Finally quit smoking!

dj150888 · #1 02-10-2011, 02:13 PM

So I'm 22, I've smoked for around 7 years. 20-30 is my normal intake.

Since Monday, however, I've been off them. I'm not using any NRT, so I'm finding it pretty tough, though it helps that the woman I've been seeing lately isn't a smoker and we've devised a way of encouraging me to stay off them.....the sort of method that Maki would approve of I'm sure.

Tonight will be my first night out in a bar since quitting. I want to have a beer or two, but I'm not sure I should. The Guinness/cigarette combo may be too delicious for me to resist after I've had a few drinks.

I've also noticed I'm eating a lot more. I'll have to keep an eye on that. This is a big thing for me, as it marks the very last of my addictions, since I've been totally drug free for 9 months now. I have to say, I'm finding this even harder.

So, guys, what tips and tricks do you have to help me through this? I'm sure there are loads of people on here who have quit before. What helped you?

RonGillman3 · #2 02-10-2011, 02:15 PM

Well my Mom and Dad exercised a lot and found something to occupy their time, so they wouldn't have to think about it.

Deluge Of Sound · #3 02-10-2011, 02:30 PM

It definitely gets easier. The trick, I think, is to keep your eye on the ball, even when the cravings hit.

But take that all with a grain of salt, because every time I've quit I haven't been able to stick to it.

blipndub · #4 02-10-2011, 03:00 PM

Just be aware of those stresses in your life that will always be there and not use them as excuses for going back to it. For me it always comes to a kind of culminating level of stress that I think smoking will help. And it does, but it brings on other stresses too.

Save the money. Buy music equipment with the money you save.

MatticusMania · #5 02-10-2011, 03:08 PM

I bought a pack on Sunday, first time in at least 6 months. At least I havent come close to finishing them. I figure I'll probably never completely stop. I quit once and had only 5 smokes in 2 years. Then I started hanging out with a lot of smoker and the cravings came back. I quit again, but only for a few months, until I was on a road trip and bought a pack of cigarillos. I should probably stop again, what with me trying to be healthy and all...

**BullHorn** · #6 02-10-2011, 03:17 PM

I repeat this in every smoking cessation thread on every forum.

Will power is all nice and dandy however over 90% of people who attempt to quit by sheer will power - fail.

HOWEVER!

I have quit smoking a bit over 3 years ago thanks to a person who had died of lung cancer, but before his death had came up with a technique to quit with ease. It's a book by Allen Carr (RIP) called EASYWAY To Stop Smoking. Do it.

Cabazon · #7 02-10-2011, 03:35 PM

The best tip I've got is don't smoke a cigarette ever again for any reason.

dozicusmaximus · #8 02-10-2011, 07:31 PM

Good luck! I've never givin it a real go myself. I've been smoking for ten years. Every few years, I cut down to three a day or so. Unless I drank... Be careful when you drink. Although I have come to the conclusion that smoking when I drink makes my hangovers worse.

bjabass · #9 02-10-2011, 08:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cabazon

The best tip I've got is don't smoke a cigarette ever again for any reason.

I quit around Thanksgiving after 40 years of 2 packs a day. I had smoked through every illness in 40 years and finally got bronchitis so bad that I couldn't smoke, and I coughed so hard I cracked a rib. I have convinced myself that the next ONE will kill me. I chew toothpicks like a beaver.

**Staccato** · #10 02-10-2011, 08:38 PM

Stay away from places that have smoke or smokers when possible. Some of us do better than others without the patch or another type of substitute. Hang in there, my wife quit nearly 3 yrs. ago. The drugstore generic patches helped her get through the first 2+ months...

Big_Daddy · #11 02-10-2011, 10:49 PM

Congrats, by the way. I remember when my dad quite smoking. Thirty years of smoking a pack day and then quitting was difficult for him. He tried the pills, you know it, but nothing really helped. Infact, it just made him more irratable. Eventually, he just quit, like you, cold turkey. He found that the best thing for him was just strong will power. Having supportive friends (and them being a non-smoker would be a plus) is key. Even if they're just smoking around you, not encouraging you or anything, there's still that desire there.

That lady that you're seeing right now? Tell her that she's amazing. Any support in the cold-turkey state is awesome.

meganjo · #12 02-11-2011, 12:10 AM

However, it is not that the stop smoking cold turkey method is completely not worthwhile. It is challenging and those that can overcome these challenges emerge victorious and absolve themselves of the habit of smoking. To stop smoking using the cold turkey method, the following guidelines should be followed as these can improve the chances of quitting permanently.

drug rehab

StonewallValent · #13 02-11-2011, 12:26 AM

If you can quit smoking, you can probably quit almost anything. It's tough, but well worth the effort. I wish you the best of luck, sir.

algernon · #14 02-11-2011, 12:31 AM

Hi there lad, and congrats! I don't know what percentage can quit by sheer will or whatnot, but I know it IS possible, so stick with it and don't look back.

I've smoked 30 a day for about 14 years. Finally quit 2 years ago, along with my wife, when we learned that we're going to be parents

I thought heck, if this isn't reason enough, nothing else would be

Cravings? Heck yes!! In the first month I've had two "failures", one after havin' a cold one with the friends (so, easy with the Guinness, ya hear

) and another after watching Gregory Peck sucking a Lucky Strike on a damn submarine... After that, it was progressively easier for the next couple of months. However, I kept having "smoking" dreams for another 6 months, almost every night

So, you can do it. Won't be easy as pie, especially in a stressful environment, but still doable. And the lady helping you is a big bonus. Break yer leg!

Regards,
Adrian

Hawaii Islander · #15 02-11-2011, 12:51 AM

I quit smoking in April of 2007 after smoking 1.5 to 2 packs per day for 34 years. The thing that bothered me the most about deciding to quit was the idea that I would have to make major life changes. The fact is that I didn't make any life changes. I still have a beer or two with friends, I still drink coffee, and I still hang out with people that smoke. I don't ask people to stop smoking when I'm around them. I found that once the initial cravings were gone, I no longer wanted to smoke. Spending cigarette money on other rewarding things doesn't hurt either.

I used Chantix (prescribed by a doctor) for six weeks. I liked that method because it didn't require me to stop smoking all at once. As the medication started to take effect, I was smoking fewer and fewer cigarettes each day, until I finally noticed that smoking a cigarette had absolutely no effect.

Good luck with your effort to quit smoking. Don't be discouraged even if you aren't 100% successful in staying away from cigarettes. Just keep at it. Ask friends and family for help if you need it.

Jim Nazium · #16 02-11-2011, 05:14 AM

For me, the key was admitting to myself that smoking made me feel worse, not better. Once I did that, it was all over.

gttim · #17 02-11-2011, 09:17 AM

Congrats. The sooner you quit the better. I quit almost 20 years ago after smoking 2 packs a day for over 10 years. I gave up coke and alcohol previously, and they were much easier. I kept quitting for 5 years until it finally took in 1992. I still get a desire. A few tips:

It takes 5 to 7 days for the nicotine to leave your system and the physical cravings to stop. Any nicotine at all that inters your system will start that process all over again. That includes smoking "just one," a cigar or breathing second hand smoke. Stay clear for a while.

After the physical cravings are gone, it is all mental. Do not let your mind romance a cigarette. It will.

If you drink early on, you will probably smoke. Alcohol lowers your inhibitions. Drink very little for a while.

Subliminal and hypnosis tapes really did help me. I encourage the use of them.

Find something you want to pursue that cigarettes prevents you from doing. I used cycling. I still smoked while I started cycling, but I knew it was holding me back. Then I started swimming again. That just hurt, and I used to be a good swimmer. Then I met a group of triathletes. The last time I quit, I just quit for a month to do a little sprint triathlon. Then i continued for another month to do another race. That was 20 years ago. I still train with some of those guys, and I race Ironman now. Life changed. I could not live my life while smoking. Find whatever that is for you.

Good luck!

dj150888 · #18 02-11-2011, 09:28 AM

So last night was tough, really tough. I've never had a Guinness without topping it off with a cigarette. The two are just a beautiful combination! But I stayed strong through the night, any time I wanted a cigarette, the missus kept my spirits up and kept me distracted. I've decided I'm not going to drink for a while until I'm a bit further on with quitting.

Thanks for the support and advice guys, its all appreciated. I just hope that being so young, the damage caused by years of smoking won't be too severe, and some of it can heal up.

Soverntear · #19 02-11-2011, 09:51 AM

sub'd im quitting by the end of this week. I have tried before and did a face plant. best of luck.

also congrats on quitting the other **** too

C.Linton · #20 02-11-2011, 09:53 AM

After smoking for nearly 30 years, and smoking upwards of three packs a day, I finally quit cold turkey about twelve years ago. It wasn't easy but after about 2-3 weeks, I woke up one morning and it was a couple of hours before I realized I hadn't even thought about smoking the second I got up, my routine was lighting up a smoke first thing when I awoke every morning without fail. That was when I realized I was "over the hump" and I haven't had a cigarette since. Haven't even had the desire, even when I'm around it when others are smoking. It can be done by sheer willpower alone, I just think a lot of people set themselves up for failure becasue they have been brainwashed into thinking how almost impossible it is by the cigarette industry, and those who make all those quitting smoking products, because quite frankly, I have no self discipline whatsoever, but one day I had finally convinced myself I WAS going to quit, no matter what. I had seen what it did to my Dad, and I knew if I didn't quit I would end up in even worse shape than him because of additional health issues I have. That scared the hell outta me, and perhaps that is the key. You need the right motivation. I hate to use such a cliche, but if I can do it, anyone can. You sound like you're on the right track, especially with the help from your GF, I have confidence you will succeed. Good luck.