has anyone else kicked the habit? the nasty nicotine one

[iluvclam]

like a lot of people who smoke there comes a time you want to quit and quit for good. any smokers out there who quit and quit for good? what method worked for you?

i will say i was a smoker for about 5 years. not heavily mind you, but enough to have wasted approx $10K. i will cautionarily use the word was as on Oct22nd at about this time, i had my last cigarette. i didn't plan it, i didn't think about it, i simply had my last cigarette and didn't bother to buy another pack. i did however make a choice to go cold. i think NRT is a means to prolong the inevitable and since nicotine is the addiction, replacing nicotine with more nicotine isn't the solution.

as i continue onwards to day 9 i will comment that days 1, 3, and 4 were the toughest. i kind of miss the actual action of smoking. it was, unlike for many people, something i enjoyed. and while i did enjoy smoking, what i dont enjoy is the dependancy it creates. nobody plans to become a smoker, it just happens. it's part of the evil trap. i had enough of being trapped. of feeling like a different person that planned an entire day based on where/when i could smoke just to feed the habit. it's horrible to be a slave to chemicals. pathetic really.

the ultimate reality is you either want to smoke or you don't. i chose not to, and i feel great for making that choice. i decided to face my triggers head-on and understand that the human body has an amazing way of coping with stress and fear all on its own, and that nicotine is totally unnecessary. i am already drinking booze, watching others smoke, drinking coffee, and doing fine. if you can make it 72 hours, it's my belief you have it beat.

your thoughts?

 

[Fred Zed]

I have been clean 18 months now. I was a heavy smoker for 20 years. I used NRT as well as e-cigs for about a month while I was quitting. You might also want to add some detox tea to your routine to cleanse your body of the poison. Good luck, hang in there !

 

[SeductiveCameronDEL]

I quit for good in August of last year, after moderate to heavy smoking for 15 years. Best decision ever. It's so nice to not have that wheezy throat feel in the morning, to not have to step out into the freezing cold in non-smoking areas (which is everywhere!!), to not stink like stale cigarettes (non-smokers notice even the faintest scent!), and primarily, not watching $12 get slowly invested into killing me (or go to the soul-sucking government). And I totally agree with your approach. I tried the patch and the gum many times over the years, and I think you hit the nail on the head with NRT. You remain addicted, so it's that much harder when you stop your treatment. Which is why I would always start smoking again. I kicked it for good by going cold turkey. I managed to plan mine during summer vacation from school, and also right after a giant camping trip where I knew I would smoke my face off. I was also going through a horrendous breakup, so I was really not wanting to see anyone. Smoking was a very social thing for me, so I kept away from friends who smoked. I don't know if that made it easier or harder, but it worked. I know most people don't have the luxury of putting their lives on hold to kick the habit, but you sound like you're making progress. Go you!! Just keep it one day at a time, and don't beat yourself up if you slip up! You can do it!!

:cheer2::cheer2::cheer2:

 

[SeductiveCameronDEL]

I have been clean 18 months now. I was a heavy smoker for 20 years. I used NRT as well as e-cigs for about a month while I was quitting. You might also want to add some detox tea to your routine to cleanse your body of the poison. Good luck, hang in there !

Ooooh! Good call on the detox. I did that as well. I really focused on treating my body with care and what would be the healthiest choice. You could call it cross-addiction by replacing cigarettes with a temporary health obsession, but it's the lesser of two evils, and think how great you'll feel!

 

[PlayfulAlex]

I took the cold turkey approach many years ago, after trying really low nicotine cigarettes and hating that even more than regular smoking! Like the OP, I decided to be a non-smoker one day, and I believe that making that choice is the key.

I worried that I'd miss smoking in the clubs, I worried that I'd be stressed about having a drink in one hand and not the other. But none of those things derailed me. I wanted not to smoke (even though I enjoyed the oral gratification and some of the routines). At the time, I'd been smoking a moderate amount for over 10 years. I just knew how bad it was for my health and, since I don't believe in ageing gracefully and I do believe in fighting the whole way, kicking and screaming, smoking had to go!

When I first stopped smoking, I smoked in my dreams. People would offer me cigarettes in my dreams and I would happily smoke them.

 

[VanessaofBC]

I went cold turkey (or perhaps replaced on habit with another). Nicotine/tobacco tastes terrible. Good bud however, is so so fine!

Green tea is great for detox.

 

[SeductiveCameronDEL]

I went cold turkey (or perhaps replaced on habit with another). Nicotine/tobacco tastes terrible. Good bud however, is so so fine!

Green tea is great for detox.

Ya know, I was going to say that too

I have a vaporizer now, so no smoke = happier lungs. Such a great investment!

 

[GREYFOXX]

I was a heavy 2 to 3 package per day smoker. Once i decided to quit i went on a nicotine patch to start. Drank lots of water to flush my body. I also ate what i craved, i gained a few pounds but it was well worth it to stop smoking.
That was over 20 years ago. I do not miss it!

 

[rickoshadows]

I quit many years ago in an environment surrounded by smokers and acceptance of of the habit while in restaurants etc. Cigarettes were less addictive then, but still pretty bad. The trick is to not beat yourself up during the process when you light up when out drinking with friends etc. Just stop again the next morning. After time, the urge to cheat becomes less and less. Also change some habits, if you regularly have a coffee and smoke at a certain time, try having a tea, or smoothie, or anything else instead. It lessens the urge due to association.

 

[bcpete1]

I was about 1 pack day user, over 20 years, tried many time to quit, always scared about the cold shakes, until one day just did it and it stuck. Have been chewing alot of gum since and did not realize what a smoker really smelt like until quit.

One thing I do miss is the social aspect, the 'smoke hole' was always a great way to meet people

 

[sdw]

You have to really want to quit. Not be quitting because someone else wants you to quit. I found that Wellbutrin, Nicotine Gum and Gum got me through the first 3 months. I still want a cigarette every once in a while, but can tolerate smokers in my presence which wasn't possible at first.

 

[badbadboy]

I grew up in a family that would fire up their smokes while I was still eating dinner. We had a blue fog around the house for years and I eventually became addicted myself. When I moved out, I quit cold turkey and got into fitness in a big way.

These days I will have an occasional cigar but have never desired another cigarette.

Good luck with breaking this habit!

 

[Ms Erica Phoenix]

You can get Nicorette Quick Mist free if you are trying to quit. The difference with this and the patch or gum is that no matter how much mint they add, you are still spraying something that tastes disgusting on your tongue to try to quit, so there is a definite aversion aspect. It helps. It took about a week to ten days for someone I know to go from no smokes and a few sprays to no smokes and no sprays.

 

[normisanas]

The biggest health hazard to cigarettes in my opinion is the tar. That puts you at great lung cancer risk and also increases your cholesterol level - leading to much greater risk of heart attack. The other health hazard is nicotine - but its health effects are minor: increased blood pressure, increased heart rate, some effect on estrogen levels, some effect on memory retention, some effect on cancer development (enhanced colon cancer risk) - overall much like the effects of caffeine with the exception of colon cancer risk. Fortunately the only real addiction in cigarettes is to the least hazard component of it, and that is the nicotene. People go their whole lives with caffeine addiction and I surmise that nicotine addiction (without the tar) is not really such a big deal as far as vices are concerned. It could be far worse, it could be alcohol addiction.

So I say, don't worry about quitting. Instead, go onto nicotine patches or even e-cigarettes (the kind with the nicotine fluids - you can only buy in the US or online) and you'll be fine. Just absolutely stay away from cigarettes and cigars themselves, but I know of people who are on e-cigarettes and they don't miss regular cigarettes at all. In fact, these people smoke their e-cigarettes in their cars and homes and now there is no more horrible smell because e-cigarettes give off no smell at all (no tobacco is burned).

But if you're a woman about to become pregnant, or are pregnant, stay away from all tobacco or neo-tobacco products, whether its the patch or e-cigarettes. Nicotine for the fetus increases the risk of birth defects, especially in mental development.

 

[Ms Erica Phoenix]

It could be far worse, it could be alcohol addiction.

You're so right, normisanas. Smoking cigarettes never made me dangerous behind the wheel, but booze sure did!

So why no big Health Canada warnings on the wine bottles, I wonder??

 

[vancity_cowboy]

cold turkey about 30 years ago after 15 years of a pack a day. i tried those cigs that were meant to reduce the amount of smoke you actually inhaled, but i found myself wanting to cup my hand over my asshole so i could really get a good drag out of them. after a couple of packs of them i said, give your head a shake cowboy - just quit! so i did. never had a craving again

 

[iluvclam]

cold turkey about 30 years ago after 15 years of a pack a day. i tried those cigs that were meant to reduce the amount of smoke you actually inhaled, but i found myself wanting to cup my hand over my asshole so i could really get a good drag out of them. after a couple of packs of them i said, give your head a shake cowboy - just quit! so i did. never had a craving again

i've made it to day 14 cigarette/nicotine free. feels kinda nice for a change. i feel like the power has shifted. my desire to not smoke now finally outweighs missing smoking.

the only time i don't believe anyone is when they say they quit cold turkey with no cravings ever again. in retrospect, the first day was hell for me. i was irratable, cranky, and had an almost day long cold sweat. to smoke almost 110K cigarettes and not have a craving after that? sorry i call bullshit. same goes for any quit smoking method like Allen Carr's that makes the same claim. if it were that easy to quit why not quit sooner? why wait 15 years? why did Allen wait 30 years and smoke 10x the amount? (he claimed to smoke 100 cigarettes a day for 30 years - that's the equivalent of smoking a cigarette every 9 minutes and 36 seconds while awake on a 16 hour day, a staggering 1,095,000 cigs in 30 years).

 

[PlayfulAlex]

i've made it to day 14 cigarette/nicotine free. feels kinda nice for a change. i feel like the power has shifted. my desire to not smoke now finally outweighs missing smoking...snip

Congratulations, and welcome to the club!

 

[vancity_cowboy]

i've made it to day 14 cigarette/nicotine free. feels kinda nice for a change. i feel like the power has shifted. my desire to not smoke now finally outweighs missing smoking.

the only time i don't believe anyone is when they say they quit cold turkey with no cravings ever again. in retrospect, the first day was hell for me. i was irratable, cranky, and had an almost day long cold sweat. to smoke almost 110K cigarettes and not have a craving after that? sorry i call bullshit. same goes for any quit smoking method like Allen Carr's that makes the same claim. if it were that easy to quit why not quit sooner? why wait 15 years? why did Allen wait 30 years and smoke 10x the amount? (he claimed to smoke 100 cigarettes a day for 30 years - that's the equivalent of smoking a cigarette every 9 minutes and 36 seconds while awake on a 16 hour day, a staggering 1,095,000 cigs in 30 years).

i was helped by two factors. firstly, i was working in a foreign country under extremely dusty conditions which caused me to develop a nasty cough. secondly, this country had cigarettes that tasted like what i imagine dried camel dung would taste like. as the cough got worse and worse i realized i had to do something, so i started wearing a tea towel like a bandana to filter the dust a bit, and i quit smoking their miserable cigarettes. over about two weeks the cough gradually went away but i gladly refrained from taking up their terrible cigarettes again. after five weeks on the job i returned to canada, and after flying into canadian air space the stewardesses came around with the duty-free order forms. of couse i filled it out for a carton of my favourite brand

but before the stewardess came around to pick them up i said to myself, cowboy, wtf are you doing? you've just gone three weeks smoke free, and now you're going to get back on the nic? give your fucking head a shake!! and with that i tore up the order form and having broken the psychological hold of the nic, i never wanted another one for the rest of my life

i will however, smoke a cuban cigar if anybody offers me one, and i will inhale the smoke, not just puff away on it; however, since hardly anybody hands out cigars anymore upon the birth of their children, i don't smoke those cubanos but maybe once in a decade

as for your calling bullshit, that doesn't bother me in the least. i know what i did and i'm happy with it

i'm also happy that you've made it 14 days... good luck, and i mean that! remember, quitting's the easiest thing in the world - i did it a thousand times... it's the not starting up again that's the tough one

 

[rickoshadows]

i've made it to day 14 cigarette/nicotine free. feels kinda nice for a change. i feel like the power has shifted. my desire to not smoke now finally outweighs missing smoking.

the only time i don't believe anyone is when they say they quit cold turkey with no cravings ever again. in retrospect, the first day was hell for me. i was irratable, cranky, and had an almost day long cold sweat. to smoke almost 110K cigarettes and not have a craving after that? sorry i call bullshit. same goes for any quit smoking method like Allen Carr's that makes the same claim. if it were that easy to quit why not quit sooner? why wait 15 years? why did Allen wait 30 years and smoke 10x the amount? (he claimed to smoke 100 cigarettes a day for 30 years - that's the equivalent of smoking a cigarette every 9 minutes and 36 seconds while awake on a 16 hour day, a staggering 1,095,000 cigs in 30 years).

You are about to enter the stage where the cilia in your lungs start to clear out all the tar and shit that have accumulated over the years. Because you have stopped and are no longer depositing new stuff on the old, your lungs are getting ahead of the game. The next couple of weeks will suck, but you will notice that you will breathe a little better each day, even though you are coughing up black shit. This too shall pass. Hang in there.