. (Labels, fads, titles, poop! LOL) Also, I realized that smoking is part of our "death instinct" and after going through "the fear" I cherish life more than I thought possible.

    A great thing to do is have someone, a "shaman," lead you through the experience and they will sense what problems need to be fixed by your actions and dialogue during the experience. Obviously has to be a close friend, who has done it before, and you trust immeasurably. Probably better than any other method to quit smoking, IMO.
    Id like to find a shaman. Ive been thinking about quitting after I woke up the other night unable to breathe and had terrible chest pains. Cant figure out if my childhood asthma is back or if smoking is actually bad for your health.
  • ThecureThecure Posts: 814
    decides2dream wrote:
    probably the same, 1.5 packs a day. of course, not for 20 years...hahaha...yikes!....but the last 5 or so, if not 10....most definitely. i was a heavy smoker and loved it.

    wow, they give the patch for free now? i had to pay for em. the wellbutrin was a way around getting it covered by my prescription plan, so only a copay...b/c zyban would've been an out of pocket expense. how they figure it all i have no idea....but another discussion.


    that said, sure, for ME anyway....using both helped me enormously. however, PLENTY of people quite without either, so you certainly can! :) i am sure i could've at the time too...i think the whole 'motivation factor' is THE most important. using those tools just made it a wee bit easier...and quite honestly..probably a LOT easier on my husband/family/friends. :p some didn't even realize i had quit, which is testament to the anti-bitch factor involved in those aides for me. :D


    YOU CAN DO IT!!!
    :D

    where i live in Canada if you get a doctor to give you a prescription you can get the patch for free. i aslo have medical insurance by work but they only pay for prescribed medications. i have actually decided today that i want to change my life style. i am a social worker here and i work around 12 hours a day (except when i am on here. Haha) and i eat like shit and i don't work out and i am tired of it all. so today i hav eset up a meeting at a gym to see what the membership will cost. i figure i can afford it when i quit smoking.
    People demand freedom of speech to make up for the freedom of thought which they avoid."
    - Soren Aabye Kierkegaard (1813-1855)

    If you haven't got anything nice to say about anybody, come sit next to me."
    - Alice Roosevelt Longworth (1884-1980)
  • decides2dreamdecides2dream Posts: 14,977
    Thecure wrote:
    where i live in Canada if you get a doctor to give you a prescription you can get the patch for free. i aslo have medical insurance by work but they only pay for prescribed medications. i have actually decided today that i want to change my life style. i am a social worker here and i work around 12 hours a day (except when i am on here. Haha) and i eat like shit and i don't work out and i am tired of it all. so today i hav eset up a meeting at a gym to see what the membership will cost. i figure i can afford it when i quit smoking.


    didn't realize you were in canada, gotcha.


    funny too, i was going to say/suggest.....i too changed my lifestyle dramatically when i quit smoking as well. i found it extremely helpful, seperate the behaviors from your usual way of life. besides, it never hurts to live more healthfully.......good luck!

    let us know your progress. it's a BIG step to take, but you can do it! :)
    Stay with me...
    Let's just breathe...


    I am myself like you somehow


  • cornnifercornnifer Posts: 2,130
    As a habitual quitter (i quit for months at a time. Once for three years), i've found the best way to quit is to just quit. No weaning (doesn't work), no patches or gum. For me it always helps to think of the money. i don't know where you live, but for me a pack and a half a day comes to about 7 bucks. 7 clams a day adds up pretty quick. Decide on something you would like to buy or do with that money and put 7 dollars a day in a sock or jar or something. Heck, put it in the gas tank. i find that to be quite motivational.
    Also start running. When i quit for three years i became addicted to running. Once i was up to about 4 miles a day 4 or five days a week i loved it and realized i couldn't do it if i smoked. i was healthier than i had ever been.
    Just some thoughts. Good luck.
    "When all your friends and sedatives mean well but make it worse... better find yourself a place to level out."
  • South of SeattleSouth of Seattle West Seattle Posts: 10,724
    Another suggestion that helped me, especially if you're around smokers, is to drink a glass of water everytime you or your buddies are going to have a smoke.
    NERDS!
  • angelicaangelica Posts: 6,038
    I smoked 2 packs a day for 21 years. I was terrified of quitting. I was terrified of gaining weight (I had eating disorder issues). I had OCD at the time, and I thought it would be impossible to quit with a serious anxiety disorder. I developed heart palpitations, and I had to have surgery on my eardrum due to ear infections made worse from smoking. So, I did everything I could leading up to quitting. I knew I needed to boost my metabolism so as to not gain god-awful amounts of weight. I started lifting weights, and doing cardio. I realized I'd need to begin to eat numerous meals a day to get my metabolism working optimally (hence I began healing my imbalanced eating patterns). By the time I was ready to quit, I was developing a fairly healthy lifestyle for once, and smoking began to stick out like a sore thumb. When I actually quit, I used the nicotine gum. My family doctor scheduled me for a few appointments over the first few days for support. I got hooked up with the smoking-quit line in Ontario. And I joined a local quit-smoking support group. Thankfully it all worked. I've been smoke-free for 7 years. Interestingly, although the OCD was really bad over the first few days of withdrawal...the disorder began to unravel shortly after I quit. Breathing deeply - mimicking inhaling - helped me a lot when I quit. And became a new healthy pattern I developed.
    "The opposite of a fact is falsehood, but the opposite of one profound truth may very well be another profound truth." ~ Niels Bohr

    http://www.myspace.com/illuminatta

    Rhinocerous Surprise '08!!!
  • El_KabongEl_Kabong Posts: 4,141
    i read somewhere that a study, i think in 98 or 99 that smoking more than doubles your chances of dementia and alzheimers
    standin above the crowd
    he had a voice that was strong and loud and
    i swallowed his facade cos i'm so
    eager to identify with
    someone above the crowd
    someone who seemed to feel the same
    someone prepared to lead the way
  • ThecureThecure Posts: 814
    so yesterday, i join a gym for the 1st time in my life. i have always been afraid of joinhing a gym because all i thought was that people there would be like buff people and i woul dget in there and people would just laugh at me for even thinking about working out. when i talked to guy he was asking me all these questiosn like how much coffee i drink, how much i smoke, how much sleep i get my answer were these. i drink abotu 2 pots of coffee a day, 1 1/2 packs a day and 3-4 hours of sleep a day. the guy just looked at me thinking how are you still alive.
    People demand freedom of speech to make up for the freedom of thought which they avoid."
    - Soren Aabye Kierkegaard (1813-1855)

    If you haven't got anything nice to say about anybody, come sit next to me."
    - Alice Roosevelt Longworth (1884-1980)
  • he still standshe still stands Posts: 2,835
    Thecure wrote:
    so yesterday, i join a gym for the 1st time in my life. i have always been afraid of joinhing a gym because all i thought was that people there would be like buff people and i woul dget in there and people would just laugh at me for even thinking about working out. when i talked to guy he was asking me all these questiosn like how much coffee i drink, how much i smoke, how much sleep i get my answer were these. i drink abotu 2 pots of coffee a day, 1 1/2 packs a day and 3-4 hours of sleep a day. the guy just looked at me thinking how are you still alive.

    you will feel such a big difference just by working up a sweat 3 or 4 times a week, lay off the smoking, and cut WAYYY back on the coffee. Oh, and get some more sleep dude! Even when I'm super busy I make sure to get at least 6 or 7 hours... On the weekends I sleep for 9 or 10 hours! After a few weeks you seriously will feel like a new person... I know cause I basically did the same thing about 5 years ago.
    Everything not forbidden is compulsory and eveything not compulsory is forbidden. You are free... free to do what the government says you can do.
  • angelicaangelica Posts: 6,038
    he still stands wrote:
    you will feel such a big difference just by working up a sweat 3 or 4 times a week, lay off the smoking, and cut WAYYY back on the coffee. Oh, and get some more sleep dude! Even when I'm super busy I make sure to get at least 6 or 7 hours... On the weekends I sleep for 9 or 10 hours! After a few weeks you seriously will feel like a new person... I know cause I basically did the same thing about 5 years ago.
    To lighten up on all the destructive patterns we willingly maintain, we free up our energy, which feels awesome! With all my bad habits and meds I took, I used to sleep 14 hours a day. I now sleep about 7. My system is FAR more efficient!
    "The opposite of a fact is falsehood, but the opposite of one profound truth may very well be another profound truth." ~ Niels Bohr

    http://www.myspace.com/illuminatta

    Rhinocerous Surprise '08!!!
  • decides2dreamdecides2dream Posts: 14,977
    South of Seattle wrote:
    Another suggestion that helped me, especially if you're around smokers, is to drink a glass of water everytime you or your buddies are going to have a smoke.


    it's amazing really...water helps EVERYthing! :)
    quitting smoking, eating healthfully...following a healthy lifestyle, etc. also amazing b/c yes, many do gain weight after quitting - altho it is said it's still FAr halthier than continuing to smoke - but after that initital period, i think many, many people go on to embrace an entire overhaul of unhealthy habits. i know i have. not saying i follow religiously, i certainly get off track...but yes.....being free from smoke gives you a whole new attitude. :)
    Stay with me...
    Let's just breathe...


    I am myself like you somehow


  • ThecureThecure Posts: 814
    he still stands wrote:
    you will feel such a big difference just by working up a sweat 3 or 4 times a week, lay off the smoking, and cut WAYYY back on the coffee. Oh, and get some more sleep dude! Even when I'm super busy I make sure to get at least 6 or 7 hours... On the weekends I sleep for 9 or 10 hours! After a few weeks you seriously will feel like a new person... I know cause I basically did the same thing about 5 years ago.

    i have never really slept much ever. even as a kid i sleeped around teh same amount. but so far today, i hav enot had a smoke yet. usually by thi stime i am abotu 10-15 smoke by now. i have only 3 cups of coffee so far.
    People demand freedom of speech to make up for the freedom of thought which they avoid."
    - Soren Aabye Kierkegaard (1813-1855)

    If you haven't got anything nice to say about anybody, come sit next to me."
    - Alice Roosevelt Longworth (1884-1980)
  • riffrandallriffrandall Posts: 685
    I smoked for a long time- 10 years, probably 1 pack a day. Quit once for a year and a half & went back.
    Last October I bought myself the book "Skinny Bitch" and the first thing they say is "Cigarettes are for losers." I think I just read it at the right time, because the more I said it in my head, the easier it was to just walk away. And that's what I did- I just walked away from it.

    Aside from having to get your mind around the idea of quitting, it also helps if you give up your big triggers at the same time. Like- smoking while drinking, or smoking with your morning coffee- whatever it is, those triggers need to go at least for a little while.
    It was all mental for me. Patches, gums, whatever- they didn't work.
    "If you're looking for someone to pull you out of that ditch, you're out of luck."
  • Mukluk4Mukluk4 Posts: 22
    I've gone smoke free for two years after smoking for 10+. No drugs, no chemicals, no meditation....

    It's the realization, that as a human being you are stronger than some mental or physical addiction.

    I forced my wife to do the same...she slipped twice along the way, but it's been almost a year and a half since she had her last smoke.
  • he still standshe still stands Posts: 2,835
    Thecure wrote:
    i have never really slept much ever. even as a kid i sleeped around teh same amount. but so far today, i hav enot had a smoke yet. usually by thi stime i am abotu 10-15 smoke by now. i have only 3 cups of coffee so far.

    keep it up.

    think of this... on your deathbed, you are about ready to die... you are minutes away from passing and you KNOW IT... and you think to yourself, "I would have at least a few years of life left if only I hadn't smoked all my life."

    It might sound trite or cliche, but that thought helps me refrain from smoking.
    Everything not forbidden is compulsory and eveything not compulsory is forbidden. You are free... free to do what the government says you can do.
  • elmerelmer Posts: 1,683
    easiest wy is after a bout of the flu, preferably a chest infection(preferably?-haha), or broken ribs. Even then you're gonna want to quit wholeheartedly, but ir's easier. I broke two ribs, forgot about smoking for couple of weeks but started again. Sometime soon I'm going to stop. And no, this isn't something I've said before,well.....
  • writersuwritersu Posts: 1,867
    I quit when I was 25, so a while ago now and hard candy worked for me. also the smell after I quit was enough to get me to stay off of it.

    good luck, it is hard but so worth it.
    Baby, You Wouldn't Last a Minute on The Creek......


    Together we will float like angels.........

    In the moment that you left the room, the album started skipping, goodbye to beauty shared with the ones that you love.........
  • VictoryGinVictoryGin Posts: 1,207
    i started slightly smoking again because of stress, and i want to stop again because i just hate how it makes me feel. anyway i ran across this:

    http://www.becomeanex.org/

    and they have some good tips on how to separate yourself from your triggers. as soon as i get my bicycle i'm going to try it again.
    if you wanna be a friend of mine
    cross the river to the eastside
  • barakabaraka Posts: 1,268
    Quitting smoking was one of the hardest things for me. It has been almost 8 years (wow, I never really thought how long it has been). I had several unsuccessful attempts at quitting. I tried Zyban, but it didn't agree with me. I tried the patch and it irritated my skin. I tried nicotine gum and that worked. If you decided to go the nicotine replacement route, be careful. I basically replaced my cigarette addiction with a nicotine gum habit. I quit chewing the gum when I found out I was pregnant. But after my daughter was born, I went through a stressful situation and almost started smoking again. Instead of buying a pack of cigarettes, I bought some nicotine gum. I still chew it from time to time. I don't crave cigs anymore, because I hate the smell now, but I do crave the gum every now and then. Caffeine and nicotine were always my vice.
    The greatest obstacle to discovery is not ignorance,
    but the illusion of knowledge.
    ~Daniel Boorstin

    Only a life lived for others is worth living.
    ~Albert Einstein
  • lukin2006lukin2006 Posts: 9,087
    Thecure wrote:
    i don't know if teh MT is teh place to ask this but i have been smoking for close to 16 years and over the weekend i was helping a friend build a pool and i felt like shit. i have a half a pack of smoke left and i hav efinally decided to quit smoking. this is teh first time that i have decided this and i was just wondering if anyone here has quit smoking and if so ho wdid you do it. i have told myself that i will quit as soon as i finish my pack is that smart or should i just say fuck it and just quit.

    been smoke free for nearly 8 years, just quit, no matter what it takes, you'll feel better, your loved ones will be thank full as well.
    I have certain rules I live by ... My First Rule ... I don't believe anything the government tells me ... George Carlin

    "Life Is What Happens To You When Your Busy Making Other Plans" John Lennon
  • The OracleThe Oracle Posts: 530
    Thecure wrote:
    i don't know if teh MT is teh place to ask this but i have been smoking for close to 16 years and over the weekend i was helping a friend build a pool and i felt like shit. i have a half a pack of smoke left and i hav efinally decided to quit smoking. this is teh first time that i have decided this and i was just wondering if anyone here has quit smoking and if so ho wdid you do it. i have told myself that i will quit as soon as i finish my pack is that smart or should i just say fuck it and just quit.

    Did it cold turkey with half a packet left 13 years ago, after a pack a day habit for 23 years. Very hard first few days,weeks and months but it gradually got easier. I'd quit half heartedly several times before, but knew it was time as I'd become so unfit and felt like shit too. Even now occasionally have breathing problems in humid weather. Quitting is hard, not quitting is harder in the long run though. The only thing I did to test myself the first few weeks was to go out, party etc., and be around alcohol and other smokers. I figured if I could survive that I'd be OK - it worked. Still don't mind the smell of fresh smoke, stale odours another matter though. Wished I'd done it years earlier. Do it and you won't regret it, I assure you. Good luck!!!
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