Armed Polite Society
Main Forums => The Roundtable => Topic started by: K Frame on February 16, 2017, 04:37:52 PM
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Finished the last cigarette in the pack about an hour ago.
Put on my first nicotine patch about 5 minutes ago.
Brave new world here I come.
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Not sure how the patch works compared to the route I went, but wishing ya the best of luck!
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You can't quit smoking. ManBearPig needs the revenue.
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A guy at work has chronic bronchitis. I wish he would do that. He needs to quit. I doubt he will though.
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Best of luck. I kicked the habit after one cigarette -- in the third grade. Let's just say the post chaplain's son was a bad influence!
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Luck to you man. It's a PITA, but worth it.
Cowboy Killers and coffee is still the breakfast of champions, that I miss.
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Good luck. Nicotine is a damned evil slave master.
I take my nicotine cold but still the same monkey.
I've "quit" twice, longest was for 18+ months, still not sure if the 60 pounds I packed on was worth it, took me 2½ years to shed most of that.
I keep hoping I can get my wife to give up the cigarettes, she has a family history of Emphysema, COPD, her father, grandfather and an uncle died from emphysema, and a personal relationship with heart disease, (heart attack at 44 years old, open heart surgery, double bypass and a follow up bi-femoral bypass) cardiovascular disease and still she smokes 11 years later. I really don't have much expectations of her making it to 65.
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Good luck. Nicotine is a damned evil slave master.
I take my nicotine cold but still the same monkey.
I've "quit" twice, longest was for 18+ months, still not sure if the 60 pounds I packed on was worth it, took me 2½ years to shed most of that.
I keep hoping I can get my wife to give up the cigarettes, she has a family history of Emphysema, COPD, her father, grandfather and an uncle died from emphysema, and a personal relationship with heart disease, (heart attack at 44 years old, open heart surgery, double bypass and a follow up bi-femoral bypass) cardiovascular disease and still she smokes 11 years later. I really don't have much expectations of her making it to 65.
Yes, please make quitting work for anyone who is trying. Enjoy the life you have left by spending less of it in a hospital.
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I quit after reading a book called "addictive thinking" by Rabbi Abraham Twerski, in 1991.
One of the things I did was to spend my free time after work meditating on why I wanted to smoke and telling myself I was no longer allowed to do that.
But, addictive thinking really really helped.
YOU CAN DO IT
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Put on my first nicotine patch about 5 minutes ago.
Brave new world here I come.
You are so going to love the hallucinations dreams!!
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I got off cigs by going vape. This month marks four years since my last smoke. Don't miss a single thing about them.
I used to not notice cigarrete smoke. Now I can smell it when someone is having a puff on their back porch two blocks over.
Brad
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About 16 hours in right now, and I'm doing well. Not had any desire to smoke, and not had any of the roller coastering emotions that I got when I tried cold turkey.
Only side effects I've had so far were some itching where I applied the patch, and a pretty constant low-grade headache since putting it on. Just took some Tylenol for that.
One of my big triggers for smoking is driving.
This morning I drove Seren to doggy daycare, and then drove from there to the office.
I didn't even think about a cigarette.
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How much does a pack of cigarettes costs these days? I see people forking over a lot of money at convenience stores.
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This morning I drove Seren to doggy daycare, and then drove from there to the office.
I didn't even think about a cigarette.
See? Without nicotine to regulate it, your Alzheimer's is getting so bad you can't remember your daily routine.
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How much does a pack of cigarettes costs these days? I see people forking over a lot of money at convenience stores.
40,000 quatloos.
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Hang-in there, Mike.
I quit 15 years ago; took three tries on the patch.
Can't tell you how much better I felt not long after quitting.
You can do it...
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I'm already feeling different, but a bit better.
My throat, which has been chronically sore for several months, is feeling better. My voice, which was also chronically hoarse, is doing better, as well.
I've not had a craving yet, and the only untoward burst of anger I've had today was at the douchenozzles on a multiperson phone meeting who were on speaker phone AND carrying on background conversations at the same time.
But that kind of crap pisses me off no matter what.
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3 plus days without a smoke. Feeling good!
Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk
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I got off cigs by going vape. This month marks four years since my last smoke. Don't miss a single thing about them.
Guy at work killed a decades long smoking habit that way.
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3 plus days without a smoke. Feeling good!
Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk
If you made it that long, you can make it forever. Excellent work.
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3 plus days without a smoke. Feeling good!
Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk
Good for you, just one day at a time type of thing. One of my lectures to help motivate people to quit was the cost. I would add up a years worth for them and tell them they could take their wife to Hawaii or somewhere. The wife with them usually loved that!! :)
I see people in the commissary here pay 55+ dollars a carton for cheap cigarettes and a lot more for the premium and I am just amazed.
At least when I smoked I bought mine at sea for 15 cents a pack, 35 cents if I had to use the exchange. :)
bob
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86 hours as of right now!
What I didn't mention yesterday (because I was so freaking tired) is that I spent the afternoon with my brother and sister in law, and they are both smokers.
They were worried about smoking around me, and I told them not to worry, that I would be fine.
And I was fine. I didn't want a cigarette at all.
The only time I even thought that I'd like a cigarette was coming home. I expected traffic to be light because it's a 3-day weekend for a lot of people (not my company), but traffic was extremely heavy. Flowing, but heavy.
Driving is one of my big triggers. I tended to chain smoke when behind the wheel, and for a split second I caught myself thinking I'd like one. Then I told myself to stop being a dumbass and concentrate on not playing bumper cars.
According to my average of 1 pack a day, I'm going to save about $2,200 a year.
At the end of every month I'm going to move a month's equivalent of cigarette money into my savings account.
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The only time I even thought that I'd like a cigarette was coming home. I expected traffic to be light because it's a 3-day weekend for a lot of people (not my company), but traffic was extremely heavy. Flowing, but heavy.
Driving is one of my big triggers. I tended to chain smoke when behind the wheel, and for a split second I caught myself thinking I'd like one. Then I told myself to stop being a dumbass and concentrate on not playing bumper cars.
According to my average of 1 pack a day, I'm going to save about $2,200 a year.
At the end of every month I'm going to move a month's equivalent of cigarette money into my savings account.
On the former, good for you! Your "trigger" situation is pretty tough to fight through, since you're stuck in your car with little diversion. If you powered through that, I bet you're going to breeze through this.
On the latter, it's always better to have a carrot than a stick. Given what I know about your investment knowledge, the potential of the saved money is probably a great carrot for you. :)
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"Given what I know about your investment knowledge, the potential of the saved money is probably a great carrot for you."
Huge carrot (PHRASING! :rofl:) given the fact that I've shelled out a horrific amount of money the last couple of months on the house.
I've also discovered yet another ancillary benefit.
For years I've had edema problems in my right leg. Another family thing. It's been problematic in that I've had a number of bouts of cellulitis because of the edema, even though I've worn compression socks on the leg for a long time.
Well, over the last two days I've noticed that my leg doesn't seem to be swelling nearly as much as it was when I was smoking. I'm really hoping that this is a trend that continues as I address both the weight and the smoking.
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According to my average of 1 pack a day, I'm going to save about $2,200 a year.
That was the one flaw in switching to Clipper "cigars;" pack a day only costs $600/year. Saving ~$50/mo is a lot less urgent than saving the ~$200/mo that Camels were costing.
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That was the one flaw in switching to Clipper "cigars;" pack a day only costs $600/year. Saving ~$50/mo is a lot less urgent than saving the ~$200/mo that Camels were costing.
Given your preference for very low cost vehicles, $50/month is a car or two each year, no?
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Given your preference for very low cost vehicles, $50/month is a car or two each year, no?
One car, roughly, on average, not counting initial repair costs. About 2 cars every 3 years with the cost of getting them roadworthy to my standards.
Of course, not having a car right now, insurance savings alone pay for the Clippers, and frankly, ~5 hours of cardio a week probably balances out the health effect compared to the average American.
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One car, roughly, on average, not counting initial repair costs. About 2 cars every 3 years with the cost of getting them roadworthy to my standards.
Of course, not having a car right now, insurance savings alone pay for the Clippers, and frankly, ~5 hours of cardio a week probably balances out the health effect compared to the average American.
So an engine that runs, a transmission to get it moving and four round tires.
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So an engine that runs, a transmission to get it moving and four round tires.
And brakes. I hate having to circle the block until I bleed off enough speed to stick a rock under the wheels.
And headlights. I like good lighting.
And a stereo to cover up the assorted other noises until I get around to them. Though I'm thinking I just need a receiver with amplified speaker outputs and a volume knob these days. Bluetooth OBDII reader and a 7" tablet with a 128G microSD pretty much handles most entertainment and engine monitoring at a reasonable price and more flexibility than purpose-built car stereos.
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And brakes. I hate having to circle the block until I bleed off enough speed to stick a rock under the wheels.
And headlights. I like good lighting.
And a stereo to cover up the assorted other noises until I get around to them. Though I'm thinking I just need a receiver with amplified speaker outputs and a volume knob these days. Bluetooth OBDII reader and a 7" tablet with a 128G microSD pretty much handles most entertainment and engine monitoring at a reasonable price and more flexibility than purpose-built car stereos.
:facepalm:
I'd try to explain why I think you have the wrong perspective on money and vehicle safety, but I'm giving up and throwing in the towel. Please don't ever drive near the East Coast.
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I'd try to explain why I think you have the wrong perspective on money and vehicle safety, but I'm giving up and throwing in the towel. Please don't ever drive near the East Coast.
I've seen the traffic there. Rather use a boat if I have to travel that area.
Though boat brakes tend to suck pretty bad too.
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That was the one flaw in switching to Clipper "cigars;" pack a day only costs $600/year. Saving ~$50/mo is a lot less urgent than saving the ~$200/mo that Camels were costing.
(https://media.licdn.com/mpr/mpr/AAEAAQAAAAAAAAWZAAAAJDk1YzU3ZDE1LTI4OTktNDc0Zi04ODJmLTJlYmZmY2JlZDE5Yg.jpg)
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Guy at work killed a decades long smoking habit that way.
FWIW, I passed the 10 year mark last November. And I was a 2 pack a day menthol smoker. Did it cold turkey with the patch. I say that not for the glory, but to say that if I could do it, as bad as I was, surely Irwin can do it just out of orneriness. :laugh:
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110 hours. Going just fine. No cravings. Just the occasional "it would be nice to have a cigarette," which I quickly quash with "don't be a dumbass, dumbass!"
I'm noticing so many more benefits it's not even funny. Last night I got out in the back yard and did a bunch of cleanup, then carried two big bags of leaves and the garbage out to the curb. That used to leave me feeling as if I was going to collapse. Overall I have a lot more energy.
For years I've been having problems with edema in my right leg. Partially hereditary, but since I quit smoking, the edema has reduced dramatically by the end of the day. Food is tasting better, of course.
As someone mentioned, though, the dreams the last couple of nights have been quiet vivid and strange.
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One car, roughly, on average, not counting initial repair costs. About 2 cars every 3 years with the cost of getting them roadworthy to my standards.
Of course, not having a car right now, insurance savings alone pay for the Clippers, and frankly, ~5 hours of cardio a week probably balances out the health effect compared to the average American.
As a smoker your health isn't comparable to the "average american". The average American is just obese and likely to die from symptoms of that.
You, however, are more likely to die from fun things like cancer and emphysema. No amount of cardio will save you from that. It'll just mean you're a skinny corpse when the day comes.
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FWIW, I passed the 10 year mark last November. And I was a 2 pack a day menthol smoker. Did it cold turkey with the patch. I say that not for the glory, but to say that if I could do it, as bad as I was, surely Irwin can do it just out of orneriness. :laugh:
How does putting a patch on a turkey help?
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The average American is just obese and likely to die from symptoms of that.
Obese and sedentary and full of random junk food. (It's definitely possible to eat enough healthy food to be obese while still being quite active. After all, cows are vegans and walk everywhere and they still get fat.) Tends to lead to not doing a whole lot of real living before the dying part.
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How does putting a patch on a turkey help?
Smartass! :laugh:
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"Did it cold turkey with the patch."
Is that anything like Andre Cold Duck?
Holy crap, that made me think about the sparkling wines that were all the rage in the 1970s, which made me remember a Christmas commercial for Andre from that time frame...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGOr3s1VEYI
God, talk about bringing back memories...
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"Did it cold turkey with the patch."
Is that anything like Andre Cold Duck?
Holy crap, that made me think about the sparkling wines that were all the rage in the 1970s, which made me remember a Christmas commercial for Andre from that time frame...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGOr3s1VEYI
God, talk about bringing back memories...
I have enough strange dreams without having to endure yours as well.... :P
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Holy crap, that made me think about the sparkling wines that were all the rage in the 1970s,
Ah...a surreptitiously obtained bottle of Ripple and a soon-to-be-obtained impressively stacked brunette...
Yeah, those were the days.
Wait a minute...I was 4 in 1980...how old was that bottle of Ripple by 1991?
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(https://ih1.redbubble.net/image.120648996.2001/flat,800x800,070,f.u1.jpg)
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Oh!!! I have the perfect motivational patch for Mike:
(https://armedpolitesociety.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.lovemilitarylife.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2012%2F07%2FEmbrace_the_Suck1.jpg&hash=3631159622579997c95f7e9d07275446b385f9df)
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..
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Mike,
How's it going, where you at with this?
The knowledge that the malaise will disappear on that first puff isn't worth the the self loathing when I crumple a pack of 18 sticks and throw it out the window in disgust.
Even today, 17 years later, I think to myself "If I was still smoking, I'd smoke RIGHT NOW!"
Just quit again if you need to. Sooner or later you won't be a smoker anymore.
With apologies to Terry, I'm using my real name because this is real life
-Steve
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Oh!!! I have the perfect motivational patch for Mike:
(https://armedpolitesociety.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.lovemilitarylife.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2012%2F07%2FEmbrace_the_Suck1.jpg&hash=3631159622579997c95f7e9d07275446b385f9df)
Isn't he trying to avoid the suck?
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Well, I just passed 16 full days (hour wise) since my last smoke.
Averaging a pack a day, so far I have:
NOT smoked 320 cigarettes (averaging a pack a day when I quit)
NOT spent $96.20 (figuring roughly $6 a pack)
Regained 1 day, 13.4 hours of life.
Even better, the edema in my right leg is markedly better. That's the leg that I've had routine bouts of cellulitis in. Hopefully with the increased circulation that comes with quitting I won't have nearly the problems.
There have been some times when I'd really liked to have had a cigarette, but those have passed pretty quickly and I don't think that they were really fullbore cravings.
I'm 2 weeks into my initial nicotine patch set -- 4 weeks on the highest, 4 weeks on medium, then 2 to 4 weeks on the lowest.
I'm fully committed to quitting. I've spent enough money on cigarettes.
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Little update on this...
Right after Memorial Day, after finding out about Mom's will, I fell off the wagon. HARD.
For 3 days.
The second I left town, I climbed right back on the wagon and have been on it ever since.
Taking into account those 3 days...
I have been smoke free for 129 days.
I have passed on 2600 cigarettes.
And I have saved about $780.
All in all, I recognize just how easy a time I've had quitting.
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Well done. Stay with it -- your lungs will thank you.
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Update on this...
With all the stress over the last couple of months, I've started smoking again, unfortunately.
I made it nearly 4 months before I fell off the wagon, requit for a couple of weeks, and then started again -- hard and heavy.
sigh.
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Try vape. Seriously. You get your nic fix and gives you something to puff on without the 3000 or so carcinogens in the real thing. A big bonus is that it's significantly less expensive after you get your basic setup in place.
Something like as Aspire basic tank plus a couple of Aspire CF VV batteries will set you back about $75. After that it's the cost of juice and a $3 coil replacement about once every 6-8 weeks. I rung through about $20 worth of juice a month. You seem to smoke more than I did so figure probably $30 or so for your equivalent.
More bonus points for not waking up coughing every morning. If you use a tobacco flavored juice rather than one of the sickly-sweet varieties there a lack of discernible smell. It helps that I don't use the obscene fogger setups that the yuppie types seems to like for nothing more than making obnoxious clouds of disgust. Keep it simple and low-key.
Brad
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Nope.
It's not a nicotine thing. I've found that I don't crave nicotine.
I thing I crave the combination of the destructive action combined with channeling the stress/rage/anger/worry into something that I can burn.
As I told my sister-in-law, "If you don't give me a cigarette, I'm going to *expletive deleted*ing burn this *expletive deleted*ing town."
And I meant it.