Yesterday was one month since I had a smoke

[Slacker]

Smoke free for a month now

The lozenges help to keep me from killing people who do irritating things like saying hello but I still feel a bit edgy, the good part is that I get a pass from the wife if I am being a dick.

All the usual stuff, feel better when I wake up in the morning, breathing is easier/feels better, hands dont smell like ass.............

I have quit a few times before but I am at a point in my life where I realize that it is now or never, I want to stick around a while and I hope it is not too late

Been smoking since I was TEN :shocked: from 10 to 17 it was light/infrequent(one or two a day), from 17 to 25 it was moderate(half a pack a day) from 25 to present it was just under a pack a day with three periods of about two years each where I had quit, so it was about a pack a day for nine out of the last fifteen years.

Using rough estimates to average it all out I figure it equals a pack a day for twenty years

I am pushing 40 :shocked: got a bit of a belly, I am on the move all day but dont exercise and I eat like a teenager (no offense intended ) and I have (figuratively) seen younger healthier guys drop dead

Nobody bugged me or told me to quit, I just finally realized what I was doing and where I was headed.

 

[AvesPKS]

I guess I'm pretty lucky. Smoking gives me a headache most of the time, so it's easy to not do it.

 

[Ausm]

I am 40 and just kicked the habit 2 months ago using the smoke-a-way plan. Hang in there you will feel MUCH better in a couple of weeks. Also each day that passes the cravings become less and less. I now know why people bitch about smokers...the do stink and also second hand smoke inhalation sux.

Sysadmin

 

[cronos]

i gave it up 10 years ago. i had been a steady smoker for only ~7 years at the time, but i somehow realized that if i didn't stop then, i would never stop at all, because i noticed that each time i need more and more. right then and there i threw away half a pack that's still in my pocket, and never smoke a single one since.

the first 2 years was the hardest, because the next two of my gf back then were smokers (it's a bit odd, if you know what i mean), and one was jokingly kept trying to lure me back into smoking (this was in college).

believe it or not, i still crave for it once in a while (yes, this is after 10 years) when i see someone smoking. not always, but it happens. luckily none of my inner circle of friends and family members smoke right now (my dad finally quit some 4 yrs ago, some of my cousins do smoke but i don't get to meet them a lot).

hang in there. you made a right decision.

 

[oniq]

My mom quit after 25 or so years. Good luck. Its possible.

 

[monk3y]

Awesome dude. Keep it up. I've stopped smoking for a while too, and it's goiing good so far. Just remember that the wanting to smoke will stop.

 

[Looney]

Quitting for a couple of weeks, even a couple of months, is easy... i'm sure 99% of all smokers have gone through that at one time or another. It's staying clean (i know it's a substance abuse term, but i can't think of a better word) is another matter.

Anyways, here's my method, and it's helped me quit for about 4 years now, and has helped everybody i know who's tried it, but you need to be committed to it.

Fact is, smoking is enjoyable for you... you might actually have started to quit because you stopped enjoying it, but if you quit for a couple of months, and then you light up again, you're going to find all that pleasure again, and it's just going to put you back into the habit.

So what you need to do is make it not enjoyable, but painful. And my way is, you can cheat all you want... but everytime you cheat, you need to throw the rest of the smokes away. That means everytime you cheat, you open a new pack, take a cigarette out, smoke it, enjoy it, take that craving away, then throw the rest of the pack away. You do this now, 2 months down the road, 2 years down the road... whenever you get that craving and you absolutely need a smoke, and if you do, throw the rest of the pack away. And throw the smokes away so you have no chance of recovery. If you're at home, break them up and flush them down the toilet. If you're at a bar with friends, don't give them to your friends, because you can just ask him for it later... but crush up the pack and toss it in the trash.

I guarantee you, eventually you'll absolutely hate smoking. Everytime you have a craving, you'll consider whether it'll be worth it or not. The first few times, you might, but eventually you'll really weight the consequences. If you're unable to throw the smokes away, because you think it's a waste of money... then obviously you're not serious about wanting to quit.

Try my method, because eventually you will light another smoke up. And you wouldn't believe how many people literally start smoking again, even after YEARS of being clean, off a single smoke.

 

[imported_Phil]

Good luck to you. I've tried to give up a few times now, and my longest spell was about two months (well, I had a mild strain of meningitis lol), and I felt SOOO much better for it.

However, it's bloody difficult, and kudos to you if you manage it.

 

[clicknext]

Good job, dude! Keep it up.

 

[Gurck]

Way to go, keep it up man.

 

[Klixxer]

Good for you, it's a nasty habit with no benefits.

 

[TallBill]

Stick with it man. Plus I'm sure you'll get bonus points from the wifey. Smoking is expensive, dirty and unhealthy. Your showing her that you wanna be around a few extra years. :beer:

Just a question to smokers in this thread. Where your parents smokers? If you started at a young age, was it a big deal if your parents knew? Cuz even living away from my mom or whatever, at 21 she'd still be very pissed at me if she learned a started smoking. She'd also never believe it.

 

[Ready]

You know what is sooooo awesome about that first puff of smoke when you haven't inhale in such a looooooooong time?

When the world around you just seems to suck, that first puff of smoke is absolute bliss.

 

[Gurck]

Originally posted by: TallBill
Stick with it man. Plus I'm sure you'll get bonus points from the wifey. Smoking is expensive, dirty and unhealthy. Your showing her that you wanna be around a few extra years. :beer:

Just a question to smokers in this thread. Where your parents smokers? If you started at a young age, was it a big deal if your parents knew? Cuz even living away from my mom or whatever, at 21 she'd still be very pissed at me if she learned a started smoking. She'd also never believe it.

My father smokes scary amounts, maybe 3-4 packs a day. My stepfather smokes more normal amounts, and my mother used to. I 'started' at 12, but a cigarette or two a day isn't an addiction. I didn't start a 2-pack a day habit till around 18, did that for 7 years an quit about a year and a half ago. Good riddance, I'm saving huge $$$$, can breathe, can exercise, and can laugh without going into scary coughing fits.

 

[TallBill]

Originally posted by: Gurck

Originally posted by: TallBill
Stick with it man. Plus I'm sure you'll get bonus points from the wifey. Smoking is expensive, dirty and unhealthy. Your showing her that you wanna be around a few extra years. :beer:

Just a question to smokers in this thread. Where your parents smokers? If you started at a young age, was it a big deal if your parents knew? Cuz even living away from my mom or whatever, at 21 she'd still be very pissed at me if she learned a started smoking. She'd also never believe it.

My father smokes scary amounts, maybe 3-4 packs a day. My stepfather smokes more normal amounts, and my mother used to. I 'started' at 12, but a cigarette or two a day isn't an addiction. I didn't start a 2-pack a day habit till around 18, did that for 7 years an quit about a year and a half ago. Good riddance, I'm saving huge $$$$, can breathe, can exercise, and can laugh without going into scary coughing fits.

And down the road when you have little Gurcks running around and they decide to start smoking at the age of 12, what would you think/say?

 

[Gurck]

Not gonna happen, can't stand the little monsters and can't properly discipline them in today's world without getting accused of abuse. World's going to hell anyway, having them is the true abuse.

 

[Slacker]

Still (not) Smokin'

TallBill, my dad smoked when I was very young, I barely remember my mom getting my brother, sister and I to bug him to stop, I didnt even know what it was or understand what was going on, I guess he was about thirty at the time.

When I started, well, they werent around much, they shook their fingers at me a couple of times but no ass whippings or screamfests.

 

[Azraele]

Congrats on your decision to quit and good luck!

 

[DT4K]

I quit 10 days ago. I had smoked since high school. Started with one or two at a time when i was at a party with friends. When I started working at places where there were lots of smokers, it moved up to 4 or 5 a day while at work. I never smoked around my wife because she hated it. I never smoked around my kids or in my house either, so the most I ever got to was probably half a pack a day. About a year and a half ago, I quit smoking using the patch. One day, probably 5 or 6 months ago, I bummed a smoke from a co worker when I was having a really stressful day. Started smoking again at that point and was quickly back up to half a pack a day. Ever since then, I had been meaning to quit, but it's just so easy to keep putting it off until next week.

So now I'm on day 10 and doing ok. I've been using the nicotine gum and it helps with the physical craving, but it really doesn't take away the desire to have a smoke.

One thing that I've found really helps is to try to predict when you will want to smoke and chew a piece of the gum before that point rather than waiting until you have a really bad craving. If you wait until you have the craving, by that point chewing nicotine gum is NOT appealing and you really want a cigarette. But if you chew it before you get to that point, the craving still comes but it's not nearly as bad.

For instance, since I don't smoke at home, I'm used to having a smoke when I first get to work in the morning. So rather than waiting until I get to work and feel like smoking to have gum, I have a piece right before leaving home. Then when I get to work, I still feel like smoking, but the physical nicotine craving isn't there to go along with the psychological craving so it's much easier to get over it.

What has kept me motivated is knowing that I have made it through 10 days and I will have to start all over if I blow it and give in. I also know that I cannot just have one cigarette. If I have one, I will want more.

EDIT: About my parents, yes, my mom smoked when I was young. I use to steal her cigarettes and throw them away to try to get her to quit. She finally did when I was around 10.

 

[Slacker]

I was planning on updating this at some point, it has now been just over two weeks, the lozenges work fine, but they cost twice as much as cigarettes :| ah well that gives me an incentive to taper off using the lozenges, and it is still better than smoking.

 

[lokiju]

This month has been 1 year of being smoke free for me, I had smoked for 8 years. At my last job I worked at a person told me, "you're the only one who is truly in control of your own life" as simple and obvious that is, just be someone saying that to me kind of opened my eyes. From that point on each time I smoked a cig I wanted to quit more and more until I finally made up my mind and did it, cold turkey, and here I am 1 year later.

And its now clear to me why non smokers bitch about smoke, it does stink, and I don't like smelling it while I'm eating, kind of works out for me that FL banned smoking in public places that are in doors, except strictly bars.

Edit: I just wanted to add that the biggest thing that helped me quit and keep it that way was to stay away from it for a long time and to avoid going out drinking also, I still to this day want to have one when I start drinking but now know that is not even a vaild option.

Just hang in there and try and surround yourself with others that don't smoke.

 

[neonerd]

Originally posted by: Gurck
Way to go, keep it up man.

 

[rubisco]

Haven't had one since May 16th. Been smoking for 11 years. just quit cold turkey.

 

[compudog]

I smoked on and off for almost 20 years. At most 38 ciggs/day!! :Q !! I quit for a while around the time my son was born but started right back with a vengeance when I changed jobs in 1999. Smoked again for another 30 months or so and have been smoke free since. I don't miss it at all. I just made up my mind and quit. I put on a ton of weight (actually 40 pounds) and that's my next big hurdle. You CAN do it. Good luck to you!

Cheers!

 

[Slacker]

Smoke free for one month now, found that Drugstore.com sells the commit lozenges for $36.00/box and I also found a $10.00 off coupon, so I got 3 boxes for about $32.00/box, these are $46.00/box+tax at local stores