Quitting Smoking

[mediaflare]

this is part 1 of my goal to improve myself, and of course, it's a little difficult to accomplish, as i've already admitted to myself that I'm addicted to nicotine and the act of smoking.

I've got an electric cigarette to at least help with the health issues, and tried the patch, but i get stressed, or have a PTSD moment and immediately say "srew it" and buy a pack from the gas station

it's frustrating but i'm trying, also looking for motivation or suggestions for keeping myself in a straight line.

for now i got Sarcasticgrrl nagging me, so that's something

[ErikAndress]

Firstly, your sonic screwdriver is totally boss! Second, I quit a two pack a day habit by trying to replace my bad addiction with a healthy one. If I was feeling stressed and wanted a smoke, I'd bust out twenty pushups or try to focus my mind for fifteen minutes on something productive until the craving passed. Dude I know it sucks so unbelievably hard but you can do it bro. As the good doctor would say, "allonsy Alonso!"

[mediaflare]

lol thanks for the Doctor Who love!

and yeah, right now i'm working on trying out the electric cigarettes while doing more exorcise in hopes of distracting myself, i also have some 'empty' electric cigs hidden in my box so sometimes i won't actually be smoking, that hopefully will start to help

[ErikAndress]

Well good luck on your journey good sir. It is tough beyond belief. But if you believe you can do it, you will kick that addiction in its teeth! So I gotta ask as a fellow Whovian, is the pic from a cosplay meet up or just general fantastic awesomeness? Either way, I'd have to say the tenth doctor rules!

[scotticus]

If all else fails, ride it out until you get sick (cold, food poisoning, whatever). Then leverage your illness to help you quit! Works every time!

[mediaflare]

Well good luck on your journey good sir. It is tough beyond belief. But if you believe you can do it, you will kick that addiction in its teeth! So I gotta ask as a fellow Whovian, is the pic from a cosplay meet up or just general fantastic awesomeness? Either way, I'd have to say the tenth doctor rules!

actually, this was recent. it was a "halfway to halloween" event at a club, and they had a costume contest

[Vicarious Ink]

Good luck, man. I know how hard it is. I have started and stopped so many times now, I have lost count. I will be joining you shortly as soon as all this personal stuff gets done.

[SirEarl]

Oh boy. I'm in the same boat here. I'm a big fan of the electronic cigarettes, but mostly because of the flavors. It doesn't really help me quit smoking. Although I've gone from a pack/pack and a half a day to just a few a day by "pavlov-ing" myself. (Classical conditioning).

I'd count every smoke I smoked. Then, when it came time to work out, each cigarette became an extra set for an exercise or a little longer on the run, etc etc. Soon enough, my body started rejecting the cigarettes. Most of the time, I'll go out for a smoke and only get a quarter or half way through by the time my body goes "Ok brain. I'm good dude. Screw this." It took me a little while to taper up though.

I started by taking a normal day, and just marking down how many I smoked. That was the limit. Every couple of days I would lower the limit down and raise the value of each cigarette accordingly. Now each cigarette is worth an 2 sets of a whole added exercise to my normal routine. (I don't work myself too hard normally because I like to train/work out every day).

Now every time I think about going out for a smoke, I stop and think to myself..."You've got to do this and this and this tomorrow. Is doing all that sore tomorrow really worth this next 5 minutes?" (Whenever I feel I'm doing really bad at quitting, I make sparring the exercise. Boy oh boy will that drill "cigarettes are HORRIBLE FOR YOU" in your head.)

I still find it super hard to not smoke after eating though. Actually, that's almost the only time I do decide to have a smoke. That, or when I'm driving.

I've quit once before, and that time I used replacement habits. Mostly chewing on (mostly minted, but occasionally regular) toothpicks and eating sunflower seeds. I used to gnaw on guitar strings every time I had to change em, but looking back on it, I find that really disgusting. Who wants a bunch of sweat and finger gunk in their mouth!?

All that rambling aside, I wish you the best of luck dude.

[drayz]

Good luck my friend. I smoked a pack a day for about a decade and quit 3 years ago. I have never felt better. I also quit Mt. Dew at the same time to complete change my morning habits. Just remember, you can do it and hang in there.

[mediaflare]

thanks for the support and ideas, i'm at 1.5 weeks with nothing but the electric. i know i have the niccotine addiction still, but i'm trying to first kick the mental habit of smoking, then i can just use patches or gum or something and slowly ween myself off nicotine

[js290]

this is part 1 of my goal to improve myself, and of course, it's a little difficult to accomplish, as i've already admitted to myself that I'm addicted to nicotine and the act of smoking.

I've got an electric cigarette to at least help with the health issues, and tried the patch, but i get stressed, or have a PTSD moment and immediately say "srew it" and buy a pack from the gas station

it's frustrating but i'm trying, also looking for motivation or suggestions for keeping myself in a straight line.

for now i got Sarcasticgrrl nagging me, so that's something

A friend of mine used this book to stop smoking: http://www.amazon.com/Allen-Carrs-Easyway-Stop-Smoking/dp/0615482155/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1338400832&sr=8-1

[SewRose]

I am right there with you. I am trying to quit in the hopes that it will convince my boyfriend to finally give it up. He coughs, and gets all wheezy, and has HORRIBLE heartburn. He wants to quit, but so far we've been sucking at it. Maybe we should all just nag each other! I mean half the time I don't even enjoy it, and then sometimes I get so stressed it's the only thing that makes sense. I think the worst habit I have formed is smoking on the phone with a friend. I will chain smoke and not think twice till I look at the pack afterwards and realize how many are suddenly missing!

We can so do this!

[mediaflare]

yeah i did that too, smoke while on the phone, or chain smoke while talking to someone outside. when i go to the club on mondays i tend to smoke almost a whole pack in one night, so that was TERRIBLE

right now i have sarcasticgrrl nagging me and slapping my hand when i try to get some at gas stations lol. but it's a fight, that's for sure. hopefully all of us terrible smoking demos will finally give up our nasty ways and move on with our lives. not saying smoking is silly or anything, but not good for you deffinitely

[Josh Cross]

Good luck man, it's the single best decision you will ever make in regards to your health. My doctor essentially told me that during the first year I was allowed to basically do anything I wanted food/drink wise as long as I didn't smoke (I was mostly worried because my soda intake in the first 2 months sky-rocketed to like 12 cans a day). That's probably not the very best medical advice but it gives you an idea of how terrible cigarettes are. Doing *anything* else is better for you.

I found the best hacks were to:

1) lock myself in my apartment for the first four days with PLENTY of treats, anything you like be it ice cream, candy bars, soda, video games, ANYTHING. In the short term there is literally nothing you can do to offset the positive effects of quitting. Eat or drink or do whatever you want as long as it keeps your mind off cigarettes.

2) Constantly repeat to myself that after 72 hours the addiction was purely mental. The first three days will be hell, but after that it's ALL in your head. Once that bridge is crossed you can attack the problem in a more detached way.

3) Ease yourself back into reality. You might have to avoid bars for a bit. You might have to fake a few sick days (or leave work early) in an effort to accustom yourself to the world without smoking. It's not going to be easy. I smoked for 15 years, I literally have spent more time in my life smoking cigarettes than doing anything else save maybe sleeping. Take pleasure in this time as it will be a surreal experience.

4) The craving only lasts as long as a cigarette. Whether this is universal or just my personal experience I'm not sure but I always found if I could just power through that 5-8 minutes it would go away for another hour until the next habitual "smoking time". It's only 5-8 minutes maybe 15 times a day, which sucks, but then it will become 5-8 minutes 10 times a day, then 5, etc.

5) Make it a game. Ever been so hung over that life just became hilarious? Like...so totally ridiculously hung over that on some dark level you sort of didn't care if you kept living? Treat it like that. Treat quitting smoking like the weirdest high ever. Just laugh at the ridiculousness of it.

6) Get an app to track the money you saved. I'm at 7 months and have saved over $1,400.

And finally, and this is more for the long term:

7) Remember that you want that cigarette because it will "take you back to normal or level" but you've quit now, your body *doesn't actually need* nicotine. You are ALWAYS level. Having that cigarette at a party or whatever isn't going to "level you out" it's only going to give you that weird headache and if you're anything like me you'll wake up right back in the personal hell of a pack a day habit.

You can do it man. It will be the best thing you ever do and you will look back on the you that used to smoke and think "Jeez...what a dummy...why was I doing THAT?"

The only downside is that you'll never again have an excuse not to do something hard.

[mediaflare]

wow mam, thanks for the advice, that's pretty good stuff. unfortunately i'm a regular at a club where i live that basically i HAVE to go or half my friends don't, and one of the DJ's gets booboo face. in other words, i have to constantly fight smoking in public places

other than that i've been doing good. hitting 2 weeks without a cigarette, though i do use the electric cigarette occasionay, it's still hardly as much as i did regularly when smoking

[ROOCHOP]

I can vouch for the Alan Carr easy way book in the post above, It gives you an outlook as opposed to the usual methods and I quit no problem, I started again because I did not follow the rules and became complacent, but I was not gasping or anything, just found it soo easy with his method I let my guard down.

Good luck to you

[Weazley]

Congrats on hitting the 2 week (and hopefully now 6 week) mark!

Hope you're still staying strong. I realise that this may not be relevant for you any more, but for anyone else trying to give up:

Totally agree with Josh about getting an app that track the money you save. I found one that gives you 'achievements' for not smoking for a certain number of days, or how much money you saved or cigarettes you haven't smoked. It was a great motivator for me. The one I use also had a health tracker on it, giving you information like your 60% of the way to regaining your taste and smell etc. (the one I use is called Quitnow)

I'd really get off the e-cigarettes as soon as possible - your doing well, you don't need them. You say that you want to break the 'mental' addiction to smoking - but you're still putting an object to your mouth (physical habit) and you're still getting the nicotine (drug habit), you're not really breaking the mental addiction to either. Just my two cents.

I gave up for a month with the Alan Carr book (came crashing down because I had the most rotten day at work and with the help of my (now ex) boyfriend who had taken my quitting smoking as a personal challenge to become a chimney) I just couldn't be bothered any more. I also didn't follow the rules and thought it would make things better. Stress was one of my triggers and I let it get the better of me. So recognise your triggers and don't let them get to you.

I also gave up for a few weeks using lozenges (for me which were much preferred to the gum - the patches were okay but expensive..... and then on another failed attempt I actually started smoking again while wearing them). They were all still fueling the nicotine addiction and just made me crave cigarettes.

My best - well at least most successful method so far - was actually just going 'cold turkey'. Within days you actually don't crave it as much, where as (particularly on the patches) I had to fight myself everyday to not have one.

I'm now 160 days* without smoking, 2729 cigarettes that I haven't smoked and $1,910 that I haven't spent on cigarettes.

*I'll be honest, I did slip up after (copious amounts of) alcohol at a wedding about 2 months in (a whole cigarette ), but a) it was gross and I know that it didn't mean I was a failure, I just slipped - and I picked myself up the next day, didn't blame myself, and haven't had one since. Because despite the stresses and triggers that come my way that is not the life I want anymore.

[dragonlyre]

I would like to suggest Swedish Snus. I started using it in November.and now I no longer even use it. It helped me drop a pack a day habit for 20 years. It gives you a steady dose of vitamin N, but without all of the crap from the burning process.

It can be expensive, but if you are lucky, you can find some General Snus in your local store. Here is the address you can use tinder if they sell in your area WWW.generalsnus.com

Good luck and keep going.

[NFRob]

Good Luck man! I can also vouche for the Alan Carr book. It really does give you a new outlook on quiting.

What is working for me (I'm in the process of quiting.. smoke free for a few weeks!):

1) Tobacco companies are evil. Everytime you smoke a cig you are taking money out of your bank account and giving it to the people who have you on a leash.. not cool.

2) Think about the process of smoking. The toxic smoke filling your lungs, covering them with tar and cancer causing agents. Yellowing your teeth and finger tips. Think about what feels good. Is it the head rush ? The head rush is your brain starving for oxygen.. not cool. The nicotine addiction is the leash wrapped around your neck from the tobacco company.. loosening slightly.. only to be re-tightened again.

3) If you like food.. think about how much better it will taste when your taste buds regain their ability to .. well.. taste.

4) ask yourself this. "when im on my death bed, dieng from cancer or heart disease (the 2 stastically most likely causes of death.. both related to smoking) what would I give or change in my life to have an extra.. 10, 20, 30 years..." I bet your answer would anything.. your house, your car, your job, your friends,.. you'd give up all the fast food and cigerettes in the world just to have an extra 10+ years. Unfortuantly, on your death bed.. you dont get that option. So make the changes NOW while you still can.

5) If you smoke a pack a day, put that money into an envolope instead of buying cigs and see how much you have at the end of the month. Buy a bunch of new games.

6) go wrawp your mouth around the tail pipe of a runing car.. take 1 breath. Obviously you wont, but think about the fact that 1 cigarette has about the same ount of toxins and carbon monoxide. Basically each cig is the same as a puff of fresh exhaust.. gross.

Basically.. you have to admit YOU ARE ADDICTED and its no longer for pleasure (which you alread did! congrats!) There is nothing pleasureable about smoking. Think about the first cig you ever had. You probably coughed up a lung, hated the taste and smell, etc.. Because its gross. Its the addiction that makes you think its enjoyable. Its time to man up and break the addiction. The only thing stopping you is YOU.

I dunno if any of that helps, but good luck! Your life is worth so much more than a pack of smokes.

Cheers

[NFRob]

Also, I think this analogy is from Alan Carr but i'll share it anyways.

Think of smoking as a fused bomb. At the end of the fuse is a bomb. In this case, the bomb is heart disease or cancer. Each smoke takes you a little further down the fuse. The thing is.. you don't know how long the fuse is. Before you know it, your fuse will run out and the bomb un-expectadly explodes. Bam.. Now you have cancer or heart disease and are probably going to die young.

You can cut the burning fuse off before its too late..

[Nicodumas]

I know what you are going through. I was smoke free for 4 years, then life happened... that was 3 months ago. I moved to e-cigs for right now because I really don't like smoking (I feel like death after smoking).

All I can say is this.... stay strong and remember, you don't fail... you learn what doesn't work.

[Tegris]

I am with you Mediaflare. I quit for a few months, started back, stopped, started ect for several months now, and now i am 2 months smoke free again. In the end what helped me was kind of scheduling my bad habit. Every Saturday I would go to the bar with some co-workers (who all smoke) so i would allow myself to smoke at the bar on Saturdays. I did that for a month and didn't slip up so I pushed it to every other Saturday. At this point i was smoking 1 day every two weeks and on the other Saturday i was sitting in a booth with three people who were smoking and was able to say "nope not this week."

I think the most important thing is to keep at it. If you try something and it doesn't work, finish that pack and when it is done, try something new. Keep at it till it is gone.

Your body, general well being and fitness level will love you for it.

[Ragged Claws]

I hope you were/are able to keep quit. I quit cold turkey about 7 years ago, shortly before my first daughter was born. I had all sorts of motivation at the time, obviously, but two things worked me: toothpicks and a mental "trick".

At the times I normally smoked, I took a walk and put a toothpick in my mouth and treated it like a cigarette, pretended to ash it, the whole nine yards. It really truly helped conquer the here and now cravings. I even carried a little pack of toothpicks around with me.

Secondly, I just thought about having a cigarette and then finishing it. When I was done, where would I be? Exactly where I am now: without a cigarette, thinking about the next one. There is no just having one cigarette, the choice is between being a slave to the smoking habit, or not. In this regard, quitting cold turkey is the only way to do it. No more e-cigs, gum, whatever, just chuck it and be done with it.

The whole process turned out much easier than I thought it would, but then again, I had a new baby in my arms around the 2 month mark and smoking was the farthest thing from my mind. I ended up unconsciously channelling my smoking habit into a sweets habit, but I worried about that later. I did have a smoke a couple years after I quit, but to be honest, it was just nasty.

Good luck!

[the_griff]

Dude! So proud of you!! I quit smoking and I did it gradually. I first made myself only smoke one when I REALLY REALLY REALLLLLY needed one, not just when I had grown accustomed (after a meal, before/after work, etc). Then I made a friend hold a pack for me and didn't let them give me more than one a day. Gradually I just needed them less and less until I was fine without them. Hope that tactic helps!

(Or Sherlock's tactic )

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JtbNMolOTzc

[Awesome]

I quit smoking this year. It was really hard. I'd quit, then start, on a weekly basis for about four months. I tried everything - patches, inhalators, tablets, cold turkey, will power.

I finally found the thing that worked for me. TEA.

Seriously, a cup of tea.

Here's the thing - I smoked when I was stressed. And because I didn't want to smoke, the smoking made me stressed. But I realised it wasn't the cigarettes that were de-stressing me, it was the time-out. It was the time taken to go outside, have a cigarette, then return to the stressful situation.

So I replaced that with the time taken to boil the kettle, have a cup of tea, then return to the stressful situation.

Hey, whatever works. Hopefully you'll find whatever works for you, too.