DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Everything Else... Smoking cigarettes How'd you quit?

Were you a smoker? (maybe you still are)

I was a pack-a-day when I was 18-19 years old in 1976. (I was a gas station manager in a bad neighborhood and that’s what you did, you smoked)

Then I just stopped (when I started going to the local community college)

Then 20 years later, in 1998, my first post-divorce girlfriend smoked. And I picked it up again.

And smoked until 2009 (when I couldn’t smoke due to a prolonged hospital stay)

So I smoked again from age 42-52.

Quitting this second time was tough. It was forced since obviously there had been no smoking in hospitals for at least 15 years.

The last smoke I had was Sept. 14, 2009. It wasn’t until Halloween time that the constant urge for a cigarette finally stopped. - 1 1/2 months. That was a tough 1 1/2 months and I was greatly relieved when it was over. When I finally woke-up not reaching for my pack.

I liked smoking cigarettes. I enjoyed the taste, the act and the feeling. If it weren't for the public stigma and the addiction; If I could comfortably smoke maybe 3-4 cigarettes a day, I might still smoke.

But unless, you live like a hermit, you pretty much can’t smoke anymore. People think of smokers as “Baby-Killers”.

You’re pretty much treated like a loser. “You can only smoke off the grounds, across the street.” “In the area labelled Designated Loser”.

Plus there’s the cost, I think cigarettes ran ~ $100/carton last I smoked.

And I suppose the increased health risks.

If you’re still a smoker, I wish you good luck.

And if you’re an Anti-Smoking Crusader, relax. Maybe start a new thread.

One last thing, I still smoked last time I attended a Browns game (probably about 2002). They had designated smoking areas. But I imagine there's no smoking on stadium grounds now.

glad to hear you're staying strong ... keep it up rocky

Never tried, or wanted to. Don't know the reason, just didn't.

My parents do and have tried to quit, but can't kick it.

Younger sister does now as well, and I'm angry with her for starting

I was a heavy smoker in my 20s and 30s. When I got to my late 30s I tried to quit many many times and failed every time. Too much stress and such in my life.

I tried every method.

What finally worked for me was the nicotine gum. I just started chewing the gum non-stop instead of smoking. Chain chewing. It got me out of the habit of having cig in my hand. Got me out of the habit of lighting up. All that gum was expensive.

But it worked. After about a month of chewing gum and no cigs I stopped chewing the nicotine gum and switched to regular chewing gum. Had some minor withdrawls for about 2 days. Then I was fine and I kept chewing the gum for a few months. Then quit chewing gum all together.

That was in 2015. I havent smoked since. I have zero desire to smoke, and don't like the smell.

Good luck in trying to quit. It's the hardest thing to do EVER.

My girlfriend and I both went cold turkey a couple years back.
We attacked it together. At first we kept certain parts of the ritual. When we found the 'need' to have a smoke we'd go outside, just like we did when we smoked. Instead of smoking we pulled weeds from the garden, threw the ball for the dog, found a quick outdoor chore and did it. Then went back in. We both found it helped to ween ourselves off the habit. We also accepted that we were going to be anxious or edgy. We did our best to turn that 'energy' into something positive. We'd take a walk with the dog, do the dishes, run the vacuum, throw some laundry into the machine... we captured that anxiety and used it's energy in a more positive manor. Lastly, speaking for myself, it became a battle of my will. It was about proving to myself that I was stronger than that urge. It became a mindset that I wasn't going to allow cigarettes to be stronger than me.
I occasionally want one but those moments pass quickly anymore.

You can do it. Just do it.

Eve, something we agree on!

I tried smoking cigarettes a few times but never like them.

I tried nicotine gum for my IBS a couple of years ago. It didn't help the IBS at all but it definitely gives me energy, and I need that because one of the side effects of IBS is chronic fatigue, and I definitely have that.

Nicotine gum is best mixed with a piece or two of regular gum - it just tastes much better that way.

I have IBD and get fatigued also. I suggest you take vitamins instead of nicotine. Specifically B Complex and multivitamin. It will help a lot.

We probably agree on a lot of things. Just not politics.

I smoked for about 10 years when I was young. One day woke up and thought Ill quit today. Wasn't planned or thought about just did it.

I've never been a smoker. The method I've used for other addictive substances/behaviors is gradual reduction.

Take coffee for example... I go through periods where I drink it regularly and periods where I don't. It's easy to get in the habit of drinking it regularly but I tend to think I do better without it. That's not particularly clear though, which is why I often go back to drinking it.

So say one cup a day turns into two, which turns into three... and then I realize I'm drinking too much and it's actually making me more drowsy on average or affecting my sleep or whatever. What to do? Well take that three cups a day and cut it in half. At the very least, reduce to two cups a day. This should not be very hard, and may take a couple days to fully adjust to. Then reduce it to one cup. Once you're used to this (a couple more days) then you can make progressively weaker/smaller cups, or switch over to tea (lower caffeine content), or just quit altogether.

Doing this, I can go from regularly drinking coffee to quitting in about a week with no major ill effect on any of the days. Coffee is easy to quit. The body adjusts to increases (and decreases) in caffeine take fairly rapidly. It only seems so hard because many people have experiences going from drinking coffee regularly and then going cold turkey (intentionally or not) and they feel awful that day. Well duh... do it gradually.

The same concept can be applied to cigarettes; it'll just take longer. Make an honest assessment of how much you smoke. Track it. Reduce that to a number you can handle in the short term without any major discomfort. Set aside that number of cigarettes and do not go over that amount for the day. Gradually reduce that number over a period of time until you're down to a small amount. Then cut it out completely.

Oh. One other thing.
There are power in words. I really believe this. So when you do quit tell yourself just that. Don't ever say "I'm trying to quit." If a coworker asks "hey wanna go have a smoke?" Respond, "no, I quit." It seems silly but words have meaning. Whenever you tell yourself you're "trying" to quit it gives your subconscious an 'out'. An excuse, "well, I tried". Be firm with your thoughts.

Same here Eve. The gum worked for me. You get a bolus of nicotine just like you do with a cigarette. The patches didn't cut it for me. It will be 10 years this Aug 7th that I quit.

pack and a half a day, cut down slowly until got to about 5 a day.

hardest for me was the smoke at the bar, the smoke bone is attached to the drink bone afterall

I smoked throughout college and a few years after graduating. I tried quitting dozens of times and it never seemed to stick until I truly wanted to stop. Meaning, all the previous times, I was quitting because it was unhealthy, expensive and smelly...but I still liked it, so I would eventually buy another pack.

How did I know that last time quitting was for real? I don't really know how to explain it, but I just knew it. If felt different. I knew I was done (well, I still smoked a few when I was drinking with my smoking buddies, but I never was a "smoker" again).

Mulitvitamins don't help me at all with fatigue. I never tried B complex, perhaps I will pick some up the next time I go shopping. Thanks.

P.S. I don't know if you know this or not but nicotine by itself isn't harmful:

http://tobaccoharmreduction.org/faq/nicotine.htm

Dont believe the fake websites. Nicotine is definitely addictive. Ask anyone who tried to quit and cant. Its also dangerous to your health. It raises your heart rate, constricts your blood vessels, and causes heart disease. And thats only the tip of the iceberg.

Stay away from it, or it will suck you in. Just like crack or meth.

Just ask a smokeless tobacco user!

I smoked from 16-23. My cig of choice was either Camel straights or, Bugler/Drum roll-ups. I quit when my dad who had smoked from about 12 or so to 48, decided to quit. I thought to myself "if he can do it, so can I". We quit together. Cold turkey. No patch, no gum. Just straight up. It was freakin' HARD! Really hard but, like I said...my motivation was him.

I haven't smoked since and these days I hate it. The obvious health reasons aside...these days I really hate the smell....it's in your hair, clothes, skin and makes your breath smell. It also penetrates the house, car...everything the smoker is near those who do not smoke can smell it.

I never said it wasn't addictive, I said nicotine by itself isn't harmful.... or perhaps more aptly put, not very harmful. About as bad as caffeine.

Quiting was easy.

GMdawg you have stage IV colon cancer that has spread to your liver.

That stopped me in my tracks. I walked outside and had one last smoke, and have been smoke free ever since.

I decided to quit when Taft was Governor, and he doubled the cigarette tax.

I made a plan, 2 or 3 months out. (I can't remember exactly which now, it's been well over a decade now) I decided the date when I would buy my final pack. I started cutting down drastically. When I went out for a smoke, I would light one up, have a drag or 2, and put it out. Every time, I told myself how lousy they tasted, how they stunk,

I will never forget my final smoke. I had bought my final pack, and I was into that pack. I went to a birthday party for a girl I worked with, and had left my smokes at home. I got home, and took my dog out. I decided to have a smoke, and lit one of the last 4 or 5 I had in that pack. I took a drag off of that cigarette, told myself it tasted like crap, and that I didn't need them, put it out, crushed the cigarette, crushed the pack and remaining cigarettes, tossed them in the trash, and that was that. I haven't had one since.

I have always felt that having a goal, a definite reason for quitting, along with an absolutely certain quit date, was the key. I really feel that putting yourself in the right mindset is also extremely important.

I quit for a year and a half by vaping. Then started again like a dumbazz. Now I'm not sure about vaping and after trying everything else have decided the only way to quit is to put them down and walk away cold turkey... Needless to say I haven't quit yet.

There is a new film strip (like mouth freshener) that is supposed to help naturally, but it's over $50 a for a pack. That's a lot of money to try something with limited information about it, so watching the product for more info.

Smoke weed.

4 packs a day to nothing in 20 minutes

Hypnosis did the trick for me.,

November 7th, 2006 at 1:30 PM,,, Last cig touched my lips.

In fairness, I wanted to quit. I mean I really wanted to quit., and the way it's been explained to me, that's the first step in this process.

I also found out that Hypnosis seems to only work on Type A personalities. Anyone that knows me knows that's what I am.

My wife, not type A and really not committed to stop, didn't stop. Didn't work for her.

I can't even begin to tell you how much better I feel without those damn things.

I wish all well on this quest. It's worth it.

I quit five years ago because of a stroke. I used 'Tic-Tacs' fresh mints (white ones) to quit and I still use them. They worked for me!

I quit when I was 24 (I'm 45 now). Cold turkey. Now, I've had a few here and there when I drink but don't crave them any other time. I'll vape from time to time now.

My dad quit probably 40 years ago and started chewing on straws and coffee stirrers. He still does that to this day.

I am in the process of quitting. smoked for over 20 years.
I am using Chantix. started the program little over 3 weeks ago. have not had a cig for 2 weeks now. I have tried other methods before and the chantix seems to take the edge/withdraw off the best.
I have been using dumdum suckers. then chew on the sticks.
so far so good.

If someone wants to quit they will. You have to really want to quit. It's a nasty friggin habit anyways. Just quit and don't look back. I used to smoke. To quit I just put mind over matter that the stuff stinks like crap and makes me puke when I smell it burning. It worked like a charm and I hate the smell of tobacco burning now.

I was smoking 3 packs of Pall Mall's a day while in the military, also drinking 1/2 a bottle of whisky a day as well. When my son was born in 1982, I tossed my smokes in the trash and never picked them up again. Can't say the same for the whiskey, but the volume is lower.

I also taught Smoking Cessation classes a few years ago and nicotine is more addicting than heroin and is stored in the fat cells. It can be released for years after you quit and give you the urge to smoke, if you can resist it for 10 minutes or so it will pass.

lmao, yo, how much was yall paying for a pack of squares monthly?

I was getting a carton at the BX for $2.10.

so you was spending about 189 a month just on squares.

quote above by Rabid:

"have not had a cig for 2 weeks now"

Good luck Rabid.

Six weeks.

For me the hell lasted six weeks.

From mid-September to the end of October.

Like I said, right around Halloween, the urge stopped.

Total blessed relief.

I get together with old drinking and smoking buddies for Browns games (The Southern New England Browns Backers) and I have no problem. No urge. And I have just as much fun now as when I was a heavy smoker and drinker.

Well, except for the game part.

For the people who say to just quit, or it just takes will power, or you only have to want to quit, it isnt always that easy.

A lot of it depends on why you smoke.

If its just for pleasure, or socially, or whatever, you probably have an easier time quitting.

But for me it was a crutch for dealing with stress and anxiety. So before I could quit successfully, I had to go to the Dr to get some meds to help with stress, plus improve my life situation, THEN I could quit and have it stick.

So a lot of it is fixing whatever is making you smoke.

My final smoking days, I was smoking two packs of Marlboro 100s every day. (40 cigarettes)

That's an interesting question.

Why did I smoke? (at that point)

This is kind of deep.

It was some thing to do. Like a reward that I could give myself every ~ 24 minutes (almost chain smoking). To help pass the time.

Plus I didn't care at that point. (about living much longer)

I looked forward to lighting up a new cigarette. Another half hour over.

(16 awake hours * 60 minutes = 960 minutes. 960 minutes/40 cigarettes = a cigarette every ~ 24 minutes)

On Monday afternoon, I had a medical appointment. Was told that my condition was directly tied to smoking cigarettes, and would never clear up so long as I was chained to the mf's.

I left the office, fired one up... and put it out after 3 drags.

Then, I came home... to this thread.

I'm winding down my second day of being cig-free as I type this post. I'm amazed at how cig consumption is tied to routine behavior: finish a meal; have a smoke. Coffee in the AM? Have a smoke. Get in the car after work? Have a smoke. A nightcap before posting on DT? fire up a smoke.

So... the addiction isn't just chemical- it's also behavioral... and triggered by routines that have been part of my everyday life for decades.

Right now, I'm experiencing a two-fold effect:

1. An intense craving to do 'that ol'
familiar thing' at all the usual points in my day

followed by

2. A sense of euphoria and accomplishment when I make it past the craving.

-----------------

My biggest worry is that the feelings of euphoria that come from resisting will fade before the intensity of the cravings do. Right now, I'm living from mini-victory to mini-victory, because the feeling of success is very real and new. I have no idea where I'll be a week from now. Although I'm trying, I can't even imagine what it will be like a month from now.

I took the ash tray out of my car when I got home from the med appt, and that has helped. The biggest test will be the next time a gig puts me on the road for an hour or more. 'Empty time' behind the wheel is what scuttled my last attempt: I was driving from CLE to CHI with my axe, my suitcase, and 2 folders worth of music. 4-day road trip. Stopped to get gas, couldn't pay at the pump... and there were those Marlboro Reds hanging out above the attendant.

That was almost 20 years ago... and I haven't mounted a serious attempt again until this week.

At present only My Wife knows (she smokes, too- and has cut back drastically, so as to not aggravate my addiction). I've told no one at work, so I don't have the added pressure of well-meaning folks with their expectations.

It took me a couple days to join this conversation because:

1. The timing of this thread coinciding with real events in My Life was simply too "Twilight Zone" to deal with, for a day or two.

2. If I confess it to you guys, it becomes REAL... and there's no backing out without personal shame in this community.


And, Damn:

These DT posts I write are where I smoked most of my daily cigs. Home from the rehearsal/gig... a bourbon neat... and an open pack 'o' smokes- I can go all night. The words just flow. The world has tucked itself into bed, and has gotten TF outta my way. I can think. I can breathe. I can free-associate and create. Talk much spit, and spit much talk. And now, I have to re-learn how to do it without one of the base foundational elements that that was there on Day One.

My Friends:

This post has been the hardest, most personally challenging thing I've done since Monday afternoon at 3:45 PM.

I gotta stop typing now. I have something to do.
There is an unopened pack of cigarettes setting between my keyboard and my monitor. I'm going to stare at it for 2-3 minutes as I decompress from writing this post (with all its triggers)... and I'm going to walk away from it.

What an unbelievable thread... at an unbelievable moment.

#onemoment@atime

I told everyone I knew that I was quitting.

I had to give myself no outs whatsoever. That's just how I'm built.

I did use a lot of sugar free mints, as I worked through the habitual aspect of smoking.

"so you was spending about 189 a month just on squares."
You missed a decimal point I think.
10 packs in a carton at $2.10
$2.10/10 x 3 pks x 30 days = $18.90

My Air force career at that time consisted of working on F-15's at night getting covered in hydraulic fluid and JP4. Eating breakfast, drinking Canadian Club, sleeping, eating, night breakfast, wash rinse repeat for 18 months on Okinawa. Smoking habit followed me back state side until my son was born. Like many have said on hear if your heart and head aren't in it you won't quit.

I blew my back up in 1993 and couldn't do the heavy lifting my job required of me so I retrained as a Respiratory Therapist. My smoking history and quitting allowed me to become an American Lung Association Smoking Cessation instructor. It was a great program and helped many people. If you want more information here's a link. ALA
There are many programs and self help material. Sometimes all you need is having someone to help you over the hump.

Oh the carton cost 2.10?

My bad bro. I thought you meant the pack.

Damn that's cheap.