DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Everything Else... Perils when you quit smoking

On Oct. 1st, I joined a support group for people who want to quit smoking (uh, just cigarettes, I'm not THAT fanatical).

Don't laugh at support groups because after a week or so, with the help of Nicorette gum, I started cutting way back and now I have one or two cigarettes a day. With the exception of a couple of "cheat nights", both of them involving beer, I've been doing great. I absolutely recommend the gum if you want to quit, it certainly helps me.


Speaking of beer, I've also been forced to cut WAY down on beer, which doesn't really bother me like I thought it might and in fact, I've lost a good chunk of my beer gut, which wasn't huge but made me look like I was in my second tri-mester (for years, no tight t-shirts for this dawg)

The worst part is having to avoid coffee in the morning (peril #1), which I actually miss more than the cigarettes, it's a major trigger for me. The smell of it, when others have their coffee, is tough to take, lol, and Tim Hortons commercials make me envious of those well-dressed, smiling, non-smoking bastards on TV.

Peril #2: they told me this might happen, but I cough more than I did when I was smoking 20 cigs a day (sometimes more), which they say is due to my lungs getting rid of 40 years' worth of crap. I jokingly say that my lungs are rejecting all the good air not previously available to them. They told me this could take months to resolve. YAY!

All this coughing has made my voice constantly hoarse (peril #3), so the real reason for this post is to ask if anyone has a tried-and-true home remedy for getting the lungs cleaned out faster.

I was a part-time closet smoker for about 15 years. I tried to quit way back at the beginning of that span but couldn't kick it. Two years ago, Thanksgiving, I quit for good. As a long-time smoker, I'll tell you that it is easier than you think. Just get past the 20-day mark and becomes remarkably easy. At that point, the urges go quickly and, in my case, I would actually feel sick even thinking about it. There are still little triggers, but they pass in seconds.

As far as the lungs... and the voice. I can attest to what you're going through. The coughing will fix itself; the voice may be different forever. I've always had a good singing voice. I still do, but my range has narrowed terribly. I've been singing out loud a lot more and just cannot wrap my mind around how much it changed for the worst after quitting. I'll probably go to my grave wondering why, but hopefully I'll get there about 15-20 years later.


Anyway, I'm not sure there is an easy answer on how to quicken the "repair". Proper hydration, as a practice, will help. Cardio will help. If you're changing all these habits, work a nice 20 minute walk into the fray every day - that could very well work wonders. Brisk walk, exercise the lungs.

Don't know what all you're trying to change. Sounds like you're maybe giving yourself a wakeup call, health wise? At any rate, not sure why you're trying to quit coffee. That's just sacrilegious for a Canuck.


Congrats on taking the first step(s)! I wish you the best of luck. Pretty sure we're the same exact age, I promise you a new lease on life psychologically, above and beyond the physical rewards. So many at my 40th reunion talking about "the damage is done" as an excuse to keep smoking. It's not done, the mind and body have a remarkable way of healing themselves. At our age we start to look at that monkey on our backs and think he's there forever. Throw 'em on the ground bro, throw 'em on the ground. You can do this!

I quit smoking many years ago when our Governor at the time (Taft, Bleh) decided to raise the cigarette tax substancially. I decided that I would never pay that tax. (and never did)

I was smoking 2 packs a day. I marked the date that the tax was going into effect on my calendar on the wall. I started cutting down on my smoking, pushing off the next cigarette as long I could ..... smoking half a cigarette instead of a whole one ... then down to a quarter. Eventually I got down to lighting up a smoke, hitting it once or twice, then putting it out. I got down to one pack a day .... then one pack every 2 or 3 days ..... and my last pack lasted me a week. My last cigarette came when I had a few left in what would be my last pack. I went to this girl I worked with's birthdya party .... came home and took my dog out. As was my long standing custon, I lit up that cigarette. I took one hit .... said to myself, "This tastes like crap" (I may have used a different word) put it out, crushed the pack with my last couple smokes in it, and threw it in the trash. That was it for me.

When my wife got covid a friend recommended oregano and eucalyptus oil. Put a few drops in boiling water and inhale for a few minutes.
Helped clear her lungs really well. I think the oregano oil does the majority of the work so 4 drops oregano and 2 drop eucalyptus.
You can get them at whole foods. The woman I bought them from said oregano oil cures everything except death.

My last Cigarette December 21st 2014.
Last Drink November 21st 2022.

I have to admit I haven't stopped smoking. Although I have cut down to about a half a pack a day. I never actually gave quitting a try although I know I should. I have given up every other vice I had.

Take drinking as an example. I no longer drink. Not that I swore it off or tried to stop per se. I just lost interest and the desire to drink. The last time I drank was when I met GM to watch a Browns game at a sports bar here in Nashville. That was several years ago. I hadn't had a drink in quite some time then but just had a couple with GM for old times sake.

I haven't even smoked weed in well over a decade now. I eat a much more healthy diet than I did when I was younger.

I will probably get to the point where I give up smoking but I'm just not there yet.

I certainly wish anyone well who decides to quit. I know it's what's best for you. So good luck on your effort!

Thanks all the responses but I wanted to address this, from Fate:


“Don't know what all you're trying to change. Sounds like you're maybe giving yourself a wakeup call, health wise?”

The wake-up call for me came when my step-brother, about 15 years older than me, my truest brother/father figure, died on Oct. 25.

Always vibrant, full of life and positivity, but after more than 50 years a smoker, he spent his last year of life on oxygen, bed-ridden, with no energy or will, I suspect, to do anything else.

Oh, believe me, I've done a ton of reading about this since MJ became my miracle cure for kidney stones! A lot of people are too turned off by the stigma to try. Good for you!


Marijuana's cannabinoids, especially THC, promote smooth muscle relaxation in the urinary tract, prostate, and bladder through interactions with CB1 and CB2 receptors, which are densely expressed in these tissues.​

This relaxation reduces detrusor muscle contractions (the bladder's main muscle), eases prostate spasms in BPH, and calms overactive bladder signals, decreasing urgency, frequency, and nocturia.​

Mechanisms
Receptor Activation: THC binds CB1/CB2 receptors on bladder smooth muscle and nerves, inhibiting acetylcholine release from cholinergic nerves to lessen contractions.​

Prejunctional Inhibition: Cannabinoids reduce neurotransmitter release at nerve endings, relaxing detrusor during filling and improving voiding control.​

Clinical Evidence: MS trials showed THC extracts cut incontinence by 33-38% via detrusor relaxation; similar effects noted in overactive bladder models.​

Studies suggest low-dose THC nightly will reduced nighttime urination by these pathways, though more human trials are needed.

Well dude, you pretty much stopped me dead in my tracks with this post.

I lost my parents at a very young age. I had two older half-brothers (17 and 19 years older; Mom's first marriage). One was my father-figure during my young years. The only thing close to a father I had. I watched them both die from the complications of 50+ years of smoking over the last three years.

A raced down to Tennessee when one was "knocking on the door". Tried to talk him into sticking in the nursing home / rehab facility. I knew he didn't want to broach the subject, but I told him he had to quit smoking. He called a day before my Ireland vacation and told me he was home. "Are you smoking?" "Yep." That's why you left, right?" "Pretty much". I knew it would be the last time I talked to him.

After the visit with him, I decided in earnest I would quit while on vacation. Easy enough since I would be away with my wife. This time, I got rid of everything right down to the lighters before I left. Crushed the last three cigs and threw them away. Held in the last draw till it near choked me. Then just stared at the stars.

My moment came while climbing Arthur's Seat in Scotland. I was about two thirds and couldn't finish. Lungs burning, legs on fire. My wife asked if it was okay with me if she went a little further. "Sure." Watching her walk away nearly broke me... "Wait up"... and then the rest of that climb nearly broke me.

The view from the top was the rebar.

The call on the way home that my brother had passed was the cement.


You can do this, bro. Do it in his honor but do it for YOU... for you and all the people that love you. Hit me up in a PM if you need any advice or words of wisdom from a "been there, done that" respect. Proud of you for beginning the journey, dawg.

That was a tough thing to read, man, but I appreciate you sharing, and the offer of support. You’re the best.

Try tinctures or a sublingual spray.

i quit on 8/7/2007 after about 30yrs of fairly heavy smoking. I used Nicorette gum, but what really helped me is not focusing on reducing the cravings, but dealing with them head on.......recognizing that this discomfort is what it takes to be free from those damn things and actually trying to sense every bad symptom when a craving hit. It's like "bring it on, I want more!" That was THE most helpful bit of advice I got from all of the smoking cessation material and classes I went thru in trying to stop.

As far as the coughing goes, I'd suggest trying an incentive spirometer. I looked it up and in Canada you'll need a Dr's order for one, but these things strengthen your lungs and will definitely help clear the gunk out. It will also give your hands, mouth and lungs something to do when confronting the cravings.

Is it the "weed hangover" that has you opposed to gummies, Bone? If so, GM offers a great alternative. Tinctures deliver cannabinoids more efficiently. They also avoid the digestion factor in which excess THC metabolizes into potent 11-hydroxy-THC in the liver and creates the "weed hangover".

My suggestion, even above tinctures, is high quality gummies containing CBN. As we discover more and more about cannabinoids, we learn that they all deliver different benefits. CBN mellows the effect of THC and delivers an amazing night's sleep. As I was told by an expert, and found to be true myself, CBN shuts down the "hamster wheel" promoting immediate sleep. You wake up like a kid on Christmas morning.

What a shame that we spent 50 years villainizing MJ as a dangerous drug.

And our federal government still does.

That's good stuff, Jfan.

It makes sense. I embraced the same method because I was blown away, years before, by James Frey's characterization of "The Fury" in A Million Little Pieces. The Fury is the psychological component of addiction. The part that has you make excuse, blame others... the chronic inner rage that is always promoting self-destruction. He talks at length about facing the fury head on.

In the end, after rehab, after knowing he was "done", he has his brother take him to a bar. He orders whiskey and stares at the glass, he smells it. He looks up and stares at his reflection in the mirror, knowing he has won... and then tells the bartender to pour it down the drain.


Ironically, a few months after quitting, I found a pack of Camel Lights in a drawer in my garage. Open, one cigarette missing. I have no idea how long they were there. I can't explain the surge that went through my body, a surge of energy and then almost like hot needles. They were right there in my hands; I could easily make the choice to light one up. I threw them in the drawer and slammed it shut. I immediately thought of that book.

I told my wife I found them. "You better throw them away!" "Hell no, I don't need to. the cigarettes are my slave now."

Any time I have a strong urge (usually after a couple drinks, although it has been months), I go out and open the drawer. I laugh in their face and slam the drawer shut. When my other brother died. I went out to the garage, opened the drawer and just stared them down. Didn't laugh that time.

I'm sure I speak for everyone when I say we're all happy you beat those 5% odds and are still with us here today.

Trump said yesterday those days are about over. Although this is definitely not the time or place to discuss it.

It is the time and place to point out that "large-cap" MJ stocks were up as much as 50% yesterday. Those will cool back down if something isn't announced immediately... and then EXPLODE when the EO comes down. /public service message

I'll drink to that!

And pour another for Lampy! Here's to you, dawg. If there's anything you want to discuss with your family-away-from-family. Post it here -- we got your back.

I hope he is correct and that actions are taken to correct this on the federal level. Imagine how far along we would be with cannabis research and ways to use this medicinally if it had been approved on the federal level? I still expect big pharma to fight it every step of the way.

For sure. When it all comes down though, I think we'll see that the feds and big pharma shot themselves in the foot on this one. The endless fight and refusal to change Sched 1 designation led to states doing their own thing. Now they can't put the genie back in the bottle and maintain control.


We've also been circumventing federal control even at a federal level... The VA recently advanced policies allowing doctors to discuss and recommend medical marijuana for veterans in states where it's legal.

Amendments to the Veterans Equal Access Act was in the House-approved VA budget bill for fiscal 2026. VA docs can now provide recommendations and assist with state paperwork without risking veterans' benefits.

My fear when this whole shebang started was that the VA would be the instrument for the Feds to say "yeah, this is a good idea, but we need to let Big Pharma handle this so we can ensure safety". Still is, a little bit, but I think the Genie is too big now. When DeWine tried to make changes to the citizen-led passage of Issue 2, rumors are that he got more calls and emails in 24 hours than any other... ever. He simply said never mind the next morning with a short, sweet "the people have spoken".


I think there is too much fight left in the people who have been fighting for decades, and too many Americans recently taking up arms to make sure we don't let the feds and big pharma screw us on this one.


It's a bright future. We're already dissecting the MJ plant further into terpenes and smaller cannabinoids... sterols and triterpenoids. We're finding healing properties in the entire plant: roots, pre-flowing leaves. It's truly the "miracle drug" many always suspected it may be. But yeah, your entirely correct, it's a travesty our government held it up so long, and the collusion with pharma was to actually prevent research. Sad but true.

I smoked 15 cigs a day (and more) for 60+ years and quit for good on Aug 2, 2020. Not cold turkey, but by cutting back to 7 smokes a day. One night, I had only 1 cig left in the pack and I said to myself that's one for the morning and you're done. It worked but even after all this time, the urge is still there at times. It's not a nicotine addiction, but rather the enjoyable pleasure you get from it that I occasionally miss. Full disclosure: I was diagnosed several years ago (after I quit) with COPD and although it doesn't bother me much throughout the day, I really feel a shortness of breath upon any physical activity. On the whole - quite livable.

Good for you. It would be a lot worse if you kept it up. You definitely pushed the envelope though. Most people, after that span, would just throw in the towel and say "It is what it is". Good job.

There are weird triggers that get me. Walking into a store the other day I saw a guy pause to take those last two deep drags before he put out his cigarette. Got me for a second, nearly felt it in my lungs. Early on, something like that would kick my butt for a few minutes, now it's just a fleeting impulse.