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So I've decided to quit smoking...

#141
I smoked heavily for about 24 years. I was so embarrassed and just generally disgusted with myself that I couldn't take it anymore and finally got that monkey off my back. The tax hike on roll-your-own was the final straw and I quit just before it kicked in.

The nicotine patches and gum helped without a doubt. Gave my body the drug it was craving and let me focus on the mental aspect. Just have to make up your mind and stick to it. It's a challenge for a couple days, but if I can do it, anyone can. I am a certifiable nicotine FIEND.
 
#142
TheBigO said:
So after a slip up during a gig I've gone nearly six weeks without a smoke.

Now it's interesting because I still get the occasional craving for a cigarette but when I'm actually around cigarette smoke I actually find it repulsive. Weird.
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Interesting. I still like the smell of cigarettes when other people smoke.

Last October I took a couple of drags off of a cigarette (the job search on the mainland was not going well). The smoke itself didn't bother me, no queeziness or dizziness, but the nasty aftertaste took forever to go away! :spit: Even gum didn't help much.
 
#144
Hawaii Islander said:
Interesting. I still like the smell of cigarettes when other people smoke.

Last October I took a couple of drags off of a cigarette (the job search on the mainland was not going well). The smoke itself didn't bother me, no queeziness or dizziness, but the nasty aftertaste took forever to go away! :spit: Even gum didn't help much.
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I quit something like 8 weeks ago...with help from the e-cig. I still like the smell of second hand smoke, but the "after smell" on peoples clothes and home is absolutely awful.
 
#147
KarateKid25 said:
I agree. When my work mates that I used to go out and have a smoke with come back in from a smoke, it stinks!

Can't believe my girlfriend used to put up with that on me. Its amazing how you can't smell it at all when your a smoker!
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It's amazing how soon after you quit you notice. I went into someones house only a couple days later, and it reeked of just stale, moldy smelling shiz. When he lit a fresh one, it smelled much better....until I realized I was going to smell like his house the rest of the day.
 
#148
Deluge Of Sound said:
Yeah, well, back to square one. I got seriously and unnecessarily hassled by three police officers, got really, really bugged out, broke down and bummed one from a friend. I feel absolutely f'in terrible.
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Do you feel terrible because you broke down, or did the cigarette make you feel terrible?

I won't say I'm not innocent of slip ups (only 2 since I quit in April), but it is way easier for me to hop right on the wagon. My slip ups only occured when I was drunk. Hopefully the same can be true for you.
 
#149
Terrible because I broke down.


Suffice it to say that through no fault of my own I could've been hit with a large enough fine to make me unable to pay rent, among other things seriously damaging to my livelihood.

Luckily, the good karma fairy came down and made it all ok, but not until after I really lost my composure and needed a smoke.
 
#150
im 5 days sober lol. im gonna try and quit dipping and drinking while i'm overseas. plus its looking like when i get back i might have something to look forward too, minus getting out of the service. so i don't want it too hold me back anymore. so im quitting for real this time.
 
#151
I've tried quitting for the past month. I've been smoking for about 3 years, though not nearly as heavily as I have this year. I'm up to about a little more than a pack a day. What made me realize I want to quit is that I have noticed my smokers cough has gotten much worse than it was before, and I cough up phlegm far more than I used to. I also can't seem to get myself to work out, and I've been getting more and more out of shape. I've got a bit of a gut now, walking up stairs gets me far too out of breath, and I am really embarrassed when I am the first one exhausted while playing some friendly basketball with friends. I have the desire to quit, but perhaps it's not strong enough. I do know that 3 years is not very much, and that the longer I put this off, the harder it will get. I can't imagine how hard quitting at 50 must be.

For the past month, I've destroyed all the cigarettes I had at the end of the night and smoked my "last" cigarrette. I can make it about 16 hours, but the anxiety just kills me. I convince myself that smoking just one will calm my anxiety. Its true, too. But anxiety comes back quickly and I start thinking about smoking again, so I have one more. By the end of the day, I've smoked the same amount I normally smoke in a day, but in a much shorter time period. I can't believe I can't make it even one day without smoking. I also find that I get a very short temper. The longer I go without one, the worse my temper is. I made it over 12 hours today, but I found I was an extremely aggressive driver until after I had my cigarette. I found myself snapping at everyone and making a big deal out of very little annoying things. This is what I really can't deal with. This isn't how I normally am, and I can't stand being like that. The withdrawal symptoms are what I feel are keeping me smoking.

Now I think I could ditch the habit part of smoking. I usually smoke while I'm doing something else, like driving for example, or while I'm bored, relaxing, watching tv etc. I've stocked up on some things to do when I normally smoke. I bought cinnamon toothpicks (I LOVE them), sunflower seeds, gum, and some candy. The problem is none of these do much to relieve my anxiety or my temper. I've heard that exercise is great for this. I definitely noticed that I felt better while exercising, but after I was done, the cravings, temper, and anxiety were back, worse than ever. I think its because exercise made me sweat out some of the remaining nicotine in my system faster. I do drink alot of caffeine, which you are supposed to abstain from while quitting supposedly. This may have something to do with my anxiety and jitteriness, but I don't think I can function without it since withdrawal makes it much harder for me to concentrate. Did any of you notice that not drinking any coffee helped you to quit? I have no problem drinking my coffee without a cigarette. I usually smoke before or after my coffee, I find the taste really unpleasant if I drink coffee while I smoke.

I've tried nicotine gum, but I found it didn't give the same kick as a cigarette, and my cravings were still there, though definitely less severe than cold turkey. The gum tasted nasty too, and I still couldn't stay smoke free for any longer than I could cold turkey, though I was down to about 5 cigarrettes a day on gum. I don't want to try it again. I think my only options are cold turkey and gradually tapering off. I'd like to go cold turkey, because I see how once I smoke my first cigarette of the day, its alot easier to smoke another. Another thing I thought about is buying a detox kit to get the nicotine out of my system as fast as possible, so that I reach the peak of withdrawal as quick as I can.

I'm open to any advice. I really do want to quit, but I have a hard time dealing with my temper and anxiety. I like to think I am a level headed person, and I can't beleive myself when I blow up over the littlest things. I think if I can find a way to control my temper and get rid of my anxiety during withdrawal, I could say good bye to nicotine forever.

This turned into quite a long post, maybe I should have started a new thread, but I saw that there were already alot of quit smoking threads.

Thanks alot
 
#152
greekorican said:
I've tried quitting for the past month. I've been smoking for about 3 years, though not nearly as heavily as I have this year. I'm up to about a little more than a pack a day. What made me realize I want to quit is that I have noticed my smokers cough has gotten much worse than it was before, and I cough up phlegm far more than I used to. I also can't seem to get myself to work out, and I've been getting more and more out of shape. I've got a bit of a gut now, walking up stairs gets me far too out of breath, and I am really embarrassed when I am the first one exhausted while playing some friendly basketball with friends. I have the desire to quit, but perhaps it's not strong enough. I do know that 3 years is not very much, and that the longer I put this off, the harder it will get. I can't imagine how hard quitting at 50 must be.

For the past month, I've destroyed all the cigarettes I had at the end of the night and smoked my "last" cigarrette. I can make it about 16 hours, but the anxiety just kills me. I convince myself that smoking just one will calm my anxiety. Its true, too. But anxiety comes back quickly and I start thinking about smoking again, so I have one more. By the end of the day, I've smoked the same amount I normally smoke in a day, but in a much shorter time period. I can't believe I can't make it even one day without smoking. I also find that I get a very short temper. The longer I go without one, the worse my temper is. I made it over 12 hours today, but I found I was an extremely aggressive driver until after I had my cigarette. I found myself snapping at everyone and making a big deal out of very little annoying things. This is what I really can't deal with. This isn't how I normally am, and I can't stand being like that. The withdrawal symptoms are what I feel are keeping me smoking.

Now I think I could ditch the habit part of smoking. I usually smoke while I'm doing something else, like driving for example, or while I'm bored, relaxing, watching tv etc. I've stocked up on some things to do when I normally smoke. I bought cinnamon toothpicks (I LOVE them), sunflower seeds, gum, and some candy. The problem is none of these do much to relieve my anxiety or my temper. I've heard that exercise is great for this. I definitely noticed that I felt better while exercising, but after I was done, the cravings, temper, and anxiety were back, worse than ever. I think its because exercise made me sweat out some of the remaining nicotine in my system faster. I do drink alot of caffeine, which you are supposed to abstain from while quitting supposedly. This may have something to do with my anxiety and jitteriness, but I don't think I can function without it since withdrawal makes it much harder for me to concentrate. Did any of you notice that not drinking any coffee helped you to quit? I have no problem drinking my coffee without a cigarette. I usually smoke before or after my coffee, I find the taste really unpleasant if I drink coffee while I smoke.

I've tried nicotine gum, but I found it didn't give the same kick as a cigarette, and my cravings were still there, though definitely less severe than cold turkey. The gum tasted nasty too, and I still couldn't stay smoke free for any longer than I could cold turkey, though I was down to about 5 cigarrettes a day on gum. I don't want to try it again. I think my only options are cold turkey and gradually tapering off. I'd like to go cold turkey, because I see how once I smoke my first cigarette of the day, its alot easier to smoke another. Another thing I thought about is buying a detox kit to get the nicotine out of my system as fast as possible, so that I reach the peak of withdrawal as quick as I can.

I'm open to any advice. I really do want to quit, but I have a hard time dealing with my temper and anxiety. I like to think I am a level headed person, and I can't beleive myself when I blow up over the littlest things. I think if I can find a way to control my temper and get rid of my anxiety during withdrawal, I could say good bye to nicotine forever.

This turned into quite a long post, maybe I should have started a new thread, but I saw that there were already alot of quit smoking threads.

Thanks alot
Click to expand...

Long before I actually quite smoking, I started smoking only in specific places (not times though). I always smoked outdoors (never indoors) most of the time while standing up rather than sitting. The places were at the end of my driveway (even when it was raining). The parking lot next to my car (but not in my car).

The number one change was to not smoke while driving. The car had to be stopped and I had to step outside of the car before lighting up. These couple of things help to break the routine and helped me cut back without thinking about it.

Chantix (prescription medication) helped me to stop completely, but I was most of the way there before starting the treatment. It took six weeks to fully quit once I started the Chantix.

I smoked a pack or more per day for more than 30 years.
 
#153
how many of you sucessfully quit my gradually cutting down? I wish I could just quit right now and have that be the end of it, but the anxiety and bad temper make me give up. I've had only 4 today, and I'm spacing them out by atleast an hour. I don't have the horrible temper, so there might be something to this method.
 
#154
Wow didn't realize this thread was still alive.

I'm still trying to quit. Stopping all at once hasn't been working well so lately I've been doing something different. I tuck a little piece of paper into the back of my pack and mark it every time I smoke. I try not to smoke more than the day before.

So far it's been working. I'm down to just over half of what I was at before.
 
#155
Well so far so good. I have made it 21 hours without a smoke. This is the best attempt I have made ever. Cinnamon toothpicks help alot, and I have just tried to keep as busy as I can. I rode 5 miles on my bike, and it already felt easier. I've been coughing alot today, so I'm pretty sure that means my lungs are starting to heal. I feel like I have more energy today, but now I'm starting to get anxious. Today was easy actually, but now it seems to be starting to get worse. How long does it take for withdrawal to peak, and how much worse does this actually get, in your experience?
 
#156
Winding down to less than ten a day and then cold, that worked for me...

My fiance quit last Sept. and needed the Walgreen's generic brand patches to help her through starting on about day 3 and using each stage of patches from that point. She hasn't been tempted since about 7 days from the starting point.

My daughter quit last December, and patches worked for her, too!
 
#157
Winding down to less than ten a day and then cold, that worked for me...last cig in the late 90's.

My fiance quit last Sept. and needed the Walgreen's generic brand patches to help her through starting on about day 3 and using each stage of patches from that point. She hasn't been tempted since about 7 days from the starting point.

My daughter quit last December, and patches worked for her, too!
 
#158
Well guys, decided to revive this thread as I really start the drawdown in my smoking, preparing to quit completely.

For those of you who have been tracking this thread, I set my quit date as the day I leave Iraq and it is coming up in about 2 weeks. Lately I am only have 5 or 6 smokes a day, but now I am working with people who a.) don't smoke and b.) don't cause me near the gray hair of my last coworker. I handed off my pack tonite and will talk with my day shift about holding them for me to encourage my quitting behavior. I am working on only having 4 cigs a day, spaced evenly, then 3, and so on.

On the bright side I may end up going to the gym a little more often since I tend to get a little nuts when I start craving bad. Take my frustrations out of the punching bags.

Here's to the future, gents and ladies.

Peace,
Greg
 

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