quit smoking cigs..

[Mermaidia]

As I quickly approach the beginning of a new decade, I have begun to make better, healthier choices.
So, as of tonight I am quitting the habit.
I smoke about a pack or less a day. It's an expensive and totally useless habit for me.
Not to mention my daughter has asked me several times to quit. She has learned in school about how bad it is for your health and reminds me of this almost daily.

I remember what I felt like before I started smoking and I'd love to feel that way again.

This is not the first time I have quit, but it will be my last.

Anyone want to join me??

I will be keeping you all updated on my progress.

[Sunstar]

I'll quit with you Merm. Im ready to stop.
It really is a filthy habit.
After we stop we will be better of physically and economically.
It will be the first two weeks that will be the toughest.
I just threw out my tobacco...
It really is for the best thing.

[Mermaidia]

WOOT Sun!
We can do this!!!!

I really am excited about it. Glad you want to join me.

[weed4all]

im sending good vibes your ways guys. hope you guys kick it for good

[rocketman]

I am behind you guys all the way! You have to want to quit bad enough and you will. You can do this.

[Mermaidia]

Thanks weed and RM for the encouraging words.

[prism1234]

you know what... I am out of cigs right now and I only smoke like 3-4 a day. I'll quit with ya!

LETS BEAT THIS ANIMAL!!!

[witchdr11]

I never thought patches could do it for me, but it was the closest I've come to quitting. In the end I began smoking with patches on and decided that couldn't be a good thing. I might try again soon.

[prism1234]

Originally Posted by witchdr11

I never thought patches could do it for me, but it was the closest I've come to quitting. In the end I began smoking with patches on and decided that couldn't be a good thing. I might try again soon.

Prolly not so good...

Quit with us!!

[Nzo]

just so happens im quiting this shit too.
cigs suck. paying them to kill you slowly

[Mermaidia]

[Sunstar]

Since we started like 2 or 3 hrs ago I have had 4 or 5 major cravings.
I just took 10 deep breaths of air and it seemed like i forgot about em for a bit.
Thanks everyone for the support
I agree with the previous statement of being poisoned slowly and paying for it.... what kinda sense is that?
I dunno why I ever started but hopefully this thread will give me the mental strength to quit for now and for the future. I know I'll never really be over them.I will always be a nicotine addict
May sound funny but its true.They are designed to be addictive and
it is a powerful addiction to overcome.

[Mermaidia]

Stay strong sun. Glad the breathing seems to help. I can't remember the statistic, but it's something like the craving will pass in 20-30 seconds.
So you are doing wonderfully!

[5thHorsemen]

I quit 16 days ago thanks to Chantix. After 7 days of being on it I had no desire to smoke at all. I went from a pack a day to none, just like that. Although I'm still taking it I don't feel as if I need it anymore. It works, take the step and good luck!

[oibchip]

I'm proud to say after 20+ years of smoking cigarettes that I am clean from tobacco for over 2 months now. Making the decision to NOT smoke has also cut down my drinking a whole lot. I have incredible nicotine fits when I get intoxicated from alcohol. SO two birds with one stone pretty much for me. I also got myself a membership to the gym and I have been going Tue, Thur and Sat for over 3 weeks now..I can already tell the difference in the way I feel. I don't smell like smoke and my breath doesn't taste like ass. The rate I am going now I have no intention of smoking cigarettes ever again.

I wish everyone success! I hope I can stick to my guns too!

[mycobri]

good luck quitting Merm

hang in there Sun

best of luck fighting the good fight

[pareil]

Awesome goal you guys!
Buddy system rules!
I smoked all kinds of cigarettes for 3 years, a pack a day like Merm.
Riding my bicycle reawakened me to my need for clean air.
If working your body doesn't motivate you, and pausing for deep breaths isn't relaxing,
I found caffeine, sugar, and chocolate substituted nicely for nicotine and the oral habit
and were easier vices to break when the danger of relapse had passed.
It's been 8 years, and I am more averse to tobacco now than I was before I picked it up.
Incidentally, another friend said Chantix made things fast and easy for her to not look back.
You can do it!

[edit - I remembered hearing that caffeine and nicotine interact in such a way
that it's better to reduce intake of both at the same time.
Maybe swapping down addictions worked for me because I hadn't smoked for long,
or been a heavy caffeine user throughout. caveat emptor]

[suckerfree]

I used to smoke about 12 years ago... smoked for about 5... then quit cold turkey. One day I got the flu and was down for a week or so... I couldn't really inhale much anyways so I went without... well I was already feeling shitty so I guess I didn't recognize the withdrawals too much.

my woman just quit 6 weeks ago. proud of her. she knows how bad it smells to other people. her complaint is that you gain a little weight right after quitting, but that subsides. (kinda bitchy too)

anyways quitting nicotine cold turkey is going to be difficult. i'd wing yourself down to fewer and fewer cigarettes so the craving isn't as bad when you finally say no more. try not to drink or go places where people are smoking, it's easy to relapse...

good luck


The Healing Begins...
When you quit smoking, the benefits begin within minutes of your last cigarette.

At 20 minutes after quitting:
blood pressure decreases
pulse rate drops
body temperature of hands and feet increases.


At 8 hours:
carbon monoxide level in blood drops to normal
oxygen level in blood increases to normal


At 24 hours
chance of a heart attack decreases


At 48 hours:
nerve endings begin regrowth
ability to smell and taste improve

Between 2 weeks and 3 months:
circulation improves
walking becomes easier
lung function increases
The worst of nicotine withdrawal symptoms subside within the first month. Following that, the focus shifts to learning how to decipher and reprogram the psychological tugs or urges to smoke that we've all built up over the years.

Between 1 to 9 months smoke-free:
Starting as early as a month after you quit smoking, and continuing for the next several months, you may notice significant improvements in these areas:
coughing
sinus congestion
fatigue
shortness of breath

At One Year Smoke-Free:
Your excess risk of coronary heart disease is decreased to half that of a smoker after one year.

At 5 years smoke-free:
from 5 to 15 years after quitting tobacco, stroke risk is reduced to that of people who have never smoked.

At 10 years smoke-free:
risk of lung cancer drops to as little as one-half that of continuing smokers
risk of cancer of the mouth, throat, esophagus, bladder, kidney, and pancreas decreases
risk of ulcers decreases

At 15 years smoke-free:
risk of coronary heart disease is now similar to that of people who have never smoked
risk of death returns to nearly the level of people who have never smoked

[Sunstar]

Cool info SF, naw man I cant ween myself. I cant even have that kind of mindset now that I have quit. Now I just got to stick to it...no going back

[cleanjar]

hey merm, i suggest putting on a patch, the low or medium dose, probably just the low for you

wear it during the day and remove it at night, use it for a week while you get used to not lighting sigarettes all day long

be healthy

[5thHorsemen]

CHANTIX

[oibchip]

I know the trick for me is wanting to be a non-smoker more than I want to be a smoker. I have to want to quit, knowing that I need to quit because of health reasons or because of the rising coast of cigarettes was never enough.


The desire to quit must be stronger than the desire to smoke..I did it cold turkey. I tried the weening thing and the patch thing as well as the gum thing. Cold turkey has been the only success that I have enjoyed.

[bugs]

Break that addiction! It's good to hear. Best of vibes to ya all.

I quit a few months ago. Went through 2 scrips of chantix, that got rid of the craving but didn't provide that final push to put them away, I was still smoking a few. Some demon in me still demanded that I smoke.

Hypnosis finally did it. I went to a group session, used the follow-up CDs, and I haven't smoked since. The session was put on by a charitable trust, all it cost was a $5.00 and that's only if you can afford it. The CDs were about 40 bucks, but like the 5 buck donation, is negotiable to what you can afford. But that's way less than the cost of a carton of cancer sticks.

I can't say enough good about them. I honestly believe I'd still be sucking butts if I hadn't gone to that session, even though my lungs are shot.

N E way, they're at newlifeclinics. org, or phone 800-274-3589. THey'll have a list of times, dates and locations. These folks are the real McCoy. No scams, no bullshit, and a pretty good track record. The stats are on the website.

I tried several quit-smoking hypnosis and meditation CDs before these folks and they didn't do much.

I don't know how well their CD sessions work without the group hypnosis first, but if you can't find one near you, might be worth a try.

[rocketman]

K guys, lets hear how bad you still want it. I know you dont want to go back to being enslaved, talk to me.

[carl]

Good Luck All! My wife quit New Years and ihope tou dont get as moody as her, shes cravin it like heroin. shes stickin to it though! I quit about 2 years ago, every time I wanted a smoke I would Just pick up an ashtray and take a big whiff,worked out well!

[Sunstar]

Made it this far without one. I have been tempted but have not smoked since we quit.
Hey Prism, Merm...you guys still hanging in there?

[Mermaidia]

Ok so i have definitely had cravings, but I am still smoke free.
I did everything possible to keep myself busy throughout the day I was cleaning, reorganizing, dusting etc just to stay busy.
Glad to hear you are still on board sun.
CM is a smoker too and he's been really supportive. Hasn't smoked around me and said he may even quit too.

[rocketman]

Get some hard candy and some gum. Glad you guys are hanging tough.

[peek-a-boo]

i've recently quit smoking pot...which has killed my ciggie addiction.
i only smoked after getting baked...
i've also stopped drinking a fuck load of coffee...
i have replaced these habits with a tea obsession...green tea, yerba mate',ginseng...white tangerine...i love tea!with a bit of honey...
its been around 2 months without pot....trying to clear out the head a bit...its become a pointless expensive habit thats lost its fun...
but i will smoke again, and it will be fun again...

[greenweanie]

my dad and my stepmom both used chantix, after 40 years they kicked the habit in 2 months. they have been smoke free for 2 years now. i told my buddy, he didnt believe me, so he got it and quit, for almost a year, then relapsed because the driving to work and back got to him.

I want to use chantix as well, but i am afraid i might have a higher level of relapsing due to my enjoyment of weed. anyone quit smoking but still smoke weed?

[bugs]

Yep. Since both the chemicals and the rituals are different I haven't noticed any difficulty that way.

[TVCasualty]

Merm- Glad you didn't say you were going to try to quit cigs!

Originally Posted by Yoda

NO! Try not. Do, or do not. There is no try.

Originally Posted by greenweanie

I want to use chantix as well, but i am afraid i might have a higher level of relapsing due to my enjoyment of weed. anyone quit smoking but still smoke weed?

A friend of mine quit by rolling around 200-300 joints and smoking one whenever he felt the urge. He quit successfully after being really high for a month and a half (he was a trucker 15 years ago, so he could burn one at work/on the road which obviously won't work for everyone). He still smokes bud, but hasn't touched tobacco since.



If the toxicity doesn't help maintain motivation to quit, think about the politics of the tobacco companies. And watch the movie "Thank You For Smoking," a hilarious comedy about stuff that isn't so funny.

[oibchip]

I passed the ultimate test last night. I got completely obliterated and still didn't smoke..YAY for me. One thing I noticed too, being that I hadn't been to a night club since I quit. The ladies, I mean the good looking ladies mostly too were way more receptive to my advances I had alot better luck and maybe even more confidence because I didn't have a smoke in my mouth the whole time..Plus I danced my ass off. I would have been worn out today If I were still smoking.

[prism1234]