Trying to quit smoking

[*jason*]

(06-29-2016, 12:21 AM)Tiger Teeth Wrote: 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.

Yeah. It's a habit as much as it's an addiction. After meals, behind the wheel, with a coffee, after sex.... I've probably had 10 or 12 cigarettes in the last 8 days. They've been in bunches. I'd just give in have a couple, then get up and quit again. I haven't had any in 3 days... A small victory.

[Nebuchadnezzar]

I'm still smoking, I can't quit because like I said, I don't want to.

I think if I could get through three days, 72 hours, of not smoking, it might become easier and easier for me but I can't get past five hours.

A lot of my problem is that I'm sooooooo bored since I have nothing to do, at all, every single day since 2006.

It's going to take me a long time to quit smoking. I'll give it another try eventually. Maybe I'll get really sick or into another auto accident and be hospitalized again to get me past those initial three days I think I need to quit. It's after 72 hours that the nicotine leaves your body and it's a mind game for me.

People have told me, you can go 8 hours without smoking since you don't wake up for a cigarette, you know in that sarcastic voice people pull? Yes I do wake up, mostly because of pain, after four hours, lol.

I'll get there some day.

[Rotobeast]

Pain works well to curb the desire.
I only smoked a couple of years, after many stressful life events.
A rubber band snapped on the wrist can alter cravings.
That wasn't enough for me though.
I'd jam a thumbtack into my arm/wrist/whatever and the rush would ward off the need for a cig.
If you do the thumbtack, make sure to sanitize it.

Good luck !

[samhain]

(06-29-2016, 12:31 AM)jason Wrote: 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.

Thanks, Jason.

Yep.  One of my best friends still smokes like a diesel.  He's the kind that gets up from dinner 3 or 4 times at a restaurant to go outside.  He's even had some early health issues.  He has 2 young kids that he's very devoted to.  It just kills me to watch him keep doing it, because you just know what a risk it is.  I hate for those boys to have to go through that kind of thing, but they very well may.

On top of it all, the cost of cancer treatment is incredibly high.  Unless you have a massive nest egg to blow on healthcare, the bills can end you financially.  Just not how you want to go out at all.  You could ultimately face the decision of continuing treatment that may or may not be effective at great cost, or saving money and accepting that you're through.  Most healthy people under 40 do not consider this kind of thing, but it's reality.   

It's absolutely true that you can die at any age of cancer.  That said, there is plenty you can do to tip the odds a bit more in your favor.  

[CageTheBengal]

I watched my parents smoke my whole life and they luckily quit within the last 5 months. Honestly at that point before they quit I'm not sure much of us had hope for them quitting completely but what they found to help them is vaporizers. They bought a personal one for each one of them they can carry around in their pocket and they fill them with this oil type liquid from a company called Black Note. It's supposed to be a mixture made to be as close to cigarettes as possible as far as taste and you can decide what amount of nicotine they put in the oil. They had trouble finding a brand that didn't taste weird and were happy they found them. So basically they hit the vaporizer and they get their nicotine fix without burning plant and other crap that tears up their lungs. It was pretty amazing how much it helped them and the transition was easy for them. It's a win-win all around for us they quit smoking, got healthier and didn't have any struggles quitting and for the non-smokers the vapor puffs that come out of their vaporizers has next to no odor if you get the right oil, clothes car and the house aren't stinking and no second hand smoke.




Best of luck.

[*Wyche'sWarrior*]

(06-29-2016, 12:39 AM)jason Wrote: Yeah. It's a habit as much as it's an addiction. After meals, behind the wheel, with a coffee, after sex.... I've probably had 10 or 12 cigarettes in the last 8 days. They've been in bunches. I'd just give in have a couple, then get up and quit again. I haven't had any in 3 days...  A small victory.

One thing to consider.....switch to American Spirits while you're at this stage.  They are 100% additive free, and even have a few styles that are organic.  They burn twice as long as a regular cigarette, and satiate your desire for another cigarette for a much longer period of time.  I used them to ween, and they also didn't cause me to cough and hack in the morning.  In fact, I still indulge in one here and there.....like I said, I drink about once a month or less, and I keep a pack of them in the freezer in the garage, and I'll have a few that evening.....or not.  Just depends on my mood (and how many barley pops I have, lol).....that pack might stay there for three or four months at a time.

[GMDino]

(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.

My father quit after 30 years...cold turkey.  A friend had had a massive heart attack (and lived) and he said that's it and threw his away.

Years later my mother tired to quit and it took her a long time to wean off them.  Plus the patch.

She insists that if she lives to 80 she'll start again!  LOL!

Good luck!

[XenoMorph]

(06-29-2016, 11:39 AM)Wyche Wrote: One thing to consider.....switch to American Spirits while you're at this stage.  They are 100% additive free, and even have a few styles that are organic.  They burn twice as long as a regular cigarette, and satiate your desire for another cigarette for a much longer period of time.  I used them to ween, and they also didn't cause me to cough and hack in the morning.  In fact, I still indulge in one here and there.....like I said, I drink about once a month or less, and I keep a pack of them in the freezer in the garage, and I'll have a few that evening.....or not.  Just depends on my mood (and how many barley pops I have, lol).....that pack might stay there for three or four months at a time.

and they smell like total shit

[BengalHawk62]

(06-29-2016, 11:20 AM)CageTheBengal Wrote: I watched my parents smoke my whole life and they luckily quit within the last 5 months. Honestly at that point before they quit I'm not sure much of us had hope for them quitting completely but what they found to help them is vaporizers. They bought a personal one for each one of them they can carry around in their pocket and they fill them with this oil type liquid from a company called Black Note. It's supposed to be a mixture made to be as close to cigarettes as possible as far as taste and you can decide what amount of nicotine they put in the oil. They had trouble finding a brand that didn't taste weird and were happy they found them. So basically they hit the vaporizer and they get their nicotine fix without burning plant and other crap that tears up their lungs. It was pretty amazing how much it helped them and the transition was easy for them. It's a win-win all around for us they quit smoking, got healthier and didn't have any struggles quitting and for the non-smokers the vapor puffs that come out of their vaporizers has next to no odor if you get the right oil, clothes car and the house aren't stinking and no second hand smoke.




Best of luck.

My friends who were heavy smokers did this too.  He's been cigarette free for over 1 month now and she's going on 2 weeks.  They love their vaporizers.  I'm just not sure that stuff is that much safer to use.  I took two hits off their vaporizer Saturday night and I went to bed with the worst migraine headache.  He was trying to convince me to buy one too.  But after that headache episode, I'm not sure.

[*Wyche'sWarrior*]

(06-29-2016, 12:59 PM)BengalHawk62 Wrote: My friends who were heavy smokers did this too.  He's been cigarette free for over 1 month now and she's going on 2 weeks.  They love their vaporizers.  I'm just not sure that stuff is that much safer to use.  I took two hits off their vaporizer Saturday night and I went to bed with the worst migraine headache.  He was trying to convince me to buy one too.  But after that headache episode, I'm not sure.

Ever read up on "popcorn lung"?  Sounds almost as scary as lung cancer.

[*Wyche'sWarrior*]

(06-29-2016, 12:51 PM)XenoMorph Wrote: and they smell like total shit

......you're just used to smelling all of those chemicals, they're what tobacco is supposed to smell like. 

[*jason*]

For all we know, vapor is even worse for your health. It doesn't seem like it would be; but who knows? Like I said I've given them a try in a half ass attempt to quit. I felt like some millennial. Taking selfies was probably right around the corner if I kept doing it.

Today has been my best day so far. I've gnawed on the toothpicks a lil less. There seems to be more pep in my step. That itch did hit right after I finished lunch though.

[BigPapaKain]

(06-29-2016, 01:18 PM)WychesWarrior Wrote: Ever read up on "popcorn lung"?  Sounds almost as scary as lung cancer.

All you gotta do is make sure your juice maker doesn't use that chemical that they used to use in artificial butter flavoring (I can't remember what it's called - begins with a d).

Vapes also tend to steam your lungs causing water to gather at the bottom of your lungs - pneumonia. But I'll take my chances with pneumonia over cancer.

[*Wyche'sWarrior*]

(06-29-2016, 01:44 PM)jason Wrote: For all we know, vapor is even worse for your health. It doesn't seem like it would be; but who knows? Like I said I've given them a try in a half ass attempt to quit. I felt like some millennial. Taking selfies was probably right around the corner if I kept doing it.

Today has been my best day so far. I've gnawed on the toothpicks a lil less. There seems to be more pep in my step. That itch did hit right after I finished lunch though.

Got me a splendid splinter in as we speak.....good for you man, keep it going.

(06-29-2016, 01:58 PM)BigPapaKain Wrote: All you gotta do is make sure your juice maker doesn't use that chemical that they used to use in artificial butter flavoring (I can't remember what it's called - begins with a d).

Vapes also tend to steam your lungs causing water to gather at the bottom of your lungs - pneumonia. But I'll take my chances with pneumonia over cancer.

Diacetyl or diethelyne glycol?  Yeah, I hear ya.....that's why I said ALMOST as scary....

[xxlt]

(06-29-2016, 12:44 AM)Nebuchadnezzar Wrote: I'm still smoking, I can't quit because like I said, I don't want to.

I think if I could get through three days, 72 hours, of not smoking, it might become easier and easier for me but I can't get past five hours.

A lot of my problem is that I'm sooooooo bored since I have nothing to do, at all, every single day since 2006.

It's going to take me a long time to quit smoking. I'll give it another try eventually. Maybe I'll get really sick or into another auto accident and be hospitalized again to get me past those initial three days I think I need to quit. It's after 72 hours that the nicotine leaves your body and it's a mind game for me.

People have told me, you can go 8 hours without smoking since you don't wake up for a cigarette, you know in that sarcastic voice people pull? Yes I do wake up, mostly because of pain, after four hours, lol.

I'll get there some day.

I knew a guy years ago who said he only did it as a last resort - only after patients had tried other methods and failed - but he claimed 100% success with having people quit via hypnosis. And I have a friend who says she quit with the help of acupuncture. Ever considered either of these methods?

[Belsnickel]

(06-29-2016, 01:19 PM)WychesWarrior Wrote: ......you're just used to smelling all of those chemicals, they're what tobacco is supposed to smell like. 

I use to make my own, with a cigar tobacco blend. Now that was lovely. I also had a friend bring me a carton of Cohiba cigarettes, as in Cuban. I don't really know how I ended up surviving them. Anyway, there are lots of options out there for additive free tobacco. People don't realize that in a typical cigarette there are over 300 chemical additives used to make you absorb the nicotine better and the cigarette to burn faster. Kind of insane.

[Tiger Teeth]

(06-29-2016, 09:49 PM)Belsnickel Wrote: I use to make my own, with a cigar tobacco blend. Now that was lovely. I also had a friend bring me a carton of Cohiba cigarettes, as in Cuban. I don't really know how I ended up surviving them. Anyway, there are lots of options out there for additive free tobacco. People don't realize that in a typical cigarette there are over 300 chemical additives used to make you absorb the nicotine better and the cigarette to burn faster. Kind of insane.

One of which I believe is arsenic.  Not 100% on that.

[BigPapaKain]

(06-29-2016, 09:54 PM)Tiger Teeth Wrote: One of which I believe is arsenic.  Not 100% on that.

Among other flat out poisons.

Worse comes to worse, you could always eat tomatoes not stop. They have minute amounts of natural nicotine.

[Tiger Teeth]

(06-29-2016, 09:57 PM)BigPapaKain Wrote: Among other flat out poisons.

Worse comes to worse, you could always eat tomatoes  not stop. They have minute amounts of natural nicotine.

And I am fairly sure vaping e-juice is much less harmful.  Hell, it couldn't possibly contain all the bad shit that's added to regular cigarettes could it?  Plus, YOU can control the nicotine mg's.

[Rotobeast]

(06-29-2016, 09:57 PM)BigPapaKain Wrote: Among other flat out poisons.

Worse comes to worse, you could always eat tomatoes  not stop. They have minute amounts of natural nicotine.