Had enough of smoking.

Ok, I decided I had had enough of smoking last week. I've been wanting to quit for ages and have failed most times because of NRT. It always just kept me hooked so I would eventually end up back on cigarettes.
The only successful time I quite before was for three years and I just stopped. Admitted I moved to a different city at the same time which meant that all the old reminders of smoking were gone and it was easy.(I started again when I moved back to my home town!)
I'm not sure how I did it this time but last wednesday I decided to write down how many I have a day in my daily schedule(I knew that most of the time I smoked about 15 a day and felt quite guilty about it) - I got as far as 6 on wednesday and on thursday by 7.30am I had had 3 when I decided that I smoked too much and I would wait until lunch for my next one.

I still haven't had my lunchtime cigarette and I feel really good. Five days and I already have so much energy and I don't feel the urge for one. I have been out with my wife,who is a smoker, to the pub and had a beer - still nothing. It was much easier than I ever remember every time I did it before.

There is, of course only one down side and that is now I am one of those terrible evangelical ex smokers(well maybe 5 days is a little early to say but I think I'm going to be alright) Many of my friends smoke and I'm sure that it will really irritate them, not to mention my wife!

Having said that , I always blamed my wife that she made it hard for me to quit by refusing to quit together and always smoking around me when I was trying not to. Now I have stopped I noticed that she is smoking less - only a couple a day, so maybe it will have a good influence on her too!

Your story is similar to mine - I tried to give up a few times, each time drifting back. Then one day I said "Nope, no more." and never smoked or felt the urge to smoke again. Of course, I had just met my wife, who didn't smoke and refused to kiss me while I did. The incentive was there, I guess!

Good luck, and keep at it! Giving up cigarettes was one of the best decisions I ever made.

Congratulations. I have never smoked at all (not even tried) so I don't really know how hard it is. Hang in there. Think of all the shaving gear you can buy with the money :)

My wife used to smoke 3 cigarettes per day, but never in the house, or when I was with her. She quit altogether, half a year before she got pregnant. I hadn't even noticed until she told me that she had quit for 3 months already :)

My father was a pack-a-day smoker, but he quit when my mom got pregnant. He saw a show on tv (small b&w) where they disected the lungs of a heavy smoker who'd died (obviously :D) from lung cancer.
He threw his pack in the fireplace and never touched a cigarette again.

Stick with it!

When I finally quit, I kept two things in mind. First, the urge to smoke goes away whether you smoke or not. Second, I kept thinking about how tough some folks have it in the world without having a choice and here's me having such an issue with whether to smoke a stupid cigarette. Sounds, corny... but it put things in persective and worked for me.

Whatever works for you, stay with it and congrats!

Good job! Remember there will be hard times, but if you know they are going to be there, you can be ready for them.
I finally quit four years ago after 15 years of smoking, up to over 2 packs a day. I'll admit to having slipped up once or twice, but alwyas got right back on that horse. I had tried to quit too many times to give up!
After 5 days, if I remember correctly, the physical nicotine is out of your body, and you are starting to re-equalize. Another two weeks, and the habitual nature of th ebahvior is going to start leaving you.

There are a lot of us around, if you need some moral support, shoot me a PM! You can stay off them! Spend your cig money on razors! A year's worth of two pack a day smoking could get me a Livi seven day set (regrinds) or a custom set with brush and loom strop. Hmmmm....I've got to give my wife a call about that.

I often think of Mark Twain's line, "I'm an expert at quitting smoking ... I've done it thousands of times" or "Quitting smoking is easy ... it's not starting again that's hard." But seriously, folks...

This time I have quit for more than 12 years. My previous longest time was 5 years, so I think I've got it licked.

The thing that helped me was to remember, when I wanted a cigarette, that the only cigarettes that I ever enjoyed were the first one in the morning and the one after dinner. The others were disgusting and just to maintain my nicotine addiction. In fact, for me the key was realizing that the thought of smoking was a lot more pleasant than the actual smoking.

When I was a kid, I regularly had a sleepover at my grandmothers (she spoiled me rotten :D) and my uncle still lived with her. He was a 2-3 pack a day man. Every morning we'd hear him get out of bed and have a coughing fit that sounded disgusting, and it lasted for a full 5 minutes.
Every time we waited in anticipation of him coughing himself to death.

And we'd jokingly take stuff off the walls (paintings, crucifxes, ...) and then waited until someone noticed the stark white outline against the dark brown wallpaper. It got re-papered bi-annually, but it always took on the same brown hue after a couple of weeks.

Me and my brother never even touched a cigarette, being so disgusted at the whole concept of smoking.
Sorry for going :OT

I stopped smoking three years ago on New Year's Eve, and never smoke a cigarette again. I can't say how much I am happy with my "non-cigarette smoker" life... maybe as much as my body is! From time to time (something like 2-3 times a year) I allow myself to smoke a cigar, but that's all.
My wife couldn't quit - more like wouldn't quit - with me, but she decreased her smoking (we don't smoke inside our apartment, that helps); but she will try to stop this year, and I'll be happy to help her.

I'm right there with you Nick. :mace: Hang in there.

Jordan

Congrats,Nicky,and keep it going.Ex-smoker myself and it's one of the best things I've done.Beyond that I watched my father slowly die from COPD(emphysema).6 years he was on an oxygen machine.We would follow his oxygen line to find him in his house.His last few weeks were just horrible.He said he felt like he was underwater.The point being,that the years you will be saving of your own life will be on the back end.As young people,it's easy to overlook or discount that time,but when you get there,it can be devastating.

I gave up at University nearly 20 years ago. I was standing over the cadavre we were dissecting. It wasn an old man who had lived in London all his life -- 89 years. We opened up his chest, the demonstrator crunching through the ribs with a big set of clippers, and we opened him up. His lungs were almost black with multiple nodules. "Oh wow, he must have been a lifelong smoker" someone said. The demonstrator looked at his notes and said "Nope, non-smoker. This guy just lived in London all his life. If you want to see a smoker's lungs, come over here...":eek:

I stopped smoking cigarettes that day. But I do still partake in the odd 'smoke' every now and then.

Chin up, Nicky. You'll get through it. Just hone up an eboy special everytime you get the urge!

It's the same with me...I quit numerous times over the years, always drifting back. Now I've been nicotine free for 3 years, and I don't dare to try it again. Like someone else said; it gets harder and harder to quit with each time. I sometimes still get "smoke cravings" out of nowhere, and that is something I never had before.

Hang in there! Not only will your health benefit from it - your wallet will too! :gl:

Keep with it Nick! I’ve been there myself, I quit last October with the aid of that nicotine gum – but I still enjoy the occasional cigar!

I actually find the worst part to be the psychological aspects. After the physical cravings pass - say day5-8. Then you're not so aware of "quitting" and the smoking situation can creep up on you and nail you - and it only takes a second to reach for that cig. :gaah: That's what you have to watch out for - in my experience anyway.

Jordan

Congrats on your progress! I've never smoked cigarettes, but I've seen my dad struggle with them since I can remember. Something I noticed with him is that it's typically a boredom issue- much like munching in front of the TV. Anyone that can just quit and stay off it has truly accomplished something!:tu

For me the worst times to stay quit were the most stressful ones.Death in the family,fight with the boss,fight with SWMBO,etc,etc.If you can stay quit through these kinds of times,you can do it.

I quit using the "easy way to quit smoking" by Allan Carr, have been smoke-free since october now :nj

Best of luck with quitting. I quit all kinds of smoking January 2004 and haven't looked back. For a long time, I'd smoke a cigarette or spliff in a dream and wake up thinking I'd smoked for real and kicking myself that I'd undone all the good work. I don't get those dreams much now though. Mostly I have to say it was easy - the only real temptation was after a few drinks and when other people were smoking but now that you can't smoke in pubs, and all the smokers are huddled outside the door dying of hypothermia, that temptation has passed.

If anybody wants to quit or is struggling to quit, I strongly recommend a free e-book I found on download.com - Stop Smoking - Break the Chains: A Free eBook - Free software downloads and reviews - CNET Download.com I found this one afternoon in 2003 when I wasn't really thinking of quitting and stopped smoking that afternoon without any withdrawal problems. I did continue to smoke nicotine free bongs and this eventually proved my downfall because one day, after about 10 months nicotine free, I was out drinking and spliffs were making the rounds but obviously no bongs and I gave in to temptation and had a few tokes. Within a few weeks I was smoking full time again. But after six months of smoking, I read the book again, cut the bongs as well and haven't smoked anything since. Soon after my mum, a 40 year smoker, read the book too and she hasn't smoked since either. So give it a try - nowt to lose except tarred lungs and the few hours it'll take to read it.

When I quit smoking I wanted to make an entire life change and decided that I needed a place to really clear my mind and my lungs. I ended up going on an extended camping/hiking trip in the desert of Arizona for several months. It was one of the best, most spiritual times of my life, getting closer to the natural aspect of life. I've been smoke free since, and it feels great.

I applaud your decision and wish the best.

Good luck to you and anyone else who has decided to quit smoking. I smoked my first cigarettes in third or fourth grade when a buddy and I found half a pack in the ditch. Unfortunately, that lead to more walks down the roads by our houses looking for individual unsmoked cigarettes then on to half smoked butts. No, we didn't end up becoming habitual smokers at that age, but it did result in me smoking sporadically from that age on. Then I smoked regularly from about age 20-30.

One day getting ready for work and with half a carton of cigs left in the freezer, I just decided "I'm going to stop smoking right now. Not when the carton is done or even the pack I'm working on is done, but....now." That was about ten years ago, and I'll never start again.

Addiction in general is such a complex thing and although people that are addicted to something share commonalities, addiction is as individual as each person.

Case in point related to cigarettes; It was not easy for me to quit, but I'd had enough. I just stopped. I didn't need the patch or gum, etc. Others seem to need all of that and more to stop. I consider myself fortunate that I was able to stop the way I did. I can see how many people struggle with quitting for good. It is a hard habit to break.

Chris L

Good job and congrats on quitting!

here are some quick tips for when you get those cravings :D i hope they help as they have helped many people i know for quitting smoking and other things.
-look up EFT (emotional freedom technique) on google and download their manual. it seems weird at firstbut has been very successful especially for something that has such a mental aspect to it
-infrared saunas are great for detoxing the system which in turn reduces cravings and expells the nicotine faster, they are in every detox clinic.
-ionic footbaths really detox the system and have made big difference for many people
-getting your body alkaline (7.3-7.6) is a big thing for body detox also, the simplest ways to do this is a good greens supplement and incorporating good quality green vegetables into your diet.

again congrats on quitting and i hope you keep to it. it sounds like you are determined which is great!!

Wow, Thaks for all your support and advice - I really appreciate it. It really helps when others are there to support you.
Jordan - I have to say I agree - you get a little distracted and before you know it you smoke again!
I am trying to keep my mind on topic and focussed by listening to ebooks on quitting whilst I travel - one of them is the Allen Carr book. I only started it 3 days ago though so it didn't get me through the physical part, only to avoid the mental dialogs you can have with yourself to talk yourself back into smoking!
I'm still feeling good - last night I was incredibly bored as my wife had a friend over and they were speaking Polish too fast for me to keep up - normally I would have had a cig, but yesterday I just honed up a razor and it passed.
I still can't believe how much I am coughing now I have stopped - it is really foul, I think my body is trying to reject all the toxins that I filled it with! My sense of smell is getting a little better too, especially in regard to smoke - I went to a shopping mall which has a cafe on the 3rd floor and I could smell it from the 1st floor - It really smelt bad. Also when I left the mall I opened the door and I could immediately smell the ashtray that was outside.
Also as I am typing this I can smell my father in law in the basement smoking and it really makes me not want to have one!
Thanks again guys for your support.

Smoked for 18 years and gave up ten years ago.sounds like you are on the right track.I kept telling myself how wonderful it was not smoking and then i realized it was about freedom; when I was smoking it was all about the smokes; did I have enough left to get me through the night etc.
I wise man told me to qiut the smokes and step up the sex life.Just don't go near those horrible things.
good luck

brian

Quote:

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Originally Posted by nickyspaghetti

I still can't believe how much I am coughing now I have stopped - it is really foul, I think my body is trying to reject all the toxins that I filled it with!

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I also started coughing more when I stopped, but I've been told that it's a sign of your body recouperating. When you smoke, you kill off all the little hairs in your wind pipe that normally catch phlegm and stuff. When you stop smoking, the hairs start growing back, and you begin to feel that you have phlegm and gunk in your throat that you need to cough up. The coughing will subside once you been off the smokes long enough.

Good job staying off the cancer sticks! More power to ya!

I'm 2 weeks in right now. I'm using the patch, and I bought a box of the gum to get over the hump. I've only cheated 3 times so far. Had 1 cig at a party, one during the first week, and one at lunch the other day. Not too bad. I'm wondering if taking up a pipe is a bad idea.

Pipes wont help, they will only make you miss it more. God Bless and good luck

I smoked from the time I was 16 to the age of 40 and finally gave it up for good then. The thing that helped me the most was when the urge or craving that I had to have a cigarette I forced myself to wait 10 minutes before I had one. After I reached the 10 minute mark the urge was over until it hit again. Over a period of time the urges were farther and farther apart until I got rid of the pack of cigs in my pocket. If you can last ten minutes you can quit smoking.

bj

Way to go Nicky! Keep at it and you'll start to cat like a non-smoker without even realising it. :tu

X

As someone who smoked socially in college way too much, I took a different approach, one of moderation. The whole cold turkey thing was always miserable, never cared for it.

These days I buy two packs a YEAR. One for my birthday in summer, and one for myself at xmastime. I have a couple a week until the pack is gone and then don't have any more until it's time to buy the next pack. Like most vices, smoking is best enjoyed in moderation.

I quit last July 3rd, mainly because of a girl, but also because i was just spending way too much money on it over the years. Plus i finally graduated, was out on my own and i had wanted to quit (and tried 3 times pervious). Cold turkey worked for me, and like was said before, not everyone will be able to do it like that. My friend quit using the patch and said it worked miraculously, but my aunt has failed with the patch on 2 different occasions.

Congrats to all those that have quit, and those that are in the process. I had about double the energy within 2 weeks of quitting. And yes, for those that realize it, i only quit smoking cigarettes. I still smoke the occasional cigar, and we know the other habit. Which is probably why i never started to cough after quitting cigarettes because the hairs still haven't grown back :gaah: