ex-smokers

[natedawg120]

Just me being curious but I am going to quit smoking.  I don't smoke anymore after work but it is really hard not to take some smoke breaks at work.  My decision is because my mother passed away last week from health related issues, some of which were caused by her smoking since she was 13.  It has been hard to deal with and the added stress of everything makes it even harder not to smoke.  What i would like to hear is it anyone out there quit and what they did to not give into that urge to have just one at work.  I just don't want to put myself at any added risk anymore so I have decided to quit.  Any help or advise will be greatly appriciated.

[jeremy.karnes]

I just noticed that you are living in Blacksburg.  I am originally from Christiansburg, right next door.  Maybe we'll have to ride sometime when I'm down visiting my parents. 

Anyway, about the smoking thing.  I quit about three years ago and had been smoking for 8 or so years.  I know this is the not the answer your going to want to hear but I just quit.  You have to decide that you want it.  Not that society wants you to quit, not that your family wants you to quit, but that YOU and only YOU want to quit.  Once you make that decision it all falls into place from there.   

I quit with someone else (gf at the time) and we made a pact that if one of us smoked we had to tell the other.  I also took a little vacation at the same time to get me out of that daily routine.  I know this may not be possibility for you but you need to remove yourself from the places you like to smoke.  For me it was not going to bars, not hanging out with my friends........  The first week is the hardest and after that you just have to think, do I really want that cig or am I okay without it.  Find something else to do on your smoke break, walk around the parking lot, find a punching bag, swing from the trees    whatever fills the time. 

You will find that very quickly the need goes away.  I still to this day have cravings at certain times.  The greatest thing I remember about quitting is all the food that I ate tasting soo much better and not having that horrible taste in my mouth.   

Well I will quit rambling now.  Just do it, just put the pack down and never pick it up again.  Its all about will power!!! If I can quit anyone can!

-Jeremy     

[natedawg120]

yeah that is what i am doing now, just not smoking.  Its hard cause being at work i have the habit of having one, as of now i sit outside and chew a straw for a couple minutes.  It helps but not much 

If your ever in town send me a PM, a ride would be great

[Jake D]

I quit smoking and chewing before Thanksgiving in 2006.  Haven't had a single smoke or chew since then (and I chewed everyday for 5 years).  I just quit cold turkey.  Mostly to prove that I could.  But my best advice is to battle each one of those demons when they come at you.  My biggest motivation was I wanted to keep my teeth a normal color and I wanted to be able to run two miles without breathing out of my mouth.  A side benefit is that my clothes don't reek anymore after a night of drinking and I save about $55 a month on chew.  

[jazerr]

I quit last week.

Honestly.

I am on day 6 today.

I made it through those three days. The only thing is you have to realize that YOU are in control, and no matter how hard it is to say no to it, you have to decide it. Purpose in your own heart not to defile your lungs. Thats it.

[CasiUSA]

I actually found the early days to be the easiest. When the idea of quitting was fresh in my mind, I had no problem doing it. It was hardest after about a month or two when I really had cravings and thought that 1 cigarette once in a while wouldn't hurt- but it is really easy to get back into it again. I have done this cycle about 5 times so far.

Right now, I am smoking again- so far haven't found anything that works for me in the long run. Definitely doesn't help that all of my friends smoke like chimneys. The biggest help for me was my GF, she is very supportive and doesn't smoke (By "Supportive" i mean she wouldn't kiss me if I even remotely smelled of smoke), so it's easy to not do it around her.

[natedawg120]

My fiance smokes when she drinks only.  I started that way.  Now i am just done, I don't want to spend the money anymore and it seems that my mom passing was the kick i needed to actually do it.  I just love my routine and I think that is what is making it hard, not actual cravings for a cig.  Its just day one so we'll see.

[Jake D]

Nicotine is totally out of your system after 11 days.  The rest is oral fixation.

I miss chewing while I drive my truck.   To avoid that, I carry like 6 packs of gum in the truck.  Easy peasy. 

[RVertigo]

Well...  More than just oral fixation...  Mental addiction and habitual behavior.

[natedawg120]

.... habitual behavior.

bingo

[NiceGuysFinishLast]

I smoke very occasionally, mainly just when I drink.. I'm about to start hand rolling my cigarettes, so I'll smoke less (more work), keep my hands busy, spend less (waaaaay less), and it just looks neat

[pandy]

Sorry about I love YOU, natedawg...  May she rest in peace. I lost my mom due to her lifelong smoking, too. Even as she was ravaged with cancer, on oxygen, and confined to a wheelchair, she STILL kept trying to smoke (yeah, really)... It's more than just a mental addiction. Nicotine is very physically addicting. At one point, my mother had been in a coma for TEN MONTHS, and what was the first thing she wanted to do when she woke up? Yes...she wanted to smoke...in the hospital...on all the machines...

If you can go cold turkey, fantastic. I know someone who was able to quit by using the patches and by reducing his intake until he was down to 0. Wellbutrin is also supposed to help reduce the cravings (I believe it was a quit-smoking aid before it was an anti-depressant).

Be kind to yourself during this rough time, and all the best on your quitting journey. 

[Jughead]

I really Dread the Day I try to Quit. Right now it's the Only thing Keeping me Sane along with a Few Beers Now and then.

[ixolas]

Right now it's the Only thing Keeping me Sane along with ...

Hmmm.... doesn't seem to be working



BONG jfwy

[natedawg120]

Sorry about I love YOU, natedawg...  May she rest in peace. I lost my mom due to her lifelong smoking, too. Even as she was ravaged with cancer, on oxygen, and confined to a wheelchair, she STILL kept trying to smoke (yeah, really)... It's more than just a mental addiction. Nicotine is very physically addicting. At one point, my mother had been in a coma for TEN MONTHS, and what was the first thing she wanted to do when she woke up? Yes...she wanted to smoke...in the hospital...on all the machines...

If you can go cold turkey, fantastic. I know someone who was able to quit by using the patches and by reducing his intake until he was down to 0. Wellbutrin is also supposed to help reduce the cravings (I believe it was a quit-smoking aid before it was an anti-depressant).

Be kind to yourself during this rough time, and all the best on your quitting journey. 

Thanks Pandy.  One of my friends was put on Wellbutrin to help him quit and it helped him quite a bit.  I think i can do it on determinataion and chewing on things like pens to give me something else to do .  The hardest part is going to be when I go back to Fredericksburg and have to move my mom's stuff out of her apartment.  That jstu brings back memories all over again.

[pandy]

Yeah, it's VERY tough to go through mom's things, but it's also kind of cathartic, too. So many things are associated with nice memories, so it's a trip down memory lane, too, and I saved all the things that I thought my son would appreciate having in the future (he remembers her, but not too well). Going through our parents things and sorting them out is kind of the last physical thing we do as a loving tribute. I donated many of her things to her favorite charities, too, because I knew it would make her happy that her things were helping others.

I believe that our loved ones become our guardian angels, so hopefully I love YOU is with you as you work on giving up the addiction (and...remember....addictions are NOT character flaws, and getting treatment for addictions isn't a sign of weakness.  )

Love,
Mama pandy

P.S. Speaking of guardian angels, I would swear on a stack of Bibles that our beloved Rich has sat on the shoulders of more than one rider here since he went to the great twisties in the sky. 

[l3uddha]

I'd agree that a big part of quitting is the oral fixation.

I found that something simple like popping a lifesaver into my mouth would help that. Then after few minutes I'd forget all about the cigarette. Get yourself a huge pack of lifesavers!

I think it really takes the right motivation to get over the nicotine itself. Some people have a big reason for quitting & quit cold-turkey & dont go back. Others try to slowly ween themselves off of them, which is still giving into the "power' of the nicotine and delaying the process.

My uncle was a social smoker; only when drinking he would have a smoke, which wasnt often at all. Four months ago he had part of his lung removed & went through radiation therapy. I had been on & off of cigaretts for about 8 years & that was the final motivation I needed to never touch one again.

once you're on the outside & looking in at smoking, things appear completly different. You constantly remember all of the people that got sick from cigaretts, & it just looks totally discusting when you see someone smoking one. Yes, even hot chicks.

once you quit, you'll be suprised at how quickly even the smell of a cigarette makes you gag.

[natedawg120]

yeah you are probably right Pandy.  There are a lot of things that i remember being yelled at for climbing on when i was little

l3udda yeah that has been the hardest part for me.  I sat outside for about 10 minutes, had a dum dum, and watched the birds.  It was great.  another lady came out and had a cig and asked why i wasn't smoking and i told her.  the only side effect of not smoking is that the days seem a lot longer.

day two recap:

pen top demolished - still chewing in it
2 dum dums
coffee

For now of to lunch and another dum dum

[jazerr]

I tried welbutrin once. I got addicted to welbutrin.

I mean, come on...who doesnt like being in a good mood all the time?

[RVertigo]

I know four people that have taken it...  One had a bad reaction and the other three didn't want to stop taking it.