Way OT-but I need to vent for a second

[flint]

</rantOn>
I know it's not PC these days, and I know all the health implications, but D@MN I could use a cigarette...

It's day four of the cessation, and I think this stupid nic patch is worthless! When I've quit in the past the third day was always the worst, but this time I think day four has to take top honours thus far. i'm even going through the mental game of questioning why I wanted to quit. "why did I have to quit one of the few things I actually enjoyed?", "life sucks!", etc...

</rantOff>

[Trevorus]

It's the nicotine withdrawl talking. It's surely going to suck, but the way I see it is all the good things in life are worth fighting for. So, just think about all the money you will save by not buying smokes. You can spend that on bass stuff!

[Jake deVilliers]

Just try to keep your focus on your goal, which might be to be the boss, rather than letting nicotine run your life.

I finally quit smoking six years ago after being a hard core smoker for 32 years, and it was f*cking awful.
I kept on telling myself that if I quit, I would regain the vocal range I had when I was young. Well, I'm no longer a smoker and I have the upper part of my range back.

Hang tough, its worth it, Jake

[John Sprague]

It's day four of the cessation, and I think this stupid nic patch is worthless!

Well, it is worthless! Or at least that's my theory. Smokers are nicotine addicts, you are a nicotine addict. I'm sure you know this. You also know that three or four days without and you'll be feeling just fine. So why use a patch that puts nicotine in your system? If you are a cocaine addict, would you use coke-laiden gum or a patch to keep from snorting? Of course not, you wouldn't touch coke in any form.

Anywho, my last quit had a four-day nico-weening, so hang in there! You're almost done.

[tZer]

Originally Posted by John Sprague

Well, it is worthless! Or at least that's my theory. Smokers are nicotine addicts, you are a nicotine addict. I'm sure you know this. You also know that three or four days without and you'll be feeling just fine. So why use a patch that puts nicotine in your system? If you are a cocaine addict, would you use coke-laiden gum or a patch to keep from snorting? Of course not, you wouldn't touch coke in any form.

Anywho, my last quit had a four-day nico-weening, so hang in there! You're almost done.

+1 - People claim a nicotine addiction is as hard to break as a herion addiction - BS! I am convinced that is a rumor started by the tobacco industry to keep anyone from even trying to quit. It may be unpleasant, but it is a very breakable addiction, so hang in there.

If you can, lose the patch. Substitution is no way to break a habit; It is a great way to become dependent on another, worthless thing.

[Grimlock]

This is how I quit:

I met up with an uncle in Brazil that I had not seen in 10 years. I got to his place on a Saturday and, on the next Monday, he was to see the family doctor because of some chest pains he had felt on the previous Friday. We partied hard and Monday came.

He required a triple-bypass. The situation was so urgent they would not allow him to leave the hospital until the surgery was performed. He survived the procedure, but continued smoking afterwards, even though it affected his medication. Sure, he reduced his smoking from FOUR packs a day to "JUST" one, but smoking is smoking.

When ever I get the urge to have a cigarette, I don't remember him; I remember the look on his wife/kids faces when he would pull the next cigarette, each one thinking that THIS is the one that's gonna do it.

It's better to quit now when you WANT to, rather than quit later when you HAVE to.

[jallenbass]

My mom quit after 55 years of smoking. It took the removal of one her lungs to get her to that point.

[Damon Rondeau]

I was a moderately heavy smoker -- extremely addicted -- for about 25 years. In that time I made a bunch of half-hearted attempts at quitting. When I hit about 40 I had a little health scare having to do with blood pressure and stuff like that. It was at that point that something psychological happened that made all the difference. I acquired motivation to be a non-smoker.

Simple sentence, that -- motivation to be a non-smoker. But there's SO much behind it.

It's absolutely the key to quitting long term. You have to want to be a non-smoker, not a smoker. If you mourn your smoking, if you feel mistreated because you can't smoke, you won't stay quit. I'd bet money on that.

Essentially what happened to me is this: I knew in my bones that it was killing me. I could feel with every puff that it would be the death of me. And I don't want to die, it's that simple.

All the physical craving stuff is the simple physiology of the addiction. The psychological aspect of the addiction is the one that's gonna make or break your success at quitting.

Them are my two cents. I fell off the wagon a few times -- it always cost me a year or two more of smoking. I've been quit for years now and I ain't going back, no way. Life is WAAAAY better without the tobacco.

[Mike N]

I quit cold turkey three years ago, after smoking for 24 years.

[mje]

Focussing on "quitting" is not the way to do it; how do you know when you've quit? Therte's always that next one.

I quit 15 years ago, and I did it by focusing on the idea that I was not a smoker, therefore it made no sense to smoke a cigarette. For about a week or two I was more jittery (and annoying) than usual, but after that I had no desire, and as my taste and smell came back, I found the smell of cigarettes increasingly annoying and offensive.

I've coached a few others on this way of approaching smoking, and it's worked for them, too.

[the elephant]

Those patches suck. Your post reminds me of that Simpson's episode when Krusty, his body covered in nicotine patches, asks Sideshow Mel for yet another. (Mel has to stick it on the only patch-free place on Krusty's body: his butt.) Later in the episode, Krusty shows the kids his nicotine patches. Unable to stand the withdrawl any longer, he licks the patch directly.



Like a bass, a cigarette is merely an inanimate object. So, like learning a new tune on the bass, just do not accept the answer "NO" from an inanimate object. Make it do what you want. In this case, make it go away from your mind. No matter how tough it seems to be getting, always remember that you are in charge of what you choose to do or not do. You WILL win this battle.

[mje]

Originally Posted by Damon Rondeau

... When I hit about 40 I had a little health scare having to do with blood pressure and stuff like that. It was at that point that something psychological happened that made all the difference. I acquired motivation to be a non-smoker.

Simple sentence, that -- motivation to be a non-smoker. But there's SO much behind it.

It's absolutely the key to quitting long term. You have to want to be a non-smoker, not a smoker....

That was my experience as well. At the age of 37 I decided I didn't want to smoke anymore, and this time, I said I'm not quitting; I'm not a smoker anymore. That was almost 16 years ago and I have no desire for any tobacco at all. Withdrawl is overdramatized; figure maybe a week of a slight increase in nervousness that's more due to anxiety about what do do with your fingers than it is actual withdrawl. I found that taking a walk or bike ride or ANY exercise quickly dissipated that nervous energy.

[Stan Haskins]

Originally Posted by Damon Rondeau

Simple sentence, that -- motivation to be a non-smoker. But there's SO much behind it.

Damon nailed it. I don't know how many times I "quit" smoking in the 16-17 years I smoked. ONe time, my mind changed and I didn't just quit - I became a non-smoker. (going on 6 years) You have to change your view of yourself.

The physical addiction is finished in about 3-5 days as I understand it. Difficult, but possible.

Now, about all the weight I gained since then . . .

[Gufenov]

Originally Posted by mje

I quit 15 years ago, and I did it by focusing on the idea that I was not a smoker, therefore it made no sense to smoke a cigarette.

Exactly the tactic I used. I'd get the urge and tell myself, "That's ridiculous; I don't smoke! I reasoned that a smoker who's trying to quit is still a smoker, while a non-smoker has already achieved success.

[bassphase]

The point of using the patch or other nicotine delivery system is to give yourself a way to gradually wean yourself off nicotine with a product that doesn't cause lung cancer. Some people may do better stopping all at once, others need longer. I fell into the latter camp. I quit nearly 15 years ago but I was severely addicted. The patch was useless for me but the nicotine gum worked well--probably because it helped fulfill whatever oral gratification the cigarettes gave and it was possible to regulate the nicotine by chewing harder--almost like taking a puff. I mixed it with regular spearmint gum and gradually substituted a larger and larger proportion of the spearmint gum until I was eventually chewing nothing but regular gum. After 2 weeks of just regular gum, I was finally free. It took me probably 12 weeks total of using the gum--a little longer than is recommended I believe. As for the addiction being over in 3 to 5 days--that's very hard to believe. I craved cigs for months--even had occasional cravings after 5 years although I never gave in to them. Now I gag when I smell tobacco smoke.


bob

[drurb]

Originally Posted by bassphase

The point of using the patch or other nicotine delivery system is to give yourself a way to gradually wean yourself off nicotine with a product that doesn't cause lung cancer. Some people may do better stopping all at once, others need longer...

Thank you. I was about to post regarding the logic of using the very substance to which you are addicted to break the habit. Fancier solutions abound, such as the formulations designed to activate and/or block specific receptors to varying degrees. Look here.

There are different solutions for different personalities and different combinations of psychological and physiological addiction. It is not "one size fits all." It is often wise to consult a healthcare professional to help one sort through the options and determine those most appropriate.

[251]

Hang in there. Each hour validates that you are a cigarette smoker that doesn't smoke. That's is the best any nicotine addict can hope for. Do what you have just done. Acknowledge your desire for a cigarette & then do something else that doesn't involve smoking or eating. Avoid secondary smoke, too. It seemed to be enough to re-boot my habit & send me back to square one.

I smoked the last Davidoff cigarette in the pack at 8 AM on November 1, 1996. The urge to smoke never completely goes away, it just bothers me less often & I don't take it seriously any more.

This really is worth doing. Stick with it.

[mje]

You know, less than two weeks after my last cigarette, I had no cravings for a smoke. In fact, I felt strangely liberated. I did have dreams in which I was smoking for a few months- and in the dream I'd realize I was smoking, and be horrified!

Within a few months, my sense of taste and smell had improved, and the smell of cigarettes nauseated me.

[Damon Rondeau]

The good news is that you can be hopelessly addicted to tobacco and smoking yourself to death and yet not too long down the line be a naturalized citizen in the nation of non-smokers.

It's a psychological war of hearts and minds, the toughest kind to fight. After many failed starts, I found two things worked for me:

1) You must want to be a non-smoker. Yeah, you loved yer smokes. Yeah, you'd like to have one right now. Well, that's all over. It's like joining the witness protection program. You can go back but you know for sure the bullet is coming your way;

2) You must vilify in your mind the concept of smoking and being a smoker. Think of their ashen-grey complexions. Think of how their breath smells bad, their clothes smell bad. Think of coughing up black stuff. Think of dying way too young. That used to be you, but not any more.

I'd imagine the soldiers in any war have to use similar mechanisms just to get the job done...

[christ andronis]

I think once you're a smoker, you're always a smoker whether you quit or not. I'm going on close to 12 years without a cigarette, but if my doctor told me I only had a week to live you bet your a** I'd run out and buy a carton of those suckers, eat a good meal and LIGHT UP!!! To some degree, you're always going to crave a smoke. Now DRURB may be right, it's not one size fits all, but it's an addiction nonetheless and one that a former smokerhas to always be aware of.

Personally, it doesn't bother me to walk into a smoky room. What DOES bother me, oddly enough, is coming home from a gig and REEKING of cigarette smoke. Oh for the days before I knew all this sh** was bad for me!! Drink up Shriners!!