(07-19-2015, 08:10 AM)Beaker Wrote: At this point, why bother?

Not being mean, but after 30 years, the damage you will/might do is already set in motion.

Not true. Stopping smoking is beneficial to your health even after 30+ years of non-stop smoking.

http://forums.webmd.com/3/smoking-cessation-exchange/forum/622/4

http://www.healthline.com/health-blogs/freedom-smoking/smoking-and-lung-function

I quit a while back and never have the desire for one except when I see people smoking in a movie. Something about it makes them look delicious. I'm not sure I was ever really addicted, though I smoked about 10 or 15 a day for years. I only smoked because I wanted to, I never felt like I needed to. I could never understand how people could wake up and have a cigarette in the morning. Dating a girl who did exactly that eventually disgusted me and I realized smoking was pointless and just stopped.

I quit when my son was born. I had a cigarette within a half hour of birth and while I was smoking, I realized that I should be with my wife and son during the first moments of his life. Since I realized that I was blowing it, and also didn't want to ever influence him to do something so dangerous, and since I wanted to be around to be his father for as long as possible, I quit. Cold turkey. I picked it back up for about a month when my little sister died a couple months later, but since then, I haven't touched one. It's been 16 months since my last cigarette.....yet sadly, I still want one every day. The want has gotten smaller, but it's definitely still there.

(07-19-2015, 07:07 PM)Johnny Cupcakes Wrote: I quit when my son was born.  I had a cigarette within a half hour of birth and while I was smoking, I realized that I should be with my wife and son during the first moments of his life.  Since I realized that I was blowing it, and also didn't want to ever influence him to do something so dangerous, and since I wanted to be around to be his father for as long as possible, I quit.  Cold turkey.  I picked it back up for about a month when my little sister died a couple months later, but since then, I haven't touched one.  It's been 16 months since my last cigarette.....yet sadly, I still want one every day.  The want has gotten smaller, but it's definitely still there.

Sorry to hear about your sister , I didn't know buddy.  

(07-19-2015, 07:07 PM)Johnny Cupcakes Wrote: I quit when my son was born.  I had a cigarette within a half hour of birth and while I was smoking, I realized that I should be with my wife and son during the first moments of his life.  Since I realized that I was blowing it, and also didn't want to ever influence him to do something so dangerous, and since I wanted to be around to be his father for as long as possible, I quit.  Cold turkey.  I picked it back up for about a month when my little sister died a couple months later, but since then, I haven't touched one.  It's been 16 months since my last cigarette.....yet sadly, I still want one every day.  The want has gotten smaller, but it's definitely still there.

(07-20-2015, 10:44 AM)Tiger Teeth Wrote: Sorry to hear about your sister , I didn't know buddy.  

Yeah I didn't know that either, so sorry to hear that.  My sister is only 2yrs younger than me, her best friend married my bestie, so we've always been pretty close.  Couldn't imagine losing her.

Look, I'm sure there is a bunch of stupid science crap saying you should quit, but I totally know this one person who smoked a lot and lived to be like...really old. So there.

(07-19-2015, 11:14 AM)rfaulk34 Wrote: Not true. Stopping smoking is beneficial to your health even after 30+ years of non-stop smoking.

http://forums.webmd.com/3/smoking-cessation-exchange/forum/622/4

http://www.healthline.com/health-blogs/freedom-smoking/smoking-and-lung-function

Not only the lung function, but the damage to arteries and plaque buildup goes WAY down and even reverses......I'm living proof.

(07-19-2015, 07:07 PM)Johnny Cupcakes Wrote: I quit when my son was born.  I had a cigarette within a half hour of birth and while I was smoking, I realized that I should be with my wife and son during the first moments of his life.  Since I realized that I was blowing it, and also didn't want to ever influence him to do something so dangerous, and since I wanted to be around to be his father for as long as possible, I quit.  Cold turkey.  I picked it back up for about a month when my little sister died a couple months later, but since then, I haven't touched one.  It's been 16 months since my last cigarette.....yet sadly, I still want one every day.  The want has gotten smaller, but it's definitely still there.

Condolences and congrats.....I had no idea about either event.  Sorry for your loss, while happy for your new addition.  Nothing like 'em.

(07-20-2015, 10:44 AM)Tiger Teeth Wrote: Sorry to hear about your sister , I didn't know buddy.  

(07-20-2015, 12:31 PM)RICHMONDBENGAL_07 Wrote: Yeah I didn't know that either, so sorry to hear that.  My sister is only 2yrs younger than me, her best friend married my bestie, so we've always been pretty close.  Couldn't imagine losing her.

(07-21-2015, 04:55 PM)Wyche Wrote: Condolences and congrats.....I had no idea about either event.  Sorry for your loss, while happy for your new addition.  Nothing like 'em.

I may have mentioned it once or twice, but I never made it a big public thing on here. At the time, it seemed like everywhere I went, people were acknowledging it.  I know that they were mostly just trying to be supportive, but it just wasn't something that I wanted to talk about all damned day.  This was one place where I was anonymous, for the most part, and I enjoyed being talked to like there was nothing wrong.

She was 13 months younger than me, and died at the ripe old age of 28. She had 3 children that the rest of the family has taken in in efforts of giving them as normal of a life as possible and just to help them grow through the situation.  It's still pretty hard at times, but I try not to dwell on the tragedies of the last 2 years, and instead focus on all of the great things that are happening with my family.  One of my little brothers just got married, and another one just had his first child.  My mom has been cleared of cancer and can try to resume life without that battle now.  So yeah....things are on the upswing.

As for the boy, I definitely made an announcement about him on the old site.  You guys just must have missed it.  He's almost 2 now, and he's the coolest dude I know.  I could hang out with that little guy all day....watching Bubble Guppies, playing with Hot Wheels, and pillow fighting.  Now, we are currently trying to give him a little brother or sister.  We'll see how this goes....

(07-22-2015, 08:11 AM)Johnny Cupcakes Wrote: I may have mentioned it once or twice, but I never made it a big public thing on here. At the time, it seemed like everywhere I went, people were acknowledging it.  I know that they were mostly just trying to be supportive, but it just wasn't something that I wanted to talk about all damned day.  This was one place where I was anonymous, for the most part, and I enjoyed being talked to like there was nothing wrong.

She was 13 months younger than me, and died at the ripe old age of 28. She had 3 children that the rest of the family has taken in in efforts of giving them as normal of a life as possible and just to help them grow through the situation.  It's still pretty hard at times, but I try not to dwell on the tragedies of the last 2 years, and instead focus on all of the great things that are happening with my family.  One of my little brothers just got married, and another one just had his first child.  My mom has been cleared of cancer and can try to resume life without that battle now.  So yeah....things are on the upswing.

As for the boy, I definitely made an announcement about him on the old site.  You guys just must have missed it.  He's almost 2 now, and he's the coolest dude I know.  I could hang out with that little guy all day....watching Bubble Guppies, playing with Hot Wheels, and pillow fighting.  Now, we are currently trying to give him a little brother or sister.  We'll see how this goes....

it may have slipped my mind.....or I could've missed it.

I did, however, remember about your mother's battle, and that's great that she has been cleared.  Awesome news.  It's hard to move on from tragedies like that......but you have the right attitude about it, and it does seem that there are some good things going on to fill those voids.  

Here's to the good times......

Just wanted to throw my 2 cents in here...Smoked from 14 to 43...Bought an blu ecig to cut down, then went exclusively to a really nice ecig combo. I still get the nicotine...yes, I'm a nicotine addict. BUT, I have not smoked in three years and my clothes don't stink and my lungs don't crackle anymore.

HIGHLY recommend the ecigs. Nothing I ever tried made it so easy. You get all the motions and satisfaction of smoking with none of the tar and chemicals. Just steam and nicotine. Yeah, it's probably bad for you...but nothing like the crap in a cigarette.

(07-13-2015, 09:09 AM)Nebuchadnezzar Wrote: Saturday, I decided to quit smoking after 30 years of a pack a day. My problem is that I really don't want to quit but I know I have to so I'm weening myself off, cutting back and waiting longer and longer between cigarettes.

Saturday, I smoked 9 cigarettes total as well as Sunday. So far today, I'm smoking my fourth cigarette right now since I woke up at 2am.

Today, I'm forcing myself to wait every 2 hours between smoke breaks and tomorrow I'll increase that time by 10-15 minutes or longer. I've tried cold turkey before and it just didn't work, I get very irritable and mean. I've tried the patches, gum and pills, but all didn't work. I would smoke while chewing the gum or had the patch on, lol.

If I can stick to this plan, I'm sure eventually I'll break this habit.

I wish you the best of luck.
Just imagine how much money you will save.

So I resurrected this thread because I'm quitting. I remember all sorts of good advice/ testimonials.

First off Neb... how are you doing?

Im not going cold turkey. I'm on the patch. I've been using toothpicks for the old hand and oral fixation. I've basically had one in my mouth since I left for work this morning.

I've smoked for 23 years (more if you count sneaking them as a kid). This is the first time I've tried to quit. I had a daughter (my first) last Halloween. All of the sudden I knew I needed to quit. I couldn't bring g myself to go at it til last week. I'm terrified of dying early on her. I had literally been waking everyday the past few months thinking about it. For the first time ever, my own mortality has hit me.

I don't particularly want to quit. I just need to. I have a great personality and temperament for it. I talk shit to myself when those cravings hit. I call myself a punk, and say I can't do it. When I see someone smoking, I get as close to them as I can... without being wierd about it. I do it to smell it and taunt myself.

I wanna thank all of you who shared and posted advise. I have already and will continue to heed it.

(06-28-2016, 09:53 PM)jason Wrote: So I resurrected this thread because I'm quitting. I remember all sorts of good advice/ testimonials.

First off Neb... how are you doing?

Im not going cold turkey. I'm on the patch. I've been using toothpicks for the old hand and oral fixation. I've basically had one in my mouth since I left for work this morning.

I've smoked for 23 years (more if you count sneaking them as a kid). This is the first time I've tried to quit. I had a daughter (my first) last Halloween. All of the sudden I knew I needed to quit. I couldn't bring g myself to go at it til last week. I'm terrified of dying early on her. I had literally been waking everyday the past few months thinking about it. For the first time ever, my own mortality has hit me.

I don't particularly want to quit. I just need to. I have a great personality and temperament for it. I talk shit to myself when those cravings hit. I call myself a punk, and say I can't do it. When I see someone smoking, I get as close to them as I can... without being wierd about it. I do it to smell it and taunt myself.

I wanna thank all of you who shared and posted advise. I have already and will continue to heed it.

Good luck man.  You can do it, if you really want to.  Consider vaping, you can easily ween yourself down.  And regardless of what you may have heard, vaping is MUCH safer than cigarettes.  Just a piece of advice.  But no matter what, you have to WANT to quit.

(06-28-2016, 10:11 PM)Tiger Teeth Wrote: Good luck man.  You can do it, if you really want to.  Consider vaping, you can easily ween yourself down.  And regardless of what you may have heard, vaping is MUCH safer than cigarettes.  Just a piece of advice.  But no matter what, you have to WANT to quit.

Want doesn't begin to describe how I feel about it. I literally yearn to quit. I just wish I didn't need to. I like smoking. I liked to do drugs too, but I haven't in over a decade.

I tried the vapor a few times. It made me ease off the smokes, but that's it. I need a clean break. I just know cold turkey isn't for me. This patch shit at least takes the edge off. It basically leaves it up to will power. I have an abundance of that.... still this shit is hard.

(06-28-2016, 10:33 PM)jason Wrote: Want doesn't begin to describe how I feel about it. I literally yearn to quit. I just wish I didn't need to. I like smoking. I liked to do drugs too, but I haven't in over a decade.

I tried the vapor a few times. It made me ease off the smokes, but that's it. I need a clean break. I just know cold turkey isn't for me. This patch shit at least takes the edge off. It basically leaves it up to will power. I have an abundance of that.... still this shit is hard.

I understand what you mean when you say you like smoking.  I loved it.  But once I decided I was done, I tried everything.

One other thing I did was made a daily chart, and literally logged when I had a smoke.  The time, and everything.  Then the next day I would try and go longer in between from the day before.  Little "victories" like that really helped.  You'll get there bro, just keep that attitude.  

I was never a habitual or even daily smoker, but my wife was. Eventually, I'd have a few with her when we drank. I doubt I ever had more than 5 in a day. Never did in the car or at work or even outside of my backyard save maybe a dozen times.

I never thought much of it, but then in 2013, soon before my son was born, my dad found out he had stage 4 colon cancer, or as they called it "abdominal cancer" because it was very widespread by the time it was discovered. After witnessing him die what can only be described as a slow, excruciating death, I decided never again. I even changed my diet dramatically. Got my wife to stop, too, but that was easy considering she's already stopped when she got pregnant.

It seems like common sense, but I honestly was oblivious to what it's like to die of cancer. I'd only heard of it, as opposed to seeing it up close. That shit is no joke whatsoever. I wouldn't wish it on anyone, period. By the time he went, he wanted to die, and he told me so. That's the most brutally painful thing I've ever had to hear in my life. He'd been through two intestinal surgeries, 3 round of chemo, and lost nearly 85 pounds in the fight. It was unreal.

Just think about that when you want to smoke. Imagine how you picture your golden years, how you want to spend your time and the money you've worked hard to earn.

(06-28-2016, 10:42 PM)Tiger Teeth Wrote: I understand what you mean when you say you like smoking.  I loved it.  But once I decided I was done, I tried everything.

One other thing I did was made a daily chart, and literally logged when I had a smoke.  The time, and everything.  Then the next day I would try and go longer in between from the day before.  Little "victories" like that really helped.  You'll get there bro, just keep that attitude.   :thumbsup:

The whole weening thing has never worked for me. I know what you mean with the little victories though. I've been keeping track of wins and losses over the past week. I'm well over 500, but the few defeats are unacceptable.

(06-29-2016, 12:10 AM)jason Wrote: The whole weening thing has never worked for me. I know what you mean with the little victories though. I've been keeping track of wins and losses over the past week. I'm well over 500, but the few defeats are unacceptable.

Well, there's always the prescription method.  Maybe you could talk to your doctor about Chantix?  I've heard both good and bad things about it, but a friend of mine took it and just flat out quit.  I also know of a girl who took it and actually became suicidal.  But it turned out she had some depression issues already.

It sounds like you have a really bad habit.  It may take a mixture of methods, but you can quit.  Just don't give up.

(06-28-2016, 11:32 PM)samhain Wrote: I was never a habitual or even daily smoker, but my wife was. Eventually, I'd have a few with her when we drank. I doubt I ever had more than 5 in a day. Never did in the car or at work or even outside of my backyard save maybe a dozen times.

I never thought much of it, but then in 2013, soon before my son was born, my dad found out he had stage 4 colon cancer, or as they called it "abdominal cancer" because it was very widespread by the time it was discovered. After witnessing him die what can only be described as a slow, excruciating death, I decided never again. I even changed my diet dramatically. Got my wife to stop, too, but that was easy considering she's already stopped when she got pregnant.

It seems like common sense, but I honestly was oblivious to what it's like to die of cancer. I'd only heard of it, as opposed to seeing it up close. That shit is no joke whatsoever. I wouldn't wish it on anyone, period. By the time he went, he wanted to die, and he told me so. That's the most brutally painful thing I've ever had to hear in my life. He'd been through two intestinal surgeries, 3 round of chemo, and lost nearly 85 pounds in the fight. It was unreal.

Just think about that when you want to smoke. Imagine how you picture your golden years, how you want to spend your time and the money you've worked hard to earn.

I wish samhain posted more often....

This is exactly how I'm looking at it since I've become a father. It's life and death now. Not only would I hate to die in the way you described, I'd hate to put my little girl through it. I've lost aunts and uncles to that disease. My buddy's dad died from pancreatic cancer. Hell... smoking's so bad for you that cancer isn't even your only concern. The toothpaste is outta the tube, but it wish I never started.