I'm trying to quit smoking...I need some encouragement

Stinkfoot
Stinkfoot Posts: 546
edited April 2011 in All Encompassing Trip
Hi all,

I'm in my second day of cold turkey after 17 years of smoking cigarettes and cannabis every single day.

I'm struggling. But the fact that I actually have made it through the first night without having either has given me a real lift. As well as more of a fear that I am REALLY DOING THIS!!

My wife (who quit smoking when she got pregnant with our daughter 7 years ago and has never started again) is so proud of me that I CANNOT fail her and it's really scaring me.

My daughter has never seen me smoking weed but she has seen me smoking cigarettes and has even made a comment once about how she wants to smoke when she is older because I do...it crushed me and I have to do this not only for MY health but for hers. I want more than anything to tell her that I no longer smoke because even though I have made it clear to her how bad it is I was a hypocrite and still doing it. I also don't want to still be getting high as she gets older and end up some sad fucking middle aged man sneaking into the back garden to smoke a joint because I don't want my teenage daughter seeing me....

The reason I wanted to write about this on here is to get some support from you guys obviously, but the main thing I am struggling with is Pearl Jam related (and seems quite bizarre but is definitely a problem for me). For all these years and years when I would smoke I would sit listening to my boots on headphones and reading a book and now I fear that because I relate listening to my favourite music so closely with getting high that by not smoking anymore I will not want to listen to any music....I don't know. Is my subconscious grasping at straws to try and keep me smoking?

Anyway...two days and I'm still clean of the evil weed(s)
"I get into a state of consciousness that I can't explain. It is about feeling and not thinking. I get positive chills and insight into things that I can't get to any other way. It is Healing of the Soul." - Mike McCready
Post edited by Unknown User on
«1

Comments

  • Stinkfoot
    Stinkfoot Posts: 546
    ...I should add as well that I am away for the next week so I will read any replies when I can but probably won't be able to post so don't worry, Ive not topped myself or anything ;)
    "I get into a state of consciousness that I can't explain. It is about feeling and not thinking. I get positive chills and insight into things that I can't get to any other way. It is Healing of the Soul." - Mike McCready
  • dunkman
    dunkman Posts: 19,646
    lung-cancer-1.jpg
    oh scary... 40000 morbidly obese christians wearing fanny packs invading europe is probably the least scariest thing since I watched an edited version of The Care Bears movie in an extremely brightly lit cinema.
  • pjfan31
    pjfan31 Posts: 7,335
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SxpOUDkibzo

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-YjrkBYD ... re=related

    Good luck
    Sydney 11/02/2003
    Sydney 14/02/2003
    Sydney 07/11/2006
    Sydney 18/11/2006
    Sydney 22/11/2009
    EV Sydney 18/03/2011
    EV Sydney 19/03/2011
    EV Sydney 20/03/2011
    Melbourne 24/01/2014
    Sydney 26/01/2014
    EV Sydney 13/02/2014
  • markymark550
    markymark550 Columbia, SC Posts: 5,234
    Good luck to you. I know it can be hard to quit smoking cigarettes. I smoked for about 5 years before quitting cold turkey. Took me 3 attempts at quitting before I was finally able to do it. For me, the worst of it were on days 4-6. That was when I experienced the worst of the nicotine fits. After that, they gradually decreased until I knew I didn't need or want another cigarette. I started chewing gum like crazy at first and I think that helped me a little. Might be different for you...just got to find something to help you deal with the cravings. Keep leaning on your wife for motivation and support.

    As for the weed, I never had any problems with that. Most of my first two years of college were spent in a cannabis-induced haze and I didn't have any problems giving it up when I needed to. I don't think you'll have a problem with the music part of it. There were some songs that I would listen to while high and I still listen to them without feeling depressed about not being high.

    I will say that I don't ever feel like smoking a cigarette, but every once in a while I have the thought that I'd like to smoke a joint.

    Again, good luck to you and keep us posted on how it goes.
  • Jukee
    Jukee Posts: 4,500
    Best of luck to you :D

    I quit on January 1st. I'll admit, I cheated a few times when I really, really, really felt like I needed one and I would take a few puffs just to remind myself how awful it tastes and how dizzy and sick it made me feel after not smoking for so long. It honestly helped me to quit to do that every once in awhile. Now I have no desire to smoke. Sure, I get cravings every once in awhile (especially when having a few drinks) but I use my willpower and get through it and it gets easier and easier.

    You can do it!!!!
    If you have nothing to lose, you have nothing to worry about.
  • 81
    81 Needing a ride to Forest Hills and a ounce of weed. Please inquire within. Thanks. Or not. Posts: 58,276
    it's all in your head....

    enjoy the anger that is about to come your way.

    i quit on new years eve...at midnight. my process was cold turkey, but i would allow myself to smoke on future new years eve.

    first couple of days were rough, than it gets worse. make it thru a month and you'll feel pretty good.

    at my one year mark, i had a smoke. it was nasty, and that was the last time i've picked up a smoke. can't stand the smell of them now.

    best of luck. be mentally strong. wanting to be smoke free is the battle. as long as you want it, you will be fine. and stay out of bars
    81 is now off the air

    Off_Air.jpg
  • LloydXmas
    LloydXmas Posts: 7,539
    They show these videos during Yankee games all the time. NY has some crazy ads

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHeokDUD ... ata_player
  • pandora
    pandora Posts: 21,855
    Congratulations...first few days are the hardest.

    You have a great reason to quit...for your daughter.
    Parents influence children more than they realize, at the time, with their actions.
    You never want her to smoke ....

    It is just a habit that is all...

    try to replace it with something else... exercise or a hobby using your hands


    I quit smoking cigs

    I did it by using a cinnamon stick in place of the cig. Did the same action as though it was a cig,
    looked stupid but was rather enjoyable, smelled, tasted good and it worked!

    I tied up my extra available cash that I would have spent on cigs
    by putting clothes on layaway and taking the money weekly to pay it down.

    You could do the same purchase something as a reward and pay it down...
    or plan a family trip like Disney for your daughter
    put the cig money away daily/ weekly in the family 'trip pig'

    You can not disappoint ... so it will give you the strength to keep going.

    You do this for yourself but mostly for those who love you.

    Good Luck! :thumbup: We are rootin for ya!
  • Claireack
    Claireack Posts: 13,561
    Good luck.

    I'm still smoking, but hope that it goes really well for you.
    <a href="http://s952.photobucket.com/albums/ae8/catkinson_2009/?action=view&current=domo.jpg&quot; target="_blank"><img src="http://i952.photobucket.com/albums/ae8/catkinson_2009/domo.jpg&quot; border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
  • keeponrockin
    keeponrockin Posts: 7,446
    Best of luck to you!
    Believe me, when I was growin up, I thought the worst thing you could turn out to be was normal, So I say freaks in the most complementary way. Here's a song by a fellow freak - E.V
  • twisted thoughts
    twisted thoughts Posts: 4,377
    Smoke free since March 19, 2010. Havent cheated once, tho I have tried on a few drunken occasions, to be cigg blocked by my ever loving boyfriend :D

    Read this book:
    http://www.theeasywaytostopsmoking.com/Books.aspx

    My bf did some research to help me quit (he's a non smoker) and this book came most highly recommended. I laughed when he got me the book, but told him I would read it and try. It seemed so stupid. Even reading the book you feel like, I know all this stuff already...but seriously.... read the book.

    Funny thing is...I had quit...for three days...when the boyfriend came home with the book and a few packs of smokes. The author actually encourages you to continue smoking while reading the book...and to quit when you finish... but if you feel good about your head start, you dont have to start back up...

    Its all in your mind. Once upon a time you brainwashed yourself to think that smoking isnt so bad. Now, you must do the opposite. Brainwash yourself to realize that ciggs are the devil.

    And really...they're just too damned expensive these days.

    I do have to say tho... You may end up smoking more weed than before (I didnt think that was possible...for me at least, but it is :lol::mrgreen: )

    Good luck. And don't fall victim to the e-ciggs. Nicotine is the drug...and the e-ciggs still deliver that. Sure...its "safer" and "better" for your lungs...but in the end its just a lame replacement.

    Read the book!!! Buy it used from amazon. The updated versions are pretty much the same as the original, so dont fret over that.
    Mansfield, MA - Jul 02, 2003; Mansfield, MA - Jul 03, 2003; Mansfield, MA - Jul 11, 2003; Boston, MA - Sep 29, 2004; Reading, PA - Oct 01, 2004; Hartford, CT - May 13, 2006; Boston, MA - May 24, 2006; Boston, MA - May 25, 2006; Hartford, CT - Jun 27, 2008; Mansfield, MA - Jun 28, 2008; Mansfield, MA - June 30, 2008; Hartford, CT - May 15, 2010; Boston, MA - May 17, 2010; [EV - Providence, RI - June 15, 2011; EV - Hartford, CT - June 18, 2011]; Worcester, MA - Oct. 15, 2013; Worcester, MA - Oct. 16, 2013; Hartford, CT - Oct. 25, 2013; Boston, MA -  August 5, 2016; Boston, MA - August 7, 2016...



  • RKCNDY
    RKCNDY Posts: 31,013
    I cannot give you tips on quitting smoking..I'm a social smoker, only smoke when I go out to the bar/clubs.

    Many of my friends quit smoking the green so they wouldn't be a hypocrite when they told their kids 'don't do drugs', or they'd hide their smoking. Now their kids are teenagers, (16+) and a few of them let their kids smoke in the house, or just know that their kids smoke, and started smoking the herb again.

    BTW: marajuana is not 'evil' :mrgreen:
    http://www.cannabisculture.com/v2/conte ... ing-Cancer
    The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun.

    - Christopher McCandless
  • peacegirl
    peacegirl Posts: 841
    Best of luck to you! You can do it!

    I quit about 4-1/2 yrs ago after smoking for about 10yrs and it is the best thing I have ever done for myself.

    I don't have many tips because I seem to be the rare case that had no problem quitting. I used the patch for a few days and went cold turkey from there. Never slipped and never really have the urge to smoke anymore. Mostly I found it was breaking the habit of having a cig after meals, in the car, etc.

    I did motivate myself by buying myself an expensive watch that I wanted with the money I was saving on the cigarettes.
  • The Waiting Trophy Man
    The Waiting Trophy Man Niagara region, Ontario, Canada Posts: 12,158
    By using the word "trying" you're already setting yourself up for failure. Do, or do not; there is no try.
    Another habit says it's in love with you
    Another habit says its long overdue
    Another habit like an unwanted friend
    I'm so happy with my righteous self
  • SENROCK
    SENROCK Posts: 10,736
    Stinkfoot wrote:
    Hi all,

    I'm in my second day of cold turkey after 17 years of smoking cigarettes and cannabis every single day.

    I'm struggling. But the fact that I actually have made it through the first night without having either has given me a real lift. As well as more of a fear that I am REALLY DOING THIS!!

    My wife (who quit smoking when she got pregnant with our daughter 7 years ago and has never started again) is so proud of me that I CANNOT fail her and it's really scaring me.

    My daughter has never seen me smoking weed but she has seen me smoking cigarettes and has even made a comment once about how she wants to smoke when she is older because I do...it crushed me and I have to do this not only for MY health but for hers. I want more than anything to tell her that I no longer smoke because even though I have made it clear to her how bad it is I was a hypocrite and still doing it. I also don't want to still be getting high as she gets older and end up some sad fucking middle aged man sneaking into the back garden to smoke a joint because I don't want my teenage daughter seeing me....

    The reason I wanted to write about this on here is to get some support from you guys obviously, but the main thing I am struggling with is Pearl Jam related (and seems quite bizarre but is definitely a problem for me). For all these years and years when I would smoke I would sit listening to my boots on headphones and reading a book and now I fear that because I relate listening to my favourite music so closely with getting high that by not smoking anymore I will not want to listen to any music....I don't know. Is my subconscious grasping at straws to try and keep me smoking?

    Anyway...two days and I'm still clean of the evil weed(s)

    Hey big bro! :wave: Its good to see you trying to change a habit for the better. As i once told a good friend from here-later on in life, your kids will appreciate you quitting because you will live to see them tell you. I cant imagine Nyema standing without her daddy. :cry: You can do it! In words YOU will understand......if The Master can quit all his habits.....SO CAN YOU!!! :D
    ~~~~~~ALWAYS HAVE A GOOD TIME~~~~~~
    Sir Mike McCready is....THE MASTER!!! WAHHH!!!
    EVENFLOW PSYCHOS H.N.I.C~FEEL THE FLOW!!!

    "Pearl Jam fans are obsessed, they'd see the boys in HELL if tickets were sold."-CROJAM95

    It takes balls to put out a UKE album!
  • SVRDhand13
    SVRDhand13 Posts: 27,016
    Your daughter should be encouragement alone. Sorry to be harsh, but words from a stranger should do nothing compared to her.
    severed hand thirteen
    2006: Gorge 7/23 2008: Hartford 6/27 Beacon 7/1 2009: Spectrum 10/30-31
    2010: Newark 5/18 MSG 5/20-21 2011: PJ20 9/3-4 2012: Made In America 9/2
    2013: Brooklyn 10/18-19 Philly 10/21-22 Hartford 10/25 2014: ACL10/12
    2015: NYC 9/23 2016: Tampa 4/11 Philly 4/28-29 MSG 5/1-2 Fenway 8/5+8/7
    2017: RRHoF 4/7   2018: Fenway 9/2+9/4   2021: Sea Hear Now 9/18 
    2022: MSG 9/11  2024: MSG 9/3-4 Philly 9/7+9/9 Fenway 9/15+9/17
    2025: Pittsburgh 5/16+5/18
  • mikalina
    mikalina Posts: 7,206
    I wish you all the best - please quit smoking - :D
    ********************************************************************************************* image
  • JaneNY
    JaneNY Posts: 4,438
    Its super hard, I know. I tried smoking (my YOUNGER sister (14) gave me a couple when I was 16) and I never liked it or did it again, but it killed my mother. My daughters lost their grandmother when they were 7 months, and 4 years. You are giving your daughter and future grandchildren the gift of having you around. There are SO MANY times I've wished my mother was still around to talk to......And its pretty horrible watching your loved one die a slow death. Looking at your mother looking like a skeleton with death on her face. That's what smoking did to my mother.

    My husband quit cold turkey. He's religious and went on pilgrimage. He made the decision that when he entered the place of his pilgrimage he would not smoke again, and 11 years later he has stuck to that. He is free and I still have my husband.

    Is there a smokers' anonymous like AA? Seems like that would be a great idea to have meetings and reinforce each others' resolve.

    Best of luck!
    R.i.p. Rigoberto Alpizar.
    R.i.p. My Dad - May 28, 2007
    R.i.p. Black Tail (cat) - Sept. 20, 2008
  • samjam
    samjam New York Posts: 9,283
    I'm lucky to still have my dad- he smoked from his teen years until he was in his early 40s, when my sister was born and when I was 4. He could have easily developed major complications from all that smoking, and I'm lucky that he didn't. Do it for your kid. I don't know where I'd be without my father!
    "Sometimes you find yourself having to put all your faith in no faith."
    ~not a dude~
    2010: MSGx2
    2012: Made In America
    2013: Pittsburgh, Brooklynx2, Hartford, Baltimore
    2014: Leeds, Milton Keynes, Detroit
    2015: Global Citizen Festival
    2016: Phillyx2, MSGx2, Fenwayx2
    2018: Barcelona, Wrigleyx2
  • pinkbutterfly
    pinkbutterfly Posts: 1,391
    I can't stop biting my nails, so I can't even imagine how hard it is to stop smoking. Anyhow, you are doing great ~ keep up the good work! YOU CAN DO IT!!!
    My last message to you ~

    You're right. You are a monster! You are sick! Get help!

    At least, I am not a fuck-up! A lying fuck-up!

Categories