Smoking

[elfriend]

Some of you who go in the chat room might know that I smoke. I always seem to have to take ciggy breaks!

Well that will not be happening anymore since I'm going on day 5 of quitting. I haven't smoked since saturday night. I've been eating and eating instead and have found myself incredibly bored and depressed. I don't know what to do with myself. It's also not easy since it is christmas break and Mike (Tidas) is at home with his family and I am at home with mine.

Smoking is very hard to quit and I am doing it without the patch or the gum. I was just wondering if anoyne else on here has ever quit smoking and if they had any advice on dealing....

 

[amk714]

I believe Mimi quit a while ago, so I'm sure she'll be able to give you good advice when she sees this thread. There are also many websites dealing with this issue, and here's one of many good links on quitting smoking: http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/how2quit.htm

Good luck, Elfriend. 🙂

P.S. I love the new pic in your sig! Sorry for going off-topic, but I just had to tell you that. 😀

 

[german]

Try exercising, when you get the feel for a smoke go for a walk, sit ups or something. You feel better and it gets your mind off smoking. It worked for me.

 

[Vae]

I quit cold turkey a couple years ago and I experienced the same things you did. I ate to keep my mouth busy and I gained some weight because of it (that I'm still trying to work off). The best thing I can tell you is to be stubborn: don't give in, tell the addiction to go fuck itself and stay away from it. Eat, chew gum, exercise, hang out with non-smokers, and otherwise distract yourself from the urge to smoke. The first month is by far the worst. Get through that and it'll fade. You'll notice it will be a little easier even after the first few weeks.

Good luck! And man, believe me, I know your pain. 🙂

 

[TklDuo-Ann]

Congrats on deciding to quit. As of today, I've been cig-free for 3 years now. It was rough in the beginning. I didn't use the gum or any of that junk, either. When I got the craving for a cig, I just popped a fireball in my mouth instead. If you find something that you like, within reason of course, that you can substitute for a smoke, you'll be fine. I found that keeping myself busy kept my mind off smoking during the initial period of adjustment. What you're feeling is normal withdrawal. It'll pass in a couple of weeks. Then, you just need to remind yourself that it's no longer a physical craving and convince yourself not to give in to the habit itself. It's definately worth the struggle.

One of the many things that helped me was thinking about the following...
- the amount of money I was saving
- the fact that my hair and clothing didn't stink any more
- the fact (this is the kicker) that I would have better breath control for tickle sessions
- the fact that I would no longer be sent out in the cold when I had the craving for a smoke

I'm sure you can come up with other things as well. Good luck!

REMEMBER! If you slip up and have one at some point, it doesn't mean that you have to give in and start smoking again. Just let it pass and keep on trying. I'd been cutting back for a few months before finally stopping completely.

Ann

 

[The Sean Man]

The first two weeks are truly a bitch. But...if you can make it that far, you're well on your way. Go for a long walk everyday, and try deep breathing. Let your lungs enjoy nice, fresh air.

 

[Storm_Cat]

I am envious of you and the others who have quit .. I should really quit, but I to fear the associated weight gain because nicotine quells the appetite.

Good girl, though ... good luck! 🙂

 

[Traveler]

Yeah,quitting smoking will suck.When,I quit it was one of the hardest things I have done. For me the first two weeks were tough,but they got better as time went on. It will suck trust me I have been there. But,if you stick to it and resolve yourself it will work. What,I did was I took my money for cigarettes,and put it in a jar daily. And at the end of the month,I bought myself something.And,if you smoke a pack a day like I did that adds up at the end of the month. I exercise alot and concentrate on healthy eating.You can do it your wallet will appreciate, and eventually so will your body.I smoked from the time I was 16 till I was 45,I have been smoke free for three years.I feel better,I smell better and I get to buy my self something all the time . Just remeber nothing worth having is'nt any good unless you put forth the effort.I did and won,and you can too.........

 

[Mimi]

Yep...I celebrated 18 months smoke free 2 days ago. I can't believe it's been that long already!

Everyone else has already offered great advice. There's not too much I can add. I myself would not have been able to quit without the aid of my Nicitrol Inhaler. It allowed me to continue to go through the motions of smoking, without actually doing so, and over time, as my nicotine addiction died, I found I was forgetting about my inhaler more and more. After about 3 months, I chucked it and never looked back.

Distraction is truly the best medicine for quitting. Keeping your mind and body distracted from the thought of smoking. A hell of a lot harder to do than say, I know. But if you've made it through 5 days already, you're pretty much pulling onto easy street dear! Hang in there!

Mimi 😉

 

[isabeau]

I am envious of you and the others who have quit .. I should really quit, but I to fear the associated weight gain because nicotine quells the appetite.

Good girl, though ... good luck! 🙂

thats why ii still smoke to make sure i dont gain weight, also it helps, or at least i tell myself that. but Elffriend wtg and keep it up. of course it will be difficult , but each day will get better and better. i truly admire you for having the will power to do this.

isabeau

 

[drew70]

I tried several times to quit smoking before I was successful. The difference was that this last time, I made a promise to never have a cigarette again for the rest of my life....that no matter how badly I wanted one, they were off-limits forever. It was really tough, but I can truthfully say I've not had one cigarette in over 7 years. I've found that if you can avoid that one cigarette, you're home free.

 

[Illtcklu]

I have a best friend who did this and he has been cig free for ten years now. He says he still gets the cravings, but only when he smells second hand smoke.

As for Isabeau and Storm Cat, you both should try hard to do so. I won't pretend to know how easy it is our patronize you with 'I know what your going through' crap, cause you probably heard this before.
However, if you guys do resolve to quit, I'm sure you will find plenty of support here as well!

 

[Knox The Hatter]

I smoked my last cigarette on Friday night, September 28, 1990. It was a birthday gift to myself...my birthday having been on the 27th.

I remember sitting in a restaurant with a woman who is one of the loves of my life. She's one of my best friends on the planet. I told her that the three remaining cigarettes in the pack (Bristols-generics, at $1.18 per pack at the Mobil station that was next to my job) would be the last I'd ever smoke. It would officially be my third attempt; the surprising performance of my two previous attempts gave me confidence in myself. I knew that I would never, ever pick up another cigarette, just as I knew that the woman I met in front of the pizzeria on another Friday night eight years later for the first time would be my wife. I just knew.

My friend said to me, "you'll be smoking again Monday morning, sweetie." I replied, "uh, no."

You see, earlier in the week, on Tuesday morning, I got pissed because I had ran out of cigarettes again...I was sick and tired of smoking, I was sick and tired of places that I couldn't smoke in, I was sick and tired of the money dished out for them...so, I said the hell with it, I was just not going to pick them up.

I lasted until 2PM.

I went to Mobil, bought a carton of Bristols, and said to myself, this is the very last carton of cigarettes I will ever buy. I'm done...finished. That's it.

I smoked that last cigarette, in the garage of my parents' house, at 9PM that night, and I haven't had one since. The first three days were an ordeal, eating entire boxes, one after another, of Golden Grahams, having violent, Hitleresque tempertantrums (with a close friend standing by me, saying, "this too shall pass!"). I gained 30 pounds, and haven't been able to take that all off until THIS YEAR. It was worth it, though. Never had a problem, never had a crisis.

You have to WANT to. Yes, give cold turkey a try (the best way to go; there's far better things to spend your money than on the subsidizing of the Smoking Cessation industry), see how it works. However, you have to WANT to quit. It's as simple as that. Where there's a will, there's a way.

Good luck, Elfriend.

 

[isabeau]

I have a best friend who did this and he has been cig free for ten years now. He says he still gets the cravings, but only when he smells second hand smoke.

As for Isabeau and Storm Cat, you both should try hard to do so. I won't pretend to know how easy it is our patronize you with 'I know what your going through' crap, cause you probably heard this before.
However, if you guys do resolve to quit, I'm sure you will find plenty of support here as well!

yes i know Illtcklu i need to try harder. hubby wants me to so badly. always talking about getting the patch or that other thing Mimi told me about. i cant remember what it was now though. something like a cigarette or something you blow on. or thru i dont remember. thanks Illtcklu my friend. xoxo

isabeau

and keep it up elffriend. wtg

 

[Illtcklu]

yes i know Illtcklu i need to try harder. hubby wants me to so badly. always talking about getting the patch or that other thing Mimi told me about. i cant remember what it was now though. something like a cigarette or something you blow on. or thru i dont remember. thanks Illtcklu my friend. xoxo

isabeau

and keep it up elffriend. wtg

According to that friend of mine quitting 'cold turkey' is the best way! It's also the hardest, but ensures better you won't start again!
My grandfather quit 'cold turkey'. It was after a ember went into my grandmothers eye and burned it. She wasn't permantly damaged, but grandpa decided that was it! He threw the pack away and never smoked a cigarette again for over 40 years! He lived well into his seventies.

 

[Mimi]

The Nicitrol Inhaler, Izzyboo. You suck on it, or inhale off it, actually. Exactly like you do a cigarette. It gives you a little puff of nicotine to help curb the cravings, but does not contain all the nasty chemicals and harmful smoke you find in a cigarette. So it mimicks the hand and mouth gestures you've made a habit of with smoking, as well as giving you small doses of nicotine to help you through the withdrawl. If you're serious about quitting, but don't trust yourself trying it cold turkey, I completely recommend it. It worked for me after smoking 2 packs a day for 18 years. And I had tried to quit previously, unsuccessfully, through hypnosis to no avail.

 

[isabeau]

thank you Mimi for that i knew it was called something with an inhaler. i will definitely check it out. yes i am serious thanks xoxo

isabeau

 

[some1somewhere]

This is silly, but when I stop doing something that is addictive, and get a couple bags of sunflower seeds and just start popping them in my mouth. For some reason I am able to deal with withdrawl better that way. I used is it substuting one addiction for another.

 

[Billiardfool]

There sure is a lot of good support here.

I've been smoke free for three years on 12-10. Cold turkey is good but I found that your mind will play tricks on you. After a day or two it's like someone else inside your brain is talking to you saying things like "You're doing a great job, you haven't had a smoke in 3 days, why don't you light one up to reward yourself." Or this one "Who are you trying to kid, you don't really want to quit, you just thought it was a good idea at the time, come on, light one up, no one's really expecting you to succeed at this!"

You really have to want to quit, bad. I took it one day at a time. Next thing I knew it was a week, then a month. I now measure my time in years, I'm sure you will too, good luck and hang in there.

 

[drew70]

Oh yes, I definitely remember THOSE voices. The good thing is that one can tell those voices to pound sand. Eventually they will.

By the way, welcome to the TMF, Billiardfool! It's a cool place with lots of cool people!

 

[TKpervert]

I too, quit. I didn't quit smoking, I quit trying to quit.
I'll be bumming smokes at my own funeral.

 

[elfriend]

Thanks everyone for the advice I really needed it!!!!

I hope tidas reads this to because he is quitting as well

 

[leafstk]

I say live life to its fullest, if that means a few Marlie's, so be it 😀

Can you tell I haven't been able to quit yet?