Quitting smoking

[castlin]

Wow ! Thank you all for your replies guys ! I didn't expect to draw that much care, attention, and advice. This proves that our community is not only about fragging in a virtual game... I will keep you posted about the evolution of my project.

 

Now as for the subject, if we want to sum it up : There are two philosophies :

1) Quitting smoking relying only on the power of will

2) Quitting smoking with the help of various methods including patches, nicotine or nicotine-free gums, lollipops, vitamins, Allen Carr, and many more methods that you all stated above.

 

I find the two methods complementary. I rely of course on the power of will. But as Al Pacino said : That way is tooo damn haaaard !!!! So why not support it by some of the methods. Mine will be all the methods non related to Nicotine or bad things for the health : I don't intend to replace one addiction by another. So I will be checking regularly all your previous and ongoing advices on this thread.

 

Now this is my first day of quitting smoking : I missed it when I took my coffee cup this morning. I didn't even want to finish the cup. I think this project will break this morning habbit too. Until now, I don't feel a physical need for the cigarette. But it is only 10 in the morning. I will keep you posted of the evolution and of the methods I try as I go along.

[Kat0n]

I never smoked, so my opinion maybe doesn't provide the best advice. But from what I know about dependencies, it's mostly about the will.

Anyways good luck mate

[Heisenberg]

Hey Castlin,

 

China is a smoker's paradise compared to EU, dirt cheap and socially totally accepted. I smoked up to 2 packs a day.

 

I had several attempts with patches and chewing gum, that's pretty expensive and still keeps u on the nicotine, so in my case it did not help.

 

I quit 2 years ago after I was in one of these airport lounges and surrounded by only those >55yrs cancer candidates where you think they look like death. I just had the sudden strong desire not to be part of their group.

 

In the beginning, I did the "cold turkey" the first 3 days were the toughest. nervousness, spleeplessness etc.

 

After that just solved it this way: I ate as much chocolate as I wanted and did plenty of sports. 2 months later I got rid of the chocolate as well. the chocolate to reward you and the sports to feel fresh air in your lungs. You breathe better, smell better and you don't have headaches after drinking hard the night before - clear advantages of non-smoking.

 

Since then I only slightly gained weight (2, 3kg) and don't feel I miss much. The basis is your will and that you make yourself clear what road you are going down if you continue smoking and how smoking does not improve your live in any way.

 

Good luck! May you be as strong and as determined as if u are going for an ET objective!

 

Heisenberg

[Timminator]

Well i think its a really good idea quitting it If u have thought about smoking with an E-Cigarette i should warn you. Everyone is talking about how "healthy" it is if you compare it to a normal cig but what no one knows is that the substances in the vapor you inhale haven't been under research very much.

Many scientists think that this vapor can give you cancer and harm your lung nearly as much as a normal cigarette does.

Hope you can quit it! Good luck

[SponGeBob<3]

yeah just like me i stopped smoking about one year ago and it wa so easy. just stop bying cigarettes and the u can notice that u dont even need them. Its all about ur mind. Good luck!

 

-ex hardcore smoker Bob

[Ow_my_eye]

I quit on August 5th this year, and I can tell you, imo, everything people are saying in this forum is correct, even though there's a lot of opinion that such and such a method is hooey. In the end, it's what works for you. 20 years ago, I managed to quit for a year through hypnosis and that's when i discovered one critical thing... don't take another puff, no matter how tempting. I had one cigarette at a party on either a Friday or Saturday. By monday, I had another pack in my pocket.

A lot of quitting has to to with attitude though. Because believe me, there are no craving-free ways to quit (except, possibly, a medically induced coma, but i don't think they typically offer that as a cessation aide). I myself had the worst withdrawl symptoms I'd ever had... nausea and vomiting for almost a month every alternate morning, sometimes more. On day 4, when that mess started, i felt like Mr. Creosote off Monty Python's The Meaning of Life. I had to leave work, because I felt a little like I'd been driven over by a dump truck full of barf. Also, my throat felt like I'd been gargling with steel wood by then (BTW, yes, the doctor said it was unusual but i wasn't dying or anything). That has all passed, and most people don't get it that badly to be honest. The cravings? Once in a while, and if you can ride them out for maybe 2 minutes, they go away. By the way, I'm not telling you this horrible stuff to dissuade you. I'm telling you because I want you to see that someone who has basically smoked 20 years uninterrupted with horrendous withdrawl symptoms can do it, so can you. That's the part where wanting to be free of cigarettes is so important. As a couple others have said, if, deep down inside, you do not want to quit, it will be difficult to stay with it. I really want to stay away from smoking, so I plowed through it. Oh, and by the way, drinking a lot of water will help with irritability, a lot of which is caused by dehydration because your body will be trying to get rid of the chemicals in it by urinating them out. Double your normal water intake if you can.

 

But there is one other trick that really helps.

Get a jar. Calculate out how much you spent on cigarettes weekly, And be honest... you'll know if you're cheating. Each week, deposit the amount you would have spent into the jar, as close to the exact penny as you can, and make sure you can easily see it. In a year, count the money. If you're anything like I was, you should have over $3000 in there.

 

Lastly, good luck. Keep positive about this... no matter how it feels, it's a good thing... financially, health wise and... eventually.... emotionally (once the craving part goes away).

[L3ftY.]

stay focused on the goal, castlin. being healthy outweighs having bronchitis or of course lung cancer.

 

its the previous daily habits when smoking that are hard to break - having a smoke with your morning coffee, smoking in your car on the way to work, having a smoke after a meal, on breaks at school or work. that is the part of the habit hardest to break. as someone pointed out earlier in the thread, keep your mouth busy when you crave a smoke, like chewing gum.

 

after 3 or 4 days when you get over the hump, its all down hill from there.

[wurstcola]

I quit about 2 years ago....actually because I was broke for a week

Anyway: as l3fty said, get past the first 4 days and you are good to to. Next try to reach 7 days, then a motnh, etc. That way you have small milestones and it keeps you focused.

 

Besides that: quiting ain't something special Just don't smoke...and don't tell yourself all day, that it's hard....cause that way you think about smoking all day. just ignore it.

 

Good luck mate. You can do it

[castlin]

Ok it's day 2 and I'm still holding on.

Now I have the following symptoms : I feel like poison is running in my veins, and I'm pretty nervous... I think it's the nicotine... but above all, I miss the smoke breaks outside a lot. I tried to go outside and take a walk without smoking, but when I was back, it didn't feel like I had a real break, it is a torture break...

 

Another thing bothering me : I'm always hungry since I stopped smoking. This isn't bad itself because I can afford a few kilos. What is bad is that after eating, I feel a deep urge to take a cigarette. Thank God I haven't got anymore cigarettes home, I would have cracked.

[D..X]

hang in there m8te

[Levi]

Ok it's day 2 and I'm still holding on.

Now I have the following symptoms : I feel like poison is running in my veins, and I'm pretty nervous... I think it's the nicotine... but above all, I miss the smoke breaks outside a lot. I tried to go outside and take a walk without smoking, but when I was back, it didn't feel like I had a real break, it is a torture break...

 

Another thing bothering me : I'm always hungry since I stopped smoking. This isn't bad itself because I can afford a few kilos. What is bad is that after eating, I feel a deep urge to take a cigarette. Thank God I haven't got anymore cigarettes home, I would have cracked.

 

Like I said it's not that your hungry it's that your mind is playing tricks on you and you want to move your mouth. People who have smoked for a long time gradually need to quit and there are plenty of ways to do it. People who stop Cold Turkey tend to gain a few pounds so I've heard from a lot of people because the more addicted you were to smoking the less food you were cramming down your mouth as my friend put it. So it makes sense to a degree, but hey anyway wish you the best of luck again. Will be back here tomorrow to check up on ya.

[WeetBix KiD]

Finally a subject I can relate to

 

The solution to kicking the smoking habit is "easy" if you live in Norway or Sweden.

You just start using -snus- instead. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snus

You get all the nicotine you need, and the only think you need to worry about is where to put your hands. (as they are used to holding the cigarette)

The downside on the other hand is that you might get mouth cancer instead of lung cancer, it is addictive, you look like an idiot with the snus under your lip, nobody will want to kiss you and it is only sold in Sweden and Norway. Might be possible to buy over the net tho'

 

I myself stopped smoking and went over to snus. Not too hard actually because I still get the nicotine. However there are quite a few traps out there. Going out for a drink is of course a big test the first few times. So you might want to be a bit careful with that.

We all know a cigarette is great after sex so you might want to consider quitting that too

The social aspect of it is also a test in the beginning. You are used to going outside to have a smoke during lunch with your mates. Suddenly you will realize there is nothing to do while standing there watching them smoke. Beware.

 

Wish you the best of luck with your project.

It is not impossible to stop smoking. It is hard, but possible.

When you make it - you will feel great. Of course physically, but also mentally as you can tell yourself "I bloody well did it!"

 

Happy fragging

/Ooops

 

My brother in law has never smoked, yet everytime he goes back to Sweden (his wife is from there) He bring snus back with him lol

[WeetBix KiD]

Ok it's day 2 and I'm still holding on.

Now I have the following symptoms : I feel like poison is running in my veins, and I'm pretty nervous... I think it's the nicotine... but above all, I miss the smoke breaks outside a lot. I tried to go outside and take a walk without smoking, but when I was back, it didn't feel like I had a real break, it is a torture break...

 

Another thing bothering me : I'm always hungry since I stopped smoking. This isn't bad itself because I can afford a few kilos. What is bad is that after eating, I feel a deep urge to take a cigarette. Thank God I haven't got anymore cigarettes home, I would have cracked.

 

Its common to feel hungry when you quit smoking (or go long periods without a smoke) Because the chemicals in the cigarettes suppress hunger messages. People who quit smoking tend to put on a little bit of extra weight once they have quit because all their senses start to come back (taste, smell, hunger etc)

 

You will have withdrawls because Nicotine is a drug. Although milder than all the others, it is still a drug. Well done for 2 days! that is great

Edited October 6, 2012 by WeetBix KiD

[WeetBix KiD]

The laws here in Aus for smoking are outrages! Even though it is still Legal. No smoking in any indoor public places, no smoking within 10 metres on public entries to bulidings, no smoking in or around children's play areas and they are trying to bring in a law that you cannot smoke in your own backyard. We have plain packages on cigarettes with graphic pictures (cancered lung, rotting feet etc)

 

 

Dont get me wrong, these laws are great, however they should just make it illegal and be done with it

[*Kiba*]

good luck i could not quit even if i try to lol