Smoking,How to quit?

[ryan42]

My question is for those of you that use to smoke and have quit and how did you do it?My reason for asking is I decided if I was to quit smoking I could pay myself by using the money to buy a gun that other wise would be used to buy cigerattes.Ive decided to quit anyway,every time I want a cig I can just pull out my gun and look at it.I just wonder which would be easier quiting cold turkey or gradually.I tried that chantix but had a terrible reaction and I think im going cold turkey instead of wasting money on all the quit smoking aids.Im looking forward to your quiiting smoking stories.I hope this is the right thread to post this on.

[Juker]

I smoked for 30 years. I quit cold turkey two years ago. Just decided I'd had enough, and was starting to feel it, even though I also run.

Like a lot of teens, I played with cigarettes in high school, but I really started smoking in the Army. Smoke breaks were common. Smoke 'em if you got 'em. And if you didn't smoke, you were probably going to pick up trash or clean latrines. I swear, by the end of basic, 99% of the men had started smoking. Of course, cigs were something like .40/pack on base. (And we were at the tail end of getting field rations that still had little packs of 4 smokes in 'em!)

The cost is a big motivator, of course, but so is the prospect of toting around an oxygen tank and reflecting what an idiot we were most of our lives.

I didn't want any nico-drugs, or patches, or shots, or hypnosis. I started on my own, figured I was man enough to quit on my own, so I did. Chewed a lot of gum. First thing I noticed was my sense of smell returned almost immediately. Second thing, I could smell a smoker twenty feet away, and realized how I must have reeked all those years, even though I rarely smoked indoors.

Good luck. It's not nearly as hard as you may think. I believe it's hard because people make it hard. Just make up your mind - think of it as painting a room a different color. You've decided on this color, and you're going with it. It's a big change, but you're going to do it, and forge ahead, and not go back and paint the room again in the original color. Just think of it as a decision - mind over body. When you think you're craving a smoke, just believe it's your body healing itself, working all that crap out of your system.

If you don't exercise, replace smoking with exercise. Get fiendish about it. Get obsessive. Let nothing stop you. Exercise at least 30 minutes a day, even if you have to give up something else to do it.

Good luck. It can be done.

[ka64]

Started Chewing Skoal........

[ryan42]

Originally Posted by ka64

Started Chewing Skoal........

Yuk I appreicate the tip I really do but I dont want another bad habit.lol

[ryan42]

Originally Posted by Juker

I smoked for 30 years. I quit cold turkey two years ago. Just decided I'd had enough, and was starting to feel it, even though I also run.

Like a lot of teens, I played with cigarettes in high school, but I really started smoking in the Army. Smoke breaks were common. Smoke 'em if you got 'em. And if you didn't smoke, you were probably going to pick up trash or clean latrines. I swear, by the end of basic, 99% of the men had started smoking. Of course, cigs were something like .40/pack on base.

The cost is a big motivator, of course, but so is the prospect of toting around an oxygen tank and reflecting what an idiot we were most of our lives.

I didn't want any nico-drugs, or patches, or shots, or hypnosis. I started on my own, figured I was man enough to quit on my own, so I did. Chewed a lot of gum. First thing I noticed was my sense of smell returned almost immediately. Second thing, I could smell a smoker twenty feet away, and realized how I must have reeked all those years, even though I rarely smoked indoors.

Good luck. It's not nearly as hard as you may think. I believe it's hard because people make it hard. Just make up your mind - think of it as painting a room a different color. You've decided on this color, and you're going with it. It's a big change, but you're going to do it, and forge ahead, and not go back and paint the room again in the original color. Just think of it as a decision - mind over body. When you think you're craving a smoke, just believe it's your body healing itself, working all that crap out of your system.

If you don't exercise, replace smoking with exercise. Get fiendish about it. Get obsessive. Let nothing stop you. Exercise at least 30 minutes a day, even if you have to give up something else to do it.

Good luck. It can be done.

You make really good points.How long before you didnt have the craving?

[ampaterry]

I am an expert on quitting - I have done it hundreds of times.

But when I REALLY wanted to, honestly, I turned it over to God. I asked him to help me overcome the craving, and He did exactly that.

The craving did NOT completely stop.
In never does.
These twits that quit and then run around ranting at every smoker about that filthy habit, and demanding that no one smoke anywhere near them are full of it.
I LOVE it when a smoker lights up close to me.
Second hand is just fine.

And on this cruise, my son-in-law scored three Cuban cigars.
These must be smoked before re-entering the USA, and he invited me to help him.
Judy, I, our daughter and he all went into a smoking lounge on the ship and fired them up, passing them around so everyone got to try a cuban.

But that is sort of a special occasion, and one cigar in decades is hardly 'smoking' to my way of thinking.

Just REALLY decide to DO it, pray for strength, and good luck to you!

[Juker]

Originally Posted by ryan42

You make really good points.How long before you didnt have the craving?

I changed all my routines. I even changed the way I take my coffee, as that first cup and first smoke o'the day was always the best.

I beat the cravings by telling myself, "You'll feel better and live longer." When it got bad, I dropped and did pushups. No kidding. Got a little adrenaline surge, and that helped.

Took about two weeks.

[ampaterry]

That reminds me of a story.

Dog gone preacher ALWAYS has a story!!

We had an evangelist once that told us about a guy in his church who said he wanted to quit smoking.
He asked for prayer to help him, and he received it.
The next Sunday, he had fallen off the wagon and again asked for prayer to help him.

This was repeated several times until the preacher got the impression that the guy wanted folks to THINK he was trying, but he really was not.

He asked him to come forward.
He laid his hands on the man's shoulders, and prayed:

Lord, Brother Bob has asked for help to stop this filthy and expensive habit.
He has asked for this help over and over, but keeps falling back into it.
Lord, if Brother Bob ever lights another cigarette, KILL HIM!!

I do not endorse such a prayer, but I have to admit that it brought a chuckle when I heard about it -

And -

Brother Bob did quit - -

[Juker]

Originally Posted by ampaterry

Brother Bob did quit - -

ROFL!!!

I bet he did!!

[Dan01]

I noticed prior to 2006 that I was loosing my physical edge (wind and stamina).....About mid 2006 I got the flu and got put in the hospital because of breathing difficulty.....I went to see a pulmonologist (lung specialist) and was diagnosed with severe emphysema.........I switched to smoking one small cigar a day instead of 2 packs of cigs a day (thought this would lead to better breathing)

Jan 15 2012 I was rushed to the hospital not breathing on my own....Was diagnosed with severe pneumonia...Was intubated and in a coma for 3 weeks....Was then in ICU for another 3 weeks.

I went from 230lbs to 180lbs and was weak as a kitten when I got back home...I have not smoked or drank any alcohol since I got home and don't intend to.....The lung doctor estimated that I might live for 2 to 4 years, perhaps longer if I got serious about my health...

I rarely feel the need for a smoke and I drink non alcoholic beer occasionally.....I cannot tolerate the smell of cigarettes...It gags me......

Every body quit now so you won't go through what I did!!!......It was my own fault that I ruined my life....

Go cold turkey, use the patches, the gum, what ever it takes, but quit.... If you fall off the wagon don't get angry with your self, just start over again as many times as it takes..............

PS: for me it was about $10 a day, $70 a week, $280 a month, $3,360 a year for a lot of years....My recent hospital stay was near a quarter of a million......A lot of cash for lousy cigarettes..........Anyone want to talk about it send me a PM.


Dan

[raven818]

Originally Posted by ka64

Started Chewing Skoal........

When your ready for Skoal, take a piece of cardboard to a mirror. Place the cardboard just Under your lips.

Then, try to picture yourself with no chin and no lower jaw. If you still feel the need, go for it.

[Haligan]

Well, ryan42, I looked up an old thread I created a while back. Sit back read up and that's my story. I might as well update it.

http://www.thefirearmsforum.com/show...hlight=smoking

[Juker]

Thanks for sharing that, Dan, please keep us posted on your progress.

I might be adding to this for days, as it was a milestone when I quit ...

Another important "healing" point - Look yourself in the mirror and admit you're an addict. It's a seminal moment. Say to yourself, I'm a grown man, and I have allowed myself to become addicted, ruin my health, smell like crap, and line the pockets of tobacco companies. It's my fault. All mine. Nobody forced me to smoke. I am a man, and I'm taking back my life.

Before long you'll feel your wind coming back, your blood pressure will drop, food tastes better... And your metabolism will crank down. Can't overstress the importance of exercise, because if you start filling that void above your chin with anything in sight, you'll put on weight immediately, and think that if you start smoking again you'll lose the weight. I've seen it happen to too many folks, and I've never been overweight and didn't intend to start.

[Dan01]

I can remember some things while I was in the coma....There was a presence of something greater than myself that seemed to be helping me......I won't get all religious about it, but it is still with me and helping.......

Dan

[Juker]

Pretty sure I know Who that was, Dan.

A few more points.

The money's a big motivator. I smoked Marlboro Ultra Light 72s for the last few years, because after all the fresh taxes Illinois piled on, I could still get those for $4/pack. I started on Marlboros, went through a menthol phase later on, Winstons for a while, the occasional pack of Dunhills, even Benson & Hedges while in Germany (they had a German blend that was delicious, used to buy 'em out of machines at U-bahn stations), Merits for a few years. When prices started going up I would buy sealed cans of tobacco, had a little machine and cartons of empty filtered tubes, and I'd pack my own. But that got to be a pain in the ass, and it was rather messy.

And I know plenty of you guys are paying, what, $6/pack in some states?

But let's stick with $4. And I was a steady pack-a-day man. That's $28 per week, $112 to $120 per month, or $1,460 per year. If you're smoking a pack a day at $6, that's $2,190 per year. I don't know many folks who couldn't use an extra $2,000 a year. And that's $2,000 a year you're paying to kill yourself.

Make the choice, make the decision, and do it. Don't commiserate and bitch to everyone around you about withdrawals, just keep telling yourself how much better you feel. Start jogging or running. Figure out what you'll do with that extra dinero. Become an instant non-smoker.

Just change your mind. It CAN be done.

[pickenup]

Both the wife and I went cold turkey.
While they say there is a physical addiction to tobacco, we never had a problem with that aspect. It was always a mental/physical addiction for us. What to do with your hands after a meal, and after.......and...

Once we REALLY made up our minds to quit, it wasn't that hard.

[Carne Frio]

I smoked for about 10 years. Then got fed up with it
and tried to quit. No go. I contacted a registered
hypnotherapist to help me quit. Had one session and
never smoked again. That was in 1974 and cost $50.
It was one the best things I ever did for myself.

[Jerryboy]

when my best friend(who's in the Army)comes to town we get drunk together and I'll smoke his cigarettes. at some Church functions there will occasionally be wine and beer, and sometimes when I go to a fellow member's house after Church we'll smoke a cigar and have beer and wine.

but I can go months and months between smokes and drinks. my problem is with food. I LOVE food! I'll stuff myself to bursting, then eat some more. unfortunately there isn't a patch or gum that hits the spot, and food is literally at every street corner. I try to diet and exercise, but it's hard after all these years of sitting on my @$$ doing nothing.

[hogger129]

I just went cold turkey. I had a second cousin who smoked like a chimney and died from cancer because of it and I just realized I didn't want that to happen to me.

[cpttango30]

First things first

Do you REALLY want to quit smoking?

If you answered YES then good you are on your way. I myself used the comitt (Nicoret) candy. It worked for me and within 3 weeks I was off of that and didn't even think about smoking. That was 5 years ago.

[01brian]

I used the nicotine gum. It was just another habit. 6 months of that I was just sick of being a slave to nicotine. When I decided to hang it up, it was a tough week. Cold turkey. Lots of prayer and understanding from family members. Sweat it out for the first 3 days...The cravings come now and again, but I've been free of nicotine for about 5 years now...I'll never go back

[terryu1]

I quit exactly one year to the day that my daughter was born. She is now 24 yrs old. I used to still get urges at times for years after I quit. Sometime when doing some hard work like digging garden etc and taking a break I sometimes felt the urge to light up. LOL

A word of advice though, I quit at least 7 times seriously before successful. Two times I had quit for a month or so and went back.

KEEP TRYING !!! it gets easier.

[ka64]

Originally Posted by raven818

When your ready for Skoal, take a piece of cardboard to a mirror. Place the cardboard just Under your lips.

Then, try to picture yourself with no chin and no lower jaw. If you still feel the need, go for it.

Guess I should have finnished. Chewed for about 2 years, when the Dentist started to order byopsies, been a couple of years since the last Dip. Now it's suggar free Gum.

[Zhurh]

HEY Carne, Was the hypnotist in Fairbanks? Boy I got a regular list of things to cure the wife of, ha ha.

[cpttango30]

Just watch this and you will quite today.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5zWB4dLYChM

http://youtu.be/ow5uw_iCm5A

http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&fe...&v=GEWky9PEroU