Thread: Quitting nicotine, wanting to want to ....

Jimmy,

Good luck if/when you try to quit. One night in the army, long ago, while on guard duty in my fox hole I tried to smoke cigarettes, but couldn't get the smoke past my adam's apple, so I quit those Lucky Strikes that same night. But I continued to smoke pipes and cigars and do so today. I dipped snuff for about 20 years but gave that up 10-15 years ago. Quitting just takes the user's wanting to do it. My dad was a heavy smoker - pipe, cigars, cigarettes - and he quit cold turkey about when he retired. After several years he took up snuff saying that his father used snuff all his life and died when he was 99, so it couldn't be all that bad. Dad lasted until he was 89, so I guess it wasn't all that bad.

How ever you do what ever it is, good luck.

Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

I read the thread on the E-cigs with interest.
.....snip....
Seriously addicted to nicotine not to mention the habit and ritual that goes with it. The doc says I am pre emphysema and I don't doubt it. I don't inhale the pipe and I ride bicycles a lot. One of the main reasons I'd like to quit is to improve my performance on road and on the trail.
....snip....

Nicotine is a very real addiction and a very difficult to drug to quit.

My Mom had emphysema and the neighbor lady just passed
from COPD lung problems... all I can say is quit sooner than later!

Oprah said something valuable about new years resolutions that
applies here... Make resolutions that you can make again and again
on any day of the week.

Do not punish yourself but quit again and again until it sticks.
Quit on even numbered hours of the day, even days of
the month or every Monday.... what ever works.

You may or may not be able to quit when you want to
but cut back for sure. As we age one of the critical
issues with smoking is how slowly the body of a smoker
heals and how it gets in the way of exercise.

I am of the opinion that most MD's underestimate Nicotine
addiction and how it interacts with mood and health.
So like I said: do not punish yourself but quit as often
as it takes...

Take care...

Jimmy,

I smoked cigarettes for 20 years before giving up at the beginning of this year. I had tried many times before, but in the end it really did boil down to *really* wanting to give up.

I had great success with Nicabate 4mg nicotine mini lozenges. I know nothing about the electronic cigarettes, but whatever works is my motto.

Good luck if you decide to!

James.

I started smoking when I was 14 and quit when I was 27 on March 4, 1986 at 1630 hrs. I remember it well because it was a terrible struggle. There are physiological and mental reasons for the difficulties involved. I used the US Army Guide to Physical Fitness as a Guide. The last chapter was about quitting smoking.
I don't know if the book is still in print but it helped me tremendously.

Best of luck. Oh, I have no picked up a smoke since.

jimmy,

i know exactly how you feel with wanting to want to quit.. for me it does apply to alcohol.. i simply love it.. i have no desire to quit.. but when i see the damage it causes in my life from time to time.. i have to take a step back and evaluate the situation.. to this day i've never quit drinking.. i've had success in regulating it though..

try limiting yourself for awhile. do you think 10 bowls a day is too high of a goal to start with? if it is.. make a realistic goal and set it at that... when that becomes easy.. consider the next step.

Thanks very much for the kind words and the good advice. I don't know if and when I will want to. I think I want to want to. I did quit for 28 days November before last. It was very strange. I went cold turkey and the first week was not only easy it was euphoric.

The second week I began looking at people who smoked and felt pity for them. I felt like proselytizing and trying to get them to understand how great it was to be free of the active addiction but I resisted the impulse because I know how I feel if someone tries that with me.

I was clicking on 8 all the way up to day 27 and then the Jones kicked in big time and my resolve went down the tubes. I haven't tried since. It makes it tougher when you're a long time pipe smoker with a collection of wood that you love. Sure you can keep the pipes but that would be like keeping your razors and never shaving again.

Anyhow, I'll certainly give it some thought and when I'm ready maybe go for the e-cigs and make it a bit easier. I've tried the patch and that ain't worth a darn. My father smoked cigarettes from 15 to 40 and quit those and took up the pipe. Smoked a pipe regularly, IOW like I do, until a week before he died at 84. Guess we'll see what happens.

Do you want emphysema more than you want to smoke? Seems to me like that is the question you have to ask.

I started smoking Marlboro's when I was 19 and in Army basic. There were sales reps handing out 4 packs as you left the mess hall after dinner. That was 1965. A pack a day until October 7, 2007......I had made up my mind to quit.
I was scheduled for a surgery the next morning so I figured with 4 days in the hospital my withdrawal will be happening whether I like it or not. Worked, have not had the urge for a cigarette since. I am also a 20 year cigar smoker,
never inhale but certainly get the nicotine rush. I was concerned that the first cigar would push me right back to cigarettes, fortunately it made no difference at all. I enjoy 4 or 5 cigars a week.....probably still not good for me but at 64 I am going to enjoy a cigar as long as I can.
I have a good friend who is a 40+ year cigarette smoker, had tried to quit several times and always relapsed. Made up his mind to try harder started with the e-cigs and they are working well for him, after a month he puffs the e-cig
once or twice a week now and hopes to toss those in a few days.
You will get plenty of support here as you know Jimmy!

Jimmy,
I can only imagine that this could very well be one of those times that one can proudly yell at the top of their lungs: "I QUIT".

I never smoked in my life and never had the desire to do so either (don't know why), but I know what this stuff does to your lungs man. Please quit.

My aunt was diagnosed with lung cancer ~30 years ago...they told her it was so advanced, she had basically no more than 6 mos to live...She quit cold turkey and fought it with every fiber in her body. Her doctor is dead (15 yrs now) and she is still kicking. You never know what life has in store for us, but having healthy lungs is imperative for a functional life...

So, what can we do (as a group) to get you to that point? Tell us and we're behind you.

I know there are a thousand different products that help people quit, but you and you alone need to find that stimulus or the "je ne sais quoi" that will overpower the urge to smoke. And I don't think it's a patch or E-Cig or anything else...whatever it is, it has to come from you. Once you find it, there's no stopping you. That "je ne sais quoi" is what will make the decision a permanent one for you. And, once the Decision is made, the rest is details and easy.

Of course, I am not speaking from direct experience, just indirect through observation and family/friends that have through it...

I am behind you 200% my friend.

Jimmy,

I had to quit smoking after 30 years because of cardiac problems.

I use snus ( I really like 'Grov' loose), and have found that almost impossible to give up

I feel for you !

Have fun !

Best regards

Russ